Remembering Landaluce.

[Casino]

The name of the most exciting racehorse in the world today sounds like one of those expressions Minnie Pearl belts out from the stage of the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville (http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/topic/article/Nashville/1900-01-01/2100-12-31/mdd/index.htm): Laaand-A-Looosee! Landaluce is a 2-year-old filly who came forward in July, a month when hundreds of other young horses take their first green steps on the track. The one certain thing about 2-year-olds in July is that they should seldom be taken seriously. The rule of thumb says, wait until October and November before getting excited about the horses that will run in the classics the following spring. But Landaluce is the exception to the rule. She took July and turned it into November.

After only two races she's being compared to some of the finest horses ever to knock over a feed tub, and if she somehow sustains the amazing form she has already shown, the sport is in for some heavenly days. In her first race, at Hollywood Park (http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/topic/article/Hollywood_Park_Inc/1900-01-01/2100-12-31/mdd/index.htm) on July 3, Landaluce galloped off to win the six-furlong event by seven lengths in the flashy time of 1:08[1/5]. Among those she left in the ruck was her stablemate, the nicely named Some Kinda Flirt (by Quack from Winking Aye), who three weeks later won the $58,900 Lady Sponsors' Stakes at Ak-Sar-Ben. But it was Landaluce's second start that was really responsible for all the commotion.



Read more: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1125763/2/index.htm#ixzz1EPvEiski

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Read more: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1125763/index.htm#ixzz1EPv80ePh[/color][/left]

[Casino]

Perhaps the best description of the race came from jockey Ray Sibille, who rode Bold Out Line. "I saw Landaluce briefly," Sibille said. "When I looked up ahead it seemed like her feet were floating."

Classic line.

[DJofSD]

http://www.ask.com/wiki/Landaluce

Lukas was now pointing her towards the Grade I Hollywood Starlet Stakes scheduled to run on November 28th. But on November 22nd, she became ill. Lukas, knowing it was a virus, was still hopeful she’d make the Starlet. But Landaluce had Colitis X, a disease that nearly killed her sire[1]. At that point Lukas hoped she’d make the Hollywood Futurity. One more day, and all anyone could do was to try and save her life. Steadily weakening from the blood clots formed by a severe bacterial invasion, she died with her head in Lukas’ arms on December 11, 1982.

[MickJ26]

Fantastic article.
Thanks for posting this.

[joanied]

Yes, thanks...it was good to read, although still so sad...no doubt, she would have been one of the true great ones...after all these years, it still gets to me :(

[Hanover1]

In his bio I read, this broke his heart real bad, and his son commented that it took him months to get over it, and he was never quite the same afterwards. And this is one of the original "supertrainers" that so many feel have no heart regarding the stock......trust me, you DO feel it.

[thaskalos]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qBp_uh7W2Dw&NR=1

[Miss Disco]

All that potential. She was truly "a wink in the sky." Her sire's first big horse, I believe.