Lookin At Lucky at home to prep for Kentucky Derby as early 4-5 favorite in Santa Anita Derby

Lookin at Lucky made early 4-5 favorite in Calif.

ARCADIA, Calif. — Lookin At Lucky is staying home to prep for the Kentucky Derby.

Last year’s champion 2-year-old male will run on a synthetic surface in Saturday’s Santa Anita Derby instead of on dirt in next week’s Arkansas Derby.

“The really good ones will run on both of them,” Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert said Wednesday.

And Baffert believes he has a good one in the colt who has lost just once in seven starts.

“It’s a good feeling,” the three-time Kentucky Derby-winning trainer said.

Lookin At Lucky and Eskendereya, trained by Todd Pletcher, are regarded as the early favorites for the May 1 Kentucky Derby. Eskendereya will run Saturday in the $750,000 Wood Memorial at Aqueduct.

Baffert views the $750,000 Santa Anita Derby as a “good, solid 1 1-8-mile work,” a race he chose for Lookin At Lucky over the Arkansas Derby since the colt already showed what he can do on dirt.

Lookin At Lucky shipped into Arkansas’ Oaklawn Park and won the Rebel in mid-March without having run on the surface before the race. He got banged up, though, and lost a week of training time while healing from cuts sustained during the race.

“He’s finally snapped back,” Baffert said after Lookin At Lucky galloped 1½ miles in preparation for the 1 1-8-mile Santa Anita Derby.

He’ll be taking on nine rivals, including four other stakes winners in the deepest of the early Kentucky Derby preps. Lookin At Lucky was made the 4-5 morning-line favorite and drew the No. 7 post.

The competition includes San Felipe and San Vicente winner Sidney’s Candy, once-beaten Caracortado, Sham winner Alphie’s Bet, Sham runner-up Setsuko, and Generous Stakes winner Who’s Up. Also in the field are Thomas Baines, Posse Power, Cardiff Giant, Skipshot, Stephen’s Got Hope and Boulder Creek.

“I want to just come out of there healthy and alive,” Baffert said. “It’ll be a hard race on him. There’s some good horses in there.”

Sidney’s Candy, the early 3-1 second choice, and 5-1 second choice Caracortado could be Lookin At Lucky’s strongest competition.

Sidney’s Candy led all the way in winning both the San Felipe and San Vicente, and is expected to go to the lead Saturday. He’s named for the late Sid Craig, who was married to weight loss guru Jenny Craig. The colt is 3-1-0 in five starts.

Caracortado was undefeated until finishing third as the 7-5 favorite in the San Felipe, two lengths behind Sidney’s Candy. He was compromised by a slow pace in that race.

A victory would give Baffert his record sixth Santa Anita Derby and make Lookin At Lucky the only 2-year-old champion besides 1978 Triple Crown winner Affirmed to win the race.

“It doesn’t mean the same on synthetic,” he said, downplaying the significance of either accomplishment.

A year ago, Baffert took a similar route with Pioneerof the Nile, who won the Santa Anita Derby and then finished second in the Kentucky Derby on dirt.