Trainer Bob Baffert has won the Kentucky Derby three times in history and he is going to have two contenders in Kentucky Derby odds this year. Both of his horses are training well and should get some support in Kentucky Derby betting.
Kentucky Derby odds list Lookin at Lucky as the second choice behind the favored Eskendereya while Conveyance has double-digit odds. Baffert is very happy with both of his horses. Lookin At Lucky worked five furlongs in :59 3/5 seconds under exercise rider Dana Barnes. “He went really nice over the track,” Baffert said. “She had a lot of horse, and he was really reaching. He looked comfortable on the track.” Lookin at Lucky seems to be taking very well to the track at Churchill Downs. “He has gotten stronger and stronger since he got here,” Baffert said. “He got a good blow but without really exhausting him. I liked what I saw.”
Baffert’s other entry in Kentucky Derby odds is Conveyance with last year’s winning jockey Calvin Borel. He worked five furlongs in :58 3/5 seconds and went pretty fast. “That’s OK because he needed that,” Baffert said. “That will sharpen him up. He’s a fast horse.” Conveyance will probably go under the radar a bit since Baffert’s other entry is Lookin at Lucky. That could give Conveyance some value as he is likely to go off at 20-1 or more in the Kentucky Derby. Calvin Borel proved last year that he can ride longshots to victory as he rode Mine That Bird to a shocking victory at odds of 50-1. Conveyance looks to be the same type of horse so an upset is not out of the question in Kentucky Derby betting.
Both of Baffert’s horses have been training at Santa Anita’s synthetic Pro-Ride track so getting them to Churchill Downs early was important. “I just want to see how they handle it when they work,” he said. “They’re coming from synthetic, so I just want to get them that extra stroll through there to get used to it because, you know, it’s different. It’s totally different from what they’re used to. I think we’ll sharpen them up for the next work.” Lookin at Lucky will race in the Derby without blinkers. “You learn more from your losses than your wins, so I’m taking the blinkers off him,” Baffert said. “He doesn’t need blinkers. The thought was he needed a target, because he’d make the lead. But he’s going to have plenty of targets in the Derby with all those horses in there. I think it’ll settle him a little bit.”