Gimme Da Lute Game In Affirmed Victory
Gimme Da Lute pulls clear to win the Affirmed Stakes
Gimme Da Lute fought a heated stretch battle with favored Prospect Park and won, pulling away to score in Sunday's Grade 3, $100,000 Affirmed Stakes at Santa Anita Park.
Trained by Bob Baffert, who captured the Triple Crown a day before with American Pharoah, Gimme Da Lute came into the Affirmed off a pair of third-place finishes, beaten six lengths in each of those finishes. The 3-year-old colt is a homebred for owners Mike Pegram, Karl Watson, and Paul Weitman.
Jockey Martin Garcia kept Gimme Da Lute off a sharp but not sizzling pace set by Om, then put in a challenge rounding the far turn to take the lead away. Prospect Park loomed the danger to his outside but ultimately gave way in the late stages of the race, finishing second. Om and Cyrus Alexander rounded out the full order of finish.
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Final time was 1:41.40 for a mile and a sixteenth after fractions of :23.54, :46.51, and 1:10.57
Gimme Da Lute is a California-bred son of Midnight Lute out of Casino Gold, by Proud Citizen. He has three victories in six lifetime starts.
