NEWS
Lookin At Lucky at home
on dirt in final workout
Posted: Monday, April 26, 2010 10:51 AM
LOOKIN AT LUCKY
PhotosByZ.com
by Jeff Lowe
Lookin At Lucky earned his Eclipse Award racing exclusively on synthetic tracks in Southern California last year, and he prevailed by a determined head in the Rebel Stakes (G2) in his only start on a dirt track.
Following a Monday workout at Churchill Downs, trainer Bob Baffert said the Smart Strike colt seems to be at his best on dirt.
Last year’s champion two-year-old male breezed five furlongs in 1:00.80 on a muddy track, a day after inheriting the role of probable favorite for the Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (G1) after the defection of Eskendereya.
Lookin At Lucky blew past his regular workmate, Broken Tango, and galloped out strong on the sealed main track.
“He looked good,” Baffert said. “I loved the way he was coming down the stretch. He’s worked well on the dirt. I think the dirt is really where he wants to run. He’s not really a synthetic horse. He looks happy and came back great.”
Baffert communicated with exercise rider Dana Barnes via radio to make sure Lookin At Lucky did not go too fast.
“He was reaching out,” he said. “That’s what you want to see, the horses that are reaching out. He looked like he was having a good time out there, and he came back and wanted to do more. I’m glad I had a radio on her; he would have just blistered out there if she had let him. We didn’t want to do too much with him today.”
Baffert insists that Santa Anita Derby (G1) winner Sidney’s Candy is the horse to beat now that Eskendereya is out of the picture. Sidney’s Candy notched his third straight graded stakes win in the Santa Anita Derby, a race in which Lookin At Lucky finished a troubled third.
Baffert and jockey Garrett Gomez agreed afterward that blinkers were not helping Lookin At Lucky after two starts with the equipment. He will race without them on Saturday.
“They were just preps,” Baffert said. “We were getting him ready. We found out a lot about him. Even though it was disastrous, we came out of it with some positive things about it. It was one of those things where you have a game and you say ‘Well, we won’t use that play again.’ ”
Baffert said San Rafael (G3) and Southwest (G3) Stakes winner Conveyance would turn in his final Derby workout on Tuesday.
Jeff Lowe is a Thoroughbred Times staff writer
READER COMMENTS
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Posted by: sara, lagrange, KY on April 30, 2010 at 12:45 AM
it about horse for the derby and the oaks.
horses can win the racing. they get roses when they win the racing.love sara
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Posted by: Jeff, Albany, NY on April 26, 2010 at 06:19 PM
That lookout from Lucky was effortless. Any horse who outfinishes him Saturday definitely is likely the Derby winner.
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Posted by: Keeneland observer, Lexington, KY on April 26, 2010 at 02:24 PM
It will be interesting to see if he can avoid another bad trip in the Derby, after having problems in 3 of his last 4 starts. If he does, he will be tough to beat.
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Posted by: Jerome A, Glendale, NY on April 26, 2010 at 11:39 AM
Lucky has come into his own since come to Kentucky. Things are looking good for his Derby run.
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