Bob Baffert wins pick four at Hollywood Park

Some days are better than others. And then there was Bob Baffert’s day at Hollywood Park.

The Hall of Fame trainer, known for his coiffed white hair and clever banter, not only won Saturday’s $750,000 CashCall Futurity with a horse that has to be considered a serious Kentucky Derby contender, but he won three other races.

And all with 2-year-olds.

It was the first time Baffert has ever won four races in one day at Hollywood Park. And you have to go back to his days a lifetime ago as a quarter horse trainer when he won four races with 2-year-olds.

“It’s nice to have young horses,” Baffert said in the winner’s circle, looking as relaxed as his horse Lookin At Lucky did in winning the featured race.

Lookin At Lucky looks to be Southern California’s best shot at a Kentucky Derby winner, something that hasn’t happened in a while. You have to go back to 2004 when Giacomo won this race and followed it up five months later with a win in America’s favorite horse race.

Baffert tried to downplay Lookin At Lucky’s future on the first Saturday in May.

“When they go 1 1/8 [miles] that’s when you know you have a Derby horse,” Baffert said. Saturday’s race was 1 1/16 miles and the Kentucky Derby is 1 1/4 miles.

Garrett Gomez rode Lookin At Lucky to an effortless three-quarter-length win. The horse broke smartly from the No. 1 gate and stalked stablemate The Program for three quarters of a mile before edging in front. Gomez never really asked the horse and never went to the whip.

“We’ve got to get him where he puts his competition away and sprints to the wire,” Gomez said. “He’s full of talent and I’m getting more excited about him.”

Baffert also recognized the race as pretty easy.

“He didn’t have to do a lot,” Baffert said. “He just sat there and cruised around. He was in a good spot the whole way. He just keeps getting better and better.”

Lookin At Lucky was pretty good in last month’s Breeders’ Cup Juvenile at Santa Anita, overcoming a bad post (13) to finish second by a head to Vale Of York. It was his only loss in five races, including two Grade I wins.

Baffert said Lookin At Lucky may ship out for his next race and mentioned both Oaklawn in Arkansas or New York but said he’s always changing his mind. He also came short of saying that California’s controversial synthetic racing surface would factor into the decision.

The Hollywood Park surface, of the three major Southern California tracks, is considered the one that most approximates dirt. of The Kentucky Derby is run over a dirt surface at Churchill Downs.

The road to the Derby usually contains two prep races. The Santa Anita Derby in April is the major one in Southern California.

“I’ve got a lot of young horses and I’ve got to spread them out,” Baffert said.

Among those is Tiz Chrome, who won Saturday’s $50,000 Stuka Stakes by four lengths.

“He’s a real serious horse, real serious,” Baffert said.

His other two 2-year-old winners were Quiet Invader in a maiden race (“I think he’s probably a sprinter,” Baffert said.) and Clutch Player in another maiden race. (“He wants the turf.”)

It was Baffert’s fifth win in this end-of-season Futurity. He also won with Pioneerof The Nile (2008), Point Given (2000), Captain Steve (1999) and Real Quiet (1997). Real Quiet went on to win the Kentucky Derby and Preakness, Point Given the Preakness and Belmont.

john.cherwa@latimes.com