The $400,000-dollar, Lexington Stakes is Saturday at Keeneland. The race usually provides a 3-year-old with a way to catapult into the Kentucky Derby in the 24th hour of qualifying – but not this year.
The Lexington offers 20 qualifying points to the winning horse, but none of the horses entered have accrued enough points to crack the 50 or more needed to run in the Derby even if they were to win.
So, while ultimately not being a Derby prep race, the contest should still offer some betting value, and perhaps a glimpse at a Preakness or Belmont Stakes contender,
Here is a look at the field:
1. CORONA DE ORO [ML 6-1] Jockey: Brian Hernandez. Trainer: Dallas Stewart. Comes in off a convincing Maiden win in his fourth start. Seemingly a lot to ask here, but his two races this year earned good speed figures. Can he handle the step-up in class?
2. EXHIBITION ONLY [ML 10-1] Jockey: Ruben Silvera. Trainer: Rudy Rodriguez. Ran 4th in the Gotham Stakes at Aqueduct and it doesn’t appear that the added distance will help him. Pass.
3. DECISIVE WIN [ML 15-1] Jockey: Antonio Fresu. Trainer: Doug O’Neill. A bit of a head-scratcher. He debuts with a 4th-place finish in a 6 ½-furlong Maiden race at Santa Anita with a so-so time and then his connections want to try a two-turn Graded Stakes on the other side of the country? Workouts are solid but still…
4. ENFORCED AGENDA [ML 10-1] Jockey: Javier Castellano. Trainer: George Weaver. After a promising debut win, he garnered some buzz in the January 3rd Jerome Stakes at Aqueduct. He ran 3rd in the Jerome and hasn’t raced since then. Works are good, he merits some attention.
5. MISTER T [ML 30-1] Jockey: Mitchell Murrill. Trainer: Climaco Galindo-Torres. Might be a longshot play for The A-Team and Rocky fans. He is undefeated on dirt but has only faced Indiana-Breds and the winning times were slow. Hasn’t raced since November. Pity the fools who believe he can win.
6. RAMBLIN [ML 20-1] Jockey: Mario Gutierrez. Trainer: Bobby Barnett. Has won one of nine starts and eight were on turf. Was beaten by almost 13 lengths in his lone dirt race. Hard pass.
7. THE HELL WE DID [ML 8-1] Jockey: Luis Saez. Trainer: Todd Fincher. Turned in a monster Maiden win at Sunland Park in his 3-year-old debut. Has a trainer who knows how to develop a quality racehorse. Works are sharp. Considering his trainer does not ship East too often, deserves a long look at a price.
8. TREND SETTER [ML 20-1] Jockey: Kazushi Kimura. Trainer: Ben Colebrook. His best effort was on an all-weather surface. Has two wins in three tries on dirt but the speed figures are nothing to get excited about. His connections seem overly ambitious putting him in this spot.
9. EZUM [ML 2-1] Jockey: Flavien Prat. Trainer: Brad Cox. Which horse shows up on Saturday? He debuted in February at Gulfstream Park at 14-1 odds and was beaten by 24 ½ lengths. Came back at Colonial Down and was sent off at even-money odds and won by 19 ½ lengths! Prat was in the saddle for that win so…contender, perhaps?
10. CONFESSIONAL [ML 7-2] Jockey: Irad Ortiz Jr. Trainer: Brad Cox. Has been facing the top 3-year-olds, so he gets a bit of class relief. Can definitely make his presence felt in this field.
11. I DID I DID [ML 10-1] Jockey: Juan Hernandez. Trainer: Mike Maker. Missed by a neck last out in a Colonial Downs Allowance optional claimer. Was 7th in the Remsen Stakes but ran 4th in the Street Sense Stakes. Warrants some attention but the outside post dampens the enthusiasm.
The Lexington Stakes is listed as race 10 on a card of 11 with a scheduled Post Time of 5:50.
Best of luck however you play it.
