Bob Hill
Staff writer
Tracksideview.com

I opined earlier in the summer that Lookin At Lucky is the best three-year-old colt in the 2010 crop.  Following his impressive victory on Sunday in the Haskell Invitational at Monmouth Park I doubt that there are many dissenters to that opinion.  The field for the Haskell contained the winners of the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness, the runners-up in the Derby, and the horse that finished second in the Preakness and third in the Belmont.  The field also included the most promising late-bloomer in the 2010 class.

Lookin At Lucky looked every bit as dominating in the Haskell as he displayed last year in his rookie season.  Following the break, Jockey Martin Garcia immediately guided the son of Smart Strike away from the rail where he started in the number one post position.  Garcia took him to the outside of the pacesetters and bided his time until he and Kentucky Derby winner Super Saver both started to move in unison as they approached the second turn.  By the time that the field straightened for home Lookin At Lucky was on his way, drawing off to a decisive 4-length victory.

Trappe Shot finished second in the Haskell, followed by First Dude and Super Saver.  Given the relative sanity of the early pace, I was surprised to see First Dude appear to slow as early as he did in the race.  Perhaps the difference in this race and the Preakness is that a fresher Lookin At Lucky was much more explosive after some time to rest.  We have to remember that he won the Preakness only two weeks after a trip in the Kentucky Derby that saw him pin-balled into the rail and other horses twice on his first run past the grandstands.  It is hard to imagine that the connections of Trappe Shot, a colt that broke his maiden against Florida state-bred competition in February of this year, are not ecstatic about the progress he has made.

On Saturday at Saratoga we saw the second of the emerging three-year-olds that missed the Triple Crown races move forward as a true competitor in the division.  A Little Warm is well on his way to proving that he is much more than the sprinter that he may have appeared to be back in February after his win in the Jim Dandy at a distance of nine furlongs.  A Little Warm possesses tactical speed and the ability to rate just off the pace – a great combination of attributes for any thoroughbred.

Trainer Tony Dutrow has already announced that A Little Warm will move on the Travers at Saratoga on Aug. 28 as long as he suffers no ill effects from his win in the Jim Dandy.  Bob Baffert did not commit to a next race for Lookin At Lucky, but he did not rule out the Travers.  Given that Zenyatta, Quality Road, and Rachel Alexandra appear likely for the Breeders’ Cup Classic, the winner of the Travers may factor into the decision about Horse of the Year honors for three-year-old colts in some significant way.  Right now, that honor would surely go to Lookin At Lucky.