Hit Show relaxed in fourth up the backstretch, tipped four wide around the final turn and edged past leader Cooke Creek inside the eighth pole Saturday to win by a neck in the 11th running of the Grade 2, $500,000 Lukas Classic for 3-year-olds and up.

Hit Show stopped timer at 1:50.44 for 1 1/8 miles over a sloppy track. Florent Géroux rode the winner for trainer Brad Cox and owner Wathnan Racing, the racing name for the Sheikh Tamin bin Hamad Al Thani, the emir of Qatar.

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Cooke Creek, a winner of three straight races, broke fast from the gate and led the field of eight older horses through early fractions of 23.62, 47.50 and 1:11.97. Hit Show, who was content to track from fourth in the early stages as the 3-1 second betting choice, began to move into contention when the field approached the final turn. He was tipped out wide by Géroux and caught Cooke Creek midway down the stretch. The two battled gamely inside the final furlong with Hit Show prevailing from the outside.

“That was a huge effort,” Géroux said. “He had to battle late and really dug in to get his head in front. We were in a great spot early, and I got to save a lot of ground. He has a lot of class. I think he’s improving a lot this year.”

Hit Show has won 6 of 13 career starts with one second. The $300,560 first prize boosted his career earnings to $1,079,515.

This was Hit Show’s third stakes victory. Last year he won the Withers (G3) at Aqueduct on his way to qualifying for the Kentucky Derby, in which he finished fifth. In his previous start Hit Show won the $200,000 West Virginia Governor’s Stakes (G3) at Mountaineer.

“He ran great (Saturday night),” Cox said. “Florent gave him a perfect trip, and he was able to save ground in the first turn and come home running. Once he tipped out he really came with a huge run. We’ll talk about next steps with the owners and make a plan. Whether it be the Breeders’ Cup or races here locally is still up in the air.”

Hit Show returned $8.56, $4.40 and $3.50. Cooke Creek, ridden by Luis Sáez, paid $4.72 and $4.06 as the 4-1 third betting choice. It was another 3 1/2 lengths back to Rattle N Roll in third under Brian Hernandez Jr. He paid $4.74 to show at 9-2 in his first start since the running fourth in last year’s Lukas Classic.

Disarm, the 9-5 favorite, was fourth and was followed by Warrior Johny, Bolzy, Stilleto Boy and Happy American.

Hit Show, a son of Candy Ride out of the Tapit mare Actress, was bred in Kentucky by Gary and Mary West.

The Lukas Classic honors iconic 89-year-old Hall of Fame trainer D. Wayne Lukas. The four-time winner of the Kentucky Derby and Kentucky Oaks and conditioner of 26 Eclipse Award-winning champions has been based at Churchill Downs barn 44 since 1989.

Three Technique wins Ack Ack, Breeders’ Cup bid

In a field of only four older horses, veteran Three Technique relaxed off the three pacesetters and collared them in the deep stretch to win easily in the 32nd renewal of the $365,000 Ack Ack (G3), defeating Tumbarumba by 1 1/2 lengths.

Three Technique, a 7-year-old son of Mr Speaker, ran one mile on a sloppy track in 1:36.77. Rafael Bejarano rode the winner for trainer Jason Cook and owners Eric Grindley, David Miller, Howard Preuss and John Werner.

For Three Technique, the Ack Ack was a win-and-you’re-in qualifying ticket to the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile.

“This is unbelievable, and I wanted to win this race for a very long time,” Cook said. “We’ll sit down and talk about the plan after tonight. We are just enjoying every bit of this and honored to win this race. Two turns is never really in his ballgame, but neither was the mud until tonight.”

Eight of the last 11 Ack Ack winners, including Pants On Fire in 2013, Tapiture in 2015, Tom’s Ready in 2016, Awesome Slew in 2017, Seeking the Soul in 2018, Mr. Money in 2020, Señor Buscador in 2022 and Zozos (2023, used the race as a springboard to the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile.

Breaking from post 4 in the one-turn race, Three Technique let the others make the early running. Fred W. Hooper (G3) winner Tumbarumba led the way from the rail with Triple Crown winner Justify’s half-brother Stage Raider on his right hip chasing from second and Cagliostro, the Hanshin winner and 4-5 favorite, stalking from the outside. Three Technique was relaxed behind the trio up the backstretch and never too far behind.

Around the turn the leaders raced shoulder to shoulder. Three Technique began to hit his best stride leaving the turn. He tipped out with a wide move down the center of the track and swept past the threesome with a little more than a sixteenth of a mile to go for the comfortable win.

“It’s been a great run this week, winning my 4,500th race,” Bejarano said. “They were battling on the lead in front of me. My horse doesn’t show a lot of speed, but I let the horses in front of me go, and he settled really well. I could tell my horse started finding his best stride in mid-stretch, and the leaders started getting tired. He was all heart and never stopped trying.”

The first prize was $255,000 and hiked Three Technique’s bankroll to $1,186,237 with a record of 39: 7-6-8. It was his third career stakes victory. In 2022 he won the $159,800 Knicks Go Overnight Stakes at Churchill Downs on the Kentucky Derby undercard at odds of 36-1. Last year Three Technique prevailed in the $250,000 John A. Nerud (G2) at Belmont Park.

Three Technique paid $12.58 and $5.16 as the 5-1 third betting choice. There was no show wagering. Tumbarumba, ridden by Sáez, paid $3.76. Cagliostro, under José Ortiz, was another two lengths back in third and was followed by Stage Raider.

The field was reduced to four when 4-5 morning-line favorite Saudi Crown was scratched Saturday morning with a foot issue, according to his trainer Cox. Also, Mufasa opted to run in the Vosburgh (G3) at Aqueduct and won by 4 1/4 lengths, and Big Blue Line finished eighth of 11 in the John Henry Turf Championship (G2) at Santa Anita.

Three Technique, out of the Harlan’s Holiday mare Nile in Rome, was bred in Kentucky by Omega Farm and Bally Breeders.

The race is named in honor of Cain Hoy Stable’s 1971 horse of the year Ack Ack, who is enshrined in the Hall of Fame. In his only Churchill Downs appearance, Ack Ack won the 1969 Derby Trial in 1:34.40, which was a track record for one mile that has been eclipsed.