Lookin at Lucky wins Cashcall Futurity, puts 3-time Derby winner Baffert back on road to roses

Baffert wins 4 as Lookin at Lucky takes Cashcall

INGLEWOOD, Calif. — Two-year-old Lookin at Lucky came back from his only loss in last month’s Breeders’ Cup Juvenile to win Saturday’s $750,000 Cashcall Futurity at Hollywood Park.

The win gave Bob Baffert his fourth victory of the day and provided yet another Kentucky Derby contender for the trainer who has won the Run for the Roses three times.

Ridden by Garrett Gomez, the heavily favored Lookin at Lucky was second in the field of seven on the first turn, took the lead at the halfway point and held off Noble’s promise to win by 1¾ of a length, giving Baffert a record fifth victory in the Futurity.

“A hell of a day, huh?” Baffert said. “It’s nice to have young horses.”

Lookin at Lucky covered 1 1-16 miles in 1:43.30 paid $2.60, $2.10 and $2.10. Noble’s Promise, trained by Ken McPeek, paid $2.40 and $2.10. Long shot Make Music for Me was third and paid $3.40.

“He’s going to learn more as he goes along because he’s got a super mind to him,” Gomez said. “We’ve got to get him to where he puts his competition away and sprints to the wire. He’s full of talent and I’m getting even more excited about him.”

Baffert had two other colts in the race: Make Music for Me was fourth and The Program finished fifth.

Baffert blamed Lookin at Lucky’s loss by a head to 30-1 long shot Vale of York in the Breeders’ Cup on an outside post position.

“I just wish he had the 1 post in the Breeders’ Cup, but that’s racing,” Baffert said. “Things happen.”

Lookin at Lucky, owned by a group that includes longtime Baffert partner Mike Pegram, earned $400,000 for the victory, his fifth in six starts, pushing his total to $1,243,000.

Baffert won the Futurity in 2008 with Pioneerof The Nile, who went on to run second to Mine That Bird in the Kentucky Derby. His fifth victory in the race Saturday broke a tie with D. Wayne Lukas, who had also won it four times.

Baffert said he expects a light schedule for Lookin at Lucky as the colt points to the first Saturday in May.

“We’re just going to freshen him up and I’ll probably run him about two times before,” the trainer said.

All four of Baffert’s wins Saturday came with 2-year-olds. He and Gomez also won the $53,500 Stuka Stakes, a 6½ furlong race for 2-year-olds with the favored colt Tiz Chrome.

Tiz Chrome took the lead of the six-horse field at the top of the stretch and kicked away for an easy four-length victory over Domonation, covering 6½ furlongs in 1:14.56 and paying $5, $3.20 and $2.60. Domonation paid $3.60 and $3. Shudacudawudya paid $3 to show.