Lukas Says Criminal Type Already Is Horse of the Year

If Criminal Type doesn’t win Horse of the Year, “the award doesn’t mean anything,” trainer D. Wayne Lukas said. “To take it away from him would be criminal.”

The past three years, the winner of the Breeders’ Cup Classic has gone on to become Horse of the Year. In 1987, it was Ferdinand, followed by Alysheba in ’88 and Sunday Silence last year.

Criminal Type won’t get the chance to win the Classic, though. He was sidelined with a sore ankle after winning seven of 11 starts this year and $2.2 million, including impressive victories over Housebuster, Easy Goer and Sunday Silence.

“If he doesn’t win, then I’ll start skipping big-stakes races,” Lukas said today. “If all you’ve got to do is win one race, then that’s what I’ll do.”

On Saturday, the $3-million Classic will top a seven-race Breeders’ Cup program worth $10 million in purses. Among the starters in the 1 1/4-mile Classic will be Kentucky Derby winner Unbridled, Jockey Club Gold Cup winner Flying Continental, Woodward winner Dispersal, Belmont Stakes winner Go and Go, and Travers winner Rhythm.

Along with Criminal Type, Preakness winner Summer Squall will miss the Classic. Summer Squall bled after the Meadowlands Cup and was taken out of training.

“If the voters look at the facts, there’s only one choice,” Lukas said. “He’s beat every horse in America at their best. None of the horses in the Classic have done enough.”

Criminal Type, a 5-year-old son of Alydar, started his big year the week before the Preakness, beating Ruhlmann in the Pimlico Special. Three weeks later, he beat the great sprinter Housebuster and 1989 Belmont Stakes winner Easy Goer in the Met Mile, then he traveled to California in June to beat 1989 Horse of the Year Sunday Silence in the Hollywood Gold Cup.

Since then, Easy Goer and Sunday Silence were retired, and Housebuster was sidelined by injury.

Criminal Type also beat 1989 Breeders’ Cup Sprint winner Dancing Spree in the Whitney at Saratoga before going out on a loss in the Woodward Sept. 15 at Belmont Park.

The 3-year-old filly Go for Wand, winner of five in a row, also is frequently mentioned as a Horse of the Year candidate, but she has never raced against colts. And, in one of only three starts outside New York this year, she lost to Lukas’ Seaside Attraction in the Kentucky Oaks May 4 at Churchill Downs.

“Go for Wand has never won outside her own division,” Lukas said, “and the only time she leaves New York, we beat her. She might not even be the best in her sex.”

To be the best female, she’ll have to beat Bayakoa, winner of six of nine this year including the Spinster, in the Breeders’ Cup Distaff, a $1-million race at 1 1/8 miles. Also challenging will be Gorgeous, winner of the Vanity Handicap and second to Bayakoa in last year’s Distaff, and Colonial Waters.

NATIONAL THOROUGHBRED POLL

The National Thoroughbred poll for 1990 conducted by Thoroughbred Racing Communications Inc., covering racing performances through Oct. 21. Rankings based on the votes of 32 sports and Thoroughbred racing media representatives with first-place votes in parentheses, age and sex, 1990 record (starts, 1sts, 2nds, 3rds), total points and last week’s ranking. (C-colt, G-gelding, H-horse, F-filly, M-mare)

1. Go for Wand (18) 3-F 8-7-1-0 300 1 2. Criminal Type (13) 5-H 11-7-2-0 259 2 3. Bayakoa 6-M 9-6-2-0 237 3 4. Meadow Star 2-F 6-6-0-0 170 6 5. Housebuster 3-C 11-9-1-0 148 5 6. Dispersal (1) 4-C 8-6-0-0 118 7 7. Golden Pheasant 4-C 5-3-0-1 116 4 8. Flying Continental 4-C 6-3-1-1 93 9 9. Summer Squall 3-C 7-4-2-0 74 8 10. Izvestia 3-C 10-8-1-1 53

Other horses receiving votes: Unbridled 45, Best Pal 38, Gorgeous 29, Beau Genius 26, Fly So Free 14, Cacoethes 12, Steinlen 12, Eastern Echo 5, Quiet American 5, With Approval 3, Corwyn Bay 1, Petite Ile 1, What a Cooker 1.