LEXINGTON, Ky. – The Grade 3, $400,000 Lexington Stakes on Saturday at Keeneland looked to be wide open, and Trendsetter proved that right, triggering a $66.68 payout for his 2 1/4-length upset victory. Trendsetter, who is Kentucky-bred but Virginia certified, won his first two starts sprinting on dirt last summer at Colonial Downs, taking a maiden followed by the restricted Hickory Tree Stakes. He proceeded to go winless in his next five starts, all in stakes company on turf or synthetic surfaces. However, he showed an improved effort when going two turns for the first time in his most recent outing, finishing third in the Rushaway on March 21 on Turfway's Tapeta. “So this was just the logical race,” said Keeneland-based Ben Colebrook, who trains the gelding for Midway Racing. “He’s a hard-knocking horse, kept running him, and running him, and he just keeps showing up. We had talked about maybe going to the Virginia Derby with him. Thought that might be a little bit too tough, and then just thought maybe we could go here and in our own backyard where he trains. And I think that's a big deal for horses training out of their own stall.” The Hell We Did, shipping in from New Mexico to try two turns for the first time in the Lexington, pressed an honest pace set by Corona de Oro, and was about to do battle with Corona de Oro after hitting the six-furlong mark in 1:12.12. Trendsetter sat in the second flight, tracking comfortably in fourth and in the clear under Kazushi Kimura. He tipped out to the three path to engage the leaders for the final drive. The gelding ground his way past The Hell We Did and then cleared in the final yards to the wire. He stopped the clock in 1:44.51 for the 1 1/16 miles on a fast track. :: Access the most trusted data and information in horse racing! DRF Past Performances and Picks are available now. The Hell We Did held second by three-quarters of a length over Corona de Oro. After the top two, it was four lengths back to I Did I Did, nonthreatening favorite Confessional, Ezum, Mister T, Ramblin, and Exhibition Only. The Lexington was the final race this season awarding points toward the Kentucky Derby. Mathematically, with only 20 points available to the winner, it was unlikely to have an impact on the field shaping up for this year’s Derby – and it quickly became a moot point anyway, as Trendsetter is not a Triple Crown nominee. In recent years, the Lexington has been used as a steppingstone to the Preakness, and Trendsetter could be supplemented to that race for $150,000. However, immediately post-race, Colebrook indicated that wasn’t a priority. “There’s a lot of good races for 3-year-olds,” he said. “Just initially, I would say that that might be a bridge too far, but I’ll talk to the ownership group and see what they want to do. But there are all these races like the Indiana Derby, Ohio Derby, races like that, going forward, to have a lot of fun with a 3-year-old. I mean, the Triple Crown is great, but we didn't initially nominate him. But anyway, I think there are other races out there, but, I mean, we'll quietly talk about it.” :: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.