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Gimme Da Lute wins Los Alamitos Derby for Bob Baffert

LOS ALAMITOS, Calif. (AP) Gimme Da Lute won the $350,000 Los Alamitos Derby by a nose Saturday for Triple Crown-winning trainer Bob Baffert.

Ridden by Martin Garcia, Gimme Da Lute ran 1 1/8 miles in 1:47.09 and paid $8.60 and $4.20 as the 3-1 second choice.

Prospect Park returned $4.20, while pacesetter and 2-5 favorite Kentuckian was another 7 3/4 lengths back in third. There was no show wagering because of the five-horse field for the Grade 2 race at Los Alamitos.

Gimme Da Lute and Prospect Park also finished 1-2 in the Affirmed Stakes last month at Santa Anita. Gimme Da Lute is co-owned and bred by Mike Pegram, Baffert's longtime friend.

Baffert was back at the Orange County track where he got his start training quarter horses after arriving from Arizona.

''I'm glad to be back here at Los Alamitos where it all started and winning this race means a lot to me,'' he said. ''This horse had been working really well, so we were confident, but we just didn't know what (Kentuckian) was going to do because you never know how they're going to react when you stretch them out.''

Trainer Jerry Hollendorfer and jockey Mike Smith, both Hall of Famers, teamed with Kentuckian in a bid to win the race for the second year in a row after scoring with Shared Belief last year.

Kentuckian was running beyond seven furlongs for the first time.

''I'm usually not at a loss for words, but I'm in shock right now,'' Smith said.

The victory, worth $210,000, increased Gimme Da Lute's career earnings to $457,560, with four wins in seven starts.

''He is just getting better and better and Mr. Bob told me to ride him with confidence,'' Garcia said. ''He relaxed nicely and fought it out gamely.''

Follow Me Crev was fourth and Pain and Misery was last.

Baffert trained American Pharoah to racing's first Triple Crown triumph in 37 years last month. Garcia exercised the colt in the mornings, although he was ridden in his races by Victor Espinoza.