2010 Eclipse Award Champion Three-Year-Old Filly

April 20 - Blind Luck

She has a cute name when you realize that she is by Pollard's Vision. He is a stallion that was blind in one eye just like the jockey who was famous as Seabiscuit's jockey, Red Pollard.

She raced for Dr. DeDomenico who runs the Pegasus Center in Monroe, Washington. Dr. D was a pioneer in heart surgery and now owns dozens of health care centers in the northwest.

The most fun ever at an Eclipse Award was the year when Blind Luck was taking home an Eclipse Award. Dr. D flew in about 25 of his fitness managers, who were all aerobics instructors, I think. It was like have an entire squad of cheerleaders screaming like crazy every time Blind Luck's name was even mentioned and tore the roof of the Fountainblue in Miami when she was named the winner of the 3-year-old filly division.

Oh, but the party was just getting started; the Fountainblue features a disco in the hotel and Team Blind Luck took over the club!

The painting was an interesting process - the image you see does not exist anymore. This is the way I painted it originally and Dr. D's staff loved it. But Dr. D wanted to look younger. Hey, I learned a long time ago, the person who writes the check is THE BOSS.  "Yes, sir, what did you have in mind?" I was sent more photos of the good doctor and he had less gray hair. He still wanted to go farther back in the time machine so, I did my magic and more magic and after finally coming up with a dark haired, wrinkle free youngster, the painting was shipped to welcome guests coming into the Pegasus Center.

You've heard me say it before, I don't always agree with the client's vision, but I'm always surprised at the end - they are always right! Anybody remember the old black and white Western TV show Paladin? To paraphrase his catch line: Have brush - will travel.

Update - jockey Joel Rosario was elected to the racing Hall of Fame today (April 23, 2024)

Blind Luck was one of the most thrilling fillies of her generation, and her career was packed with the kind of late running, neck and nose finishes that turn casual fans into lifelong ones. She was a chestnut filly born in 2007 in Kentucky, bred by Fairlawn Farm. Her sire was Pollard's Vision, a fast and useful son of Carson City, and her dam was a mare named Lucky One. Her pedigree was modest by the standards of the top sales, but the people who got her clearly saw something special. She was bought as a yearling for only 11,000 dollars and ended up earning more than 3.2 million dollars on the track. She was trained by Hall of Famer Jerry Hollendorfer for a partnership that included John Carver, Mark DeDomenico, and Peter Abruzzo.

Her racing career ran from 2009 through 2011, and she was a champion in two of those three seasons. As a two year old in 2009, she won the Hollywood Starlet and the Oak Leaf, both Grade 1 races. As a three year old in 2010, she won six more graded stakes, including the Las Virgenes, the Alabama Stakes at Saratoga, and the Vanity Handicap. The biggest of all came on the first Friday in May, when she won the Kentucky Oaks at Churchill Downs. In that race, she sat last of 14 early on, then closed with a furious late run under Rafael Bejarano to catch Evening Jewel right at the wire by a nose. That kind of finish was her trademark. She was the 2010 Eclipse Award winner as Champion Three Year Old Filly. Her four year old season was defined by her rivalry with Havre de Grace. The two great mares met six times across 2010 and 2011, and four of those meetings were decided by a neck or less. Blind Luck finished ahead of her rival in four of those six races. They were the two top mares of their generation, and their duels became must watch racing.

Blind Luck retired with seven wins from 22 starts and was sent to a career as a broodmare. She produced a filly by Bernardini and a few other foals before being sold privately and exported to Japan in 2019. She died from complications during foaling in April 2024 at age 17. She was named a finalist for the National Museum of Racing Hall of Fame in 2022 and again in 2026, recognition she fully earned. Blind Luck is remembered for her heart, her late closing kick, and her willingness to keep showing up to fight, no matter how good her rivals were. In a sport that often forgets the runner up to the legend, she made sure no one ever forgot her.

Sources:

• Blind Luck, Wikipedia

• Blind Luck and Havre de Grace: Looking Back at a Great Rivalry, America's Best Racing

• Blind Luck: 'She could really get the heart pumping', Thoroughbred Racing Commentary

• Champion Blind Luck Dies In Japan At Age 17, Paulick Report

• Blind Luck, American Classic Pedigrees