Making her first start since finishing a close fourth at live odds in a single juvenile appearance at Churchill Downs last June, Flying Dutchmen Breeding and Racing's Where Luck Lives (Nyquist) was speedy enough to clear all of the traffic to her inside and ran home determinedly in the final furlong to make her sophomore debut a winning one Friday afternoon at Keeneland.
A half-sister to Grade I winner Vahva (Gun Runner, $2,289,010), the $725,000 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga acquisition was last in, but first out and she methodically worked her way down towards the fence for Joel Rosario, setting a pressured opening quarter-mile in a lively :22.14 as $1.2-million Fasig-Tipton Saratoga grad Phantom Blue (Ghostzapper), the 37-10 third choice, applied pressure from the outside.
Where Luck Lives was able to turn back the race-long bid from Phantom Blue approaching the eighth pole and while first-starter Movie Night (Speightstown)–a 12-1 chance on the morning line but off at 7-2–took a run at her from worse tham midfield in the latter stages, Where Luck Lives was by a comfortable 1 1/4-length margin at odds of 41-10.
In addition to Derby City Distaff winner Vahva, who also won this track's GII Lexus Raven Run Stakes and was runner-up in the GI Madison Stakes in Lexington, Where Luck Lives is kin to
Signal From Noise (Arrogate), GSP, $286,490; and Ahavah (City of Light), GSP, $113,000.
A half-sister to the stakes-winning and Grade III-placed Marquee Prince (Cairo Prince), Holiday Soiree–whose top-level placing also came in the Humana Distaff–is the dam of Ahavah's 2-year-old full-sister Christmas Lights and is due for a full-sibling to Vahva this season.
4th-Keeneland, $109,547, Msw, 4-3, 3yo, f, 6 1/2f, 1:17.18, sy, 1 1/4 lengths.
WHERE LUCK LIVES (f, 3, Nyquist–Holiday Soiree {SW & GISP, $405,642}, by Harlan's Holiday) Sales history: $725,000 Ylg '24 FTSAUG. Lifetime Record: 2-1-0-0, $69,938. Click for the Equibase.com chart or VIDEO, sponsored by FanDuel TV.
O-Flying Dutchmen Breeding & Racing LLC; B-Rock Ridge Thoroughbreds LLC (KY); T-Brian A Lynch.
(12) Where Luck Lives proves best in the fourth race of the day under @jrosariojockey! (11) Movie Night and (9) Phantom Blue follow. pic.twitter.com/ncsrdZDfSh
— Keeneland Racing (@keenelandracing) April 3, 2026
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