Up for auction is a program from the 2014 meet at the Saratoga Race Course on August 30. Run that day was the Forego, won by Palace, and the Woodward, won by Itsmyluckyday. It’s in great condition. Thanks for looking and good luck.
Antonino Miuccio's Palace took charge at the top of the
stretch to win going away in the Grade 1, $500,000 Forego Stakes at Saratoga on
Saturday.
After a slow start, Zee Bros rushed up to take the lead,
running sharp opening fractions of :22.48 and :45.23. Palace sat third under
Cornelio Velasquez, slipping through a seam on the inside rail on the far turn
to lead throughout the stretch, winning in the end by 3 1/2 lengths.
“I wanted to break good and stay in good position behind the
speed,” Velasquez said. “I had a lot of horse. When the opening came, I was in
good position. I think my horse is the best sprinting horse now.”
Longshot Big Business came on for second, and Vyack was
third. The final time for seven furlongs was 1:21.95.
The Linda Rice trainee is having his best year yet, with
wins in the Grade 1 Alfred G. Vanderbilt Handicap and the Grade 2 True North,
as well as a second behind Clearly Now in the Grade 3 Belmont Sprint in June.
The 5-year-old stallion has won 11 of his 21 lifetime starts.
“[Palace] is a really talented horse,” said Rice after the
race, “and when he is good I need to use him because on several occasions I've
needed to stop on him, turn him out, and give him a break. When a horse is
doing as well as he is, I don't know how long I can keep him that good.
“He's such a special horse, and [owner Antonino] Miuccio has
allowed me to stop on him, turn him out, and give him a break whenever he needs
it, and it's obviously paid off.”
Bred in New York by the Peter J. Callahan Revocable Trust,
Palace is by Lane's End stallion City Zip and out of Receivership, a daughter
of End Sweep.
Heavily favored Clearly Now, who put in a scintillating
effort to win the Belmont Sprint in June, made a bold move on the far turn but
flattened out to finish eighth of nine horses.
“My horse never got involved in the race,” said Clearly
Now's jockey, Jose Lezcano. “I don't know what was going on, that's all I can
say. He never jumped today. He was never on the bridle. He just didn't do
anything today.”
Itsmyluckyday (foaled in Kentucky on March 31, 2010) is an
American Thoroughbred racehorse. Itsmyluckyday is a multiple graded stakes
winner who finished second in the 2013 Preakness Stakes to Oxbow and won the
Woodward Stakes in 2014.
Background
Itsmyluckyday is a dark brown horse bred by Liberation Farm
& Brandywine Farm. He was from the second crop of foals sired by Lawyer
Ron, the American Champion Older Male Horse of 2007 when he won the Whitney
Handicap and the Woodward Stakes.
In March 2012, the colt was consigned to the Ocala Breeders'
Sales where he was bought for $110,000 by David Melin.
Racing career
Two-year-old season
Itsmyluckyday began his racing career at his home track at
Monmouth Park in New Jersey in a $40,000 maiden race on June 23, 2012. In that
five-furlong debut, he broke third, caught the leaders around the turn three
wide and drove clear under jockey Angel Serpa to a two-length victory.[3] In
his next start, his trainer Edward Plesa Jr. decided to run him in stakes
company in the $60,000 Tyro Stakes at five furlongs at Monmouth. In the Tyro on
August 5, Itsmyluckyday broke sixth and finished sixth.
In late August, Plesa took his entire stable down to Calder
Race Course for the autumn and winter. On August 25, Itsmyluckyday ran in a
listed stakes race called the $75,000 Fasig-Tipton Turf Dash at five furlongs.
In this sprint, he broke sixth and advanced to third going into the turn.
Itsmyluckyday chased the leaders under jockey Manoel Cruz and drew away to win
by four lengths. In his next start, Itsmyluckyday raced in the $100,000 Foolish
Pleasure Stakes at a mile and 70 yards at Calder. He broke in fourth under
jockey Manoel Cruz, went three wide around the final turn, and drew clear of
the field to win by three lengths.
Co-owners Trilogy Stables and Laurie Plesa decided to take a
big step up in class November 17 and ship to Delta Downs for the $1,000,000
Grade 3 Delta Jackpot Stakes. That day, Itsmylucky broke in eighth under jockey
Angel Serpa and ran in seventh down the backstretch in the mile and 70 yard
contest. He went five wide on the far turn and never made up much ground, finishing
sixth. The Jackpot was won by eventual Santa Anita Derby winner Goldencents.
