Churchill Downs Closing Week Stakes Advances: Multimillionaire Banishing Headlines Grade II, $500,000 Lukas Classic

Sep 19, 2026

David Jacobson, Sharaf Mohammed Al Hariri and Larry Roman’s multimillionaire Banishing returns to Churchill Downs and headlines a field of seven older horses entered in next Saturday’s 13th running of the $500,000 Lukas Classic (Grade II), part of a trio of stakes on the 11-race program.

Run at 1 1/8 miles, the Lukas Classic shares the afternoon spotlight with the $400,000 Ack Ack (GIII) and $300,000 Bourbon Flight. First post is 12:45 p.m. (all times Eastern) with the Lukas Classic going as Race 10 at 5:29 p.m.

Banishing, trained by co-owner Jacobson, has won 11 of 32 career starts while banking more than $3.2 million. The 6-year-old son of Ghostzapper won the Godolphin Mile (GII) earlier this year at Meydan and finished second three weeks ago in the Charles Town Classic (GII), a race he won during his 5-year-old campaign.

In last year’s Lukas Classic, Banishing finished third behind Kentucky Derby (GI) winner Mystik Dan and Disarm. He’ll be ridden Saturday by Francisco Arrieta and break from post No. 4.

Other accomplished horses entered in the Lukas Classic include Winchell Thoroughbreds, Mrs. John Magnier, Michael Tabor and Derrick Smith’s 2025 TwinSpires.com Louisiana Derby (GII) winner Tiztastic; Terry Stephens’ Grade III winner Chunk of Gold; and Calumet Farm’s Blame Stakes (GIII) winner Original Sin.

The field for the Lukas Classic in order of post position (with jockey and trainer):

This Is Uscar (Edgar Morales, Jordan Blair)
Dragoon Guard (Tyler Gaffalione, Brad Cox)
Tiztastic (Brian Hernandez Jr., Steve Asmussen)
Banishing (Arrieta, Jacobson)
Original Sin (Ben Curtis, Brendan Walsh)
McAfee (Luis Saez, George Weaver)
Chunk of Gold (Jaime Torres, Ethan West)
Known as the Homecoming Classic during the first two runnings, the race was renamed in 2015 to honor legendary Hall of Fame trainer D. Wayne Lukas, who passed away last summer.

Along with Kentucky Derby winner Mystik Dan, previous Lukas Classic winners include Horse of the Year and Breeders’ Cup Classic (GI) winner Knicks Go in 2021 and 2012 Breeders’ Cup Classic winner Fort Larned, who won the inaugural Lukas Classic in 2013 before finishing fourth in that year’s Breeders’ Cup Classic.

BISHOPS BAY LEADS ACCOMPLISHED GROUP OF EIGHT IN $400,000 ACK ACK – Spendthrift Farm, Steve Landers, Martin Schwartz, Michael Dubb, Ten Strike Racing, Jim Bakke, Titletown Racing, Kueber Racing, Big Easy Racing, Rick Kanter, Michael Caruso and WinStar Farm’s multiple graded stakes winner Bishops Bay leads an accomplished field of eight older horses entered in next Saturday’s 34th running of the $400,000 Ack Ack Stakes (Grade III) at Churchill Downs.

Bishops Bay, trained by Brad Cox, enters the Ack Ack following a narrow victory in the Aug. 15 Philip H. Iselin Stakes (GIII) at Monmouth Park. The 6-year-old son of Uncle Mo defeated Chunk of Gold by a neck in the Iselin after missing by a nose to fellow Ack Ack entrant East Avenue in the June 13 Salvator Mile (GIII). Last year, Bishops Bay won the Cigar Mile (GII), Forty Niner Stakes (GIII), Salvator Mile and Westchester Stakes (GIII). He’ll be ridden in the Ack Ack by Tyler Gaffalione and break from post No. 4.

Cox is a two-time Ack Ack winner, having won in 2021 with Plainsman and 2023 with Zozos.

