Second Time Could Be the 'Charm' in Honorable Miss

At the sixteenth pole in last year's edition of the Honorable Miss Handicap (G2), trainer Bret Calhoun had every reason to think his charge Finley'sluckycharm was about to notch a victory that would have stamped her as one of the nation's leading female sprinters.

The daughter of Twirling Candy  came off the final turn of the six-furlong test with multiple grade 1 winner Paulassilverlining at her hip, and as the duo battled down the lane, it was Calhoun's hard-knocking distaffer who began to edge clear, showing just how much her form had progressed since the end of her 2016 campaign. But with only about four strides separating Finley'sluckycharm from what would have been her third consecutive graded stakes victory, Paulassilverlining showed why she would go on to become an Eclipse Award finalist with a remarkable re-rally on the outside to nail her foe by a neck at the wire.

"She looked like she was going to win that race last year," Calhoun recalled. "She went by Paulassilverling, and Paula came back and beat her on the line … just a top-notch filly."

Since that brutal beat, Finley'sluckycharm has made good on her top-level potential. She finally got her grade 1 triumph, this time getting the best of a slobber-knocker finish in the April 7 Madison Stakes at Keeneland. She returns to the $200,000 Honorable Miss July 25 at Saratoga Race Course as the standout in the field of six, once again trying to cement her spot in the picture for divisional leadership.

In terms of consistency, Finley'sluckycharm has had few peers since making her debut in December 2015. In addition to her 10 wins—four graded—and nearly flawless record in her home state of Kentucky, Carl Moore's 5-year-old mare has been worse than second just three times in 16 starts.

Unfortunately for her connections, one of those off-the-board outings came in her most recent effort. After a brilliant run in the Madison Stakes where she prevailed by a nose after pressing American Gal through wicked early fractions of :21.96 and :44.31, Finley'sluckycharm finished fourth in the May 5 Humana Distaff Stakes (G1) at Churchill Downs—her first loss in nine starts within the Bluegrass State. Though that result marked a rare off day for the mare, Calhoun said they were guilty of maybe asking too much too soon after the gut-wrenching Keeneland run.

"I think mainly it was just too quick back off a very, very hard race at Keeneland there," Calhoun said of the Humana effort. "She ran hard gate to wire (at Keeneland), and I think it just took too much out of her. You run a race like that, it's tough to bounce back in four weeks, but we were running out of her own stall, so we took our shot. Then we drew inside and it was a muddy track (at Churchill), so there were a couple factors. But I think more than anything it was just she took a step back off that hard win in the Madison."

With Saratoga a clear target given how well she ran there last year, Calhoun gave Finley'sluckycham a few weeks off following the Humana and then refocused for a second-half season. If she handles Wednesday's test as strongly as hoped, a run in the Aug. 25 Ketel One Ballerina Stakes (G1)—a race she missed last year because of a muscle strain—would likely be her next start as part of the grand plan to bring her in top form into the Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Sprint (G1) beneath the Twin Spires in November.

"She's ready to go," Calhoun said. "I think it's been nice spacing since the last race, and she's definitely going in the right direction. Knowing that she has run well over this course gives you a lot of confidence. Of course, I don't know how confident you ever are coming to Saratoga—it's the best of the best, they're all tough. But I like the fact she has had a previous out over this racetrack and ran well."

Finley'sluckycharm is the 123-pound highweight in the Honorable Miss field and will break from the outside post under Brian Hernandez Jr.

To her inside is Bob Baffert trainee Faypien, who is cross-entered in the $200,000 Caress Stakes at 5 1/2 furlongs on the turf July 23. The daughter of Ghostzapper  finished second by a neck to La Sardane in her first start on grass in the June 7 Intercontinental Stakes (G3T) at Belmont Park. She also has success on dirt, taking last year's Summertime Oaks (G2) prior to a runner-up finish in the Longines Test Stakes (G1) at the Spa.

J. Kirk and Judy Robison's Vertical Oak also has form over the Saratoga track, capturing the Prioress Stakes (G2) by 5 1/4 lengths Sept. 3. The Giant Oak filly was given a freshening after a seventh-place finish in the Thoroughbred Club of America Stakes (G2), won by Finley'sluckycharm in October at Keeneland, and she enters the Honorable Miss off a third-place run in the June 23 Roxelana Overnight Stakes at Churchill Downs.