Lookin At Lucky faces Sidney's Candy in Santa Anita Derby

By: SPORTS NETWORK

Arcadia, CA (Sports Network) - Rebel Stakes winner Lookin At Lucky and Sidney's Candy, winner of the San Vicente Stakes, highlight a field of 10 three-year-olds in Saturday's $750,000 Santa Anita Derby. The 1 1/8-mile race is the final Kentucky Derby prep at Santa Anita Park.

Lookin At Lucky, the 2009 champion two-year-old colt, has been installed as the 4-5 morning-line favorite and will start from post seven with regular rider Garrett Gomez.

Owned by Karl Watson, Mike Pegram and Paul Weltman, Lookin At Lucky is trained by Hall of Fame member Bob Baffert. The colt has won six of seven starts for more than $1.4 million.

"We were considering the Arkansas Derby on April 10 because that would have given us a week more from his last race," said Baffert, "but he worked really good here on Sunday and he's ready to run.

"Our ultimate goal is to win the Kentucky Derby and by running here on Saturday, this gives us a little extra time going into the Derby on May 1. He's done everything we've asked of him and he overcame a lot of trouble in his last race and then shipped back here real good."

Baffert has won the Santa Anita Derby five times, with Cavonnier (1996), Indian Charlie (1998), General Challenge (1999), Point Given (2001) and Pioneerof the Nile last year. He has won the Kentucky Derby three times, the last in 2002 with 20-1 longshot War Emblem.

Lookin At Lucky was second to Vale of York in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile last November, but came back to win the CashCall Futurity the following month at Hollywood Park.

Should the Eclipse Award honoree win the Santa Anita Derby, he would be the first two-year-old champion to win the track's top Kentucky Derby prep since Affirmed in 1978.

Sidney's Candy will break from post four with Joe Talamo back to ride. The chestnut colt is the 3-1 second choice in the program.

Sidney's Candy, trained by John Sadler, is owned by the Sid and Jenny Craig Trust. He has career earnings of $223,560 with three wins in five lifetime starts.

While the colt likes to run on lead, Sadler doesn't believe that is the only style he has.

"He doesn't have to be in front, but he does have kind of a free-running style," said Sadler. "If he's not in front, he's going to be forwardly placed, because he's that kind of horse."

Here is the complete field for the 73rd Santa Anita Derby in post position order: Posse Power, Leslie Mawing, 50-1; Thomas Baines, Joel Rosario, 50-1; Who's Up, Victor Espinoza, 20-1; Sidney's Candy, Joe Talamo, 3-1; Setsuko, Rafael Bejarano, 20-1; Caracortado, Paul Atkinson, 5-1; Lookin At Lucky, Garrett Gomez, 4-5; Cardiff Giant, Christian Santiago Reyes, 30-1; Skipshot, Frank Alvarado, 15-1; and Alphie's Bet, Alex Solis, 8-1.

Each horse will carry 122 pounds.

The Santa Anita Derby will be broadcast on NBC with a scheduled post-time of 5:36 p.m. (et).