Betting The Horses

Lookin At Lucky provides Bob Baffert with a strong chance of becoming just the fourth trainer of all time to train at least four Kentucky Derby winners.  Last year’s 2-year-old champion colt has established himself as a strong contender for next month’s Run for the Roses, consistently rated as one of the top two horses in the three-year-old division.

He has won six of his eight starts, including five first-place finishes in graded stakes races.  His overall success in graded stakes races is unparalleled. His $1,480,000 in graded stakes earnings puts him at the top of the list.  Noble’s Promise, currently in second, is $742,000 behind Lookin At Lucky.

Lookin At Lucky was sired by Smart Strike, a half brother to Canadian Triple Crown Winner Dance Smartly. His mother, Private Feeling, was sired by Belong To Me by the Danzig, the 1993 North American Leading Sire of the Year.  He is currently owned by Michael Pegram, Karl Watson, Paul Weitman,  and Jonathan Pippin.

After spending weeks ranked number one by the Associated Press, Lookin At Lucky suffered a setback at the Grade 1 Santa Anita Derby on April 3.  The 4-5 favorite was involved in a bumping incident which resulted in jockey Garrett Gomez to put on the brakes near the 5/16 pole.  Tempers flared following the race, with Gomez starting a fight with a fellow jockey who he felt caused the jam.  Baffert publicly ridiculed Gomez, saying his ride was “horrendous” and “ridiculous.”  His third place finish caused the AP to move Eskendereya to number one.  Lookin At Lucky is now ranked second.

Despite many calling for Baffert to get a different jockey for the Kentucky Derby, he will stick with Gomez. Horse racing betting favorite Gomez has ridden him in every race of his career.  He was fined $750 for the altercation following the Santa Anita Derby.