Horses: Lookin At Lucky is early Kentucky Derby favorite
By BETH HARRIS
AP Racing Writer
LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Lookin At Lucky was made the early 3-1 favorite for the Kentucky Derby, with Sidney's Candy as the second choice Wednesday in a full field of 20 horses.
Trained by three-time Derby winner Bob Baffert and ridden by Garrett Gomez, Lookin At Lucky drew the No. 1 post for Saturday's 1 1/4-mile race. That's generally considered a disadvantage because all the traffic charging into the first turn tends to jam the inside.
"If there's a horse that can overcome that spot, it's Lucky," co-owner Mike Pegram said. "I don't want to sound overconfident, but we got the best jockey in the country and he knows what his responsibilities are."
Twelve horses have won from the No. 1 post, the last being Ferdinand in 1986.
Sidney's Candy drew the outside No. 20 post.
Devil May Care is a 10-1 co-third favorite as she attempts to become the fourth filly to win the Derby. The last filly to run in the Derby, Eight Belles, finished second two years ago, but broke down after crossing the finish line and had to be euthanized.
Listed at 5-1, Sidney's Candy didn't fare well in the draw either. The colt who owns a three-race winning streak will break from the No. 20 post, making for the widest of all trips around Churchill Downs. Only two winners have come from there, with Big Brown doing so two years ago.
Trained by John Sadler, ridden by 20-year-old Joe Talamo and owned by weight loss maven Jenny Craig, Sidney's Candy swept the California preps but has never raced on dirt before.
Devil May Care will take on the boys from the No. 11 post. The other co-third choices are Florida Derby winner Ice Box and Gotham winner Awesome Act.
Devil May Care is one of four horses in the field trained by Todd Pletcher, who is 0 for 24 in the Derby. His best horse, Eskendereya, was forced out with a leg injury last weekend.
Devil May Care has the lowest odds of Pletcher's four horses. Super Saver is 15-1, Mission Impazible is 20-1, and Discreetly Mine is 30-1.
"I came out pretty good in all cases," Pletcher said. "The only negative is the 11 because she'll be in the gate for a long time."
A year ago, 50-1 long shot Mine That Bird stunned the field and won under a rail-hugging ride by Calvin Borel, who rides Super Saver this time.
There are a quartet of horses listed at 50-1: Dean's Kitten, Make Music for Me, Backtalk (a son of 2004 Derby winner Smarty Jones) and Homeboykris, co-owned by Los Angeles Dodgers manager Joe Torre.
Hall of Famer trainer D. Wayne Lukas, a four-time Derby winner, will saddle Dublin, listed at 12-1.
The draw reverted to a traditional pill pull for the first time since 1997, after a two-tier, made-for-TV process was used the last 12 years.
Instead of the connections of each horse selecting their starting spots, including a break for strategizing like a draft in other sports, officials pulled horses' entry blanks simultaneously with a numbered pill to determine what spot a horse breaks from in the starting gate.
The Derby field in post position order with odds: Lookin At Lucky, 3-1; Ice Box, 10-1; Noble's Promise, 12-1; Super Saver, 15-1; Line of David, 30-1; Stately Victor, 30-1; American Lion, 30-1; Dean's Kitten, 50-1; Make Music for Me, 50-1; Paddy O'Prado, 20-1; Devil May Care, 10-1; Conveyance, 12-1; Jackson Bend, 15-1; Mission Impazible, 20-1; Discreetly Mine, 30-1; Awesome Act, 10-1; Dublin, 12-1; Backtalk, 50-1; Homeboykris, 50-1; and Sidney's Candy, 5-1.