It’s now less than two months until the 2010 Kentucky Derby. This year’s Run for the Roses will be on May 1. With that in mind, here is my current Kentucky Derby Top 20 list:
1. Lookin At Lucky
2. Eskendereya
3. Caracortado
4. Conveyance
5. Super Saver
6. Dublin
7. Jackson Bend
8. Awesome Act
9. Dave in Dixie
10. Rule
11. Noble’s Promise
12. Alphie’s Bet
13. Discreetly Mine
14. Tiz Chrome
15. Sidney’s Candy
16. American Lion
17. Buddy’s Saint
18. Odysseus
19. Connemara
20. Drosselmeyer
Lookin At Lucky, trained by Hall of Famer Bob Baffert, was out for a workout Monday at Santa Anita. He was officially timed five furlongs in 1:01 1/5. In a Daily Racing Form story by Jay Privman, Baffert said the Smart Strike colt “just cruised around there really easy.” Baffert also said Lookin At Lucky actually worked six furlongs and [galloped] out seven-furlongs. Baffert timed the colt in 1:15 and change for six furlongs.
This workout, to me, was not nearly as significant as when Lookin At Lucky drilled seven furlongs in 1:25 1/5 a week earlier. It had become very important, I felt, for the colt to have a fast/strong workout on March 1 because of his slow six-furlong workout in 1:15 2/5 on Feb. 22. According to Baffert, Lookin At Lucky’s March 1 workout was even faster than the official time. In Ed Golden’s Santa Anita stable notes, Baffert said he had timed the colt in 1:23 and change. Whether it was 1:25 1/5 or 1:23 and change, it was the sort of fast/strong workout needed to be seen from Lookin At Lucky at that stage of his preparation for his 2010 debut.
Lookin At Lucky has not started since winning Hollywood Park’s Grade I CashCall Futurity last Dec. 19. He has won five of six career starts. In addition to the CashCall Futurity, Lookin At Lucky has registered stakes victories in the Grade II Best Pal, Grade I Del Mar Futurity and Grade I Norfolk. He was voted an Eclipse Award as champion 2-year-old.
In his only loss, Lookin At Lucky ran second in the Grade I Breeders’ Cup Juvenile. He lost by a head to European Vale of York. I thought that probably was Lookin At Lucky’s best race last year. He did well to nearly win it considering his wide trip and having to rally from farther back than usual into a relatively slow pace.
In a NTRA telecommunications national media conference, Baffert said Lookin At Lucky has been on schedule for the last month despite the rainy weather in Southern California. Baffert said he wouldn’t run the colt Saturday if he didn’t think he’d run well, especially since he’s a “franchise” type horse.
Baffert also did allude to “the hoops” Lookin At Lucky must jump through for the first time by running in the Rebel, namely shipping from Southern California, running with blinkers for the first time and running on dirt for the first time.
Even though Lookin At Lucky did not win the Breeders’ Cup, among those finishing behind him was Eskendereya, who now tops many Kentucky Derby lists after winning the Grade II Fountain of Youth Stakes at Gulfstream Park by 8 1/2 lengths on Feb. 20.
Eskendereya had a good workout last Sunday at Gulfstream Park. He was timed in :49 1/5 for four furlongs with jockey John Velazquez aboard.
“I thought he worked very well,” said Eskendereya’s trainer, Todd Pletcher. “We were looking for him to go a half in :49 and that’s exactly what he did. He galloped out well and I’m very pleased. Our most likely scenario is for him to run in the Florida Derby [at Gulstream Park on March 20].”
Speaking of horses who have done well after finishing behind Lookin At Lucky, Make Music for Me, who ran third as a maiden in the CashCall Futurity, won last Saturday’s Pasadena Stakes on the turf at Santa Anita for trainer Alexis Barba. Alphie’s Bet, likewise conditioned by Barba, also won last Saturday at Santa Anita. Alphie’s Bet, who had finished second to Caracortado in the California Breeders’ Champion Stakes on Dec. 26, won last Saturday’s Grade III Sham Stakes.
Caracortado is undefeated in five career starts. After winning the Cal Breeders’ Stakes, he took the Grade II Robert B. Lewis Stakes at Santa Anita on Feb. 13. Caracortado is scheduled to run in this Saturday’s Grade II San Felipe Stakes at Santa Anita.
Another undefeated runner, two-time Eclipse Award champion Zenyatta, also is supposed to run Saturday at Santa Anita. The great mare’s reappearance at the Great Race Place is to come in the Grade I Santa Margarita Handicap. Zenyatta has been assigned 127 pounds for the 1 1/8-mile event. This will be her first race since she became the first filly or mare to win the Breeders’ Cup Classic last Nov. 7.
Meanwhile, 2009 Horse of the Year Rachel Alexandra tops a field of five entered in Saturday’s New Orleans Ladies at the Fair Grounds. It will be her first race since she became the first filly or mare to win the Woodward Stakes last Sept. 5 at Saratoga.
Saturday should be quite a day, with Eclipse Award winners Rachel Alexandra, Zenyatta and Lookin At Lucky all scheduled to race. And you can see those champions in action on HRTV!
