Lucky Wins the 2010 Kentucky Derby - A Vision

Mike Pegram, Karl Watson and Paul Weitman’s LOOKIN AT LUCKY (Smart Strike), the 2009 two-year-old champion, rallied from 12^th place to win the 136th running of the Kentucky Derby (G1). And the outcome was never in doubt.

Garrett Gomez took plenty of flack for his ride in the Santa Anita Derby, but his trip on the first Saturday in May was a thing of beauty.  He was in no hurry in the early going behind a contested early pace which saw the half in :46.90, and three-quarters in 1:10.95. Trailing by more than ten lengths he began to thread his way through the field down the backstretch. He entered the far turn with four lengths to make up and gradually wore down a stubborn Sidney’s Candy to prevail by a comfortable length and a quarter, with Dublin another length back in third.

Lookin At Lucky finished with plenty left in the tank, registering a 110 Beyer Speed Figure, and it was great to see Gomez redeem himself. He masterfully navigated Lookin At Lucky through the infamous Derby traffic jam and gave Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert his 4^th Kentucky Derby trophy. His stopped the clock in 2:02.28 on the fast Churchill Downs oval and paid $10.40 to win.

“Bob wanted to strangle me after the Santa Anita Derby, and the only thing he told me before today’s race was don’t screw it up,” said a jubilant Garrett Gomez, after riding his first Kentucky Derby winner.

Winning conditioner Bob Baffert basked in the spotlight and yelled “four-bagger” as he lifted Gomez in air and shouted “We got the big one Garrett.”

There were numerous troubled trips in the 20-horse cavalry charge. ESKENDEREYA (Giant’s Causeway) was bumped at the start and fell farther back than normal. He made a wide move to get in contention around the far turn but flattened out in the late going. DUBLIN (Afleet Alex) weaved his way through traffic and rallied from 17^th place to loom large at the top of the stretch, but he ran out of steam in the final yards and had to settle for the show. AMERICAN LION (Tiznow) took the worst of it as he was slammed from both sides out of the gate and was squeezed back around the first turn. He never recovered from his early troubles and finished a better than appears 10^th.

Second-place finisher SIDNEY’S CANDY (Candy Ride) enjoyed a perfect trip under Joe Talamo, closely stalking Conveyance, Rule, and stablemate Line of David through fractions of :23.44, :46.90, and 1:10.95. The John Sadler trainee took over after a mile in 1:36.43 and looked like a winner approaching the stretch. Fifth-place finisher ENDORSEMENT (Distorted Humor) was forwardly placed, stalking in fifth for much of the race under Robby Albarado, and just missed third by a couple of necks.

AWESOME ACT (Awesome Again), 6th, worked his way to get within striking range on the backstretch under Julien Leparoux, but he took the overland route and wound up running out of gas in the stretch.

The Lookin At Lucky-Sidney’s Candy Exacta paid $108.60, and the Trifecta with Dublin returned $1,263. Eskendereya completed a $2,386.80 Superfecta.

Lookin At Lucky earned a trip to Baltimore for the Preakness Stakes on May 15^th, and all of the talk has shifted to a possible Triple Crown sweep. Can the talented colt put an end to the long Triple Crown drought? Well, his silver-haired trainer Bob Baffert has been in this spot before and the determined Derby winner sure has a nose for the wire…stay tuned!

Full Result Chart Below