GRAND PRAIRIE, Texas – Desert Gate has been the favorite in five of his six races for trainer Bob Baffert and will again be the chalk Monday when he ships in from Southern California for the $300,000 Texas Derby at Lone Star Park. The 1 1/16-mile race is one of six stakes on Lone Star Million Day. The 12-race card is led by the richest Thoroughbred race in Texas, the Grade 3, $400,000 Steve Sexton Mile. Desert Gate is part of a cast of six that includes Chad Allan, runner-up in the $200,000 Bathhouse Row at Oaklawn Park, and Avery Place, winner of the Mine That Bird Derby at Sunland Park. Desert Gate owns the field’s best career Beyer Speed Figure, a 97. He earned it for a 9 3/4-length victory in the $200,000 Hot Springs Stakes at a mile on March 26 at Oaklawn. Desert Gate had been debated for different races upon his return home to Southern California. “We took the Lone Star route,” Baffert said. “He’s been doing well. I thought the Texas Derby would be a good spot. We’ll see what happens.” :: Access the most trusted data and information in horse racing! DRF Past Performances and Picks are available now. Baffert has won four runnings of the Texas Derby. The Hot Springs was a breakthrough kind of race for Desert Gate, a son of Omaha Beach owned by Mike Pegram, Karl Watson, and Paul Weitman. It was his first win around two turns, and it came in his second start at 3. Last year at 2, Desert Gate won the Grade 3 Best Pal over six furlongs at Del Mar. “He’s progressing,” Baffert said. “If he just keeps progressing the right way, and maybe distance, we’ll just go farther and farther and see what he does. “He’s turned into a nice horse and so we’re having fun. They’re having fun with him. It’s fun to have a horse like this. You can go on the road.” Irad Ortiz Jr. has the mount from post 5. “He’s a fast horse,” Baffert said last week. “We’re feeling optimistic about him, but he has to ship and he has to break and do all that good stuff. We’ll see.” Trainer Steve Asmussen will counter with three starters in Zilarro, the third-place finisher in the Mine That Bird Derby; Vintage Cowboy, a maiden special weight winner at Oaklawn; and Maximum Effort, a $600,000 yearling purchase by Maxfield. Chamberlain Bridge Usually Wrong will be defending his title in the $100,000 Chamberlain Bridge, a five-furlong turf sprint for 3-year-olds and up. The field of eight includes Kavod, Stonehenge, and Surveillance, who are cross-entered in the $100,000 Speightstown Sprint. Usually Wrong is 9 for 13 and is looking to rebound from a rare defeat. He exits a 12th-place finish in the Grade 2 Shakertown on April 6 at Keeneland. Prior to the race, Usually Wrong had won back-to-back turf sprints at Fair Grounds, including the Duncan F. Kenner with a Beyer of 104. He raced with the pace in the Shakertown before finishing 8 1/4 lengths back. “Actually, that race kind of left us with our mouth open because at the top of the lane, I really thought he was a winner, and the rider [did too,]” said trainer Robertino Diodoro. “He just flattened out on us. I think it goes back to the Lasix thing. He’s back on Lasix and it’s kind of showing that his better races have been with Lasix, I think that’s going to be a big plus.” Usually Wrong had to race without the diuretic due to graded stakes protocols. He is now settled in at Lone Star. “He’s been over there for a few weeks now,” Diodoro said. “He’s had a couple of good works back. He’s definitely ready to redeem himself and get back on the winning side.” Ramon Vazquez has the mount from post 5. “He’ll run on the front end and he has won sitting just off of it,” Diodoro said. “Ramon knows him quite well. It’s going to be all up to him.” Speightstown Stonehenge, who has won his last three starts by a combined margin of 20 lengths, will make his stakes debut in the $100,000 Speightstown for 3-year-olds and up over six furlongs. He is a main-track-only entry for the Chamberlain Bridge, according to his trainer, Justin Evans. “We’re kind of playing the weather card, to see what happens,” he said. “We thought it might be a good idea to cross-enter there. It’s already a bit of a short field and would get shorter if they take it off the grass. “We drew good in both spots. Right now, it’s just up to Mother Nature.” There was rain Saturday morning at Lone Star, and it’s in the forecast again for Sunday. There is a 55 percent of some thunderstorms in spots on Monday, according to AccuWeather, which calls for a high of 87 degrees. Stonehenge has made his last three starts at Sunland Park. He’s won a pair of six-furlong races in 1:07 and change, one in February and the other in March. “His last few races, he’s just thrown rapid times,” Evans said. “Last time he ran down there I think he was a tick off the track record – and won in a hand ride. “We really think a lot of him. His works have been great here. It seems like he really likes this racetrack so far. So, this will kind of show us whether he’s just really good in New Mexico, or if he’s going to be good enough to go other places. A lot will be said after this race for him.” Cristian Torres has the mount from post 5. The Speightstown will be a strong barometer of class thanks to the presence of Booth, who last year won the Grade 3 Count Fleet Sprint Handicap at Oaklawn. Memorial Day Sprint Female sprinters will be featured in the $100,000 Memorial Day Sprint at six furlongs. Mystic Lake is back to defend her title in the field of seven that includes multiple stakes winner Letta’s Legacy. Mystic Lake began a four-race stakes win streak in last year’s Memorial Day Sprint. She enters this year’s renewal off a third-place finish in the Grade 3 Vagrancy at Aqueduct. Irad Ortiz Jr. has the mount for trainer Saffie Joseph Jr. ◗ Trainer Joe Sharp has entered Fantastical, Miwa, and Vive Veuve in the $200,000 Ouija Board Distaff. ◗ Lone Star’s signal will be limited to tracks in Texas and international sites because of an ongoing impasse between the Texas Racing Commission and the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority. :: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.