VanMeter looks to stay hot with Lucky Betty

HOT SPRINGS, Ark. – Trainer Will VanMeter has been firing with 3-year-old fillies all meet at Oaklawn Park and will attempt to keep rolling Thursday with Lucky Betty.

She goes in the ninth race, an optional $80,000 claiming route over 1 1/16 miles. It’s restricted to 3-year-old fillies and has drawn 11.

Lucky Betty is coming off a 3 1/4-length maiden special weight win at the distance April 4 at Oaklawn – one of five races for 3-year-old fillies VanMeter has won at the meet. His latest came Friday, when he sent out Sekani and The Mary Rose to run one-two in the $100,000 Rainbow Miss.

Declan Cannon was aboard for Lucky Betty’s front-running maiden score and again has the mount from the rail.

“One thing I really liked about her race was down the backside, when [Slime Queen] kind of engaged her on the outside, Declan asked Betty to settle, and it seemed like she settled really well, really responded, did everything Declan asked,” VanMeter said.

The start was the first at two turns for Lucky Betty, who came into the race off a pair of sprints. She earned a career-high Beyer Speed Figure of 75 and could again be prominent from the start Thursday.

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“She’s only run three times, and I don’t think she’s developed a style yet,” VanMeter said. “To me, so far, she seems like she really tactically can do quite a few different things. If she breaks well, she has the speed to be forwardly placed. In her first race, she didn’t break well and had to close, took dirt.”

Lucky Betty is the first horse owned by Dennis Park, who purchased the Munnings filly for $145,000 as a yearling at Keeneland September in 2018. She is out of the winning mare Cherokee Beads, who is a half-sister to both Bayerd, a winner of the Springboard Mile at Remington Park, and Sphene, a winner of the Charles Taylor Derby at the Downs at Albuquerque.

“She’s a well-balanced, feminine, athletic-looking filly,” VanMeter said of Lucky Betty. “Mentally, she’s super professional. She enjoys her daily training routine.”

As for Sekani and The Mary Rose, they could run back at the meet, VanMeter said. The fillies, bred in Arkansas, long have targeted the lucrative season at Oaklawn.

“So far, they’ve come out of the race well and have allowance options,” VanMeter said. “They’re both nominated to the Fantasy. Everything is on the table.

“We’ll try to kind of strike while the iron is hot. I don’t see where we’re running after this. We’ll probably run both one more time and sit them out for next year.”

VanMeter trains both fillies for Shortleaf Stable, and on Thursday the team will attempt to win the first race, an allowance route for Arkansas-bred fillies and mares, with the 3-year-old Turnstone.

VanMeter is closing out a banner meet, which ends May 2. He’s gone 8 for 30 with his starters for stable earnings of $431,723, according to Daily Racing Form statistics.