Better Lucky held off Regalo Mia to win the Sands Point Stakes
Another Ghostzapper filly won at Belmont Park on the Memorial Day, and this time it was the lightly raced 3-year-old filly, Better Lucky, whose switch to turf brought her home the first stakes victory of her career after dwelling in dirt for the past four
starts.
Darley Stable’s Better Lucky participated in the 1 1/16 mile long Grade 2, $200,000 Sands Point Stakes in a field of 8, 3-year-old fillies on 28 May, 2012.
Ridden by jockey Eddie Castro, Better Lucky was content coming and staying off the pace, with Preach Tome Daddy set pedestrian like fractions in the opening stages of the race, who wasn’t pushed much to go faster by, Zultanite, who was more close to the
leader than any other in the field.
John Kimmel trained Preach Tome Daddy, was coupled with jockey Julien Leparoux, and the pair went the opening quarter mile in 25.60 seconds, and the half mile marker was achieved in 49.74 seconds.
With an unchanged lead as the field rounded off the first turn to enter the backstretch, it was Zultanite, who pressed on to Preach Tome Daddy, and at the far turn took the lead from the pace setter.
The Kentucky bred Thomas Albertrani owned 3-year-old filly, Better Lucky was urged to match strides with Zultanite, and soon there was a brief rally between the two entering the stretch.
Ridden by Ramon Dominguez, Zultanite was stubborn in the stretch, and it looked that she will go all the way with Better Lucky, but a bold move was made by Regalo Mia from the midstretch, and under Javier Castellano the charge was threatening, but Better
Lucky kept her at bay to win the race narrowly by a nose in 1 minute and 42.75 seconds.
“I was a little concerned; I thought she’d be on the lead easy,” said winning trainer Tom Albertrani. “It looked like we were getting a little bit outrun, but Eddie did a great job, just rode with patience and found a seam to get through. She finished up
good. The last jump was pretty tight, I said ‘I’ll settle for a dead heat here.”
Tags: