LEXINGTON, Ky. – Anothertwistafate drew post 4 in a field of 10 3-year-olds for the Lexington Stakes, a Kentucky Derby points race on Saturday that most likely will determine whether the colt makes the 20-horse cutoff for the May 4 Derby.
The Grade 3, $200,000 Lexington will share top billing Saturday at Keeneland with the $350,000 Jenny Wiley, the last of four Grade 1 races at the 16-day spring meet.
Let’s get to the points.
The long and winding road that leads to the Kentucky Derby on May 4 began with the Iroquois at Churchill Downs last Sept. 15 and concludes Saturday with the Arkansas Derby at Oaklawn and the Lexington at Keeneland. Those two races are the final chances for horses to earn enough points to make the field, and the likes of Anothertwistafate, in the Lexington, and Country House, in the Arkansas Derby, are being wheeled back on short rest to try to get in, because if the series ended now, they’d be out.
Parx Racing recently honored its best performers of 2018. Aztec Sense was the Bensalem, Pa., track’s Horse of the Year and top older male. Claimed by owner Joseph Besecker and trainer Jorge Navarro for $12,500 in August 2017, Aztec Sense went 8 for 8 in 2018. He won three $100,000 stakes at Parx and the $196,000 Claiming Crown Jewel at Gulfstream Park.
Scott Lake’s stable has been on a tear, going 16 for 48 (33 percent) at Parx Racing, Laurel Park, and Penn National since March 18. His hot streak comes at an opportune time since as of Wednesday morning he is six victories shy of becoming the sixth trainer in Thoroughbred history to win 6,000 races.
The other members of the 6,000-win club are the late Dale Baird (9,445 wins), Steve Asmussen (8,389), Jerry Hollendorfer (7,590), the late Jack Van Berg (6,523), and King Leatherbury (6,501).
Trainer Joe Orseno was still on Cloud 9 upon returning to South Florida late Monday morning, less than 48 hours after his turf sprint star Imprimis overcame a poor start to register an eye-catching victory in the Grade 2 Shakertown on Saturday at Keeneland.
LEXINGTON, Ky. – It’ll be hard to surpass the drama and excitement of the first Saturday of the meet, when 34,775 crammed Keeneland for the Blue Grass and four other graded stakes, but surely another huge crowd will turn out this Saturday when the Grade 1 Jenny Wiley and the Grade 3 Lexington are among four stakes on the card.
LEXINGTON, Ky. – The second half of the Keeneland spring stakes schedule will get under way Friday when a pair of races led by the Grade 1 Maker’s 46 Mile anchors a terrific 10-race card.
Delta Prince, in from New York after wintering in Florida, could be favored in a field of eight older turf horses in the $300,000 Maker’s 46, a longstanding key race in the division.
HOT SPRINGS, Ark. – Jockey Luis Saez will have the mount on Whitmore in the Grade 3, $500,000 Count Fleet Sprint Handicap on Saturday at Oaklawn, with Ricardo Santana Jr. committing to Mitole, trainer Ron Moquett said Saturday. Grade 1 winner Whitmore has been made the 123-pound highweight for the Count Fleet and Mitole is second on the weight list at 121.
Whitmore worked first set Saturday, going a half-mile in company in a bullet 48 seconds. He was situated along the rail. Clockers had his final quarter in 23 seconds and timed him galloping out five furlongs in 1:00.80.
HOT SPRINGS, Ark. – Oaklawn leading trainer Steve Asmussen had a large contingent of workers out Monday morning, with a number of those runners prepping for stakes during the Racing Festival of the South.
It was a sunny morning with temperatures in the 60s and the sealed track was listed as muddy.
