With the Kentucky Derby nearly four months away, the major trainers are beginning to take stock of the talent in their stables and nominate their hopefuls for the upcoming prep races leading up to the Kentucky Derby. As with any year, there will inevitably be many twists and turns of fate before the ultimate winner hits the wire at Churchill Downs on the first Saturday in May.
My early favorite this year is “Lookin at Lucky,” a horse trained by the legendary Bob Baffert. In his six starts, four of which were Grade 1 races, Lookin at Lucky has only succumbed to a single defeat – The Breeder’s Cup Juvenile.
During the Breeder’s Cup Juvenile, Lookin at Lucky lost by a head after struggling with a bad trip throughout the race. At the start of the race, Lookin at Lucky was wide early, got stuck in midpack while facing a slow pace, rallied wide, and was ultimately outfinished from the inside by Vale of York. When interviewed after the Juvenile, Baffert stood firm. “We know we have a legit horse, we just didn’t get paid.”
Since the Juvenile defeat, he captured a win in the Breeder’s Cup Cash Call Futurity in December of 2009. Under jockey Garrett Gomez, Lookin at Lucky won by three-quarters of a length, after making several different moves throughout the race, to kick clear at the wire to secure a win. “Hell of a day, huh?” Baffert remarked in a post-race interview. “He’s getting better and better.”
After the Futurity, Baffert said that Lookin at Lucky would get an extended break. He anticipates that the horse will run two prep races before the Kentucky Derby. The targeted races have not been announced, but with the early promise demonstrated by this colt, the betting public should be looking at a “Lucky.”