Three weeks later on December 15, Plesa wheeled back
Itsmyluckyday in the $100,000 Dania Beach Stakes at one mile on the turf at
Gulfstream Park. The colt broke in seventh, picked up a little ground, and ran
down the backstretch in sixth. He went around the final turn five wide and
nearing the wire started picking off horses late, eventually finishing fourth.
Three-year-old season
On New Year's Day 2013, Itsmyluckyday won the $100,000
Gulfstream Park Derby at a mile on the dirt at Gulfstream Park. He broke fourth
and was quickly moved up to second by jockey Paco Lopez. At the end of the
first turn, Itsmyluckyday took the lead by a half length and rounded the field
five wide to win by six and three-quarter lengths.
On January 26, 2013, Eddie Plesa entered Itsmyluckyday in
the $400,000 Grade 3 Holy Bull Stakes. The competition in the dirt race at
Gulfstream Park included Breeders' Cup Juvenile Champion and early Kentucky
Derby favorite Shanghai Bobby. Itsmyluckyday broke in third one length off the
lead under new jockey Elvis Trujillo. Going into the far turn, he pulled up to
the leaders and at the top of the lane engaged Shanghai Bobby. In the last
furlong of the mile and one sixteenth race, he put away Shanghai Bobby and won
by two lengths.
On March 30, 2013, Itsmyluckyday competed in the $1,000,000
Grade 1 Florida Derby at a mile and one eighth at Gulfstream Park. He broke
fourth under Elvis Trujillo and stalked the leaders around the first turn and
down the backstretch. At the top of the lane, he made a bid but lost to
eventual Kentucky Derby winner Orb. Itsmyluckyday finished second, two and a
half lengths behind Orb, while beating the rest of the field by three lengths
or more.
By virtue of his runner-up performance to Orb in the Florida
Derby, Itsmyluckyday went off at odds of 9-1 from the eleven post in the 139th
Kentucky Derby on May 4, 2013. He broke seventh and moved up to sixth place
passing the stands for the first time and down the backstretch. Pacesetter
Palace Malice set sizzling fractions, and all but one horse that was close to
the lead fell apart in deep stretch. Itsmyluckyday also fell victim to the pace
that day and finished fifteenth, 22 lengths behind winner Orb. Longshot Golden
Soul placed second, and Louisiana Derby winner Revolutionary was third.
The Plesas then decided to ship Itsmyluckyday to Baltimore,
Maryland, and race in the second jewel of the Triple Crown. At Pimlico Race
Course in the $1,000,000 Grade 1 Preakness Stakes on May 18, 2013,
Itsmyluckyday drew post nine. He broke sharply in fourth and was in third a
head behind second place Goldencents around the clubhouse turn and down the
backstretch. At the top of the lane, jockey John Velazquez asked Itsmyluckyday
for more and he took off two and half lengths in front of the next horse but
still two lengths behind leader Oxbow. Itsmyluckyday finished second, one and
three-quarter lengths behind Preakness winner Oxbow. Mylute finished third, and
Kentucky Derby winner Orb finished fourth. Itsmyluckyday earned a runner-up
check of $240,000.
On his next appearance Itsmyluckyday started second favorite
for the Pegasus Stakes at Monmouth Stakes but pulled up injured in a race won
by Verrazano. Examinations showed that the horse had sustained a serious pelvic
injury: he was off the track for the remainder of the season.
Four-year-old season
Returning as a four-year-old in 2014, Itsmyluckyday had a
new regular jockey in Paco Lopez and made steady improvement in his first five
starts. As in the previous year, he began his campaign at Gulfstream where he
finished fourth to Palace Malice in the Gulfstream Park Handicap before winning
the Best of the Rest Stakes in April. He then moved to Monmouth Park where he
recorded wins in the Listed Majestic Light Stakes and the Grade III Salvator
Mile. In August he returned to Grade I company for the first time since the
Preakness and finished second to Moreno in the Whitney Handicap at Saratoga,
with Will Take Charge and Palace Malice among those behind. Four weeks later, over
the same course and distance, Itsmyluckyday faced Moreno again in the Grade I
Woodward Stakes. He tracked Moreno for most of the race before moving up to
challenge the leader approaching the final turn. Itsmyluckyday gained the
advantage a furlong out and prevailed by half a length to record his first
Grade I victory.
On September 27 Itsmyluckyday started 7/10 favourite for the
Grade II Kelso Handicap at Belmont Park. Carrying top weight of 121 pounds he
finished third of the seven runners behind Vyjack and River Rocks.