Gimme Da Lute crushes competition in Real Good Deal

DEL MAR, Calif. - When Gimme Da Lute took a commanding lead in early stretch of Sunday’s $192,000 Real Good Deal Stakes at Del Mar, jockey Martin Garcia went to a vigorous hand-ride. He was well clear of the field, but had no intention of changing his approach.

“Last time at Los Alamitos, when I made the lead, he kind of stopped,” Garcia said. “I didn’t want to take that chance. I wanted to make sure.”

Gimme Da Lute won the Grade 2 Los Alamitos Derby by a nose over Prospect Park. There was no close call in the Real Good Deal Stakes for California-bred 3-year-olds. Gimme Da Lute ($2.80) led by five lengths with a furlong remaining and won by 12 1/4 lengths over 10-1 Rocko’s Wheel.

Grazen Sky finished third, followed by Richard’s Boy, Smack Talk, and Neveradoubt.

Gimme Da Lute ran seven furlongs in 1:12.33 and won his fourth stakes of the year.

Owned by Mike Pegram, Karl Watson, and Paul Weitman, and trained by Bob Baffert, Gimme Da Lute won the Echo Eddie Stakes for Cal-bred sprinters at Santa Anita in April and two graded stakes around two turns in recent months – the Grade 3 Affirmed Stakes at Santa Anita on June 7 and the Los Alamitos Derby on July 4.

This has been a busy season for Gimme Da Lute. Following the Echo Eddie Stakes, he was third in the Grade 3 Pat Day Mile at Churchill Downs on May 2 and third in the Chick Lang Stakes at Pimlico on May 16.

Gimme Da Lute, by Midnight Lute, was bred by his owners. The colt has won 5 of 8 starts and earned $567,560 in his career.