At odds of 8-1 on the morning line, Table 38 Racing and KatieRich Stables' This Is Uscar is the longest shot among the five runners in the $500,000 Lukas Classic (G2) Sept. 26 at Churchill Downs, but trainer Jordan Blair feels there is opportunity to pull out the win.
"He's doing as well as he ever has. We're coming into the race with no excuses," said Blair, who seeks his first career graded victory. "I'm about as confident as I've ever been going into a race like this."
The 5-year-old Oscar Performance gelding has been in good form this summer, winning a 1 1/16-mile "3x" allowance June 28 at Churchill Downs by 3 3/4 lengths over 2-1 Lukas Classic favorite Chunk of Gold.
Terry Stephens' Chunk of Gold, a 4-year-old son of Preservationist trained by Ethan West, exited that race to run second by a neck to Bishops Bay in the Philip H. Iselin Stakes (G3) at Monmouth Park over the same distance. Meanwhile, Blair saddled This Is Uscar Aug. 9 at Ellis Park for the 1-mile R. A. "Cowboy" Jones Stakes. The horse collected himself after a bobbled start to stalk the pace, but came up 1 1/4 lengths short to pacesetter Owen Almighty.
Both Bishops Bay and Owen Almighty are entered in the Ack Ack Stakes (G3) over a one-turn mile earlier in the card, leaving their runner-ups to stretch out to 1 1/8 miles, a distance Blair hopes will be ideal for This Is Uscar.
"We chose this race over the Ack Ack because its two turns. I really think he excels over two turns," Blair said. "The furthest he's ever been is a mile-and-a-sixteenth, but winning that allowance here, that 3x, it didn't seem like a mile-and-an-eighth would be a problem."
The Lukas Classic field started with seven, but Original Sin and McAfee were cross-entered in the Goodwood Stakes (G1) at Santa Anita Park the same afternoon. Trainer Brendan Walsh told BloodHorse Original Sin would run in California, and trainer George Weaver gave the same news about McAfee to Daily Racing Form's Marcus Hersch.
Graded stakes winners Banishing (6-1) and Dragoon Guard (9-2) will run after finishing second and seventh, respectively, Aug. 28 in the three-turn 1 1/8-mile Charles Town Classic (G2). Tiztastic (4-1), who won the 2025 Louisiana Derby (G2), exits a fifth in the Whitney Stakes (G1) against much tougher company.
If there is a time to break through for his first graded win, Blair sees this as the opportune spot to do it. Looking at the recent history of the Lukas Classic, which is not a Breeders' Cup Challenge Series race and is not always guaranteed to attract the best of the best older horses, Blair thinks This Is Uscar's numbers fit what is needed to win.
"It sits at a time where the big dogs may have just ran or are going to run," Blair said. "There's a lot of different reasons why this race seemed accessible for us and one we could be competitive in. It just sits on the calendar in a funny spot. Looking at the last few runs, I thought we would have a chance."
Churchill Downs, Saturday, September 26, 2026, Race 10Entries: Lukas Classic S. (G2)
PP Horse Jockey Wgt Trainer M/L 1 1This Is Uscar (KY) Edgar Morales 121 Jordan Blair 8/1 2 2Dragoon Guard (KY) Tyler Gaffalione 121 Brad H. Cox 9/2 3 3Tiztastic (KY) Brian Joseph Hernandez, Jr. 121 Steven M. Asmussen 4/1 4 4Banishing (KY) Francisco Arrieta 121 David Jacobson 6/1 5 5Original Sin (KY) Ben Curtis 121 Brendan P. Walsh 3/1 6 6McAfee (KY) Luis Saez 121 George Weaver 15/1 7 7Chunk of Gold (KY) Jaime A. Torres 121 Ethan W. West 2/1
East Avenue Tries One Turn in Ack Ack
Where a stretch out in distance is what Blair hopes is successful for This Is Uscar, a cut back in distance and turns is what Walsh hopes will benefit Godolphin homebred East Avenue in the $400,000 Ack Ack Stakes. The 4-1 fourth choice has not been around one turn since his 6-furlong career debut.
The son of Medaglia d'Oro's two best performances this year were when running a mile around two turns, losing the Oaklawn Mile (G3) by less than a length in March and winning the Salvator Mile (G3) at Monmouth Park in June by a nose over Bishops Bay.
