Kentuckian fizzles as Gimme Da Lute takes Los Alamitos Derby
Independence Day in the States meant the headline event of the summer meeting at Los Alamitos Race Course in Cypress, California. The $350,000 Los Alamitos Derby saw 2-5 favorite Kentuckian take the lead out of the gates, but give way early in the stretch to the Bob Baffert trained Gimme Da Lute. From there, the son of Midnight Lute was able to narrowly hold off Prospect Park and Tyler Baze to win his second graded stakes race in a row. The heavy favorite, trained by Jerry Hollendorfer, finished a distant third.
Gimme Da Lute broke well, but jockey Martin Garcia settled a length off the odds-on Fox Hill Farm runner, Kentuckian. He continued outside the leader leaving the backstretch, bid alongside him on the second turn and took the lead into the stretch. As Kentuckian gave way, Gimme Da Lute braced himself for the oncoming late charge of Propsect Park and held on by a nose under heavy urging from Garcia. The son of Tapit ran incredibly well second off the layoff for veteran conditioner Clifford Sise, but lugged inward in the final furlong, likely costing him the race. It appears this talented colt is still learning at the age of three, but could be dangerous as the 2015 racing calendar progresses.
Some connections were scared away from the Grade II event due to the presence of Kentuckian, but the son of Tiznow failed in his first effort at two turns. Mike Smith never seemed comfortable aboard the colt that was lighting up the Santa Anita surface in the mornings with one bullet drill after another over the past few months. Despite the pedigree to go two turns, the question still remains whether this horse will ever be able to duplicate his powerful one-turn efforts at a route of ground. After the race, the Hall of Famer Smith was at a loss over the poor performance from the $610,000 Keeneland September 2013 purchase. It remains to be seen where the connections of the top three will go next.
Gimme Da Lute completed the nine furlongs in a final time of 1:47.09. The winner paid $8.60 and $4.20. Prospect Park paid $4.20 to Place. There was no show wagering due to the short field of five three-year olds. The Trifecta 2-5-4 came back $14.70 on a one-dollar wager. The race was the eighth on a nine-race Fourth of July card at the Southern California venue.