King’s Plate champion Luster resumes her 2026 season with race in Kentucky
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Luster is set to resume her 2026 racing season.
The King’s Plate champion will race in the Grade 1 Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup Stakes on Saturday at Keeneland in Lexington, Ky. It will be the filly’s first start since winning the $1-million Plate on Aug. 15 at Toronto’s Woodbine Racetrack.
“I guess it was a bit of a break but it was more this was the race we had in mind and she’d had several solid races in a row,” said Hall of Fame trainer Josie Carroll. “It was just going to take that long to get her ready again.”
Luster was an emphatic winner in the Plate with jockey John Velazquez aboard. Luster stood fourth at the top of the final turn before cruising to an easy 7 1/4-length win in 2:02.01, just off ’22 Plate champion filly Moira’s track record of 2:01.48.
Luster’s Plate victory followed a stellar 5 1/2-length win in the $750,000 Woodbine Oaks on July 19, again with Velazquez aboard. Velazquez, thoroughbred racing’s top purse-earning jockey of all time, will ride Luster on Saturday.
Carroll said Luster safely arrived in Kentucky on Wednesday and that the horse has been training well leading up to Saturday’s race. Luster, the early 5-2 favourite, will break from the No. 2 post in the 11-horse field.
But at least Velazquez will be able to keep tabs on early 7-2 second pick Faithful (No. 4) and 4-1 third choice Tam Tam (No. 3) in the 1 1/8-mile turf race for three-year-old fillies.
“I think this will definitely give us a line on how good she is,” Carroll said. “There are some very nice fillies in this race and it’s always a good race.
“I mean she was in the No. 1 hole for the Plate so … She’s got a great rider who can position her, things tend to open up at Keeneland in the stretch anyway on that turf. It (post position) concerns me maybe less on that turf because it is a long run.”
Luster has run at Keeneland before, winning a 1 1/16-mile turf event in April by five lengths, topping eight other horses. Velazquez was her rider in that race also.
Luster is two-for-two on turf overall.
“I think (the key Saturday) is if she relaxes the way she usually does because she’s coming from an inner post,” Carroll said. “But she’s run on that course before so I think as long as she runs her race and gets into a good position we’ll see what we are.”
Saturday’s race will be Luster’s sixth this year (four wins, third). She has five victories and the third-place finish in six career starts with earnings of over $925,000.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 8, 2026.