Lucky Move on top of game for Ladies

OZONE PARK, N.Y. – Though based at Parx Racing, Lucky Move has done some of her best work in New York, with a couple of stakes wins and some toughluck losses.

Sunday, the 7-year-old Lucky Move is shipping back to Aqueduct seeking her third consecutive New York stakes victory in the $100,000 Ladies Handicap, which is being run for the 149th time after having had its inaugural run in 1869.

Last year, Lucky Move finished second in the Ladies, three-quarters of a length behind odds-on favorite Bellera. That performance came after a tough nose loss to Mrs. Orb in the Bay Ridge Stakes here.

Sunday, Lucky Move enters the Ladies having won the Empire Distaff on Oct. 24 at Belmont Park and the Bay Ridge, defeating Mrs. Orb. For good measure, Mrs. Orb came out of that race to win the La Verdad Stakes two weeks ago.

Lucky Move, trained by Juan Carlos Guerrero for Ten Strike Racing, will be ridden by Kendrick Carmouche from the rail in the 1 1/8-mile race. Though Carmouche has a reputation as a prolific frontend rider, he is equally adept coming from off the pace and knows how Lucky Move needs to be handled.

“You sit and wait as long as you can to make your run,” he said.

Lucky Move has run well with or without a solid pace. There doesn’t look to be much speed in here, which could make Miss Marissa dangerous as she looks to rebound from a sixth in the Grade 3 Comely.

Prior to the Comely, Miss Marissa had won three consecutive races, including a 10-1 upset in the Grade 2 Black-Eyed Susan going 1 1/8 miles at Pimlico. In those three victories, Miss Marissa was on or near the lead from the outset.

In the Comely, Miss Marissa was in midpack behind a dawdling pace and never made much of an impact. She has fired two bullet works leading to this, a signal perhaps that she is sharp and will be forwardly placed under Jose Lezcano.

Thankful, a daughter of American Pharoah, had a tworace winning streak snapped when she finished third in the Comely, 10 1/4 lengths behind winner Mrs. Danvers, a filly she had beaten in an allowance race at Belmont in September.

In the Comely, Thankful was in and among horses early, dropped back to sixth, then came four wide in the stretch.

“She never really got into a great rhythm that day,” said trainer Todd Pletcher, who has won the Ladies twice including last year with Bellera. “I don’t feel like she fired her best shot for whatever reason. Hopefully, she runs back to her capabilities.”

Smooth With a Kick won a second-level allowance two back at Keeneland before finishing a well-beaten fifth in the Grade 2 Falls City Stakes on Nov. 26 at Churchill Downs.

Also in the Ladies are Am Impazible, a winner of four straight races, and Ujjayi, winner of the Correction Stakes sprinting here at age 3.

Bridlewood Cat was entered but was expected to run in Saturday’s What a Summer Stakes at Laurel Park.