Blind Luck

Blind Luck wins the 2011 Vanity

This year marks the first time in four years that Zenyatta has not won the Vanity Handicap. Instead, the victory fell to Blind Luck, one of the top female handicappers in America.

Blind Luck is the 4-year-old daughter of 2004 Kentucky Derby starter, Pollard's Vision. Bought for a measly 10k at the 2008 Fasig-Tipton, then sold again for 11k at the Ocala Breeders' Sales, no one thought she would ever become the champion she turned out to be.

But, boy, did she prove them wrong. In all 21 of her races, she has never gotten anything lower than third place. Her earnings are more than 2 million. Half of the racehorses nowadays never acquire the amount of money their owners pay for them. But Blind Luck has. She is truly a diamond in the rocks.

Among her races, Blind Luck has won 6 GR1 races, the most prestige type of races in horseracing. Included in those GR1 races is the Kentucky Oaks, which is pretty much the Kentucky Derby for fillies. Held the day before the Derby, it is just as tough as the Run For the Roses.

Blind Luck after winning
the 2010 Kentucky Oaks

Blind Luck's racing style is a very thrilling one. She hangs at the back of the pack until the last second, then charges up to the front to catch the front runner at the wire. All her races have been won like that. She reminds me a little of Zenyatta, who won her races in the same fashion.

There is a bit of a rivalry between Blind Luck and a daughter of Saint Liam, named Havre de Grace. They have raced six times together, Blind Luck taking the lead with a 4-2 advantage. Their last encounter was in the Delaware Handicap last weekend. Blind Luck ran it at her usual pace. But then it became a two horse race when the two rival fillies separated themselves from the rest of the field by many lengths, battling each other for the lead down the stretch. It was a very, very, very close race. But Blind Luck proved the victor by barely a nose in the end.

Blind Luck and Havre de Grace
 in the 2011 Delaware Handicap

There is no indication as to what Blind Luck's next race will be, but there are a few possibilities that her owner and trainer are considering. Including: the GR1 Clement L. Hirsch on August 6th or the GR1 Personal Ensign on August 28th. The main goal for Blind Luck is the November 4th Breeders' Cup Ladies Classic.

An interesting fact is that if both Blind Luck and Havre de Grace run in the Personal Ensign, the race managers will raise the winning purse from $300,000 to $600,000. But only if both fillies run.

I do wonder what is in store for this amazing filly. She is certainly good for the racing world. Since Zenyatta and Rachel Alexandra retired, it is good that there is still some amazing fillies to watch. Not that there wouldn't be if Blind Luck and Havre de Grace weren't racing, as the fillies are totally the more dominant in horseracing at the moment. But it is still good.

In short, I absolutely adore this filly, and hope that she kicks Havre de Grace's butt in their next meet, if only for the sake that Kristin really likes Grace, and I Luck ;)

Pictures of Blind Luck

The Longshot

Ruler On Ice wins the 143 Belmont Stakes

Well, the Belmont Stakes was yesterday, and if I were a betting person, I would have won some money. Ruler On Ice crossed the finish like 3/4 of a length in front of Stay Thirsty to become the 143 Belmont Stakes winner.

The race began with a catastrophic beginning for Kentucky Derby winner, Animal Kingdom. The colt clipped heals with longshot Monzon, almost loosing his jockey, John Velazquez. He never got back into the race after that, but was able to get a respectable 6th.

Shackleford, the Preakness Stakes winner, set the early slow pace with a moderate quarter-mile in :23.92 then slowed to a leisurely :49.08 for the opening half, 1:14.51 for three-quarters, and 1:39.95 for a mile. But as I mentioned in my post before the Belmont Stakes, I did not believe Shackleford had the type of breeding in him to make the entire 1 1/2 mile. I was right. Shackleford gave up his lead, eventually finishing 5th.

My other picks for the Belmont Stakes, Brilliant Speed and Mucho Macho Man, finished 3rd and 7th. Brilliant Speed showed his quality when he held on to 3rd, barely beaten by Stay Thirsty for 2nd. I really don't think Mucho Macho Man was in the race, unfortunately. He was kind of just running with no intentions of going anywhere.

All in all, it was a good race. I was disappointed for the connections of Isn't He Perfect, who was the last place finisher. I really wanted him to get a good placing, if only because I fell for his cinderella-type story. But that's horseracing: you never know who will come out on top, or in this case, on the bottom.

