Elevation of Country House extends to sire Lookin At Lucky

Lookin At Lucky was anything but lucky in the 2010 Kentucky Derby. He got a nightmare trip while breaking from the rail, finishing sixth as the favorite on a sloppy, sealed track. But nine years later, Lookin At Lucky’s longshot son Country House, who broke toward the opposite end of the large field, had a more fortuitous time of things in the Kentucky Derby. He was elevated to the victory with the disqualification of Maximum Security, and continued to elevate the profile of his sire.

Lookin At Lucky, the champion 2-year-old colt of 2009, won three Grade 1’s as a juvenile and was a close second in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile despite being bumped. The following year, he won the Rebel Stakes and was a troubled second in the Santa Anita Derby. He drew the rail in the 20-horse Kentucky Derby and was roughed twice in the cavalry-charge run to the first turn, sitting 18th after a quarter-mile. He made a five-wide run to finish a creditable sixth. Two weeks later, Lookin At Lucky won the Preakness Stakes, and he added the Haskell Stakes later in the summer. The Grade 1 scores earned him another divisional championship before he retired to Coolmore’s Ashford Stud in Kentucky.

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Lookin At Lucky had a career season in 2018 in North America, and has also emerged as a leading sire in Chile, where he shuttles. Last year, his son Accelerate won five Grade 1 events, including the Breeders’ Cup Classic, to earn a divisional Eclipse Award. His Chilean champion Wow Cat also came to the U.S. to win the Grade 1 Beldame Stakes and finish second in the Breeders’ Cup Distaff.

Prior to Saturday, Lookin At Lucky’s best Kentucky Derby finish came with Lookin At Lee, who was second after breaking from the rail in 2017. With Country House’s official victory, which came from post 19, Lookin At Lucky is now the second classic winner sired by the late Smart Strike, who went on to become a classic sire, joining Curlin. In addition to being a stamina-oriented line, it has been responsible for several major victories over off tracks. Curlin won the 2007 Breeders’ Cup Classic in the slop and sired Exaggerator, a three-time graded stakes winner on wet tracks. Lookin At Lee’s Kentucky Derby also came on a rainy day.

“Certainly, pedigree has something to do with it,” Country House’s trainer Bill Mott said. “His grandsire is Smart Strike. And that’s Mr. Prospector line. And I think that’s well known to like an off track. I think it’s bred in him to take to an off track.”

Lookin At Lucky’s other top runners include Chilean champions Dafonda and El Picaro; Chilean Group 1 winners Conquer, Diane, Full of Luck, Kurilov, and La Canita; and millionaire graded stakes winners Breaking Lucky, Madefromlucky, and Money Multiplier.