Lookin At Lucky’s status as the best 3-year-old in the country was confirmed after the emphatic win Sunday, as it came against a star-studded, seven-horse field considered the strongest in the 43-year-old history of the race. The Derby and the Preakness winner was featured in the race for the first time.

Winning trainer Bob Baffert said, “He’s been sitting on a really big race. He’s been training just unbelievably. It’s good to see him finally come out of his shell. He’s growing up and he stamped himself as a great horse.”

For the third time in five starts this year, a bay son of Smart Strike, Lookin At Lucky won, and for earnings of $2.7 million for owners Mike Pegram, Karl Watson and Paul Weitman, the 2-year-old champion improved his career record to eight wins in 10 starts.

At third place finish was First Dude, followed by Super Saver, Afleet Again, Ice Box and Our Dark Knight. Hall of Famer Baffert becomes the first trainer to win the Haskell four times. He also won with Point Given in 2001, War Emblem in 2002 and Roman Ruler in 2005.

Lookin At Lucky returned $4.40, $3 and $2.40, sent off as the 6-5 favorite. Trappe Shot had won four in a row, paid $3.40 and $2.60. First Dude paid $3 to show.

1:49.83 was the winning time for the 1 1-8 miles over a fast Monmouth Park track.

Another strong contender is Lookin at Lucky to be ridden by Garrett Gomez. Trainer Bob Baffert, a four-time winner at the Derby, is out for a big win. The present odds are 9-2 for Lookin at Lucky. Sidney’s Candy, with rider Joe Talamo is another favorite. The horse took the win at Sam Vicente, San Felipe, and Santa Anita Derby.

Trainer Nick Zito, with two Derby wins, is looking for his fourth with jockey Jose Lezcano riding Ice Box. Ice Box won the Florida Derby in an ever-so-close finish. Mission Impazible, another of Pletcher’s trained horses, has another chance with rider Rajiv Maragh. The horse won the Louisiana Derby. Another possible winner is Awesome Act. Though the horse remains some what of a long shot Awesome was the winner of the Gotham. The Kentucky Derby Odds will certainly get all the more interesting.

There are a number of other good horses ready to leave the gates along with some talented riders. This year may prove to have a long-shot as the winner.

Jockey Joe Talamo got a Kentucky Derby contender by Sidney’s Candy win by 4 ½ lengths and this horse was also leading all the Kentucky Derby Odds. To win for the May 1 Kentucky Derby Sidney’s Candy ran 1 1/8 mile in 1:48.00. Before being in the incident that ensued Lookin at Lucky was fourth much of the race.

Gomez was forced to stand up in the saddle as Lookin at Lucky who took up near the five sixteenths pole, appeared to get squeezed down along the rail, the drama surrounding the race unfolded. As the other horses, Who’s up and Alphie’s Bet finished behind Lookin At Lucky and ended up being no disqualification.

Near the scales where the riders, eight out after the race, a very angry Gomez went after Espinoza, who rode Who’s up. Before they were separated by the authorities Gomez landed some hard punches on Espinoza. When asked about the incident, Gomez said, “That’s between me and him.” The owner told reporters that Gomez would continue to race the horse, but that he was disappointed.

$9.60, $5.40 and $3 were paid by Sidney’s Candy. Lookin At Lucky paid $2.10 to show while Setsuko returned $10 and $4.80. Caracortado was fourth followed by Skipshot, Salphie’s Bet, Thomas Baines, Posse Power, Who’s Up, and Cardiff Giant.

Bred by Richard Owens’ Triple AAA Ranch of Glendale, AZ, Uh Oh Bango was to be named Iowa’s state horse of the year on May 6th, and was 21st in the list of Kentucky Derby hopefuls before his injury. With Uh Oh Bango out of the race, competition among similarly ranked horses will intensify. Only 20 horses can run in the Derby, and if more than 20 are entered, the final list will be determined by each horse’s earnings in graded stakes racing.

Up until his injury, Uh Oh Bango received significant press attention for his accomplishments. He won the Prairie Meadows Freshman Stakes and posted the highest Beyer Speed Figure in the nation during 2009. In 2010, he finished fourth in the Rebel Stakes, which was won by fellow Derby hopeful Lookin at Lucky.

This race may decide the favorite for the Kentucky Derby because trainer Todd Pletcher is training four top ten favorites for the derby. Pletcher promises to play a key role, just judging by his stats at Churchill Downs. Pletcher is 0-for-24 at the Derby, and should be due.

Baffert has won the Kentucky Derby three times, and in this, the eighth week before the Derby run, Baffert must hoping his success continues. He has another horse: Conveyance. Conveyance recently won the Southwest Stakes at Oaklawn Park. This win gives Baffert the third pick for the Kentucky Derby.

There are also many other races on Saturday that could change the odds drastically on the Kentucky Derby hopefuls: the Sham at Santa Anita, the Borderland Derby at Sunland Park and the John Battaglia memorial at Turfway Park. With this in mind, the colt Lookin at Lucky proves to be the favorite so far.

Lookin At Lucky was the 2 year old Eclipse champion of 2009, despite a loss in the Breeder’s Cup by a head to Vale of York, who is also nominated.

The sport’s attendance has plummeted in recent years and, hoping to capitalize on the success of Rachel Alexandra, Triple Crown organizers noted that Eclipse-winning two-year-old filly She Be Wild was also nominated. Other fillies entered include Blind Luck, winner of the Oak Leaf stakes and third in the Breeder’s Cup Juvenile Fillies.

Usually there are over 400 horses nominated for the Triple Crown, but organizers are confident that more entries will make the final nomination deadline of March 27 after some of the early Kentucky Derby prep races have been run.

Owners of the entrants will have to fork out $6000 in a late nomination fee.

Only 358 colts and fillies were nominated in 2005 due to the affects of mare reproductive loss syndrome which decimated Kentucky farms from 2001 – 2003. Horses have a gestation of 11 months. Only three year olds are allowed to run in the Kentucky Derby, the Preakness and the Belmont Stakes.