Blind Luck prevails in Oak Leaf

Blind Luck needed no luck in finding the Oak Leaf winner’s circle (Benoit Photo) Mark DeDomencio LLC, John Carver and Jerry Hollendorfer’s BLIND LUCK (Pollard’s Vision) suffered the first loss of her career when just a length back of Mi Sueno (Pulpit) in the Darley Debutante (G1) last out, but got back to her winning ways in Grade 1 fashion on Sunday in Santa Anita’s $300,000 Oak Leaf S. (G1). With jockey Tyler Baze aboard, the Hollendorfer charge swept to the front in the lane and easily pulled off to record a 2 1/2-length victory. The chestnut lass completed 1 1/16 miles in 1:43 on the Pro-Ride. “She was a little keen at the break and it took me a moment to get her to settle,” Baze said. “Things got a little tight around the first turn, but besides that, we had a clean trip. Turning for home, the seas parted and she ran great to the wire. As far as I’m concerned, she’s the best two-year-old filly in California. In the Debutante, she was all over the place with me and I really think that if she’d run down there like she did today, she’d have won it. She’s doing everything right now and I can’t wait to ride her November 6 (in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies [G1]).” Always a Princess (Leroidesanimaux [Brz]) was on the lead at every call except the last, setting splits of :23, :47 2/5, 1:12 and 1:36 4/5 while chased by Repo (In Excess [Ire]) and Bickersons (Silver Deputy) to her outside. All the while, Baze kept Blind Luck saving ground on the inside near the back of the 11-filly field. Blind Luck angled out on the second turn and began her run down the center of the track, easily overtaking Always a Princess and going on to move her record to 4-3-1-0. The winner’s share boosted her earnings to $267,900.

“After she broke her maiden (at Calder), the
owner offered her for sale and we bought her right away,” Hollendorfer said. “She was just a nice big
filly, and she won so easy. I try to take these races one at a time, and this
was the next step for her.

“She had a lot of
trouble in her last race, maybe a little more than it looked like, so I thought
if she had gotten a good break and didn’t get bumped down at Del Mar, I think
she possibly could have won that race. Today she came away and got fairly clear
and rated down on the inside, so it wasn’t a problem for her once she got out of
there.”

Sent off the 7-2 co-second choice, Blind Luck paid $9, $4.60 and $3.60 while
keying $1 exotics worth $21.50 (exacta), $274.60 (trifecta) and $2,030.60
(5-1-6-11 superfecta). Always a Princess held second by a neck over a tenacious
Bickersons, returning $4.60 and $4 as the 3-1 favorite. Show gave back
$11.40 at 21-1.

“She had to run one, two, three to
earn a berth to get in there (Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies),” said Bob
Baffert, who trains Always a Princess. “She got
a little tired at the end, but she did all the running. I think this will set
her up perfect for the Breeders’ Cup.”

It was another 2 1/2 lengths back to It Tiz (Tiznow), while Softly Singing
(Holy Bull), Pure Class (Purge), Fairway Road (Cuvee), Kaloula (Peace Rules),
Forbidden Paradise (Ire) (Chineur), Maralago (Thunder Gulch) and a retreating
Repo completed the order under the wire. Whispering Hush (El Corredor) was
scratched, as was La Nez (Storm Creek), who captured Saturday’s California Cup
Juvenile Fillies.

Blind Luck was bred by Fairlawn Farm in Kentucky and passed through the sales
ring twice, bringing $11,000 as a Fasig-Tipton July yearling and RNAing for
$10,000 at the OBS Spring Sale of Two-Year-Olds in Training in April. The
chestnut lass is the first registered foal out of the winning Lucky One (Best of
Luck), who has since produced an unnamed Orientate yearling colt.

Lucky One is a half-sister to 2002 Swale S. (G3) hero Ethan Man (Glitterman),
while her dam, Twilight Spectre (Imp Society), is herself a half-sibling to
multiple Grade 2 victor Chas Conerly (Big Burn) and multiple Grade 3-placed
Gainzer (Turkoman). Also of note in the family is Burn’s Return (Big Burn),
queen of the 1979 Monmouth Oaks (G1).