So Lucky gets stamina test in Gottstein Futurity
So Lucky will put his undefeated record on the line in the $65,000 Gottstein Futurity at Emerald Downs on Sunday. The 1 1/16-mile race drew eight horses and headlines the last day of live racing at Emerald this year. Post time for the Gottstein Futurity is 5:12 p.m. Pacific.
Trained by Howard Belvoir, So Lucky will be a prohibitive favorite. He hasn’t been tested in any of his four wins and is coming off a nine-length romp in the $50,000 Washington Cup race for 2-year-olds. It was a visually impressive performance. With leading rider Rocco Bowen aboard, he broke like a rocket, waited for some competition, and then quickly opened up a clear lead when Satellite Storm got within a length of him after a quarter-mile in 22 seconds flat.
This will be the first time So Lucky has gone farther than six furlongs, but Belvoir is confident that he is up to the task.
“I don’t think he’ll have any problems going this far,” Belvoir said. “He’s been well prepared for it, and Rocco hasn’t had to use his whip in any of his races. Everything looks good.”
So Lucky will be the one they have to catch after he breaks from post 4 under Bowen.
If there is a threat, it could come from Blazinbeauty, the only filly in the race. Trained by Frank Lucarelli, Blazinbeauty finished full of run to win the $49,000 Barbara Shinpock on Aug. 7.
Both of her siblings, Indigo Beauty and Risky With Whiskey, are route winners, so she could thrive while going a middle distance for the first time. She should also get a ground-saving trip after breaking from post 2 under her usual rider, Isaias Enriquez.
KEY CONTENDERS
So Lucky, by Coast Guard
Last 3 Beyers: 79-79-71
◗ The only question is if he can go this far. His dam, Miss Pixie, was a stakes winner going a mile on the grass at Del Mar. His sire was a route winner who finished second in the Grade 2 Robert B. Lewis Stakes and third in the Grade 1 Santa Anita Derby.
DRF FORMULATOR FACT: Over the past five years at Emerald, Belvoir has a 14 percent strike rate with horses going a mile or longer for the first time.
Blazinbeauty, by Tale of Ekati
Last 3 Beyers: 55-52-43
◗ She is trending in the right direction, and her breeding and style of running suggest that the farther she goes, the better she will get.
Ask Not, by Abraaj
Last 2 Beyers: 57-58
The half-brother to two route winners looked good winning his second start and could be sitting on a big effort for trainer Terry Gillihan.