"We've been dying to try the one-turn mile with him," Walsh said. "It will be interesting to give him something else to think about. We've always had it in our minds to try it. It's a tough race, there's a lot of speed in there. So we'll see what happens."
KAS Stables' Bishops Bay (9-5) and Flying Dutchmen's Owen Almighty (7-2) are two that have early pace. Owen Almighty has a solid record at Churchill Downs, hitting the exacta in four of his five starts there with the fifth being a tremendous fifth in the Kentucky Derby (G1) when stretching to 1 1/4 miles.
"He really likes this track at Churchill, he's never run a bad race at Churchill," Nic Lynch, assistant trainer to his father Brian Lynch, said about the son of Speightstown on the Sept. 14 episode of BloodHorse Monday. "The one-turn mile seems to be his thing. … He seems to be indicating in every sort of direction that he's on top of his game."
Doubledown Stables' Nu What's New (3-1) is another who has early speed. Trained by James DiVito, the 4-year-old Munnings gelding is a perfect 3-for-3 when racing 1 mile on dirt, including the win over East Avenue in the Oaklawn Mile. He makes his first start in three months since winning the Hanshin Stakes (G3) at Churchill Downs.
The field also features Norman Stables' hard-trying Coal Battle, who was third in the Cowboy Jones for trainer Lonnie Briley.
Churchill Downs, Saturday, September 26, 2026, Race 9Entries: Ack Ack S. (G3)
PP Horse Jockey Wgt Trainer M/L 1 1Macho Music (FL) Jareth Loveberry 121 Rohan G. Crichton 20/1 2 2Arrowthegreat (KY) Brian Joseph Hernandez, Jr. 121 Dan Blacker 15/1 3 3Owen Almighty (KY) Francisco Arrieta 123 Brian A. Lynch 7/2 4 4Bishops Bay (KY) Tyler Gaffalione 123 Brad H. Cox 9/5 5 5Prince of Power (KY) Walter A. Rodriguez 121 David Jacobson 30/1 6 6Coal Battle (KY) Juan P. Vargas 121 Lonnie Briley 8/1 7 7East Avenue (KY) Cristian A. Torres 123 Brendan P. Walsh 4/1 8 8Nu What's New (KY) Luis Saez 123 James P. DiVito 3/1
Plutarch Returns in Tough Bourbon Flight
Stakes action at Churchill Downs on Saturday kicks off in the $300,000 Bourbon Flight Stakes, featuring the return of Coolmore's Plutarch, who has been sidelined since a win in the Robert B. Lewis Stakes (G3) at Santa Anita Park in February.
Grade 1-placed runners Local Knowledge and Blackout Time add intrigue to the field, as does morning-line favorite Stimulate who steps into stakes company off two wins for owners and breeders Claiborne Farm and Adele Dilschneider.
Walsh will saddle Qatar Racing's Infiltrate who began his career at 2 going 2-for-3 on the dirt. Being a son of Oscar Performance, Walsh gave the colt a try on turf when he made his sophomore debut Aug. 1, missing a win in the Secretariat Stakes (G2T) by a half-length. After a sound defeat at Kentucky Downs Sept. 7, Walsh is giving the dirt another try.
"He didn't do anything wrong on dirt last year when he ran on it," Walsh said. "He's a good horse. We were itching to give him a go on dirt, so it looks like a good spot to see where we stand with him on dirt. We can always go back to the grass if it doesn't work."
Churchill Downs, Saturday, September 26, 2026, Race 8Entries: Bourbon Flight S.
PP Horse Jockey Wgt Trainer M/L 1 1Plutarch (KY) Francisco Arrieta 118 Bob Baffert 5/2 2 2Blackout Time (KY) Brian Joseph Hernandez, Jr. 118 Kenneth G. McPeek 6/1 3 3Steel (KY) Tyler Gaffalione 118 William I. Mott 8/1 4 4Infiltrate (KY) Cristian A. Torres 118 Brendan P. Walsh 12/1 5 5Stimulate (KY) Luis Saez 118 William I. Mott 9/5 6 6Local Knowledge (KY) Jaime A. Torres 118 Todd A. Pletcher 3/1
