Luck erases memory of close losses with dominating score in Robert J. Frankel Stakes

ARCADIA, Calif. – Luck finally had some on Saturday at Santa Anita.

Second, beaten a head both times, in her last two starts, both graded stakes, Luck blew past her rivals in upper stretch and coasted home 3 1/4 lengths best in the Grade 3, $101,000 Robert J. Frankel Stakes for older grass females.

Luck ($3.80), the favorite, gave jockey Flavien Prat his fourth win on the card. He added two more for a six-win day.

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Luck was sixth of seven entering the stretch of the nine-furlong grass race, then turned on the jets to power past her rivals. Bodhicitta got up for second, giving trainer Richard Baltas a one-two finish in the race.

Mucho Unusual, the defending race winner, was a nose behind Bodhicitta in third, then came, in order, pacesetting Moraz, Global Brand, England’s Rose, and Sloane Garden.

Luck covered 1 1/8 miles on a course rated good in 1:48.26.

Luck was second in the Grade 1 Rodeo Drive going 1 1/4 miles here in October, and last time out was second in the Grade 3 Red Carpet going 1 3/8 miles at Del Mar.

“The cut back in distance helped,” Prat said, “and she had pace to run at.”

Moraz passed the six-furlong mark in 1:12.50, significantly faster than the six-furlong splits in both the Rodeo Drive and Red Carpet.

“She gave me a good kick when it was time to make a move,” Prat said.

Luck, 5, is lightly raced; this was only her eighth start. She’s now won four times, and has finished second three times. This was her first stakes win. Luck has raced four times since arriving from France, where she began her racing career. She won a first-level allowance at Del Mar in stylish fashion in August in her United States debut.

The Roth family’s LNJ Foxwoods bred and owns Luck, who is by Kitten’s Joy out of the Caerleon mare Gold Round. She earned $60,000 in the Frankel and now has earnings of $208,670, but she’s in position to add considerably to that total with performances like she turned in Saturday.