Try Your Luck seeks to earn – and keep – win in Dueling Grounds Oaks

FRANKLIN, Ky. – As if there hadn’t been enough drama already, the Aug. 13 Arlington Million program ended with a raucous running of the Grade 3 Pucker Up Stakes. The unofficial winner, Try Your Luck, wound up being disqualified to third for bearing out down the stretch.

“I thought it could’ve gone either way,” said Mike Maker, the trainer of Try Your Luck.

That’s all water under the bridge by now, and the Kentucky Downs stewards can only hope that no such rough stuff unfolds when the $200,000 Dueling Grounds Oaks is run Sunday at this turf-only track. Try Your Luck will try for better luck in an oversubscribed field of 3-year-old fillies when stretching out to 1 5/16 miles.

“She doesn’t have much in the way of distance limitations, so yes, we’re hopeful she can redeem herself,” said Maker.

Try Your Luck, with Florent Geroux riding for the first time, figures to vie for favoritism with Taralena and Outsider Art when breaking from post 6 in the Oaks. In all, 14 fillies are entered, with Mines and Magic looming a danger if she can draw in off the also-eligible list.

Try Your Luck was claimed in February at Gulfstream Park and came to hand nicely after shipping north, with two wins and three thirds from five subsequent starts, all on turf. She fought valiantly throughout the Pucker Up before her disqualification gave Noble Beauty a kiss-in triumph.

Taralena, a speedy filly exiting allowance races on the New York circuit, will have Julien Leparoux aboard when leaving from post 5. She is trained by Christophe Clement, who sent a small string from New York for this meet and won the opening-day Juvenile Fillies with Lull.

Outsider Art is trained by Jonathan Sheppard, the Hall of Famer who has five career stakes wins at Kentucky Downs.

Fringe players in a typically deep lineup include a second Clement filly, Blame It On Me, along with Galilea, Shelbysmile, and Celestial Insight.

The second running of the Oaks is carded as the eighth of 10 Sunday races. Return to Grace won the inaugural last September under Joe Rocco Jr.

◗ Aside from the two stakes for 3-year-olds, the 10-race Sunday card at Kentucky Downs includes the usual array of six-figure allowance and maiden races as well as back-to-back qualifiers for grass races on the $1.1 million Claiming Crown program on Dec. 3 at Gulfstream Park.

Race 6 is a prep for the Claiming Crown Tiara, and race 7 is for the Claiming Crown Emerald. Both Sunday qualifiers will be run at a mile and 70 yards for $75,000 purses. The winners receive paid nomination fees and a travel stipend from Kentucky Downs.

KEY CONTENDERS

Try Your Luck, by Lookin At Lucky
Last 3 Beyers: 80-78-86

◗ Straightforward style should have her in a contending position throughout as Geroux once again has numerous live mounts while trying to claim the Kentucky Downs riding title for the second straight year.

Taralena, by Arch
Last 3 Beyers: 83-82-81

◗ This $100,000 yearling purchase always puts herself squarely into the fray, and if Leparoux can dole out the speed, she’s an obvious wire-to-wire danger.

Outsider Art, by Five Star Day
Last 3 Beyers: 81-88-81

◗ Hard-trying filly won a rich allowance sprint here last September under Drayden Van Dyke in her second career start, and the young jockey will be back aboard in trying to recapture that success.