Kelso a pivotal race for Itsmyluckyday
ELMONT, N.Y. – Itsmyluckyday, the winner of the Grade 1 Woodward at Saratoga in his last start, cuts back from 1 1/8 miles to a one-turn mile in Saturday’s Grade 2, $400,000 Kelso at Belmont Park as his connections seek to decide what to do with him later this fall.
Itsmyluckyday is not nominated to the Breeders’ Cup, and it would cost significant supplemental and entry fees to run him in the $5 million Classic. His connections could opt for the less-prestigious BC Dirt Mile or await the Grade 1 Cigar Mile on Nov. 29 at Aqueduct, a race for which he would be running for the winner’s share of $750,000.
Trainer Eddie Plesa said this week that he believes the Kelso is a better race than the $1 million Jockey Club Gold Cup at 1 1/4 miles, also Saturday, to propel Itsmyluckyday forward, regardless of where he next runs.
“It’s the easier of the two spots, it’s at a distance I’m very comfortable with, and hopefully coming out of this race, it’ll set us up for the next race,” Plesa said. “It’s just a conservative approach. You don’t get anything for running against the toughest horses in every race, in my opinion. All you do is get beat up.”
Itsmyluckyday will break from post 7 and carry the top weight of 121 pounds against six rivals, including the Grade 1 winner Golden Ticket, the Grade 3 winner Bradester, and the intriguing River Rocks.
DRF FORMULATOR FACT: River Rocks. Trainer John Terranova is 11-4-2-1 with a $4.94 ROI over the past four years going sprint to route on dirt with last-out winners. Click for more details. – Dan Illman
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Key contenders
Itsmyluckyday (Last 3 Beyers: 108-107-103)
◗ He has won 4 of 6 starts this year, including the Grade 1 Woodward at 1 1/8 miles last out, his first race with blinkers on.
◗ He has won twice at a mile, including the Gulfstream Derby as a 3-year-old and the Salvator Mile at Monmouth on July 6.
River Rocks (Last 3 Beyers: 110-105-96)
◗ He has gone 3 for 3 since being moved to trainer John Terranova’s barn, including two fast allowance wins at Saratoga.
◗ He makes his first start in a one-turn, one-mile race.
“Seven-eighths he got pretty easily in Saratoga,” Terranova said. “I think a mile is something he should be comfortable doing. He’s a fast horse, he’s got a high cruising speed. Once he gets that momentum rolling, he’s tough to run down.”
◗ Asked about facing Itsmyluckyday, Terranova said: “He’s a real good horse. We’ll just see what everybody’s made of on Saturday.”
Bradester (Last 3 Beyers: 104-108-100)
◗ He is in career-best form right now, as his last three Beyer Speed Figures would suggest.
◗ He comes back in three weeks after winning the Grade 3 Ack Ack at Churchill. The last time he came back in three weeks, Bradester earned a career-best Beyer of 108 when second to Valid in the Monmouth Cup.
◗ Three starts back, he finished second to Itsmyluckyday in the Salvator Mile at Monmouth Park.
Golden Ticket (Last 3 Beyers: 98-77-93)
◗ The dead-heat winner of the 2012 Travers, he comes off a win in the Left Bank Stakes, a one-turn, one-mile race run here opening day.
◗ He finished second to Goldencents in last year’s Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile.