Last Samurai

Last Samurai broke his maiden in his second career start as a 2-year-old in a seven-furlong maiden special weight race at Churchill Downs on Sept. 24, 2020. He wore down the leaders in the Churchill Downs stretch to win by 3/4 of a length, covering the distance in 1:24.69.

In his 3-year-old debut, Last Samurai finished fifth in the Grade 2 Rebel Stakes at Oaklawn Park on Mar. 14, 2021. He earned his first stakes placing of the year a few months later, when he was second in the Grade 3 Greenwood Cup at Parx on Sept. 25. Last Samurai earned his first stakes win at Oaklawn on Dec. 11, when he won the Poinsettia Stakes by three-quarters of a length. He rated off the pace and then made the lead under vigorous urging from Jon Court and got the win in 1:43.70 for the 1 1/16 miles.

Last Samurai began his 4-year-old campaign with a pair of stakes defeats, but then he bounced back in a big way with an impressive victory in the Grade 2 Oaklawn Handicap at Oaklawn Park on April 23, 2022, in a 12.60-1 upset. Unfortunately, the rest of his 4-year old season did not turn into more of the same. Last Samurai lost his final six starts as a 4-year-old.

Last Samurai came back for his 5-year-old season and made his seasonal debut at Gulfstream Park where he finished fourth in the $3 million Grade 1 Pegasus World Cup on Jan. 28, 2023.  Following that promising finish, Last Samurai returned to the site of his previous best career outings at Oaklawn Park and added yet another big effort to his ledger at the Hot Springs, Arkansas oval when he won the Grade 3 Razorback Handicap in Feb. 18. in the Razorback, Last Samurai closed from the back of an eight-horse field and got up to win by 1 1/2 lengths in a time of 1:42.19 for the 1 1/16 miles.

In his next start, Last Samurai added another victory to his growing list of stakes wins at Oaklawn Park when he won the $500,000 Grade 3 Essex Handicap at 1 1/16 miles on March 18, 2023. Sent off as the even-money favorite in a field of nine in the Essex, Last Samurai stalked a couple of lengths off the pace for most of the race until advancing to challenge in the stretch, where he eventually wore down the leader and scored by a length in a time of 1:43.17.

Last Samurai sold for $175,000 at the Ocala Breeders' Sale in March 2020. His dam (mother) is Lady Samurai, who won the 2013 Lighthouse Stakes at Monmouth Park. He is trained by Hall of Famer D. Wayne Lukas.