Catherine Wills' Luck Money could make a second consecutive appearance in a New York turf route, though trainer Arnaud Delacour said he has not yet decided on the 3-year-old Lookin At Lucky filly's next spot.
The Grade 3, $100,000 Long Island for fillies and mares 3-years-old and up going 1 3/8 miles on Aqueduct Racetrack's inner turf on Nov. 28 remains a possibility, though the Grade 1, $300,000 American Oaks at Santa Anita Park on Dec. 28 is also still in play.
“I'm not sure yet. I'm going to breeze her this weekend and decide. There's a possibility I'll skip that race and run her in the American Oaks a month later,” said Delacour on Luck Money, who continues to train at Fair Hill in Maryland.
Delacour said he initially thought Luck Money could use the extra time between starts after stretching out to 1 1/2 miles for the first time last out to win the Zagora on Oct. 31 over yielding Belmont turf.
The Kentucky homebred defeated a nine-horse Zagora field, besting Hungry Kitten by a neck, for a 91 Beyer Speed Figure that tied a personal best. It was Luck Money's first stakes victory in the longest race of her career, having won previously at 1 1/16 miles and 1 1/8 miles.
“I thought the last race was going to take too much out of her, but she's been training very well, so I'll get together with the owner and see what she wants to do,” Delacour said.
Luck Money has won over turf listed as firm, good and yielding, making her a versatile option for her connections.
“She's neat in that regard. She seems to run well on any type of track and everywhere; I've shipped her quite a bit,” Delacour said. “She hasn't really had a bad race. She's exceptional.”
Luck Money is 3-3-4 in 10 career starts with earnings of $224,200. After besting older horses in the Zagora, the sophomore could face the same conditions again in the Long Island, while the American Oaks is restricted to fellow 3-year-olds.
“Running her against older fillies, they have a lot more experience, especially going a mile and a half, but she just stepped right up, so that was interesting,” Delacour said.
Edward Seltzer and Beverly Anderson's Ode to Joy could also be making a stakes appearance at the Big A, targeting the $100,000 Autumn Days for fillies and mares 3-years-old and up going six furlongs on the outer turf on Nov. 29.
Nearing the end of her 5-year-old campaign, Ode to Joy could be looking to move into the next phase of her career on a high note, entering off a third-place finish in the five-furlong The Very One on Oct. 1 at Pimlico. The race before, she ran fourth in the Incredible Revenge moved off the turf on August 16 at Monmouth and will make her Aqueduct debut looking for her first stakes victory.
“Depending on the turf, there's a little bit of rain in the forecast next week, but if it's on the turf, I'll do that with her,” Delacour said. “She's been very consistent. She might not be the favorite, but I hope she can run well in there. I think the owners have in mind to breed her in the spring, so we're going to try and see if we can add to her resume this winter and she'll be a broodmare.”
While Ode to Joy's racing career could be winding down, Dame of Malta's is on an upward trajectory after a third-place debut finish on Oct. 21 at Keeneland in a one-mile maiden race moved off the turf.
Owned by Runnymede Farm and Catesby Clay, the juvenile daughter of Union Rags is slated to make her turf debut on Saturday at Aqueduct in Race 6. Her form on grass is intriguing to Delacour, as the promising bay filly is out of the multiple graded stakes winning mare Bizzy Caroline, who is a half-sister to 2017 Eclipse Award Champion Turf Female Lady Eli.
“I think it'll be interesting; she ran better than our expectations last time on the dirt,” Delacour said. “She was a little green with the kickback, but she really showed up and did it nice. I think the turf should be good. It remains to be seen, but I like the way she's been training. She's closely related to Lady Eli, so that's the type of horse you want to see on the turf at least once, right?”
The post East Or West? Delacour Keeping Options Open For Versatile Luck Money appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.
