Ladies' Classic Diary

LADIES' CLASSIC DIARY

JULY 30, 2010

by Jennifer Caldwell

The year is half over and the cream of the distaff set has risen to the

surface, both in the sophomore ranks and the older division. Once again,

ZENYATTA (Street Cry [Ire]) and RACHEL ALEXANDRA (Medaglia d'Oro) dominate much

of the conversation, but the pair is forced to share the limelight, at least in

this Diary, with some talented three-year-olds. This Diary will be a review of

what the youngsters have done, with next week's focusing on the veterans.

Sophomore recap: BLIND LUCK (Pollard's Vision) and DEVIL MAY CARE

(Malibu Moon) have separated themselves from the sophomore field and the big

question now is what will happen when the duo meet up in the August 21 Alabama

S. (G1) at Saratoga. They actually faced one another in last year's Breeders'

Cup Juvenile Fillies (G1), where Blind Luck ultimately lost in her bid for

championship honors after a third-place run. The chestnut lass tracked the pace

in good position on the backstretch, split horses nearing the turn and then

angled toward the outside heading into the lane. She just didn't have it on that

day, though, missing second by a head to Beautician (Dehere).

Devil May Care never appeared comfortable traveling over the Pro-Ride, even

drifting over into a rival in upper stretch. Jockey John Velazquez was forced to

take her up sharply and the filly loped under the line in next to last.

This year has provided a completely different story line.

Blind Luck stayed in California to round out her juvenile campaign with a

seven-length victory in the Hollywood Starlet (G1) and carried over her winning

ways when posting a nose decision in the Las Virgenes S. (G1) in her sophomore

bow. The Jerry Hollendorfer runner left herself too much to do in the Santa

Anita Oaks (G1) next out, losing touch with the field on the backstretch. She

rallied around the turn, angled toward the rail, found her way blocked late and

came off the inside to put in a powerful surge that just came up short in

between horses.

Following the Santa Anita Oaks, Hollendorfer shipped Blind Luck to Oaklawn

Park, where she captured the Fantasy S. (G2) as a prep for the Kentucky Oaks

(G1). The filly took up her customary rear-running position in that latter

event, circled nearly the entire field rounding the turn and ran down a very

game Evening Jewel (Northern Afleet) to get the nose-bobbing win.

A small field of five lined up for the Hollywood Oaks (G2) and Blind Luck

dropped well back to race in last on the backstretch. She put in her run on the

outside, but Bejarano waited a bit late to ask for her best. Blind Luck was

flying down the track but couldn't make up enough ground on Switch (Quiet

American), who was already in full stride on the outside. A jockey change was in

the works, and Joel Rosario showed up in the saddle for the Delaware Oaks (G2)

last out. The chestnut filly just got up in another nail-biter on the wire to

score by a nose.

Blind Luck's heart-stopping finishes could prove her undoing against Devil

May Care. The latter filly doesn't own the same winning skein that Blind Luck

has put together, but she has conducted herself well in three victories this season

as well as a run against the boys. Trainer Todd Pletcher only ran the bay miss

twice in the spring, resulting in a fifth in her Silverbulletday S. (G3)

seasonal bow and a win in the Bonnie Miss S. (G2) in late March. He began

talking about the Kentucky Derby (G1) for the filly and officially announced the

intention to enter her in that race only the Monday before the Oaks and Derby

were run.

Devil May Care finished 10th that day to beat half the field, including Grade

1 victor Sidney's Candy (Candy Ride [Arg]). The three-year-old lass was given a

brief break then sent back against the fillies for her last two starts, both of

which resulted in easy wins. The Mother Goose S. (G1) saw Devil May Care take up

a stalking position on the outside in third before overtaking the pacesetters

under her own power rounding the turn. Velazquez took a couple of glances back

in the lane and, despite Devil May Care's tendency to wait on rivals, merely had

to show her the whip for the lass to take the victory by 1 1/4 lengths.

The Coaching Club American Oaks (G1) took even less effort from Devil May

Care as she cruised to the front following a tracking run on the backstretch.

She angled out rounding the turn and extended her margin to lope home under a

hand ride from Velazquez.

Devil May Care owns a slight advantage over Blind Luck in that she's actually

gone the Alabama distance of 1 1/4 miles when running in the Derby. The

nine-furlong Kentucky Oaks was the only time that Blind Luck had gone past 1

1/16 miles, and she'll have to sustain her closing run against a filly who can

accelerate late.

Evening Jewel is the only other sophomore filly who has come close to the

same level as Blind Luck and Devil May Care, and she is remaining on the turf

for the time being. That leaves divisional honors to be decided between the two

who, following the Alabama, will probably race only twice more, if that, before

the Breeders' Cup.

Up-and-comer: While Blind Luck, Devil May Care and Evening Jewel are

tops in the three-year-old ranks, there is still time for a late bloomer to make

her case. ACTING HAPPY (Empire Maker) just began her racing career in January

and has yet to run worse than third from five career starts.

The Richard Dutrow charge made her stakes bow in the Black-Eyed Susan S. (G2)

at Pimlico, scoring by 1 1/2 lengths on the wire. The dark bay miss settled in

second between horses and tracked the pacesetter all the way into the stretch at

Old Hilltop. She continued her momentum rounding the turn while sandwiched

between two rivals and grabbed command when the leader gave way. Challenged by

Kentucky Oaks third Tidal Pool (Yankee Gentleman) on the outside, Acting Happy

put that one away then held the late charge of No Such Word (Canadian Frontier),

who would go on in her next two starts to take the Go for Wand S. and run a

close fourth in the Delaware Oaks.

Acting Happy faced Devil May Care in the CCA Oaks last out, stalking in

second before appearing to tire in the stretch. She looked done in midstretch

but dug back and re-rallied, just losing second to a closing Biofuel (Stormin

Fever). The three-year-old lass has continued to improve and deserves another

shot against Devil May Care in the Alabama.