Blind Luck headlines Breeders’ Cup Challenge Day

Blind Luck is riding a three-race win streak into the Lady’s Secret (Benoit Photos)

Champion BLIND LUCK (Pollard’s Vision) will take the next step in her
journey to the Breeders’ Cup when facing six rivals in Saturday’s
$250,000

Lady’s Secret S. (G1) on Santa Anita’s opening weekend.

The 1 1/16-mile contest is one of four Grade 1 contests on Breeders’
Cup Challenge Day at the Arcadia, California, track, with the $250,000

Goodwood S. (G1), $250,000

Yellow Ribbon S. (G1) and $250,000

Norfolk S. (G1) the other co-features on the program.

Blind Luck will attract most of the attention Saturday, as the Jerry
Hollendorfer trainee goes for her fourth straight victory. The chestnut
lass opened her four-year-old season the same way she concluded her
sophomore campaign — finishing second against graded rivals. Finally
breaking through with a win in the La Troienne S. (G2) in early May,
Blind Luck has been unstoppable since.

Acclamation has been unbeatable of late (Benoit Photos)

While Havre de Grace would go on to face the boys, and beat them, in
Saratoga’s Woodward S. (G1), Blind Luck bypassed a scheduled stop in the
Personal Ensign S. (G1) at the Spa and enters the Lady’s Secret off a 77-day
break. Garrett Gomez has been aboard for her past three wins and retains the
mount Saturday.

Looking to upset the Blind Luck apple cart are ZAZU (Tapit), ULTRA
BLEND (Richly Blended) and ASK THE MOON (Malibu Moon).

Three-year-old Zazu faced older rivals for the first time last out in
the Clement L. Hirsch S. (G1) and just failed to run down Ultra Blend,
with the final margin being a neck on the line. Prior to that, the gray
filly gained a measure of revenge for her third in the Kentucky Oaks
(G1) when defeating the winner of that race, Plum Pretty (Medaglia
d’Oro), in the Hollywood Oaks (G2).

Zazu will be getting six pounds from
Blind Luck and Ultra Blend instead of the two she received from the
latter in the Hirsch. Joel Rosario, aboard for the Hollywood Oaks, takes
back the ride from Gomez.

Dubawi Heights returned from a 2 1/2-month break to just miss in the Beverly D. (Benoit Photos)

Ask the Moon was claimed out of a Belmont contest in mid-June and joined
trainer Marty Wolfson’s barn one race later. The bay mare was thrown in the deep
end, as she was entered in the Ruffian Invitational H. (G1) at Saratoga, but
surprised with a romping wire-to-wire win. While some may have considered that
triumph a fluke, Ask the Moon proved it to be no such thing last out when once
again running away with a Grade 1, this time the Personal Ensign. The
six-year-old bay will be making her first foray outside of the Northeast region
in this one, but gets the expertise of local rider Martin Garcia.

One race following the Lady’s Secret, ACCLAMATION (Unusual Heat)
will take on GAME ON DUDE (Awesome Again) in the Goodwood going 1 1/8
miles.

Many consider Acclamation to be a stellar turf horse, as he
successfully defended his title in both the Charles Whittingham Memorial
H. (G1) and Jim Murray H. (G2) this season while adding the Eddie Read
S. (G1) to his line. However, the Donald Warren trainee proved he could
take his winning attitude to the main track when gutting out a head
victory in the Pacific Classic (G1) last out. The bay five-year-old will
be trying a conventional dirt track for just the third time in the Goodwood and keeps Patrick Valenzuela in the irons.

Drill (outside) managed to recover from a near disaster to take the Del Mar Futurity (Benoit Photos)

Last seen finishing an uncharacteristic 10th and last in the Travers S. (G1),
Coil will face older rivals for the first time in the Goodwood. The chestnut
defeated Preakness S. (G1) winner Shackleford (Forestry) and Belmont S. (G1)
hero Ruler on Ice (Roman Ruler) when taking the Haskell Invitational (G1) prior
to the Mid-Summer Derby and will try to stamp his ticket to the Breeders’ Cup
Classic (G1) with a victory here.

Saturday’s card also features the Yellow Ribbon sending turf
distaffers 10 furlongs. Nine fillies and mares have signed up for the
event, including DUBAWI HEIGHTS (GB) (Dubawi). The Simon Callaghan
charge broke her maiden last November and proceeded to conquer an
allowance, the Wilshire H. (G3) and Gamely S. (G1) once returning to
competition in April. The four-year-old lass tried to lead all the way
home in the Beverly D. S. (G1) last out, but was just caught on the wire
to be second.