Derby-winning jockey Leon a presence on Lone Star Million Day card

Kentucky Derby-winning jockey Sonny Leon will attempt to add the Texas Derby to his list of 3-year-old stakes victories this month. He has been named to ride Fowler Blue in the $300,000 race that will be run next Monday at Lone Star Park.

Leon has two other mounts on the card, which is called Lone Star Million Day. It consists of six stakes and is a Memorial Day fixture at Lone Star. Entries were taken Monday.

Leon also has been named on Tesoro in the Grade 3, $400,000 Steve Sexton Mile and Bob’s Bad Boy in the $100,000 Chamberlain Bridge Stakes.

The mounts will be the first at Lone Star for Leon, who won the Kentucky Derby aboard Rich Strike on May 7. His agent, Jeff Perrin, confirmed the Lone Star mounts to Daily Racing Form.

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Perrin said the trip to Texas began to come together when Fowler Blue’s ownership inquired about Leon riding the horse, who is trained by Doug O’Neill. Fowler Blue races for William Branch. Earlier this year, Fowler Blue was fourth in the Grade 3 Sunland Park Derby.

The Million Day stakes will make up the final six races on a 12-race card that starts at 1:40 p.m. Central.

The Texas Derby is the 11th race. It drew eight for the 1 1/16-mile stakes. The field from the rail with riders is: Strike Hard, Jose Alvarez; Win the Day, Reylu Gutierrez; Presidential, Isaac Castillo; King Ottoman, Stewart Elliott; Flower Blue, Leon; Got Thunder, Victor Espinoza; Cover Me Up, Florent Geroux; and A.P.’s Secret, Edwin Gonzalez.

The Steve Sexton Mile for 3-year-olds and up goes as race 12. The 10-horse field from the rail with riders is: Rated R Superstar, Reylu Gutierrez; Tesoro, Leon; Mine That Star, Kelsi Purcell; Sheriff Brown, Leandro Goncalves; Elector, Victor Espinoza; Mish, Edwin Gonzalez; Popular Kid, Jose Alvarez; Flash of Mischief, Ry Eikleberry; and Silver Prospector, Stewart Elliott.

The first stakes on the card is the Chamberlain Bridge, which goes as the seventh. Leon and Bob’s Bad Boy will break from post 5 in the field of seven that includes Archidust.

Empire of Gold meets Mr Money Bags in the $100,000 Speightstown Sprint. A group of eight fillies and mares clash in the $100,000 Memorial Day Sprint and nine fillies and mares go a mile on turf in the $200,000 Ouija Board Distaff.

The long-range weather forecast for Memorial Day is for a high of 88 degrees and a 25 percent chance of precipitation, according to AccuWeather.