Got Lucky Wins Trip to Breeders’ Cup in Spinster

Got Lucky wins the Spinster Stakes in the final strides for a spot in the Longines Breeders' Cup Distaff. (Photos by Keeneland/Coady Photography)
For her breeders, just Got Lucky’s existence was good enough as they bred her dam to leading sire A.P. Indy five times in his final year at stud to get the filly. But on Oct. 4, she exceeded all expectations when she won the $500,000, Grade 1 Juddmonte Spinster Stakes at Keeneland Race Course.
“I started coming to Kentucky with my dad when I was probably 10-11 years old, the same age as my kids and have enormous respect for Keeneland and the history and tradition of this race,” said co-owner John Sikura. “To win it with a filly like this with her pedigree, it means a lot to us as a breeder. That’s why we do this … She was strategically kept as a filly to go to the racetrack and breeding shed and now wow. This is beyond our expectations to win a race like this so it felt great.”
Got Lucky didn’t make the race easy on her connections’ nerves, however. She dropped into the back of the pack, ahead of just the far trailing Flashy American soon out of the gate. With an opening quarter of :23.62, Got Lucky was 6 ¼ lengths off the leading Lovely Maria but steadily closed the gap through the running of the 1 1/8-mile race.
Even though she was only four lengths back at the stretch call, it didn’t look like Got Lucky had a chance to win the race with Yahilwa and champion Untapable battling it out on the front end.  Got Lucky had her work cut out for her but Irad Ortiz, Jr. urged the filly to use her closing gear and she responded. The 4-year-old filly was able to beat the dueling pair on the lead in a time of 1:49.44. Untapable was second by a neck with Yahilwa a very credible third, a head behind Untapable.
THE SPINSTER HAD A THREE-WAY PHOTO FINISH AT THE END

While this was trainer Todd Pletcher’s third win in the Spinster, it was the first Grade 1 for Sikura’s Hill ‘n’ Dale Farm at Keeneland. Hill ‘n’ Dale bred and races Got Lucky with Philip Steinburg.
Hill ‘n’ Dale has been responsible for many high priced horses in the sales ring but Sikura doesn’t get a chance to race many high priced horses himself even though he has an elite broodmare band based at his farm.
“We’ve bred good horses and the Grade 1s I win are usually in the sales ring,” he said. “Now I know the allure of, people who buy yearlings why they do to have a thrill like this. If you sell a horse really well, it feels really well for the moment but owning a good horse, it feels good forever… If you care about the horse and do this for a living and have a passion for it, it’s pretty overwhelming.  This place is like the cathedral for, to come and win this race means a lot.”
The Spinster Stakes is a Breeders’ Cup Win and You’re In event for the Longines Breeders’ Cup Distaff, a race that Got Lucky is headed to. The $2-million race, held at Keeneland, will be the final Breeders’ Cup race of the day on Oct. 30.
Got Lucky went off at odds of 3.60-to-1 on Sunday and paid $9.20 to win.
Coming into the $250,000, Grade 3 Dixiana Bourbon Stakes, trainer Mark Casse’s two entries had a lot of pressure on them. The trainer had won at least one race a day in the first two days of the Keeneland meet but his horses in the race before had failed to get him in the winner’s circle. But 5-to-1 race favorite Airoforce wasn’t going to let him down, winning the Bourbon by 2 ½ lengths.
Sitting no farther than 1 ½ lengths off the leading Argot, Airoforce steadily advanced from fourth in the 1 1/16 mile race on the yielding turf. He took on the leaders when jockey Julien Leparoux asked him to go for the lead in the turn.  By the final furlong, Airoforce was in the lead and pulling away as Camelot Kitten tried to make a late play for the win, finishing in second 2 ½ lengths behind Airoforce. Camelot Kitten was the only horse to separate Casse’s Airoforce and Siding Spring with Siding Spring finishing third.
AIROFORCE WINNING THE BOURBON STAKES

A Win and You’re In event for the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf, Airoforce gets an expenses paid trip to that race over this track on Oct. 30. As of now, Casse said he’ll have six entries in the Breeders’ Cup races with Siding Spring and Conquest Daddyo also representing him in the Juvenile Turf.
“We left these two horses at Churchill this summer and I have to say Jamie Bay, who is our assistant there did a great job getting them ready,” Casse said of his Bourbon horses. “I said to Mr. Oxley [Airoforce’s owner], we’re going to run this colt at Kentucky Downs and I think he’s going to run really well and the same thing with Gabe Grossberg [Siding Spring’s owner]. I tell you what, having Kentucky Downs and having the September meet at Churchill for horsemen is such a big plus because it allows us to stay in Kentucky and develop our horses.”
This was Mark Casse’s first victory in the Bourbon Stakes and the third for jockey Julien Leoparoux. Even though he was the race favorite, Airoforce paid $12.00 to win off a $2 win bet at odds of 5-to-1.