Photo:

Ben Breland / Eclipse Sportswire

Trainer Brad Cox is set for a potentially huge weekend at
Churchill Downs as two of his standout horses, Hit Show and Saudi Crown,
headline the Grade 2 $500,000 Lukas Classic and $400,000 Ack Ack Stakes (G3),
respectively, on Saturday night.

Wathnan Racing’s Hit Show is the 2-1 morning-line favorite
for the Lukas Classic, which will be run at 1 1/8 miles under the lights as race
10 at 10:40 p.m. EDT. The 4-year-old son of Candy Ride comes off a determined
half-length victory in the West Virginia Governor’s Cup (G3) at Mountaineer.

Click here for Churchill Downs entries and results.

Hit Show made his seasonal debut with a sharp 2 1/4-length
victory in an allowance race at Churchill Downs. He finished fifth in last
year’s Kentucky Derby but was sidelined for the remainder of the season after a
disappointing performance in the Oklahoma Derby (G3). Hit Show has posted four
strong workouts at Churchill leading up to Saturday’s race, according to Cox.

“Hit Show ran a big effort at Mountaineer,” Cox said. “He
had to dig in late to get the job done. He bounced out of that race in good
shape, especially with how big he ran. We got him back here to Churchill, and
he put together four solid works leading into this race. He’s shown he can be
pretty tactical within the race. In the (West Virginia Governor’s Cup) they
went fast early, so he was pretty far out of it. He’s shown he’s able to be
more tactical, and if the pace isn’t as fast early, I’d expect him to be a
little closer early like he was in the allowance race at Churchill earlier this
year.”

Post	Silks	Horse / Sire	Rating	Trainer / Jockey	Last Start / Next Start	HRN
1		Stilleto Boy Shackleford	6.75	Ed Moger, Jr. Evin Roman	7th, KD ALW (08/31/2024-R3)	20-1
Last Race		7th, KD ALW (08/31/2024-R3)
2		Rattle N Roll Connect	6.26	Kenneth G. McPeek Brian J. Hernandez, Jr.	4th, 2023 Lukas Classic Stakes G2	5-2
Last Race		4th, 2023 Lukas Classic Stakes G2
3		Happy American Runhappy	4.47	Neil L. Pessin Corey J. Lanerie	3rd, 2024 R.A. Cowboy Jones LS	20-1
Last Race		3rd, 2024 R.A. Cowboy Jones LS
4		Cooke Creek Uncle Mo	5.42	Michael J. Maker Luis Saez	1st, Sar AlwOC (8/15/24-R8)	5-1
Last Race		1st, Sar AlwOC (8/15/24-R8)
5		Disarm Gun Runner	7.64	Steven M. Asmussen Tyler Gaffalione	3rd, 2024 Jockey Club Gold Cup G1	3-1
Last Race		3rd, 2024 Jockey Club Gold Cup G1
6		Hit Show Candy Ride	7.16	Brad H. Cox Florent Geroux	1st, 2024 West Virginia Governor’s G3	2-1
Last Race		1st, 2024 West Virginia Governor’s G3
7		Bolzy Gun Runner	4.79	Donnie K. Von Hemel Francisco Arrieta	4th, 2024 Razorback Handicap G3	30-1
Last Race		4th, 2024 Razorback Handicap G3
8		Warrior Johny Cairo Prince	4.12	Philip A. Bauer Jose L. Ortiz	5th, 2024 Charles Town Classic G2	5-1
Last Race		5th, 2024 Charles Town Classic G2

FMQ Stables’ Saudi Crown is the 4-5 favorite in the Ack Ack,
which will be run at one mile as race 8 at 9:37 p.m. EDT. The 4-year-old colt
is entering the race off a gate-to-wire victory in the R.A. Cowboy Jones Stakes
at Ellis Park, where he returned to top form after a 12th-place finish in the
Godolphin Mile (G2).

Saudi Crown, who had an impressive 3-year-old season with a
win in the Pennsylvania Derby (G1) and close runner-up finishes in both the Jim
Dandy (GII) and Dwyer (G3), has been training well at Churchill Downs in
preparation for Saturday’s race.

“Saudi Crown is a very talented horse,” Cox said. “We were
very pleased with how he came back over the summer at Ellis Park winning the
Cowboy Jones. Obviously, we were disappointed he didn’t win when he shipped
overseas this winter, but we’re happy with the way he responded when we brought
him back to Kentucky. He’s worked very well at Churchill since the Cowboy
Jones, and we’re expecting him to run another big race on Saturday night.”

Post	Silks	Horse / Sire	Rating	Trainer / Jockey	Last Start / Next Start	HRN
1		Tumbarumba Oscar Performance	6.40	Brian A. Lynch Luis Saez	2nd, Hanshin S. Presented by JRA	6-1
Last Race		2nd, Hanshin S. Presented by JRA
2		Stage Raider Pioneerof the Nile	4.84	Cherie DeVaux Brian J. Hernandez, Jr.	8th, 2024 Monmouth Cup G3	15-1
Last Race		8th, 2024 Monmouth Cup G3
3		Cagliostro Upstart	6.37	Cherie DeVaux Jose L. Ortiz	4th, 2024 Forego G1	7-2
Last Race		4th, 2024 Forego G1
4		Mufasa Practical Joke	0.00	Ignacio Correas IV Tyler Gaffalione	1st, CNL AOC (08/12/2024-R6)	4-1
Last Race		1st, CNL AOC (08/12/2024-R6)
5		Three Technique Mr Speaker	6.08	Jason G. Cook Rafael Bejarano	5th, 2024 R.A. Cowboy Jones LS	15-1
Last Race		5th, 2024 R.A. Cowboy Jones LS
6		Big Blue Line Atreides	4.27	Will Walden Axel Concepcion	1st, Sar AlwOC (8/23/24-R4)	20-1
Last Race		1st, Sar AlwOC (8/23/24-R4)
7		Saudi Crown Always Dreaming	7.17	Brad H. Cox Florent Geroux	1st, 2024 R.A. Cowboy Jones LS	4-5
Last Race		1st, 2024 R.A. Cowboy Jones LS

Both Hit Show and Saudi Crown will face competitive fields
in their respective races. Hit Show’s primary challengers in the Lukas Classic
include Grade 3 winner and 2023 Travers (G1) runner-up Disarm as well as
eight-time winner and Stephen Foster (G1) runner-up Rattle N Roll.

Saudi Crown’s main opposition in the Ack Ack includes
Hanshin Stakes top two finishers Cagliostro and Tumbarumba.

The Ack Ack will award the winner an automatic entry into
the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile on Nov. 2 at Del Mar.