Preakness Stakes Results and Review

by Patricia Woo | May 17 2010

Unlucky for most of the year, including in his sixth-place finish in the 2010 Kentucky Derby, Lookin at Lucky finally got the perfect trip he needed to clinch one of the biggest titles available to a 3-year-old - the 135th Preakness Stakes. Held at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Md., on Saturday, May 15, Lookin at Lucky put away a field of 11 challengers for the Preakness Stakes title.

Ridden by Martin Garcia for the first time, who replaced Garrett Gomez after a lackluster sixth-place finish in the Kentucky Derby, Lookin at Lucky broke well from post 7 and settled mid-pack with a ground-saving trip. Meanwhile, Kentucky Derby champion Super Saver, under Calvin Borel, broke from post 8 in close pursuit of pacesetter First Dude and jockey Ramon Dominguez, who led the field with swift fractions of :22.91 and :46.47. Jackson Bend was also pressing, along with Caracortado and Yawanna Twist.

At the far turn, Lookin at Lucky began his assault on the leaders. He took a four-wide path and moved up, along with Caracortado, but First Dude continued to lead. Lookin at Lucky collared both Caracortado and First Dude on the straightaway for home. But First Dude mounted a furious rally mid-stretch, and Jackson Bend and Yawanna Twist both bore down on the leaders late. But Lookin at Lucky would not be denied a major title again, regaining the lead and hitting the wire three-quarters of a length ahead of First Dude in a time of 1:55.47 over the 1 3/16 mile course. Jackson Bend, with Mike Smith in the irons, narrowly missed out on the runner-up position and came in third.

Rounding out the order of finish: Yawanna Twist, Dublin, Paddy O'Prado, Caracortado, Super Saver - who tired early - Schoolyard Dreams, Aikenite, Pleasant Prince and Northern Giant.

Lookin at Lucky, a son of Smart Strike, is trained by Bob Baffert. He ended his 2-year-old campaign with a runner-up finish in the 2009 Breeders' Cup Juvenile, a race he was expected to win - but he could not overcome his extreme outside post draw and traffic difficulties. Traffic problems also factored into his Kentucky Derby performance, yet another race he was favored to win. But in the Preakness Stakes, Lookin at Lucky finally put all the pieces together to claim top prize - in this case, $600,000 of the $1M purse, boosting his career earnings to $2,113,000 and his race record to 10-7-1-1.

For Super Saver, the two weeks between his come-from-behind victory in the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness Stakes was likely not enough; he just did not display the same finishing kick that won him the first leg of the Triple Crown. Trainer Todd Pletcher was matter-of-fact about the loss, saying: "Coming off a huge effort in the Derby, the two weeks was just too short."

Horse racing fans will now have to look to 2011 for the next potential Triple Crown winner - and for now, the 32-year drought since the last Triple Crown champion (Affirmed in 1978) continues.

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