Itsmyluckyday worked five furlongs in 1:01 Saturday morning at Calder with
jockey Elvis Trujillo in the saddle for trainer Eddie Plesa Jr. as he continues
final preparations for his role as one of the favorites in the Grade 1 Florida
Derby at Gulfstream Park on March 30.
“He worked perfect with Elvis,” Plesa said. “He galloped out three-quarters
in 1:14. I couldn’t be more pleased with him. We’re coasting from here. He’ll
just have an easy half-mile breeze next weekend and that’s it. It’s been a long
wait, but I think we’ve done the right thing with him.”
Itsmyluckyday won the $100,000 Gulfstream Park Derby by 6 3/4 lengths going a
mile on New Year’s Day and the Grade 3 Holy Bull Stakes at 1 1/16 miles by two
lengths under Trujillo on January 26 with previously undefeated juvenile
champion Shanghai Bobby second. Plesa decided to pass on another opportunity in
the Grade 2 Fountain of Youth Stakes on February 23, opting to train him up to
the Florida Derby.
The son of Lawyer Ron was a $110,000 OBS March two-year-old sales purchase
and won three of seven starts last year. He finished fourth in the $100,000
Dania Beach Stakes on turf at Gulfstream on December 15 before going back to the
main track for the Gulfstream Park Derby.
After sending out Frac Daddy for a five-furlong breeze at Gulfstream Park
Saturday morning, trainer Ken McPeek reported that the three-year-old son of
Scat Daddy would likely run next in the Florida Derby. He had originally planned
to run Frac Daddy in the Grade 3 Spiral at Turfway Park on March 23.
“I’m leaning towards not running him in the Spiral and probably running him
in the Florida Derby. It gives him the extra week for the throat ulcer to heal.
It looks good, but I think the extra week will help,” said McPeek, who detected
a throat ulcer two weeks after Frac Daddy’s sixth-place finish in the Holy Bull.
The gray colt also grabbed a quarter in the Holy Bull.
“He grabbed the quarter in the Holy Bull really bad. I think that was
probably more an issue than the throat. Then, again, maybe it was the throat,”
McPeek said. “It’s been really a tough one to get together. We’ve had to wait a
long time here. Another week won’t hurt him. I’m more inclined to keep him here,
because of the extra week and we can school him a little more and he’s been
training over this track.”
Frac Daddy worked in company with the filly Pure Fun and was timed in 1:00
4/5, as was his stablemate, who won the Grade 1 Hollywood Starlet in her last
start.
“We put her on the outside this week. We slowed them down. Last week they
worked entirely too fast,””said McPeek, referring to a bullet breeze in :58 2/5
on March 8.
Corey Lanerie was aboard Frac Daddy for the work and is expected to be named
to ride him in the Florida Derby.
Prior to the disappointing performance in the Holy Bull, Frac Daddy finished
second in the Grade 2 Kentucky Jockey Club, in which he was caught late by
Uncaptured by a neck. Frac Daddy’s sire, Scat Daddy, captured the 2007 Florida
Derby.
Pure Fun is expected to make her 2013 debut in the Grade 3 Bourbonette Oaks
at Turfway on March 23.
McPeek said Taken By the Storm, who captured a mile turf allowance at
Gulfstream Park on March 9, could take Frac Daddy’s place in the Spiral.
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