Blind Luck switching from Santa Margarita to Azeri at Oaklawn

ARCADIA, Calif. – Blind Luck, the champion 3-year-old filly of 2010, will make her next start in the $150,000 Azeri Stakes at Oaklawn Park on March 19, and will not start in Saturday’s $300,000 Santa Margarita Invitational at Santa Anita, trainer Jerry Hollendorfer said on Wednesday

Entries for the Santa Margarita were taken on Wednesday, and Blind Luck’s name was absent. Hollendorfer said he would prefer to start Blind Luck in the Azeri, which is run over 1 1/16 miles and is a prep for the $500,000 Apple Blossom Handicap at Oaklawn Park on April 15, one of the year’s major races for older fillies and mares.

“We want to point for the Apple Blossom,” Hollendorfer said. “They’ve added $50,000 to the purse for the Azeri. Our filly runs okay at Santa Anita, but she doesn’t seem to particularly like it at this meeting.”

A winner of 9 of 17 starts and $2,448,712, Blind Luck has been second in two starts in Grade 2 stakes at Santa Anita this winter – losing to Always a Princess in the El Encino Stakes in January and the La Canada Stakes in February.

Last year, Blind Luck won 5 of 9 starts in a season highlighted by wins in the Kentucky Oaks at Churchill Downs and the Alabama Stakes at Saratoga.

In the Azeri, Blind Luck is likely to face Havre de Grace. Last year, Blind Luck beat Havre de Grace in the Delaware Oaks and Alabama Stakes, but was second to Havre de Grace in the Fitz Dixon Cotillion Stakes at Parx Racing. Blind Luck and Havre de Grace were second and third behind Unrivaled Belle in the Breeders’ Cup Ladies’ Classic at Churchill Downs last November.

The Santa Margarita remains a strong race, featuring the 4-year-old fillies Switch and Always a Princess, who have each won two stakes at this meeting. Vision in Gold and St Trinians, first and third in the Santa Maria Stakes on Feb. 12 also start in a field of seven.