Trio of recent maiden winners step up in Lexington Stakes
LEXINGTON, Ky. – Three of the main contenders are fresh off maiden victories, which seems to say plenty about the 34th running of the Grade 3 Lexington Stakes on Saturday.
Ten eligibility points to the May 2 Kentucky Derby will be awarded to the winner of the $250,000 Lexington, a 1 1/16-mile race that anchors an 11-race card at Keeneland. Those points, however, are likely to go unused, given that the cutoff mark to make the 20-horse Derby field appears destined to be beyond what can be accumulated by any of the seven 3-year-olds in a collectively unaccomplished field.
Divining Rod, with 10, and Tiznow R J, with seven, are the only Lexington starters to have earned Derby points. Divining Rod, a Lael Stables homebred, might be a lukewarm favorite in this field when breaking from post 1 with Julien Leparoux aboard.
The last-out maiden winners all come from top stables and figure to take solid play in what shapes up as a well-matched wagering event. They are Comfort, Fame and Power, and Donworth.
As for the others, Henry Jones wheels back 10 days after a first-level optional-claiming triumph at Oaklawn Park, Tiznow R J makes his fourth straight start in a graded race, and Quimet adds blinkers after being badly beaten in the Florida Derby two weeks ago.
The Lexington is carded as the 10th race and the last of four stakes, the others being the Ben Ali (race 5), Giant’s Causeway (race 7), and Jenny Wiley (race 9). First post is 12:35 p.m. Eastern, a half-hour earlier than usual, with the Lexington set for 5:18.
The Lexington and Jenny Wiley will be part of The Jockey Club Tour on FOX Sports 1 telecast (4:30-5:30).
After several days of occasional heavy rain, the forecast for Saturday is a beauty: sunny skies and a high of 65.
KEY CONTENDERS
Divining Rod (Last 3 Beyers: 85-93-67)
◗ He wore bar shoes when finishing third behind Carpe Diem in the March 7 Tampa Bay Derby but will be back in regular racing plates Saturday, according to trainer Arnaud Delacour. “He’s training very well, and we’re excited to run him again,” he said.
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Comfort (Last 3 Beyers: 83-67-72)
◗ He was acquired privately by Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners from his last race, a Feb. 12 maiden romp at Fair Grounds, and turned over to Todd Pletcher, who has sent the Indian Charlie colt through a series of solid workouts at his Palm Beach Downs base in south Florida.
DRF FORMULATOR FACT: No. 2 Comfort. Trainer Todd Pletcher is 30-4-4-5 with a $0.55 ROI over the past five years in graded stakes in the first start following a trainer switch; 7-0-0-1 in dirt routes. Click for more details. – Mike Hogan
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Fame and Power (Last 3 Beyers: 93-77-60)
◗ This Juddmonte Farms colt has been sent here by trainer Bob Baffert after suddenly breaking loose with a March 8 maiden romp at Santa Anita when getting first-time Lasix in what was his fifth career start and his only appearance so far at 3.
DRF FORMULATOR FACT: No. 6 Fame and Power. Trainer Bob Baffert is 14-6-1-1 with a $4.88 ROI over the past two years with horses trying a route for the first time in a graded stakes race. Click for more details. – Mike Hogan
Donworth (Beyer: 76)
◗ Despite a nightmare trip in his lone start, this highly touted Tiznow colt still was able to emerge victorious. Trainer Graham Motion entered him in a first-level allowance here Thursday before scratching him in favor of something more ambitious.
DRF FORMULATOR FACT: No. 7 Donworth. Trainer Graham Motion is 30-3-6-5 with a $0.66 ROI over the past two years in the second career start following a winning debut (10-0-0-1 on dirt). Click for more details. – Mike Hogan