Favorite son Good and Lucky does it again

The love affair between Good and Lucky and the Fair Grounds main track goes back several years, but shows no sign of waning. Winning for the sixth time in 10 Fair Grounds starts, Good and Lucky captured the by 1 3/4 lengths on Sunday in New Orleans.

Already this meet, Good and Lucky has two Fair Grounds dirt wins, having scored by three lengths on Dec. 3 in a high-end allowance race. Good and Lucky was back on fairly short rest Sunday, but showed no sign of regression. Racing farther off the pace than he has in past Fair Grounds seasons, Good and Lucky began warming to his task before turning into the stretch, and with a clean run on the outside, he swept to victory under Shane Sellers.

Runner-up Secret Getaway had no such luck. Jockey Jamie Theriot tried to rally along the rail after tracking the pace of King Dan, who set splits of 24.04 seconds for the opening quarter-mile, and 47.56 for the first half. But King Dan stayed close enough to the fence to keep Secret Getaway from sneaking through. Secret Getaway finished decently once clear in the final furlong, but Good and Lucky was gone by then.

Tend was another 1 3/4 lengths back in third. Dubious Miss, the 17-10 favorite, had a perfect stalking trip, but faded in the stretch and finished sixth.

Trained by Josie Carroll for a partnership, Good and Lucky, a 6-year-old Wild Rush gelding, won for the 11th time in 29 career starts. He paid $7 as the second choice, and was timed in 1:44.34 for 1 1/16 miles.