The 3-year-old colt opened the Triple Crown series in May as the favorite to win the Kentucky Derby. Instead, he finished sixth, done in by starting on the rail and getting bumped around in the early going.

“I felt like Sonny Liston, man. Where did that punch come from?’’ said co-owner Mike Pegram, so bummed he barely wanted to watch the rest of the race.

Baffert was crushed, too. Lookin At Lucky was wiped out from the experience, and the Hall of Fame trainer figured they’d head home to California.

But he waited a week at Churchill Downs and the colt perked up, so Baffert decided to bring him to Baltimore for the Preakness.

The trip paid off. Lookin At Lucky won, giving Baffert his first Triple Crown victory in eight years. The colt caught the sniffles after the race and since Baffert had no interest in running him in the grueling Belmont, he went home.

In August, Lookin At Lucky won the Haskell. But he came down with a fever that set back his training and he missed the Travers.

A year ago, he ran in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile at Santa Anita and finished second after a rough trip similar to what happened in this year’s Kentucky Derby.

Pegram jokingly called his horse Lookin At Bad Luck.

Lookin At Lucky rebounded again to win the Indiana Derby in his final tuneup for Saturday’s $5 million Classic.

“You know how lucky you got to be to get here in six months?’’ Pegram said, noting how many horses get injured or retire before year’s end. “That’s what it’s about, keeping a horse fit for a full year.’’

Lookin At Lucky is a threat to hand 19-0 Zenyatta her first loss in the 1 1/4-mile Classic on the same dirt track where he lost the Derby.

Zenyatta has yet to race at Churchill. She was scratched last Derby eve because of a sloppy track. Of the 6-year-old mare’s 19 wins, 17 came on synthetic surfaces in California and two were on dirt in Arkansas. Both times she won on dirt by the largest margins of her career — more than 4 lengths.

“The queen is the queen,’’ Pegram said. “I think she’s the best horse. I just laugh when I hear people say she’s a synthetic horse.’’

Zenyatta trained yesterday for the first time since arriving Tuesday.

“She handled the track really well,’’ trainer John Shirreffs said. “In reality, she prefers a dirt surface to a synthetic surface.’’

Lookin At Lucky has won three in a row and four of his six starts this year. Zenyatta is 5-0 this year.

Baffert was relieved to learn his horse will break from the No. 12 post on the far outside, while Zenyatta has the No. 6 spot.

“You just hope for a clean trip for everybody,’’ Pegram said. “Let them duke it out.’’