Just a Little Luck faces tough challengers in Pleasanton Oaks

Just a Little Luck will be near the front in Sunday’s $75,000 Mary Claire Schmitt Pleasanton Oaks at six furlongs at the Alameda County Fair. Whether she will set the pace or race as a stalker will be up to the filly.

“She places herself,” trainer Andy Mathis said. “She’s not one you can fight with. If she wants to be forward and wants to be on the front end, you can’t convince her otherwise.”

Just a Little Luck led throughout a maiden race at 5 1/2 furlongs in her 2023 debut on March 11 at Golden Gate Fields, and was beaten a nose in an allowance race at that distance on April 21 after stalking the pace.

“I think she has a chance,” Mathis said. “I thought the day she broke her maiden she ran well on the lead. She came back in an allowance race and got nipped on the wire, sitting the trip.”

Those races give Mathis confidence that Just a Little Luck can be a factor in the newly created Schmitt Pleasanton Oaks for statebred 3-year-old fillies, which honors the memory of the late California owner and breeder.

The race drew a solid field of eight, including the Southern California shipper Tom’s Regret, a stakes winner in 2022 who was second in the Grade 3 Senorita Stakes for turf sprinters on May 6 at Santa Anita; and the promising Big Sis Little Sis, who was fifth in the Dream of Summer Stakes for statebred fillies and mares at five furlongs on turf on June 11 at Golden Gate Fields.

Mathis is more confident in Just a Little Luck’s ability in a sprint than at a mile. The filly finished last of five in an allowance race at that distance in her last start, on May 21 at Golden Gate Fields.

“We tried the mile and it was a big disaster,” Mathis said.

Tom’s Regret will be favored. She was beaten 17 lengths by the undefeated Ceiling Crusher when second in the Melair Stakes for statebred 3-year-old fillies at 1 1/16 miles on May 28 at Santa Anita. Trained by Steve Miyadi, Tom’s Regret nearly won the Senorita Stakes with a late move, missing by a neck to Teena Ella.

Big Sis Little Sis was beaten 2 3/4 lengths in the Dream of Summer Stakes against more experienced fillies and mares despite a slow start and a wide trip.

Trained by Reid France, Big Sis Little Sis was the sharp winner of a six-furlong maiden race at Golden Gate Fields in April in her first start of the year. A repeat of that win would put Big Sis Little Sis in contention in the Pleasanton Oaks.

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