NEWS
Lookin At Lucky back on top in Triple Crown poll
Posted: Monday, March 15, 2010 5:54 PM
by Ron Parker
Lookin At Lucky, last year’s champion two-year-old male, regained his status as the top vote getter in the THOROUGHBRED TIMES fifth weekly Road to the Triple Crown poll of editors, reporters, and correspondents.
The Smart Strike colt, who was the top selection in the first weekly poll, was relegated to a narrow second in the ensuing three weeks after Eskendereya’s dominant victory in the Fasig-Tipton Fountain of Youth Stakes (G2) vaulted the Giant’s Causeway colt to the top.
Voters are asked to rank their top ten selections each week leading up to the Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (G1) with a first-place vote earning ten points, a second-place vote nine points, descending to one point for a tenth-place finish.
Lookin At Lucky’s game victory in the Rebel Stakes (G2) at Oaklawn Park on March 13 in his first start on dirt as well as his first start wearing blinkers prompted voters to move him back to the top spot. The bay colt received 173 points from the 18 voters with Eskendereya, who is targeting Saturday’s Florida Derby (G1) at Gulfstream Park, checking in second with 161 points. Rule, with 111 points, took the third spot for the fifth consecutive week.
Odysseus, previously a promising maiden and allowance winner for trainer Tom Albertrani, elevated his status to classics hopeful with a last-second surge to win the Tampa Bay Derby (G3) on March 13 by the narrowest of margins in his stakes debut.
The victory propelled the Malibu Moon colt to eighth place in this week’s poll.
For complete voting results, click here.
Ron Parker is a Thoroughbred Times contributing writer
