Lookin At Lucky, the beaten favorite in the Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands, redeemed himself in the Preakness Stakes, as he took the lead at the top of the stretch and stubbornly held off pacesetter First Dude and a closing Jackson Bend under new rider Martin Garcia. Derby winner Super Saver finished eighth.

Lookin At Lucky finally got the trip his connections had been hoping for. The son of Smart Strike, the 2-year-old champion male from last season, had not gotten a clean trip in any of his three races this year, including a troubled sixth-place Derby effort. In an attempt to change his "luck," trainer Bob Baffert replaced regular rider Garrett Gomez with Garcia for the Preakness. It worked out to perfection.

Baffert earned his fifth Preakness victory with Lookin At Lucky, who is owned by Karl Watson, Mike Pegram, and Paul Weitman. The California-based Garcia was making his debut in a Triple Crown race.

Bred in Kentucky by Gulf Coast Farms, Lookin At Lucky won for the seventh time in 10 starts. A $475,000 Keeneland April 2007 2-year-old in training sale purchase, he is out of the Belong to Me mare Private Feeling

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