Holy Bull top two doing very well

By: SPORTS NETWORK

Hallandale Beach, FL (Sports Network) - Itsmyluckday and Shanghai Bobby, the first two finishers in Saturday's Holy Bull Stakes, came out of the 1 1/16- mile race in good shape with the possibility of facing off down the road.

Itsmyluckday, ridden by Elvis Trujillo, defeated last year's champion 2-year- old colt by two-lengths while setting a new track record for the distance. Trained by Ed Plesa Jr., the colt stopped the timer at 1:41.81 as he notched his second stakes win of the year.

"We had a good year last year and started this year even better," said Plesa. "In this game you have to enjoy it when things are going your way and hold on to it because it will come to an end eventually. Right now I would say we'll wait for the Florida Derby for his next start."

The $1 million Florida Derby is set for March 30 when Itsmyluckyday could meet Shanghai Bobby.

Making his first start since winning the Breeders' Cup Juvenile, Shanghai Bobby was a clear second in the Holy Bull after relinquishing the lead down the stretch.

"He came back great, really good. We're not only pleased with his performance but how he came out of it," trainer Todd Pletcher said Sunday afternoon. "We're not making any excuses. We felt like we ran great - 12-lengths clear of the third horse and three-fifths off the track record. It was a huge effort. We were second best on the day, but we were really happy with his effort."

Pletcher also noted that his 2-year-old, owned by Starlight Racing and Mrs. John Magnier, Michael Tabor and Derrick Smith, will probably start next in the Florida Derby.