Gimme Da Lute Brings Class to Real Good Deal

After back-to-back wins in the Affirmed Stakes (gr. III) and Los Alamitos Derby (gr. II), Bob Baffert felt he had many options for Gimme Da Lute's next start when he took his string south to Del Mar.



After considering several different races, however, the Hall of Fame trainer landed on the $200,000 Real Good Deal Stakes for California-bred or sired 3-year-olds at Del Mar Aug. 2, the same day stablemate American Pharoah will run in the $1.75 million William Hill Haskell Invitational (gr. I) at Monmouth Park.



With a significant class advantage and large purse for California-breds through the Golden State Series, why not keep the son of Midnight Lute  —owned by Karl Watson, Mike Pegram, and Paul Weitman—home for a race in which he'll be heavily favored?



"When I first got him down here, I was thinking of taking him to the West Virginia Derby (gr. II), or throwing him on the plane with Pharoah to run in the Haskell, but he didn't work as well as I wanted him to," Baffert said of Gimme Da Lute's first Del Mar breeze July 22, covering five furlongs in 1:00 3/5. "Then, the other day, he worked (in :58 4/5), so we'll just run him here."



Baffert does have concerns, however, about how Gimme Da Lute might handle the Del Mar dirt, which he's described as "deep and tiring," and how he'll take to the seven-furlong distance of the Real Good Deal. Both the Los Alamitos Derby and Affirmed were two-turn races and Baffert wasn't pleased with the way Gimme Da Lute ran his most recent one-turn race, when third in the Chick Lang Stakes at Pimlico Race Course May 16.



"Last time at one turn, he didn't run up to how I thought he would," Baffert said. "He likes fast (tracks), like Santa Anita and Los Al. He's doing well, but (Del Mar) hasn't been like that."



Gimme Da Lute figures to have a stalking pace in the Real Good Deal, breaking from the outside post in the field of six with jockey Martin Garcia, who has ridden him to all four of his victories. Victor Espinoza rode Gimme Da Lute in the Chick Lang.



He'll likely sit off speedy stakes winner Richard's Boy, who drew the rail with jockey Fernando Perez for trainer Peter Miller. Richard's Boy last won the Desert Code Stakes on Santa Anita's downhill turf course May 2, but faded to 11th after setting the pace in the longer Snow Chief Stakes on the Santa Anita grass May 23.



Neveradoubt, who won the 1 1/8-mile Snow Chief by a half-length, is also in the Real Good Deal field. The son of Decarchy   regressed in his first start after the stakes win, when he was sixth in a 1 1/4-mile allowance/optional claiming race on the grass, but came back strong with a commanding 8 1/2-length victory in an off-the-turf allowance/optional claiming event at Del Mar July 18.



Grazen Sky is the only other stakes winner in the field, along with recent allowance/optional claiming winners Rocko's Wheel and Smack Talk.