Havre de Grace set for Woodward

A victory over males promises to loom large in their tussle for an Eclipse

Award. Although Blind Luck prevailed in three of their four meetings last

season, the scorecard is tied in 2011. Havre de Grace drew first blood with a 3

1/4-length triumph in the March 19 Azeri S. (G3) at Oaklawn Park, but Blind Luck

outdueled her archrival in their most recent meeting in the July 16 Delaware H.

(G2).

While Blind Luck would make history as the first distaffer to capture the

Pacific Classic, Havre de Grace is following the trail first blazed by Rachel

Alexandra in the 2009 Woodward. Rachel Alexandra, then a three-year-old, used

her historic coup to clinch the Horse of the Year title.

Havre de Grace, who has been narrowly beaten by Blind Luck in her two

attempts at 1 1/4 miles, could enjoy cutting back to 1 1/8 miles in the

Woodward. Judging by her bullet work last Wednesday at Delaware Park, a

five-furlong blitz in :59 3/5, she is sitting on a big effort.

"Havre de Grace's work was amazing," Porter posted. "A group of us watching

from the grandstand guessed at her time and no one was under 1:01. She just does

it so easily you don't realize how fast she is going. She just gobbles up

ground. I remember the same thing with Rockport Harbor and Hard Spun. No one

watching could believe the time after watching the work."