Lexington winner Owendale may head to Preakness

LEXINGTON, Ky. – The top three finishers in the Lexington Stakes on Saturday at Keeneland are all headed to Churchill Downs, but not necessarily to the Kentucky Derby.

In fact, Owendale, who earned a 98 Beyer Speed Figure with his breakthrough triumph in the Grade 3 Lexington, won’t even be bothering with the May 4 Derby. The 20 points he earned mark his initial appearance on the Derby scoreboard and wouldn’t be enough to get him into the field. Brad Cox, who trains the Into Mischief colt for the Rupp Racing of Jim Rupp, said the May 19 Preakness is under serious consideration.

For Anothertwistafate, who earned eight points as the favorite and runner-up, the Derby is tantalizingly close, as he now has 38 points, putting him 23rd on the list as of Monday. The first 20 points-earners are assured of a spot in the Derby gate, while a list of as many as four also-eligibles will be used in the program.

“He ate up good and cooled out fine, which is the main thing,” said trainer Blaine Wright, adding the Scat Daddy colt would be vanned the 72-mile distance to Louisville by mid-week. “We planned to go to Churchill no matter what, so now we’ll take a wait-and-see approach.”

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If he’s excluded from the Derby, Anothertwistafate will run in the Preakness, having earned an automatic berth by virtue of winning the El Camino Real Derby at Golden Gate Fields earlier this year.

Sueno, beaten three lengths when third behind Owendale, returned Saturday night to Churchill with Julie Clark, assistant to trainer Keith Desormeaux. The four points he earned give him a total of 32, placing him 24th on the list. Two years ago, Desormeaux had Sonneteer in the same kind of spot – he was 26th on the points list after his final prep, then inched up to 22nd on the Saturday before the race. He wound up getting in, finishing 16th behind Always Dreaming.

“We’ll keep our fingers crossed,” said Clark.

The Lexington was one of four stakes on a card that drew a throng of 34,527. The Grade 1, $350,000 Jenny Wiley, the richest race of the day, was dominated by Chad Brown, who sent out the respective 1-2-4 finishers in Rushing Fall (98 Beyer), Rymska, and Onthemoonagain. Brown said that Rushing Fall, now 7 for 8 lifetime, all for eFive Racing, could wheel back in the Grade 2 Churchill Distaff Turf Mile on the Derby undercard.

Bourbon Resolution won the Grade 3 Ben Ali and earned a 96 Beyer on Saturday. He likely goes next in the Grade 2 Alysheba on the May 3 Kentucky Oaks card. Morticia won the Giant’s Causeway and earned a 91 Beyer on Saturday. She could run next in the June 6 Intercontinental at Belmont Park.