Gimme Da Lute's nose hits wire first in Los Alamitos Derby

CYPRESS, Calif. - Gimme Da Lute and Kentuckian were side-by-side in early stretch of Saturday’s $350,000 Los Alamitos Derby. There was little separating them at that point. What did separate them in the final quarter-mile was experience around two turns.

Gimme Da Lute, who won the Grade 3 Affirmed Stakes at 1 1/16 miles at Santa Anita on June 7, was quickly in front and soon clear of Kentuckian, the 2-5 favorite who had never raced beyond seven furlongs.

In the final furlong, Gimme Da Lute held his advantage to win the Grade 2 Los Alamitos Derby at 1 1/8 miles by a nose over a fast-closing Prospect Park. Kentuckian could only manage third.

The result was not a shock - Gimme Da Lute paid $8.60 as the second choice – but the absence of a threat from Kentuckian was a disappointment for jockey Mike Smith and trainer Jerry Hollendorfer.

“I’m a little in shock,” Smith said. “I thought with the ability he’d shown he gave me confidence. He had an easy lead. He should have won from there. I’m at a loss for words.”

Hollendorfer described his reaction as “disappointed.”

Gimme Da Lute won his third stakes in the Los Alamitos Derby for owners and breeders Mike Pegram, Karl Watson, and Paul Weitman and trainer Bob Baffert.

Baffert said in the winner’s circle that longer races are better for Gimme Da Lute, and blamed himself for running the colt in two one-turn stakes in May in which he was only third.

“When I had him in the Affirmed, I could tell he was craving more ground,” Baffert said. “I was running him in the wrong spots.”

Kentuckian set the pace in the five-runner Los Alamitos Derby, with Gimme Da Lute racing in second through early fractions of 23.20 seconds for the opening quarter-mile and 46.71 seconds for the half-mile. Jockey Martin Garcia urged Gimme Da Lute alongside Kentuckian with three furlongs remaining.

“At the half-mile pole, I knew I had a lot of horse,” Garcia said.

Gimme Da Lute led by a length over Prospect Park with a furlong to go, and was pressed to the wire by that rival, who was second in the Affirmed Stakes. Kentuckian was beaten 7 3/4 lengths. Follow Me Crev was fourth, followed by Pain and Misery.

Baffert said he was content to let Gimme Da Lute stalk Kentuckian, knowing that the favorite was facing a distance test.

“We let him roll away from there and get comfortable,” Baffert said. “We didn’t know how Jerry’s horse would respond. Gimme Da Lute had been working well.”

Gimme Da Lute has won 4 of 7 starts and earned $457,560. Prior to the Affirmed, Gimme Da Lute won the Echo Eddie Stakes for California-bred sprinters at Santa Anita on April 4, and was third in the Grade 3 Pat Day Mile at a one-turn mile at Churchill Downs on May 2 and the Chick Lang Stakes at six furlongs at Pimlico on May 16.