Lukas’ Hopes for Fifth in Row Take Off Today

A plane will leave Louisville, Ky., for New York early today, carrying the horses that could give trainer Wayne Lukas an unprecedented fifth consecutive victory in a Triple Crown race and a rare 1-2 finish in the Belmont Stakes.

Thunder Gulch, Lukas’ Kentucky Derby winner, and Timber Country, his Preakness winner, will be aboard, along with Serena’s Song, the Lukas-trained filly who will be a heavy favorite in the Mother Goose Stakes Friday, the day before the 127th Belmont.

Since Thunder Gulch’s victory and Timber Country’s third place in the Derby on May 6, Lukas has used Churchill Downs as his base of operations for the two colts. Neither worked out over the Pimlico track before Timber Country won the May 20 Preakness, with Thunder Gulch third, and Lukas completed their serious Belmont preparations with workouts at Churchill Downs Monday.

With Donna Barton aboard, Timber Country ran six furlongs in 1:12 2/5 and Thunder Gulch covered five furlongs in 1:02 2/5.

“Timber Country’s work is about as good as it can get,” Lukas said. “It’s very significant. Thunder Gulch is sharp right now. I had told Donna to take him a little less. These horses are showing no signs of wear from the Triple Crown trail. Maybe we’re getting better at what we do. You’ve going to marvel at the way they look. They’ll steal the show in the paddock, that’s for sure.”

Lukas won last year’s Preakness and Belmont with Tabasco Cat, then tied Lucien Laurin’s record for consecutive Triple Crown victories by taking the Derby and Preakness this year. The last trainer to run 1-2 in the Belmont was Woody Stephens, with Creme Fraiche and Stephan’s Odyssey, in 1985. Creme Fraiche was the fourth of Stephens’ five consecutive Belmont winners.

The most intriguing of the 12 probables for the Belmont is Off ‘N’ Away, the European shipper who is a full brother to Go And Go, who won the Belmont off a prep race in Ireland in 1990.

Off ‘N’ Away has never run in a stakes race, but won at 1 1/4 miles in Ireland on May 1. “He’s a fresh horse who’s on top of his form,” said Dermot Weld, who saddled Go And Go for his Belmont victory. “We feel he’s as good right now as he’s ever going to be.”

Mick Kinane, the premier Irish jockey who won the Belmont with Go And Go, is scheduled to ride the undefeated Definite Article in Saturday’s English Derby, so his place aboard Off ‘N’ Away at Belmont Park will be taken by New York veteran Mike Smith.

Others expected to run in the Belmont are Citadeed, Star Standard, Knockadoon, Is Sveikatas, Wild Syn, Ave’s Flag, Composer, Pana Brass and Colonial Secretary.

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THE RATINGS

Horse S 1 2 3 Earnings 1. Timber Country 12 5 1 4 $1,560,400 2. Thunder Gulch 11 5 2 2 $1,492,146 3. Serena’s Song 16 9 2 1 $1,351,435 4. Tejano Run 10 3 3 2 $626,147 5. Jumron 9 5 2 1 $404,380 6. Oliver’s Twist 9 4 2 0 $390,755 7. Peaks And Valleys 7 5 1 1 $548,925 8. Citadeed 8 3 0 1 $119,436 9. Star Standard 12 4 1 1 $202,592 10. Mecke 19 5 3 6 $373,570

Advisory panel for The Times’ Triple Crown Ratings: Jim Bolus, racing historian; Trevor Denman, announcer at four Southern California tracks; Tom Durkin, track announcer in New York and Florida, and Dave Johnson, racing telecaster for ABC and ESPN.