Real Reason Why Lookin at Lucky Won’t Go in Travers Stakes 2010
By GREG MELIKOV
Shortly after Lookin at Lucky came up with a temperature last week following his impressive Haskell Invitational victory, trainer Bob Baffert announced on his Facebook page the colt would miss the Travers Stakes.
His daily reports on the colt’s progress were welcomed by many, including me, and some of them follow:
Aug. 3: No Travers for Lucky. Woke up with a little Temperature (102) but looks like he is not too sick and is responding well to treatment. Will have to stay on (Monmouth Park) for probably another week till blood work looks good. Too bad because we were all starting to think Travers. Won’t make any plans for him till he gets back on his game again.
Aug. 4: Lookin at Lucky looked good this morning with no temp. Looks like he is responding to medication. Still will be stuck in Jersey for a week. He is in good hands. Blood work improved today so he is responding to treatment. His blood had me a little nervous yesterday but much better today. Eating well and bright.
I believe that should satisfy some so-called experts that suggested the powers that be behind Lookin at Lucky didn’t intend to go in the Travers and this development gave them a convenient way out. One wise guy said Baffert you didn’t want to run him 1 1/4 miles until the Breeders’ Cup Classic, but didn’t back up the assumption.
Read on and learn the true reason:
Later Aug. 4, Baffert said: Lookin at Lucky looks fine that afternoon. No temp but blood work shows he is fighting a bug.
Aug. 5: Blood work almost normal. If all goes right he should be back to Ca. by Wednesday (Aug. 11). Looks bright and eating well.
Aug.6: Lookin At Lucky still bright and almost well. Few more days he should be normal again.
So I messaged Baffert that Friday afternoon: “Since Lookin at Lucky is doing so well and the Travers is still three weeks away, why not race him since the 1 1/4 miles is the same distance as the Breeders’ Cup Classic?”
Baffert’s short explanation to me via Facebook: You can’t run for 30 days after procaine penicillin. He will test positive.
The absence of the Preakness winner should make for a bigger Travers Stakes field and a wide open race on Aug. 28 at Saratoga.
As many as five others exiting the Haskell could run in the Travers: Runner-up Trappe Shot, third-place finisher First Dude, fourth-placer Super Saver and fifth runner Ice Box.
If Super Saver triumphed he would be only the third sophomore to record the Kentucky Derby-Travers double since Thunder Gulch in 1995. Street Sense did it in ’07.
Saratoga’s Jim Dandy could provide as many as five more from the top down: winner A Little Warm, followed by Miner’s Reserve, Afleet Express, Friend or Foe and Fly Down.
Others that could make the field include Admiral Alex, who broke his maiden impressively on the Jim Dandy undercard.
"Real Reason Why Lookin at Lucky Won’t Go in Travers Stakes 2010" was posted on 12 August 2010 11:44 PM under Horse Racing News, Horses, Race Tracks, Stakes Races, Trainers
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