Among those set to challenge Bishops Bay is Godolphin’s East Avenue. Trained by Brendan Walsh, the 4-year-old defeated Bishops Bay by a nose in the Salvator Mile after finishing second to Nu What’s New in the Oaklawn Mile (GIII). East Avenue also won last year’s Matt Winn Stakes (GIII) at Churchill Downs and was beaten a nose by Burnham Square in the Blue Grass Stakes (GI). Cristian Torres will ride from post 7.

One post to East Avenue’s outside is Doubledown Stables’ Nu What’s New, who was an 8-1 upset winner of the June 28 Hanshin Stakes (GIII) at Churchill Downs for trainer Jimmy DiVito. The 4-year-old son of Munnings broke his maiden Dec. 26 at Oaklawn and won three of his next four starts, highlighted by victories in the Oaklawn Mile and Hanshin. Luis Saez has the mount.

Flying Dutchmen’s Owen Almighty enters the Ack Ack following a 1 1/4-length victory in the Aug. 9 R.A. “Cowboy” Jones Stakes at Ellis Park. Trained by Brian Lynch, the 4-year-old son of Speightstown previously finished second to Nu What’s New in the Hanshin and won last year’s Tampa Bay Derby (GIII). Francisco Arrieta has the mount from post 3.

The complete lineup for the Ack Ack from the rail out (with jockey and trainer):

Macho Music (Jareth Loveberry, Rohan Crichton)
Arrowthegreat (Brian Hernandez Jr., Dan Blacker)
Owen Almighty (Arrieta, Lynch)
Bishops Bay (Gaffalione, Cox)
Prince of Power (Walter Rodriguez, Jacobson)
Coal Battle (Juan Vargas, Lonnie Briley)
East Avenue (Torres, Walsh)
Nu What’s New (Saez, DiVito)
Run at one mile around one turn, the Ack Ack will go as Race 9 with a post time of 4:58 p.m.

ROBERT B. LEWIS WINNER PLUTARCH SET FOR RETURN IN $300,000 BOURBON FLIGHT – Mrs. John Magnier, Michael Tabor and Derrick Smith’s Robert B. Lewis Stakes (Grade III) winner Plutarch is set to return to action following more than seven months on the sidelines when he takes on five fellow 3-year-olds entered in next Saturday’s sixth running of the $300,000 Bourbon Flight at Churchill Downs.

Run at 1 1/16 miles, the Bourbon Flight will go as the afternoon’s eighth race with a post time of 4:26 p.m.

Trained by Hall of Famer Bob Baffert, Plutarch has never finished off the board in his six-race career. The son of Into Mischief broke his maiden on turf at Del Mar prior to winning the Robert B. Lewis by three-quarters of a length under jockey Florent Geroux. With Geroux on the sidelines recovering from injuries, Francisco Arrieta picks up the mount from the rail.

Also entered is Spendthrift Farm’s Local Knowledge, winner of the Amsterdam Stakes (GII), along with a duo of recent allowance winners for Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott: Barrett Bernard and Terry Stephens’ Steel and Claiborne Farm and Adele Dilschneider’s Stimulate.

The complete field for the Bourbon Flight from the rail out (with jockey and trainer):

Plutarch (Arrieta, Baffert)
Blackout Time (Brian Hernandez Jr., Kenny McPeek)
Steel (Gaffalione, Mott)
Infiltrate (Cristian Torres, Brendan Walsh)
Stimulate (Saez, Mott)
Local Knowledge (Jaime Torres, Todd Pletcher)
DOWN THE STRETCH – Saturday night’s Downs After Dark program got underway at 6 p.m. and included carryovers of $48,944 in the 20-cent Derby City 6 Jackpot (Races 6-11) and $368,053 in the $1 Jackpot 8 in Race 11. … For the latest information about the Churchill Downs September Meet, visit www.churchilldowns.com.