Finley'sluckycharm works half-mile in Ballerina tune-up

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – The older she’s gotten, the more Finley’sluckycharm has learned to harness her abundant speed. It’s a trait that trainer Bret Calhoun is hoping will serve her well when she seeks her second Grade 1 win of the season here next Saturday in the seven-furlong Ballerina.

Finley’sluckycharm tuned up for the Ballerina working an easy half-mile in 48.66 seconds over the Oklahoma training track Friday.

“I moved her work up a day, not because of rain in the forecast but because I wanted to give her an extra day to get her hydrated since she’s a little sensitive to Lasix and sometimes it takes its toll on her,” Calhoun said. “I thought the work was excellent. She was well within herself, she relaxed the whole way, and she galloped out really well. She would never work like that when she was younger, she always seemed to go a little faster than we wanted her to.”

Calhoun said that Finley’sluckycharm has learned to contain her speed as she’s matured. It has become a major asset and is the reason why he feels she’s now as effective going seven furlongs as she has always been at six. Finley’sluckycharm became a Grade 1 winner for the first time when taking the seven-furlong Madison on April 7 at Keeneland, but turned back to six furlongs to earn a career-high 104 Beyer Speed Figure when proving a popular winner of the Grade 2 Honorable Miss here July 25.

“Her last race was one of those rare races where everything just went her way,” Calhoun said. “She got a perfect setup, was in a perfect spot, was relaxed and in control the whole way, and just took care of business. I just don’t think distance matters as much to her as she’s gotten older. She always wanted to go faster when she was younger and that might have hampered her going seven furlongs back then. Now, six or seven furlongs, it doesn’t matter.”

Finley’sluckycharm was one of several Ballerina nominees to work locally Friday along with Cairenn, Ivy Bell, Lewis Bay, and Pacific Wind, each of whom also went four furlongs.