Blinkers should help The Big S in Lookin At Lucky Stakes

Sir Truebadour and Sombeyay, graded winners at 2, will be seeking to regain their form of old in the $75,000 Lookin At Lucky Stakes at Monmouth Park on Sunday. The Big S and Bronzed are looking to take their game to a higher level in the six-furlong race for 3-year-olds. Put the four of them together, and you’ve got a pretty sweet matchup.

The Lookin At Lucky, named for the Haskell Invitational and Preakness winner of 2010, is the feature on a 12-race card that includes two optional-claiming races and the second 2-year-old maiden race of the meet.

Sir Truebadour won the Grade 3 Bashford Manor at Churchill Downs last June for trainer Steve Asmussen. He raced one more time before heading to the sidelines and on Sunday will be making his first start in more than nine months. He has worked seven times for his comeback – the first two at Evangeline and the last five at Churchill.

Sombeyay won the Grade 3 Sanford during opening week of Saratoga last year for Todd Pletcher. He finished fourth in the Hopeful and Breeders’ Futurity before being given time off. In his May 12 comeback, he never got untracked over a sloppy track in the Gold Fever at Belmont Park and finished last of five.

Trainer Ray Handal is excited about running The Big S in the Lookin At Lucky.

“I think he’s going to be a special horse,” Handal said.

The Big S won a Tampa Bay Downs maiden race on the lead in March. He had a nightmarish trip against optional-claiming company at Keeneland in his most recent start but made a move on the far turn that hints at ability.

At the start of the Keeneland race, The Big S hopped in the air and showed last from the gate in a 10-horse field. He trailed down the backstretch over the muddy track before making a sharp, wide move on the far turn. During the stretch run, he raced greenly, switching leads back and forth and leaning in on horses. At the finish, he was finding his best stride but finished fourth, beaten 2 1/4 lengths.

Handal will equip him with blinkers Sunday.

“They’re just small cheater-cup blinkers with a diamond cut into them, but I’ve noticed a big difference in the way he’s trained with them,” Handal said. “I was super upset after the Keeneland race. I didn’t think there was any way he was going to get beat.”

The Big S, a $225,000 purchase at the Ocala Breeders’ Sales Co. March auction last year, races for Madaket Stables, Cutair Racing, and partners. The son of Jimmy Creed will be ridden by Harry Hernandez.

Bronzed, trained by Jason Servis, weakened to fifth last time out in the Roar Stakes at Gulfstream Park after prompting the pace of eventual winner Gladiator King. Prior to that, he had won a $50,000 maiden-claiming race and a $50,000 starter race back to back.

Gladiator King and Roar runner-up Garter and Tie were scheduled to be rematched at Gulfstream on Saturday in the Ocala Stakes.