Itsmyluckyday more than "Best of the Rest"
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This time last year, Itsmyluckyday
was one of the most talked about colts heading into the Kentucky Derby. Despite
getting his career off to a good start at Monmouth and Calder, as a two-year
old, he wasn’t one of the big names heading into his sophomore year. All that
changed when he romped home a clear winner in the Gulfstream Park Derby and
then followed that victory up with a convincing score over the previously
undefeated Champion 2-Year Old Shanghai Bobby in the Holy Bull. A second in the
Florida Derby earned him his ticket to Churchill Downs, where he ran a
disappointing 15th. He redeemed himself with a nice 2nd
in the Preakness, but he lost the rest of his season after fracturing his
pelvis in the Pegasus.
The Lawyer Ron colt made his comeback last month in an
ambitious spot, the G2 Gulfstream Park Handicap, where he faced some of the top
players in the division. Despite the long layoff and stiff competition,
Itsmyluckyday showed up and gave his best, finishing 4th, beaten by
about 7 lengths. Today he caught a much easier spot in the $75,000 Best of the Rest at Gulfstream Park.
Always a part of the pace in the early goings, Itsmyluckyday
was content to closely press pace-setting Sr. Quisqueyano throughout the first
half mile. As the duo moved into the far turn, Itsmyluckyday assumed command
and easily drew clear. While still well within himself, the colt pulled away to
win by 3 lengths in a final time of 1:42.38 for the 1 1/16 distance. Sr. Quisqueyano held second and Joshua’s
Comprise gained third. The order of finish was completed by Macho Bull,
Goodtimehadbyall, Speak Logistics, and Ledokol.
Sent off as the 1-2 heavy favorite, Itsmyluckyday returned
$3.00/$2.20/$2.10. Second place finisher Sr. Quisqueyano paid $3.20/$2.60, and
Joshua’s Comprise returned $7.20 for the show. The $2 exacta was worth a mere
$9.40, the $1 trifecta paid $26.00, and the $0.10 superfecta returned $10.41.
Trainer Edward Plesa, Jr. was satisfied with his colt’s
effort and how the race played out. “He ran the race I would have expected him
to run. Anything other than how he won, I probably would have been somewhat
disappointed. If he was all out to win by a length or two lengths, I would have
said, ‘Maybe he needed the race.’ But I would have been disappointed,” he said.
Future plans for Itsmyluckyday call for a couple more easy
spots and a move from South Florida to New Jersey to join Plesa at Monmouth
Park for the spring and summer months. “I’m just looking to find a couple easy
spots before we go hunting the heavy heads,” Plesa said. “We’ll try to build
his confidence and everything else up, so when I have to run against a horse
like Palace Malice next time, I’ll be able to say, ‘This horse is ready to give
his best performance and ready to find out where he belongs.’”
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