NEWS
Lookin At Lucky wins Norfolk to remain undefeated
Posted: Sunday, October 04, 2009 7:43 PM
LOOKIN AT LUCKY
Benoit & Associates photo
To view a video replay of the Norfolk Stakes, click here.
by Patrick Reed
Lookin At Lucky continued his rise through the juvenile male division and successfully navigated two turns for the first time with a 1¾-length victory over longshot Pulsion in the $299,000 Norfolk Stakes (G1) on Sunday at the Oak Tree meeting at Santa Anita Park.
The Smart Strike colt extended his career record to four wins without a defeat and annexed a second straight Grade 1 victory following his one-length score in the Del Mar Futurity (G1) on September 7, re-establishing his credentials as a leading contender for the Grey Goose Breeders’ Cup Juvenile (G1) on November 7 at the Oak Tree meeting.
Ridden by Garrett Gomez, Lookin At Lucky settled in fourth along the backstretch as Sterling Outlook led the 11-horse field through an opening half-mile in 47:54, followed by Gallant Gent and Alfarabi. Gomez angled Lookin At Lucky three wide midway through the far turn, and the colt responded with a sustained move to sweep into the lead entering the stretch.
Lookin At Lucky momentarily appeared headed for a dominating victory but instead began to drift inward slightly in late stretch as a wall of horses charged from behind. Under strong urging from Gomez, Lookin At Lucky maintained a safe advantage, covering 1 1/16 miles in 1:43.11 on the synthetic Pro-Ride surface.
“This was his first time long and he handled it perfectly,” Gomez said. “He made the lead turning for home and when he did, he threw his ears up and kind of waited. … When I got after him, though, he went on with it and finished up real game.
“How good is he? Well, he’s four out of four, and I guess he’ll tell us how good he is.”
Trainer Bob Baffert praised his colt following the race, pointing out his versatility and push-button response.
“He’s the best two-year-old I’ve had in the last five years, I know that,” he said. “Inside the three-eighths pole, I couldn’t tell if he was running or not, [Gomez] was just sitting there and all of a sudden he pushed the button and my horse took off.
“I’m becoming a big fan of his now, watching him run. He’s not one-dimensional, which is so great because you don’t have to worry about track condition or speed. He’s just a very good horse.”
Maiden winner Fulsion’s rally could only net him second-place by a half-length over Gallant Gent, who finished a nose in front of dead-heat fourth-place finishers Jung Man Scott and John Scott.
Owned by Karl Watson, Mike Pegram, and Paul Weitman, Lookin At Lucky won his career debut going six furlongs at Hollywood Park on July 11 and then immediately handled graded stakes company by winning the Best Pal Stakes (G2) at Del Mar on August 9 followed by his conquest of the seven-furlong Del Mar Futurity.
Lookin At Lucky boosted his career earnings to $483,000 on Sunday. Bred in Kentucky by Gulf Coast Farms, he is out of the winning Belong to Me mare Private Feeling and is a half brother to 2009 Dwyer Stakes (G2) and Jim Dandy Stakes (G2) winner Kensei.
For an Equibase chart, click here.
Patrick Reed is a Thoroughbred Times contributing writer
