Lookin At Lucky overcomes trouble, forges to Rebel Stakes win

Lookin At Lucky didn’t get the ideal trip in the $300,000 Rebel S. (G2) at Oaklawn Park, but the 3-year-old colt would not be denied despite trouble at the break and on the backstretch, finishing strongly for a well-deserved victory. The colt was making his first start of the year for trainer Bob Baffert, who decided to ship him to Arkansas from his California base.

Lookin At Lucky wins the Rebel S. (G2) in his first start of 2010 (Coady Photography)

Baffert’s 2-year-old champ of 2009 solidified his current status as the favorite for this year’s Kentucky Derby (G1) with his performance in the Rebel. The field included the highly regarded duo of Noble’s Promise, who finished a close second to Lookin At Lucky in the CashCall Futurity (G1) at Hollywood Park last December; and the D. Wayne Lukas trained Dublin, runner-up in the Southwest S. (G3) last month at Oaklawn.

That pair would figure prominently in the Rebel as well. Lookin At Lucky was bumped by a rival at the start, so jockey Garrett Gomez had to take back several lengths off the pace set by longshot Royal Express. Nearing the end of the backstretch, Lookin At Lucky got into another bind when he nearly clipped heels with Noble’s Promise, causing Gomez to take up sharply. To his credit, though, Lookin at Lucky recovered quickly, going four wide around the turn and took aim on Noble’s Promise, who looked like a winner at the top of the stretch. ‘Lucky dug in and wore down the leader, getting to the wire a head in front of his rival. Dublin was three lengths back in third.

Lookin At Lucky was sent off as the 6-5 in the Rebel, and finished the 1:43, a very solid time in his first career start on a conventional dirt surface. The race earned him a career-best 97 Beyer Speed Figure. This was his first start outside of California, where he had been racing on synthetic surfaces.

One reason Baffert shipped to Oaklawn was to see how his star colt would handle the dirt, but he got an unexpected bonus with the trip he had. “He had a little bit of a Kentucky Derby experience today, getting bounced around like that,” said Baffert.

Baffert said Lookin At Lucky would likely next race in the Wood Memorial (G1) at Aqueduct on April 3 or the Arkansas Derby (G1) a week later for his final Kentucky Derby prep.

The Rebel’s winning purse of $180,000 boosted Lookin at Lucky’s career earnings to $1,423,000 for owners Mike Pegram, Karl Watson, and Paul Weitman.