143 Belmont Stakes

Saturday is the 143 Belmont Stakes, and with the field being as it is, the race will probably end up being a toss up to whoever can maintain the grueling 1 1/2 mile trek to the finish line.


The Field:


 1. Master of Hounds, 10-1
 2. Stay Thirsty, 20-1
 3. Ruler On Ice, 20-1
 4. Santiva, 15-1
 5. Brilliant Speed, 15-1
 6. Nehro, 4-1
 7. Monzon, 30-1
 8. Prime Cut, 15-1
 9. Animal Kingdom, 2-1
10. Mucho Macho Man, 10-1
11. Isn't He Perfect, 30-1
12. Shackleford, 9-2


Kentucky Derby winner, Animal Kingdom, and Preakness winner, Shackleford, are included in the 12 horse field. But I don't think either of them will win. Maybe get in the money (2 or 3), but one of them getting first seems unlikely to me.

Animal Kingdom

While Animal Kingdom may be a good horse, I don't think he has what it takes to get the 1 1/2 mile distance of the Belmont Stakes. It would be great if he could, but I don't think I would place my main bet on him to win.


Shackleford is all muscles; he is as big as a draft horse. But still, I do not think he can make the distance. He just doesn't strike me as a 1 1/2 mile runner to me. More of a Preakness horse, as he displayed by winning the race almost three weeks ago. I would love for this horse to prove me wrong and win the Belmont, though. More than any horse in the field, I would really like to see him wearing the bed of white carnations in the winners circle.

Shackleford

Since the classic winners are more or less off my list of possible winners of the Belmont Stakes, I have had to look at the other colts who are entered. One of them is Brilliant Speed, an average sized bay colt by Dynaformer. Though he may look like his size: average, he has some hidden values that caught me by surprise.


Brilliant Speed's entire pedigree is laced with Belmont Stakes winners.


Here is his Belmont bred pedigree in a nutshell:

Brilliant Speed

Brilliant Speed’s broodmare sire, Gone West, sired Belmont winner Commendable. Gone West’s sire, Mr. Prospector, sired Belmont winner Conquistador Cielo. Gone West’s broodmare sire, Secretariat, won the Belmont, sired Belmont winner Risen Star, and is the broodmare sire of Belmont winner A.P. Indy, who in turn sired Belmont winner Rags to Riches. Mr. Prospector’s broodmare sire, Nashua, won the Belmont.
 
Brilliant Speed’s second dam, Daijin, is a full-sister to Belmont winner Touch Gold. Daijin’s sire, Deputy Minister, not only sired Touch Gold, he is the broodmare sire of Belmont winners, Rags to Riches, Sarava, and Jazil. Daijin’s broodmare sire, Buckpasser, is the broodmare sire of Belmont winners Easy Goer and Coastal.
 
Getting back to the sire’s side, Roberto’s sire, Hail to Reason, sired Belmont winner Hail to All. Dynaformer’s broodmare sire, His Majesty, is the broodmare sire of Belmont winner Risen Star, and His Majesty’s sire, Ribot, sired Belmont winner Arts and Letters, as well as His Majesty’s full-brother, Graustark, who sired Belmont winner Avatar.


Isn't that impressive??? I thought so.


Brilliant Speed is the one that I am rooting on to either win, or place second or third. And who wouldn't? He has the most brilliantly bred pedigree.

Ruler on Ice

 I also like a chestnut, Kentucky bred colt by Roman Ruler. Ruler On Ice may not have the most impressive racing record, but I've just always has 'a feeling' about this longshot. Maybe he'll get a good placing, maybe he won't. 


Although Ruler On Ice may not have the greatest race record (a few 2nds and 3rds), he does have a good pedigree. His sire, Roman Ruler, is one of the top breeding stallions. His grandsire, Fusaichi Pegasus, won the Kentucky Derby, and is also a good sire.

Mucho Macho Man

With no gray horse in the field (I always 'bet' on a gray horse to win in the triple crown races), I have decided to go with the cinderella-story colt, Mucho Macho Man, as my third choice. He is a leggy colt with a lot of room to run. His trainer, the only female trainer in the field, is confident her colt will love the distance.


Those are the three colts I have picked out to either win, place, or show. Though I am open to the possibility that Animal Kingdom and Shackleford will wrong me and get good placings. But I am rooting for Brilliant Speed as my number 1 pick.