With the defection of Jaycito, the six-horse field drawn Wednesday for Saturday’s $200,000 Lexington has only one real Derby possibility, and that is Silver Medallion, fourth as the favorite in the Santa Anita Derby.
Trainer Neil Howard failed to produce a Kentucky Derby starter from his top early-sesaon prospects Machen and Wilkinson. He will run Prime Cut in Saturday's Coolmore Lexington Stakes at Keeneland, but says the Preakness, not the Derby, is the more likely target if his horse runs well.
Trainer Kathleen O'Connell reported Tuesday that her Tampa Bay Derby winner Watch Me Go will run in the Kentucky Derby on if he has enough graded earnings to get into the field.
Fountain of Youth winner Soldat has a half-mile work penciled in for Thursday morning at Palm Meadows.
It is looking increasingly doubtful that Jaycito will make his scheduled appointment in Saturday’s Grade 2, $200,000 Lexington Stakes at Keeneland. Bob Baffert, his trainer, on Tuesday said he would “make the call” on Wednesday regarding Jaycito’s participation in the Lexington. However, Baffert already has told Martin Garcia, Jaycito’s rider, to be at Hollywood Park on Saturday, rather than Keeneland.
After losing seven photos this winter at Gulfstream Park, trainer Tom Albertrani finally got a tight finish that went his way when Brilliant Speed got up by a nose in last Saturday's Blue Grass Stakes at Keeneland.
LEXINGTON, Ky. – Shy of earnings to make the Kentucky Derby field as things stand now, Silver Medallion had his first breeze since returning to Churchill Downs when going an easy half-mile Monday morning in 51.40 seconds, a move that might well have moved trainer Steve Asmussen closer to running the colt Saturday in the Grade 3 Coolmore Lexington Stakes at Keeneland.
