In his 78 years and lifetime in around horses, Hall of Fame trainer D. Wayne
Lukas is not surprised by much when he reports to the track each day for morning
training. But Friday was a “gotcha” day for Lukas, who sent his rising star
Strong Mandate out on Friday at Churchill Downs for a half-mile work.
It was the first serious training move for the bay colt since his dazzling 9
3/4-length romp in the $300,000 Hopeful over a muddy track at Saratoga in his
most recent start on September 2.
The son of Tiznow stepped onto the fast racing surface at Churchill Downs for
a move that Lukas did not intend to be anything special. But the move was yet
another indication that Strong Mandate could be a very special horse.
He zipped four furlongs in :47 2/5 in a work that tied as the fastest of 44
at the distance. Strong Mandate recorded the bullet for the day despite an easy
first quarter of :24 1/5 and he galloped out five furlongs in 1:00 1/5.
The gallop-out time for Lukas’ colt was nearly a second faster than that the
five-furlong bullet work of 1:01 by Grand Giant, which was the best of 27 moves
at that distance.
“I don’t time them, but when he went by me I thought it looked like a good
little maintenance work and it was just about what we wanted,” Lukas said. “Then
when I rode by the clocker on my saddle horse and was told he went
seven-and-two, I was really surprised.”
Lukas said Friday’s work was a tune-up for a planned run in the $500,000
Champagne at Belmont Park on October 2.
Strong Mandate has a career record of three starts — all at Saratoga — and
has a two-race win streak after a fifth-place run in his debut. He won a maiden
race on August 17 by 4 1/2 lengths prior to his tour de force effort in the
Hopeful.
“That horse has the ability to do that so easy,” he said. “I don’t know if
I’ve had one like him for a long time. It’s the same thing when he runs. You
think he’s just in a high lope, like he was in the Hopeful. Next thing you know
he’s up in :47-and-two.”
Lukas said Strong Mandate would probably have “a couple more” works at
Churchill Downs before departing for the Champagne.
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