Itsmyluckyday re-routed to Whitney Handicap
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Trainer Eddie Plesa Jr. said Thursday he will switch gears with his handicap star Itsmyluckyday and point for the Grade 1 Whitney here Aug. 2 rather than keep him in New Jersey for the Grade 2 Monmouth Cup six days earlier, as originally planned.
Itsmyluckyday has come full circle since sustaining a career-threatening pelvic injury during the Pegasus Stakes in June 2013 at Monmouth. He has won each of his last three starts since launching his comeback with a fourth-place finish behind division leader Palace Malice in the Grade 2 Gulfstream Park Handicap on March 8. His most recent performance was his best this season, a come-from-behind 1 1/2-length victory over Bradester in the Grade 3 Salvator Mile, the win pushing Itsmyluckyday over the $1 million mark in career earnings.
“If you were to script a story up to this point when it comes to his comeback, things couldn’t have worked out better except perhaps his first start back, which was probably my fault,” said Plesa. “I would really have liked to have picked out an easier spot for his return, but he was ready to run, and there just weren’t any other real options at the time, and I thought he turned in a great effort off the layoff, considering he got beat only seven lengths by the best handicap horse in the country.”
Itsmyluckyday, who finished second at 3 in both the Preakness and Grade 1 Florida Derby, bounced back from the Gulfstream Park Handicap with an easy three-length win seven weeks later in Gulfstream’s Best of the Rest Stakes before shipping to Monmouth to win both the Majestic Light and Salvator Mile.
“He’s won each of his last three races pretty easily while stepping up a little in class each time,” said Plesa. “He won the Salvator Mile the way you’d want a good horse to do it. He didn’t make the lead and was able to rally three wide and come from off the pace to win. Originally, we thought about staying here for the Monmouth Cup, but I decided this is the right time to go up against the best. Each race has been a building block for him, he’s as good as he’s going to get right now, and I’m anxiously looking forward to trying him in the Whitney.”