NEWS
Lookin At Lucky splashes toward Classic with Indiana Derby win
Posted: Saturday, October 02, 2010 8:12 PM
LOOKIN AT LUCKY
Courtesy of Hoosier Park
For video of the Indiana Derby, click here.
by Ed DeRosa
Racing Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert said Lookin At Lucky is Breeders’ Cup Classic (G1) bound after the champion Smart Strike colt closed from last to win the $510,900 Indiana Derby (G2) by 1 1/4 lengths.
Winning was part of the plan, but being last during any point of the race and five wide on the far turn were not.
“I thought we’d be closer, and I was worried down the backstretch of what we’d have to do to win,” Baffert said. “As soon as he made the lead, though, his ears pricked. He just has that nice long stride and gets going real quick.”
“Bob told me to stay clean and going into first turn I thought, ‘Oh no,’ ” said jockey Martin Garcia. “But I knew my job was to win and that’s what I did.”
Lookin At Lucky is undefeated in three starts since Garcia took over riding duties from Garrett Gomez following the Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (G1). With wins in the Preakness Stakes (G1) and IZOD Haskell Invitational Stakes (G1), Lookin At Lucky is the three-year-old division leader and would become the first two-year-old male since Spectacular Bid in 1978-’79 to repeat as three-year-old champion if he were to win that award.
Lookin At Lucky probably will be the second betting choice in the $5-million Classic on November 6 at Churchill Downs following Blame’s loss in the Jockey Club Gold Cup Invitational Stakes (G1) on Saturday at Belmont Park. Baffert and co-owner Mike Pegram said they are looking forward to taking on undefeated two-time champion older female Zenyatta in the Classic.
“I’m a Zenyatta fan, but I’m excited to find out if we can run with her,” said Pegram, who owns Lookin At Lucky in partnership with Karl Watson and Paul Weitman. “I’m glad that we’re getting the chance to run against her.”
Lookin At Lucky, the 2-to-5 favorite, circled five wide on the far turn and engaged Thiskyhasnolimit inside the eighth pole. The Smarty Jones Stakes winner offered little resistance to the winner but was 3 ¾ lengths clear of Calder Race Course shipper St. Maximus Gato who was ten lengths ahead of Ohio Derby (G3) runner up Worldly. Lookin At Lucky completed 1 1/16 miles on a track rated as sloppy in 1:43.40.
Baffert won both graded stakes on the Indiana Derby card, saddling Arnold Zetcher’s homebred Always a Princess to a front-running victory in the $205,200 Indiana Oaks (G2). (Video)
Garcia also rode Always a Princess for Baffert, setting the tempo through quarter-mile fractions of :24, :48.40, 1:13, and 1:37.40 before completing 1 1/16 miles in 1:43.60.
The three-year-old Leroidesanimaux (Brz) filly was making her dirt debut in the Oaks and only the second start of her three-year-old season following an allowance win on September 8 at Del Mar. As a two-year-old, Always a Princess finished second in the Oak Leaf Stakes (G1) and fifth in the Grey Goose Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies (G1), but physical issues kept her out of the spring and summer seasons.
Baffert said that he probably will not try the Breeders’ Cup this year with Always a Princess.
“She was off a long time, so it’s good to get her back in the groove, but she hasn’t raced enough to throw her to the wolves like that,” he said.
Baffert said that Zetcher’s Grade 1-winning half sister to Always a Princess, Gabby’s Golden Gal, has returned to training but is running out of time for the Breeders’ Cup.
For Equibase charts, click here.
Ed DeRosa is news editor for Thoroughbred Times
