Strong Mandate, Iroquois top two work under the Twin Spires

"He'll have one more little breeze here and will ship either Sunday or Monday

of next week," Lukas said.

The horseman has saddled four winners of the Kentucky Derby and

Kentucky Oaks, a record 14 winners of Triple Crown races, a record 19

winners of Breeders' Cup races and 24 champion Thoroughbreds during his career,

so Lukas clearly knows a good horse when he sees one. And the 78-year-old racing

legend believes Strong Mandate is s special talent.

"It's deceiving how efficient he is at getting over the

ground," he said. "You don't think he's going anywhere and he's just waltzing

away from horses. It's very deceiving how light he is for a big horse."

The Hopeful victory came in Strong Mandate's third start,

all during the Saratoga meet. After a fifth-place finish in his debut, he won

his next outing and then romped by 9 3/4 lengths in the Hopeful.

Cleburne earned a guaranteed spot in the Breeders' Cup

Juvenile starting gate with his win in the Iroquois, which is part of the

Breeders' Cup "Win and You're In" Challenge series. Smart Cover is being pointed

toward Keeneland's Grade 1, $400,000 Breeders' Futurity over the Polytrack on October 5. The winner of that race will

also secure a "Win and You're

In" berth in the Juvenile.

In other works at Churchill on Sunday, Romans sent out Breeders' Cup Mile

hero Little Mike to go five furlongs in 1:02 1/5. The Spanish Steps gelding has

yet to place this year in fourth starts, with his most recent coming as a

sixth-place effort in the Arlington Million.

Conditioner Ian Wilkes had Grade victor Neck 'n Neck, unraced since taking

the Ack Ack Handicap last November, breeze five

furlongs in 1:01 1/5.

The Kellyn Gorder-trained Bourbon Courage, winner of the 2012 Super Derby and

runner-up in the Donn Handicap earlier this season, logged a half-mile in :50

4/5. The Lion Heart four-year-old finished fourth, but placed third via

disqualification, in the May 3 Alysheba most recently.

Grade 3-placed stakes victor Gentlemen's Bet, third in the Alfred G.

Vanderbilt last out, breezed four furlongs in :47 4/5 for trainer Ron Moquett.

The worktab over the fast six-furlong Trackside Training Center

oval included five-furlong moves by Ken and Sarah Ramsey's Secretariat winner Admiral Kitten in 1:00

3/5 and Grade 2 diva Kitten's Dumplings, who covered the distance in 1:00 2/5.

Ride On Curlin, fourth as the favorite in the Iroquois, breezed five furlongs

in 1:01 at Trackside.

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