Lookin At Lucky redeems himself in Preakness

Lookin At Lucky earned a 102 Beyer winning the Preakness Jim McCue Photo

For Bob Baffert, Lookin At Lucky’s bad trips at Santa Anita and Churchill Downs earlier this year are suddenly distant memories after a great trip at Pimlico netted the 3-year-old colt a 3/4-length victory in the $1 million Preakness (G1) WATCH RACE. This was the fifth win for Baffert in the middle jewel of the Triple Crown; his previous winners are Silver Charm (1997), Real Quiet (’98), Point Given (’01), and War Emblem (2002).

Last year’s 2-year-old champion, Lookin At Lucky was having a tough time living up to his moniker this year. In both the Santa Anita Derby (G1) and Kentucky Derby (G1), “Lucky” got severely bumped around, costing him any shot at the win. Garrett Gomez was aboard for both trips, and though Baffert didn’t blame him for the trouble at Churchill Downs, he decided a rider switch to Martin Garcia for the Preakness might improve the colt’s chances.

Baffert’s intuition proved right; Lookin At Lucky got a near-perfect trip and a flawless ride by Garcia to put him in the winner’s circle. Lookin At Lucky was between horses, some three lengths off the lead in sixth place, going into the first turn. Garcia got into the clear going into the backstretch, slowly making his way forward nearing the far turn. He hooked up with First Dude, who had the lead from the start, as they neared the top of the lane. That pair dueled for the rest of the way, with Jackson Bend, who wound up a head back in third, joining the fray late. The final time for the 1 3/16-miles was 1:55.47. The 102 Beyer Speed Figure was a lifetime best for Lookin At Lucky.

Lookin At Lucky went off the 5-2 second choice behind Kentucky Derby winner Super Saver, who wound up eighth after failing to fire at the head of the stretch.

For Baffert, the rider switch worked out perfect “We’ve been clicking,” said Baffert of Garcia, referring to victory with Garcia aboard Misremembered in the Santa Anita H. (G1) in March. “I’ve just been winning with him. He can finish. He’s so young, I don’t think he realized the magnitude of the race.”

Victory was also sweet for Lookin At Lucky’s owners. “Today was about redemption, and we got it,” said Mike Pegram, who owns the colt along with Karl Watson and Paul Weitman. They have now seen their horse earn $2,113,000 while winning seven of ten starts, with one second and a third. Pegram purchased the son of Smart Strike for $475,000 at the 2009 Keeneland April 2-year-old in training sale.