Article

Havre de Grace – Fighting her failed luck against Blind Luck

Topic: SportsPublished December 23, 2011

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She may have vanished into thin air following her alleged downfall with a fourth place finish in the Breeder’s Classic despite being one of the favourites; but Havre de Grace may still have plenty of racing left in her and almost nothing may come in her way of following her role model Zenyatta’s footsteps. rnWhile Havre de Grace debuted independently showcasing her great racing style paired with amazing stamina and bursts of speed, a question on the efficacy of her skills was raised once she came across her ultimate rival, Blind Luck. Both of them are now arguably the two best fillies for the season competing for the Championship title. rnWhen Havre de Grace, named beautifully after the city of Havre de Grace of Maryland, debuted as a two year old in two maiden special weight races finishing third and first, in respective order, she hardly had exhibited her true mettle inherited from Horse of the Year, sire Saint Liam. rnThe aggressive opening in 2010 by Havre de Grace and Blind Luck for their sophomore racing campaign, as potential candidates for the fillies group, gave way to a much anticipated face-off for the two fine fillies, currently running separate races. Havre de Grace had had two starts that season while Blind Luck, who would now evolve into her ultimate arch rival, had already started five times, thrice in grade 1 races and twice in grade 2 races. rnHavre’s three year old season saw her starting in six races, all of which she finished in the money. Her most exciting win from the previous year came from the Breeder’s Cup Classic which she finished third to winner Unrivaled Belle and right behind the most recurring contender, Blind Luck. However their first play-off happened to be the Grade-2, Delaware Oaks in which Havre de Grace finished second by a nose to Blind Luck; they would now meet more often in their bid to challenge for the ultimate title. rnNext in line, Alabama Stakes, run at the Saratoga racetrack, once again favoured the Blind as she defeated Havre de Grace by a late charging win by a nose. Havre de Grace was now at 0 versus 2. But as promised, their rivalry evolved and attained its rightful position of being one of the finest, as Havre de Grace reclaimed her position on the top with a win at the Grade 2 event, the Fitz Dixon Cotillion. While in their ongoing rivalry, many would have overlooked the growing presence of Unrivaled Belle, who by far is another very fine contender worthy of a solid rivalry. rnBreeder’s Classic may have ended in the money on the earnings book for Havre, but it logged another defeat against Blind Luck, who in turn finished second to Belle. This was their last confrontation for the year 2010, bringing them back in top form in 2011 after a good winter layoff. rnThe rivalry resumed its aggression with Azeri Stakes, a grade 3 event run over 1 1/16 miles. Havre de Grace won undoubtedly with the biggest difference of 3 ¼ lengths. The score now stood at 2-2. Blind Luck immediately avenged her much awaited success with a win over Unrivaled Belle in the La Troienne Stakes and neatly following into another clean sweep of Delaware Handicap against Havre de Grace by a nose. rnThe two challengers have currently retired for another winter layoff while audience waits with breathless anticipation as to who gets to win the year’s championship title. The question here is- what weighs more? The count of wins that favour Blind Luck over Havre, or the unprecedented dominance of Havre over Blind with a 3 ¼ lengths lead, the highest ever between the two; or should Unrivaled Belle be allowed to steal the show with her un-seconded performance in the Breeder’s Cup Classic? There may be many possibilities but only one ultimate result. Let’s wait for it.rnUntil then, explore the exciting horse racing games like Jockey Power and Fantasy Horse Racing from the HorseRaceGame bandwagon. These virtual horse games offer seamless experience of reality horse racing through it virtual gaming environment with excellent 3D simulations and other exciting features. There’s much more to it. Register for free downloads or simply play online.

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