CashCall Futurity (gr. I)
(gr. I , 8.5f ,)
LOOKIN AT LUCKY
(B h,
121
lb) $400,000
Smart Strike —Private Feeling , by
Belong to Me
B—Gulf Coast Farms LLC,
KY.;
O—Watson, Karl, Pegram, Michael E. and Weitman, Paul;
T—Bob Baffert
Noble's Promise
(B h,
121
lb) $150,000
Cuvee —The Devil's Trick , by
Clever Trick
B—C. Kidder,Cole & B. Kidder,
KY.;
O—Chasing Dreams Racing 2008 LLC;
T—Kenneth G. McPeek
Make Music for Me
(B h,
121
lb) $100,000
Bernstein —Miss Cheers , by
Carson City
B—Richard Shultz,
KY.;
O—Johnson, Ellen and Peter O.;
T—Alexis Barba
Margins: ¾, ½, neck. Others: The Program 121($50,000) , Marcello 121($30,000) , Brady Blue Eyes 121($20,000) , Seattle Ruler 121 . Winning Jockey, Garrett K. Gomez.
Lookin At Lucky not only likely clinched champion 2-year-old male honors when he won the Dec. 19 CashCall Futurity (gr. I) at Hollywood Park but also cemented his claim as a premier Triple Crown contender of 2010.
Racing for owners Karl Watson, Michael Pegram, and Paul Weitman, Lookin At Lucky scored as the 1-3 favorite by three-quarters of a length over 2-1 second choice NobleÕs Promise. Their superiority going into the race was so overwhelming that the winning $2 quinella paid just $2.60.
Prior to the CashCall, Lookin At Lucky won CaliforniaÕs two other regularly scheduled grade I stakes open to 2-year-old males, the Del Mar Futurity and the Norfolk Stakes, plus the Best Pal Stakes (gr. II). In his last start he was beaten a head by Irish-bred Vale of York in the Grey Goose BreedersÕ Cup Juvenile (gr. I).
Only four winners of the CashCall (and its predecessor, the Hollywood Futurity, which was first run in 1981) developed into classic winners: Snow Chief, who won the 1986 Preakness Stakes (gr. I); and A.P. Indy, who captured the 1992 Belmont Stakes (gr. I).
The next two, Real Quiet and Point Given, won multiple classics. Real Quiet, campaigned by Pegram, won the 1998 Kentucky Derby (gr. I) and Preakness, and Point Given took the 2001 Preakness and Belmont. All four were voted champion 3-year-old male. A.P. Indy and Point Given also were named Horse of the Year.
Bred in Kentucky by Gulf Coast Farms, Lookin At Lucky is one of six 2009 stakes winners bred by the outfit, which is owned by Jerry Bailey and Lance Robinson. The other five are Lookin At LuckyÕs grade II stakes-winning half-brother Kensei, plus Distorted Passion, Fearless Cowboy, J Z Warrior, and Miss Catalyst.
Pegram purchased Lookin At Lucky for $475,000 at the 2009 Keeneland April 2-year-old sale from Jerry Bailey Sales Agency, agent.
Lookin At LuckyÕs half-brother by Afleet Alex is consigned as a short yearling by Taylor Made Sales Agency, agent, to the 2010 Keeneland January horses of all ages sale.
Smart Strike has sired 70 stakes winners. His 15 added-money winners of 2009 also include grade I winner Furthest Land. Smart Strike stands at William S. FarishÕs LaneÕs End Farm near Versailles, Ky. His 2010 fee is $75,000.ÑD.S.
