Arlington Rejects Protest, Upholds New Cup Lineup

Stewards at Arlington International Racecourse have rejected a protest challenging a switch in the lineup of Saturday’s $600,000 Arlington Challenge Cup.

Stewards ruled Monday that trainer D. Wayne Lukas could remove from the lineup Criminal Type, the nation’s top-ranked horse in the Thoroughbred Racing Communications poll. Lucas will be allowed to enter another of the horses he trains, last year’s national grass champion, Steinlen.

Heriberto Arroyo, senior steward, said, “Our interpretation is that the conditions of the race do not specify a deadline for it.”

Gedaliah Goodman, the trainer of the horse Santangelo, had protested the substitution, saying the change came after the lineup was finalized.

“Invitations for the race closed on July 20, and Steinlen wasn’t accepted for the race until two days later,” Goodman said.

Lukas pulled Criminal Type from the race after the purse was reduced from $1 million to $600,000 when Easy Goer suffered a career-ending injury.

The race’s conditions had called for the reduction if either Sunday Silence, the winner of last year’s Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes, or Belmont Stakes winner Easy Goer was declared out. Arlington officials then accepted Lukas’ offer to enter 1989 grass champion Steinlen in Criminal Type’s place.