Henshin Hero ready to stretch out in derby

GRAND PRAIRIE, Texas - One of the most talented 3-year-olds from the recent Oaklawn Park meet has yet to race around two turns, but that will change on Saturday. Henshin Hero will likely make his next start in the Grade 3, $200,000 Lone Star Derby, his trainer, Bret Calhoun, said Tuesday.

Henshin Hero is expected to face a small field in the 1 1/16-mile race, which will share a card with a pair of $100,000 divisions of the Texas Stallion Stakes.

Henshin Hero wired back-to-back allowance fields at Oaklawn in February and March. The first score came against fellow 3-year-olds, when he drew out by more than seven lengths while covering six furlongs in 1:10. A month later, Henshin Hero trumped himself, easily defeating older horses in 1:09.60.

From there he was set to go two turns in the $75,000 Northern Spur, but the race did not fill. It was to have been part of the undercard of the Grade 1, $1 million Arkansas Derby.

"I was very excited about running him in the Northern Spur," Calhoun said. "I thought it was a good spot, the mile. This is going to be a little further, but [while] he's a very fast horse, he doesn't seem to be a rank horse. He's got a high cruising speed. We'll see if he can go that far."

Henshin Hero earned a pair of 94 Beyer Speed Figures for his wins at Oaklawn. A son of Dance Master, he races for Cheyenne Stable and is one of three notable 3-year-olds Calhoun will be running Saturday at Lone Star.

Coyote Legend, who has won stakes in his last four starts, is set for the Stymie division of the Stallion Stakes at 1 1/16 miles. Coyote Legend won the $50,000 Premiere over older Texas-breds at Lone Star in his last start April 8, and before that took the $125,000 Jim's Orbit division of the Stallion Stakes at Sam Houston. Tin Top Cat, another multiple stakes winner for Calhoun, is on deck for the Got Koko fillies division of the Stallion Stakes.