SARATOGA SPRINGS — Uh-oh.

The always genial Kiaran McLaughlin isn’t a braggart, so when he starts talking like this about one of his horses, everyone pays attention.

The trainer wore out the word “special” when he had Invasor in his barn, and now he has another Shadwell Stable star aiming for a championship season.

This time, it’s Lucky Island, who will be a heavy favorite in today’s Grade I Forego after the retirement of Benny the Bull on Wednesday.

Benny the Bull had been the front-runner to win the Eclipse Award for sprinters, but even if he had been able to make it to the Forego, McLaughlin would have liked Lucky Island’s chances against the IEAH Stables horse.

“Benny the Bull had him to beat,” McLaughlin said. “He’s a top horse. He’s won four in a row, he’s training great and we’ve been pointing for this spot since July 4.”

That’s when the 4-year-old Lucky Island, like Invasor a South America-bred (Argentina), ran away with the Grade II Tom Fool over a muddy Belmont Park main track, beating Tasteyville by 41⁄2 lengths and posting a Beyer speed figure of 114.

Lucky Island might have taken on Benny the Bull in the Grade I Dubai Golden Shaheen in March, but he suffered some pulmonary bleeding in a race at Calder in December, so McLaughlin put him on Lasix to correct that. Horses who race in Dubai aren’t allowed to use that medication, so that canceled that plan.

Instead, Lucky Island quickly worked his way through his allowance conditions, won the Grade III Bold Ruler Handicap by 21⁄4 lengths at Belmont and followed up with the Tom Fool win.

Now, it’s time to bag a Grade I.

“He’s always trained like a good horse,” McLaughlin said. “Since he’s gone on Lasix, he hasn’t lost.”

Lucky Island’s sire is 1998 Hopeful winner Lucky Roberto, a New York-bred who was standing for $5,000 at Gus Schoenborn’s Contemporary Stallions in Coxsackie before being transferred to Argentina.

Lucky Island put himself on the radar by leading at every call to win by nine lengths against 12 rivals in his career debut at San Isidro in Argentina.

After the seventh place at Calder, he has done nothing wrong for McLaughlin.

“Everybody’s got to beat him,” said Michael Trombetta, who trains James Marvin winner Eternal Star. “He can afford to be a little con­fident with that one.”

Lucky Island is 2-for-2 at seven furlongs and could stretch out for the Breeders’ Cup, which runs six furlongs for the Sprint.

“He might go a Mile for the Breeders’ Cup, because we have a barrage for the Sprint,” McLaughlin said. “There’s a possibility. We’re not sure.”

Eternal Star, 6-1 on the morning line, is also 2-for-2 at seven furlongs but will be making a big class jump, never having run in a graded stakes in 14 lifetime starts.

He’s won five of six starts this year and beat Bold Start, also entered in the Forego, by a neck at Saratoga on Aug. 9.

“That’s when you take your flyer and give him a shot,” Trombetta said. “We’re here, we’ve got a race over the track, he’s shown us that he’s alright with that, so give give him a chance.”

Eternal Star found himself on the lead when no one else seemed to want it in the James Marvin, but Trombetta would prefer that he hang back a bit and let the front-runners beat each other up.

He believes there’s enough early speed in the pretty deep field to set up Eternal Star.

“Bold Start, we outran him last time, but he had the six hole, so he’ll show more speed, and Tony [Dutrow], if he runs Ferocious Fires, will show more speed, and [Lucky Island] is obviously very fast. It’s a great race, there’s no doubt about it.”

Dutrow has entered Ferocious Fires, who has won twice at the meet already, and Premium Wine, who will run coupled with another from Zayat Stables, the Bill Mott-trained Forefathers.

Premium Wine didn’t miss by much in finishing third to Bustin Stones in the Grade I Carter and was also third behind Lucky Island and Tasteyville in the Tom Fool. He’s coming back a little quickly after winning at Saratoga on

Aug. 13.