First Mission has stakes-debut victory in Lexington
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LEXINGTON, Ky. - Trainer Brad Cox began the morning in darkness, working Kentucky Derby hopefuls including Arkansas Derby winner Angel of Empire at Churchill Downs. He ended the day picking up a Preakness Stakes hopeful as First Mission, in his stakes debut, won the Grade 3, $400,000 Lexington Stakes in the evening sunshine at Keeneland.
"We're very fortunate to have a very, very good group of horses and great owners," Cox said. "This is why we get up seven days a week and do this and put so much time and effort into it. Moments like this are exactly why."
The Lexington was the final race awarding points toward the Kentucky Derby on the system used by Churchill Downs to determine the 20-horse field for the May 6 classic, granting those points to the race's top finishers on a 20-8-6-4-2 scale. With a high points cutoff looming this year, The 20 points First Mission ($6.38) earned for his half-length victory will not be enough to make the gate, and Cox and owner-breeder Godolphin indicated that they will consider the second jewel of the Triple Crown on May 20 at Pimlico.
Arabian Lion, who held second after setting the pace in the Lexington, is not eligible for the Derby and therefore vacates the eight points for the runner-up, as trainer Bob Baffert is banned from participating in this year's race; he is in the second year of a two-year suspension issued by Churchill after the late Medina Spirit's medication positive following his first-place finish in the 2021 Derby.
“I was happy with his effort, but not sure about Preakness,” Baffert said via text following the Lexington.
Disarm, who finished second in the Grade 2 Louisiana Derby on March 25, ran on for third in the Lexington and now has a total of 46 points, enough to put him among the top 20 Derby hopefuls. Owner-breeder Ron Winchell said Disarm's Derby status will be evaluated in the coming days as he and trainer Steve Asmussen's team assess how the colt emerged from this effort.
"We have the option of going," Winchell said. "It looked like he had a little problem in the first turn, and then Keeneland's tough when you come down the stretch if you're not well positioned. We'll see how he comes out of this race. We've always thought a mile and a quarter would be fine for him."
Disarm's movement up the points leaderboard bumps Jace's Road - also trained by Cox - out of the current top 20. If there are any defections from the Derby lineup over the next three weeks, Jace's Road, Skinner, Cyclone Mischief, Major Dude, and Mandarin Hero would be next-positioned to move into the field, in that order.
While those scenarios for the spring classics play out, however, it was First Mission who got his first big moment in the sun on Saturday. The Street Sense colt was second on debut Feb. 18 at Fair Grounds sprinting six furlongs, beaten three-quarters of a length by next-out winner Bishops Bay. He bounced out for a front-running 6 3/4-length maiden victory on March 18 when stretched out to 1 1/16 miles.
In Saturday's Lexington, also at 1 1/16 miles, First Mission and Luis Saez sat kindly back in third early. Arabian Lion, making his first start since finishing fourth in the Grade 3 Robert B. Lewis on Feb. 4 at Santa Anita, got away to a clear lead from the outside post in the field of 11, and was allowed to set moderate early fractions of 24.12 seconds for the opening quarter, 48.01 for the half, and 1:12.48 for six furlongs under Irad Ortiz Jr.
First Mission kicked into gear along the inside to reel-in the leader approaching the quarter pole. As the two straightened into the stretch, Arabian Lion, who was late changing leads while being urged right-handed, put First Mission in tight quarters along the rail. First Mission held his ground and edged away in the final stages to his half-length win.
“He was tested out there today,” Godolphin representative Michael Banahan said. “He had to be brave to do that. I think he passed a lot of tests today – especially a class test and bravery test. He showed a lot of character, and we’re very proud of him.”
The final time was 1:43.74 on the fast main track.
The top two were 4 1/4 lengths clear of the field. Disarm, who was sixth after the opening half, worked his way to a clear third in the stretch, then held that position by three-quarters of a length over Denington, who rallied after he was away a step slowly.
After Denington came Demolition Duke, Prairie Hawk, Empirestrikesfast, Baseline Beater, Reinvest, and Curly Larry and Mo.
Meanwhile, First Mission became the latest graded stakes-performing 3-year-old for the Cox barn, which houses Derby candidates Angel of Empire, Hit Show, Verifying, and Jace’s Road, and Kentucky Oaks hopefuls Wet Paint, Botanical, The Alys Look, and Punchbowl.
“We’ve always thought he’d be a horse that could be his best around two turns,” Cox said. “Maybe even farther than this today. … A mile and three-sixteenths? Maybe. We’ll see.”
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