Better Lucky edges Dayatthespa in First Lady

Godolphin Racing's Better Lucky prevailed over a stubborn Dayatthespa in

Saturday's Grade 1, $400,000

First

Lady, giving her sire, Hall of Famer Ghostzapper, a quick graded stakes

double at Keeneland. One race earlier, Ghostzapper's daughter Judy the Beauty

captured the Grade 2 Thoroughbred Club of America.

Trained by Tom Albertrani and piloted by Julien Leparoux, Better Lucky was

avenging her third-place effort to Dayatthespa in the Queen Elizabeth II over

the course one year ago. The 9-2 chance had not won since last November's

Matriarch at Hollywood, but she had turned in solid efforts in her three ensuing

starts.

Fourth (but promoted to third via the disqualification of Daisy Devine) in

the April 13 Jenny Wiley here, Better Lucky was a close second to Stephanie's

Kitten next time in the June 8 Just a Game at Belmont. She was not seen again

for three months, and returned with a wide-trip third to Peace Preserver in the

September 14 Noble Damsel back at Belmont. That set her up perfectly for the

First Lady, and her rematch with Dayatthespa.

"Today she was 'Better Lucky,'" Darley President Jimmy Bell said on behalf of

Godolphin. "Last couple of times she's been a little unlucky, took wide trips

and ran great races. We've been looking at this race for quite a while. Julien

gave her a great ride and Tommy had her to the minute tuned up. We were Better

Lucky today and got it done.

"They've been seeing a lot of each other," Bell added of the clash with

Dayatthespa. "It's a lot of the same group and there's not a lot that separates

them. Very, very strong group of fillies here, and we're very, very happy to win

a race like this at Keeneland."

When the gate opened in the midst of belting rain, Daisy Devine and Winding

Way blasted to the fore and opened up daylight on the field. Daisy Devine held

the upper hand through splits of :24 and :48 3/5 on turf that was downgraded to

yielding. Daisy Devine put away Winding Way before reaching six furlongs in 1:14

1/5.

By that time, 5-2 favorite Dayatthespa, who had been parked in a clear third,

and Better Lucky, who had been biding her time in fourth, both vaulted into

contention on the far turn. Dayatthespa capitalized on her rail-skimming trip to

catch Daisy Devine first and put her head in front. But Better Lucky had a full

head of steam on the outside and collared her, while Daisy Devine bowed out

between them. Although Better Lucky appeared ready to pull away, Dayatthespa

knuckled down and fought back determinedly, forcing Better Lucky to keep finding

more to fend her off.

But Better Lucky rose to the occasion and kept her head in front at the wire,

handing Dayatthespa her first loss on the Keeneland turf and completing the

soggy mile in 1:39 3/5. The four-year-old returned $11.60 to win and advanced

her own scorecard to 13-5-2-4, $828,950.

Leparoux was asked about riding in such horrendous weather.

"I'm telling you, I didn't see much either," Leparoux said. "My goggles all

fogged up, so it was not very easy to see on the backside. I tried to take them

off and put them back on to see where I was. She took me into the race very

nice. She fought back when Johnny (Velazquez on Dayatthespa) came back on the

inside. She's a nice filly for sure."

Pete Bradley, co-owner of Dayatthespa, was pleased with her effort in defeat.

"What a game race she ran -- she's a really good one," Bradley said. "She got

beat by a better horse today but she gutted it out all the way down (the

stretch). We're pretty proud of her."

There was a gap of four lengths back to Daisy Devine, who was in turn 7 1/4

lengths up on Miz Ida. Hungry Island, Say, Winding Way and Amazonas rounded out

the order of finish.

Say, an Irish shipper from the Aidan O'Brien yard, did not cope with the

adverse circumstances.

"Poor girl didn't know what she was in for when that monsoon storm hit her

like that," jockey Joe Bravo said. "I think it was just throwing her a lot for

her first day (her North American racing debut). The rainstorm had 'em all.

Couldn't see too much as it is and between the water, she was shaking her head a

lot. (She was) confused I think."

Better Lucky was earning her third career stakes score, having also accounted

for last year's Sands Point as well as the aforementioned Matriarch. Her 2012

campaign produced a couple of stakes placings in addition to the QE II, the

Bucher on Aqueduct's inner track and the Lake George on the Saratoga turf.

Bred by Darley in Kentucky, Better Lucky is a half-sister to Canadian Grade 3

winner Sahara Heat and to the unraced Forest City Girl, the dam of Panamanian

champion Outskirt Lady. Better Lucky is out of the Grade 2-winning Seeking the

Gold mare Sahara Gold, who is herself a full sister to the stakes-placed

Ensenada, dam of multiple Grade 2 scorer Casino Host.

Better Lucky's second dam, Desert Stormer, famously defeated males in the

1995 Breeders' Cup Sprint. Other prominent family members include unbeaten Group

1 queen White Moonstone, Canadian champion Sound Reason and this year's Spiral

hero Black Onyx.

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