Lucky Girl takes outside trip in Lady of Shamrock triumph
ARCADIA, Calif. - An outside trip and a convincing move to the front on the backstretch kept Lucky Girl out of trouble in Sunday’s $80,300 Lady of Shamrock Stakes at Santa Anita. The tactics led to the filly’s first career win in her fifth start.
Ridden by Joe Bravo, Lucky Girl ($15.60) maintained her advantage in the stretch over 4-5 Island of Love to win the Lady of Shamrock Stakes by 1 3/4 lengths, finishing a mile on turf in 1:35.71. Lucky Girl earned a career-best Beyer Speed Figure of 74.
Bravo rode Lucky Girl to a fifth-place finish in a maiden special weight race at a mile on turf on Dec. 27. In that race, Lucky Girl had a tough trip and was beaten three lengths.
Lucky Girl was entered in a maiden special weight race on turf on Saturday, but was withdrawn in favor of the Lady of Shamrock Stakes after she drew the outside in a field of 10 in the maiden race.
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“This looked like a better spot,” trainer Richard Baltas said.
Owned by Panic Stable, Lucky Girl drew post 4 in a field of six in the Lady of Shamrock. Bravo had Lucky Girl wide on the backstretch and made a quick move to take command of the race at the end of the backstretch.
“He knew he had a lot of horse,” Baltas said of Bravo. “It was all about him switching her off.”
Lucky Girl led by a half-length with a quarter-mile remaining.
Island of Love, an Irish-bred filly who was unbeaten in two starts in Italy last year, looked well positioned in early stretch under jockey Flavien Prat, but could not catch Lucky Girl. Trained by Phil D’Amato, Island of Love had her American debut in the Lady of Shamrock.
“It was her first race in five months and first race at a mile,” D’Amato said. “Maybe she got a little tired.”
Island of Love finished 2 1/2 lengths in front of 12-1 Gold Dragon Queen, who was followed by Travel Smart, Shoppingforpharoah and Fuente Ovejuna.
Lucky Girl, an Irish-bred by Exceed and Excel, was third in her lone start in Ireland in July before being sent to California in late summer. She has earned $53,663 in five starts.