Itsmyluckyday worked a half-mile in :49 2/5 on the morning of March 23 at Calder Casino & Race Course for trainer Eddie Plesa Jr. in final preparation for the upcoming $1 million Besilu Stables Florida Derby (gr. I) at Gulfstream Park.
"It couldn't have gone any better," said Plesa of Itsmyluckyday's last drill in advance of the March 30 Florida Derby. "He galloped out strong. Everything in his training since the Holy Bull has gone on schedule. Now the next thing to be concerned with will be the draw (Wednesday)."
Trilogy Stables and Laurie Plesa's 3-year-old son of Lawyer Ron broke from post 7 of 10 when he won the 1 1/16-mile Holy Bull Stakes (gr. III) by two lengths over favorite Shanghai Bobby Jan. 26. The Florida Derby will be contested at 1 1/8 miles.
Itsmyluckyday, who captured the Gulfstream Park Derby prior to the Holy Bull, will be one of the favorites in the Florida Derby. He has won five of nine lifetime starts while earning $425,600.
While most of the attention on Plesa's stable has been focused on Itsmyluckyday, he also had another potential Kentucky Derby prospect on the Saturday morning work tab. Hardaway Stable's Speak Logistics breezed a sharp half-mile in a bullet :47 1/5, fastest of 61 timed at the distance.
The son of High Cotton finished third Feb. 2 in the Besilu Stables Fountain of Youth Stakes (gr. II) behind Orb .
"He worked super. He missed a work last week but bounced back to work great this morning," said Plesa. "We were planning on the Wood Memorial (gr. I), but now we've changed course and looking at the Blue Grass (gr. I) in Kentucky."
Speak Logistics had last worked on March 9 when he went a half-mile in :49 flat. The $750,000 Toyota Blue Grass Stakes will be run April 13, a week later than the Wood.
Confirmed for the Florida Derby so far are Shanghai Bobby, Orb, Frac Daddy , Merit Man, Narvaez, Are You Kidding Me, Pick of the Litter, and Pontiff.
Stipa Racing Stable’s Narvaez hit the Saturday morning work tab at Calder with five furlongs in 1:03 2/5 for trainer Agustin Bezara. The roan/gray son of Holy Bull finished in a dead-heat with Declan's Warrior in a 7 1/2-furlong allowance race at Gulfstream March 9.
Bezara sent out Stipa Racing's Reveron for a game second-place finish in the Florida Derby last year, beaten a length by Take Charge Indy with Union Rags another neck back in third.