The two best 3-year-old fillies in the country, Blind Luck and Devil May Care, appear to be headed for a showdown in the Betfair TVG Alabama Stakes (gr. I) at Saratoga Aug. 21.
Glencrest Farm's Devil May Care, who scored her second grade I victory of the year in the Betfair TVG Coaching Club American Oaks powerfully at Saratoga July 24, will be pointed to the 1 1/4-mile Alabama, trainer Todd Pletcher said.
That race that already been mentioned as a likely next start for the nation’s other top sophomore filly, Blind Luck. The Kentucky Oaks (gr. I) winner has four grade I victories to her credit.
“Blind Luck is obviously a top-class filly,” said Pletcher. “When we decided to go to the (Kentucky) Derby, and (Blind Luck) won the (Kentucky) Oaks, it gave her a bit of an upper hand. I think we made up some ground in the last couple, and it’s going to come down to a head-to-head matchup at some point.
“The Alabama is going to be a good spot to find out.”
Blind Luck is trained and owned by Jerry Hollendorfer in partnership with Mark DeDomenico, John Carver and Peter Abruzzo. She most recently captured the Delaware Oaks (gr. II) July 10, nosing out Havre de Grace over a sloppy track. It was the fourth graded victory of the season for the daughter of Pollard's Vision . Hollendorfer said afterward that the Alabama would be Blind Luck's next target.
Pletcher said that Devil May Care, a Malibu Moon filly, came out of her Coaching Club American Oaks performance in excellent order.
“It would be hard for me to see her run any better than she did yesterday,” said Pletcher. “When Johnny (Velazquez) turned for home, he was loaded. The way she finished and the way she galloped out was very impressive. She’s one of those horses that has natural stamina.”
Devil May Care, who was 10th in the Derby, now has back-to-back grade I wins, having taken the Mother Goose at Belmont Park on June 26. She also took the Bonnie Miss (gr. II) at Gulfstream Park this spring and won the Frizette Stakes (gr. I) at Belmont as a 2-year-old.
The California-based Blind Luck has been no worse than third in 12 lifetime starts. She began her 2010 campaign with a victory in the Las Virgenes Stakes (gr. I), and also won the Fantasy (gr. II) this year. Last season, she captured both Oak Leaf Stakes (gr. I) and the Hollywood Starlet (gr. I). Three of her victories this year have come by a nose.
“She’s got that little extra something, that she wants to win, and gets her nose down at the wire,” said Pletcher of Blind Luck.