Itsmyluckyday gets his chance in Whitney

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Itsmyluckyday was among the early-season leaders of the 3-year-old division in 2013, and one of many highly regarded horses who didn’t run well over the sloppy Churchill Downs surface in the Kentucky Derby.

When he ran second in the Preakness Stakes, Itsmyluckyday appeared to re-establish himself as a player in the division for the rest of the year. However, Itsmyluckyday’s season ended in his next start when he suffered a fractured pelvis during the running of the Pegasus Stakes at Monmouth Park. While other Derby also-rans such as Will Take Charge and Palace Malice went on to prove themselves over the remainder of the year, Itsmyluckyday was forced to stay in the barn and recuperate.

After winning three of four starts to begin his 4-year-old season, Itsmyluckyday will try to define his place in the older-male division when he takes on Palace Malice and Will Take Charge in Saturday’s Grade 1, $1.5 million Whitney Stakes at Saratoga. Itsmyluckyday, the winner of the Grade 3 Salvator Mile in his last start, drew post 4 in a field of nine entered for the Whitney.

“I don’t think we’ve seen the bottom as far as what he can do yet,” said Eddie Plesa Jr., who trains Itsmyluckyday for his wife, Laurie, and Trilogy Stable. “If you look at his last three races, you’re going to see he wasn’t all out in any of them. He was pressed a little bit harder in the last race. In the two races before that, almost to a fault, he was being pulled up before the wire. It’s time for us to find out just where we’re at. As tough a race as this is, we picked it for a reason.”

Itsmyluckyday, who will be ridden by Paco Lopez, will start right outside of Moreno, who is viewed as the primary speed horse in the field. Some have cast Itsmyluckyday as a speed horse, a notion Plesa dismisses.

“He showed he wasn’t a speed horse in his last race,” said Plesa, referring to the Salvator Mile, in which Itsmyluckyday sat fourth early on. “He can be in a stalking position, but it’s not like he’s going to be 20 lengths out of it.”

Moreno set the pace in the Travers last year before being caught by Will Take Charge, and he was part of the early pace in the Breeders’ Cup Classic before fading to 12th. Most recently, Moreno set the pace in the Grade 2 Suburban before settling for second behind Zivo.

“He’s a one-trick pony – he’s going to get the lead,” Eric Guillot, the trainer of Moreno, said. “I’m going to tell you now, if you’re all in front of me, you’re going too fast.”

Palace Malice, a winner of all four of his starts this year, including the Metropolitan Handicap last out, drew post 5 and was made the even-money favorite.

Will Take Charge, who is coming off a second-place finish in the Grade 1 Stephen Foster, drew the rail, a post that wasn’t particularly pleasing to his trainer, D. Wayne Lukas.

“I try not to get too caught up in it,” Lukas said. “It’s not a post I’d have picked. On the other hand, I’ve been around long enough to know that sometimes it falls right into place, too. We’ll try to make the most of it.”

Lukas has reunited Will Take Charge with Luis Saez, who was aboard for victories in last year’s Travers and Pennsylvania Derby.

Others entered for the Whitney were Departing, Romansh, Golden Ticket, Prayer for Relief, and Last Gunfighter. On Wednesday, Prayer for Relief worked four furlongs in 49.98 seconds over Saratoga’s main track.

The Whitney is a Win and You’re In race for the Breeders’ Cup Classic. It will be shown live on NBC Sports and go postward at 5:45 p.m. Eastern.

– additional reporting by Mike Welsch