Finley'sluckycharm could aim for Breeders' Cup
Carl R. Moore Management’s locally based sprint filly Finley’sluckycharm has exited her valiant runner-up effort in last week’s Grade I La Brea Stakes at Santa Anita Park in good order. The Bret Calhoun-trained 4-year-old daughter of Twirling Candy capped a calendar year that saw her rise from a Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots debut winner to becoming a Grade I-placed stakes winner in seven starts.
“She came back great and made it back to her stall here (at the Fair Grounds),” Calhoun said. “She looks to be in good order. It was a tough beat, but she had run some fast races over a short period of time and it was a great opportunity to run in that type of race. When you get that close to a Grade I win, it’s disappointing, but I thought ran great. She just wasn’t quite good enough that day.”
In the La Brea, the Lakland Farm-bred filly set a swift pace of 22.24 and 44.58 under Brian Hernandez, Jr., before turning for home and shaking off all but well-regarded Constellation. Yielding in the final yards, the pair passed the finish line in 1:21.83. Finley’sluckycharm earned a 109 Equibase Speed Figure for her half-length loss, which was 12 points below her previous two efforts, including a victory in the $80,000 Dream Supreme Stakes over six furlongs at Churchill Downs on Nov. 25.
“She came out great and hopefully will stay healthy and run in those types of races in the future,” Calhoun continued. “We think she’s going to be a top older sprint filly, so we have the (Grade I $1,000,000) Breeders’ Cup (Filly & Mare Sprint on Nov. 4 at Del Mar) on our mind and will keep that as one of our focuses on the year. She likely won’t race for the next couple months.”
Source: Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots