Complex sentence: Lukas shortened most of his races to 1⅛ mile or less, and Gulch won the Metropolitan Handicap, the Carter Handicap, and, in a battle of the sexes, placed a very close second in the Whitney Handicap to Personal Ensign.
Split into simpler sentences: Lukas shortened most of his races to 1⅛ mile or less, and Gulch came into his own. He won the Metropolitan Handicap, the Carter Handicap, and, in a battle of the sexes, placed a very close second in the Whitney Handicap to Personal Ensign.