Lady Blessington Barely Beats Skimble in Buena Vista Handicap

The Daily Racing Form chart says a nose, but Lady Blessington’s victory margin was really about a quarter of an inch in the $111,300 Buena Vista Handicap on Sunday.

Eddie Delahoussaye, who rode Lady Blessington, said he would have been satisfied with a dead heat. “She ran a winning race, but just got beat by a whisker,” jockey Corey Nakatani said of Skimble, who has been second six times with only one victory in her last 10 starts.

Skimble finished 1 1/2 lengths ahead of Hero’s Love, who was a half-length in front of the 13-10 favorite, Possibly Perfect, who lost a couple of shoes in the race. Possibly Perfect hadn’t run since winning the Yellow Ribbon at Santa Anita on Nov. 14.

Lady Blessington ran a mile on grass in 1:34 4/5 and paid $22.80. This was the 6-year-old French-bred’s 12th victory in 26 starts and her earnings increased to $628,992.

Barry Irwin, president of Team Valor, mapped out this schedule for Lady Blessington: the $150,000 Santa Ana Handicap on March 19, breeding to Summer Squall and then resume racing, before being sold at a Keeneland breeding-stock auction in November.