Ivanavinalot poised for Black-Eyed Susan run

MIAMI - If all had gone according to plan, trainer Kathleen O'Connell would have been in Louisville last week, saddling Ivanavinalot in the Kentucky Oaks. Instead, O'Connell is heading to Baltimore where she will send out her star 3-year-old filly in Friday's Black-Eyed Susan at Pimlico.

O'Connell's itinerary changed within a matter of seconds on April 5 - the time it took for Ivanavinalot to nearly get knocked around leaving the starting gate for Keeneland's Grade 1 Ashland Stakes.

"Her last race was a disaster," said O'Connell. "She was lucky just to come back in one piece. As it was, she got absolutely nothing out of the race. I couldn't send her up against those type of fillies in the Oaks without being 110 percent."

Ivanavinalot was far and away the top 2-year-old filly in south Florida last year, winning five of six starts including the final two legs of the filly division of the Florida Stallion Stakes. After starting off her 3-year-old season with second-place finishes in the Sunshine Million Oaks and Grade 2 Davona Dale, Ivanavinalot got back on the winning track with a victory in Gulfstream Park's Grade 2 Bonnie Miss. That performance had her on track for the Oaks until the Ashland.

"I worked her out of the starting gate here this past week just to get her confidence back after what happened in Kentucky," said O'Connell. "This track has been pretty deep in the mornings so she should be plenty fit, although there's nothing like a race, and like I said she got nothing out of the Ashland."

O'Connell secured the services of Edgar Prado to ride Ivanavinalot in the Black-Eyed Susan. Prado rode Bird Town to victory in the Oaks.

"I was able to get Edgar because Bird Town is not coming back in the Black-Eyed Susan," said O'Connell. "In fact, I doubt too many from the Oaks field will come back on such short rest. So maybe missing that race will turn out to be a blessing in disguise, because we should catch a much softer field in Maryland. And this filly is certainly due for some good luck."

Trust N Luck recovering from infection

Trust N Luck, the top 2-year-old on the grounds here in 2002 and a Kentucky Derby candidate until his fourth-place finish in Keeneland's Lexington Stakes, is recuperating on the Ocala Stud Farm from what trainer Ralph Ziadie said is an "internal infection" discovered after his last race.

"I think the infection explains why he just wasn't quite himself in his last two starts," said Ziadie.

Trust N Luck, a son of Montbrook owned by E. Paul Robsham, won the Grade 1 Fountain of Youth Stakes before finishing a well-beaten second behind Empire Maker in the Grade 1 Florida Derby.

Ziadie is hoping lightning will strike again this summer as he is awaiting the arrival of another son of Montbrook that he purchased for Robsham, for $140,000 at the March 2-year-old sales.

Lawbook, winner of the first two legs of the open division of the 2002 Stallion Series, will launch his 3-year-old campaign in Sunday's $40,000 Western Borders Stakes. He has been idle since finishing sixth behind Trust N Luck in the finale of the Stallion Series, the In Reality Stakes, on Oct. 12.

Lawbook may have difficulty in his return as his competition in the six-furlong Western Borders includes Massive and his stakes-winning stablemate Awesome of Course.

Massive finished fourth behind Midas Eyes in the Swale Stakes and third behind Dynever and Supah Blitz making his two-turn debut in Gulfstream's Aventura on April 5.