Baffert, Lukas, Baffert, Lukas, and at the wire, it was trainer Bob Baffert’s Getaway Car over D. Wayne Lukas’ Caldera by a head bob in the $400,000 Sunland Park Derby on Sunday.
The finish of the Kentucky Derby prep races couldn’t have been any closer as Getaway Car and Caldera traded headbobs through the stretch. The more miniature Getaway Car was on the inside, and the imposing gray Caldera was on the outside – far ahead of the rest of the field.
It took a few minutes before the stewards declared favorite Getaway Car ($4.40) the winner by a nose and the recipient of 20 qualifying points to move another Baffert 3-year-old on the road to the Derby.
Getaway Car, ridden by Juan Hernandez, now has 36 points and ranks third on the Kentucky Derby prep races leaderboard behind stablemate Citizen Bull (60) and Magnitude (55), winner of the Risen Star Stakes (G2) on Saturday.
Caldera, ridden by Rafael Bejarano, earned his first Derby points (10), while the next three finishers, Touchy, Take Charge Tom, and Itsmybirthday, picked up 6-4-2 points, respectively.
The winning time for the 1 1/16 miles over a fast track was 1:42.64.
Baffert and Lukas, longtime rivals and friends, have had many close calls in big races over the decades; perhaps the most memorable was in the 1996 Kentucky Derby when Lukas’ Thunder Gulch nosed out Cavonnier, Baffert’s first Derby starter.
Baffert, 72, has 16 Triple Crown race victories – six in the Derby, eight in the Preakness Stakes, and two in the Belmont Stakes. Lukas, 89, has 15 Triple Crown race wins – four in the Derby, seven in the Preakness, and four in the Belmont.
The Sunland Park Derby may not produce a winner on the first Saturday in May, but it’s still exciting when these Hall of Famers go nose to nose in a horse race.
Spenard was fifth, followed by Remember Big Jim and Smash It. Mckinzie Street was scratched.
Earlier on the card, trainer Steve Asmussen completed a big weekend after his two 3-year-old fillies – Runnin N Gunnin ($13.80) and Enchanting -- ran 1-2 in the $250,000 Sunland Park Oaks, a Kentucky Oaks (G1) qualifier with 20-10-6-4-2 to the first five finishers. Asmussen also trains Magnitude.
The writing team at US Racing is comprised of both full-time and part-time contributors with expertise in various aspects of the Sport of Kings.
