Itsmyluckyday looks ready to fire

One year removed from his quest to win the Kentucky Derby, Itsmyluckyday will try to get his career headed back in the right direction when he goes postward as the heavy favorite in Saturday’s $75,000 Best of the Rest Stakes at Gulfstream Park.

At this time last season, trainer Eddie Plesa Jr. was putting Itsmyluckyday through his final preparations prior to what turned out to be a 15th-place finish over a sloppy racetrack in the Derby. But Itsmyluckyday, who won the Holy Bull Stakes and finished second behind Orb in the Grade 1 Florida Derby, rebounded with a solid second-place effort in the Preakness. His career came to a sudden halt the following month when he fractured his pelvis during the early stages of Monmouth Park’s Pegasus Stakes.

Plesa gave Itsmyluckyday ample time to recuperate, bringing him back to launch his 2014 campaign in a strong field in the Grade 2 Gulfstream Park Handicap. Itsmyluckyday ran well off the bench, finishing fourth, seven lengths behind winner Palace Malice, after disputing the pace for more than six furlongs.

“You could tell almost immediately in the Derby he was having trouble handling the track,” Plesa said. “And I knew he was a better horse than he showed that day. Needless to say, vindication came two weeks later.”

Plesa said he knew Itsmyluckyday would come back 100 percent from his injury, as long as he gave him proper time to recover from surgery.

“When he was ready to finally run, there really weren’t any other options but the Donn, and he got tired, although I thought he ran a great race,” said Plesa. “But I believe you’re going to see the real horse over the next several months.”

A victory by Itsmyluckyday on Saturday would be doubly sweet for Plesa since he trained Best of the Rest to 16 victories in 32 starts and earnings of more than $1.4 million for his owner and breeder, the late Bea Oxenberg.

Among Itsmyluckyday’s chief competitors in the 1 1/16-mile Best of the Rest is a former stablemate, Speak Logistics, who also was on the Derby trail for a brief period last winter. Speak Logistics was transferred to trainer Colin Maragh following his eighth-place finish against high-level optional-claiming rivals Feb. 5. The son of High Cotton finished third over the Gulfstream strip in the 2013 Fountain of Youth.

Sr. Quisqueyano may prove the one to catch coming off a third-place effort in the Grade 3 Skip Away. Sr. Quisqueyano won two stakes at Gulfstream during the second half of 2013.

The remainder of the Best of the Rest lineup is Joshua’s Comprise, Border Song, Macho Bull, Goodtimehadbyall, and Ledokol.

A previous version of this article incorrectly stated that It'smyluckyday finished second in this year's Donn Handicap in his return to the races. He was second in the Gulfstream Park Handicap.