3-Year-Olds Vie for Kentucky Derby Points in Lexington

With a purse of $400,000, the Stonestreet Lexington Stakes (G3) will have its richest renewal of 40 editions April 16 at Keeneland. This year, it also provides the final attempt to earn qualifying points toward the May 7 Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve (G1) at Churchill Downs.

In years past the Arkansas Derby (G1) also fell on the same day as the Lexington, three weeks out from the Derby, but not in 2022, with Oaklawn Park repositioning the Arkansas Derby and its other 3-year-old races earlier in the calendar. So the 34 points up for grabs in the Lexington are precious, potentially needed to secure entry into the Derby, which can oversubscribe beyond its 20-horse maximum field size.  

Horses finishing first through fourth in the Lexington garner points on a 20-8-4-2 basis.

Of the 11 horses entered in the 1 1/16-mile Lexington, only Tawny Port  (40 points) currently has sufficient points to make the Run for the Roses. Defections in the weeks leading up to the race, which historically occur, could allow a starter to gain entrance with a point total in the 30s or 20s.

In Due Time  (20 points), Ethereal Road  (20), Call Me Midnight  (10), Dash Attack  (10), and Major General  (10) have points but likely need more.

While Peachtree Stable's Tawny Port may not need the points to make the Derby, he may need to run well on dirt in the Lexington to justify continuing into the Triple Crown series. His three most competitive races from four starts all came on the synthetic Tapeta surface at Turfway Park, the most recent being a second in the April 2 Jeff Ruby Steaks (G3). He ran fifth in the Feb. 19 Risen Star Stakes Presented by Lamarque Ford (G2) in his lone dirt appearance at Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots against three of the leaders of the 3-year-old division in Epicenter , Smile Happy , and Zandon .

Florent Geroux rides the Pioneerof the Nile  colt, who returns on two weeks rest for trainer Brad Cox. Geroux and Cox teamed to win the 2019 Lexington with Owendale , who ran third in the Preakness (G1) that year in a follow-up start.

Returning even quicker than Tawny Port is Julie Gilbert and Aaron Sones' Ethereal Road, seventh in last week's Toyota Blue Grass Stakes (G1) for trainer D. Wayne Lukas. Earlier this spring, he ran second in the Feb. 26 Rebel Stakes (G2) at Oaklawn.

Lukas is a four-time Lexington winner. His 1999 victor, Charismatic, took that year's Run for the Roses and later the Preakness before his career ended with an injury sustained in finishing third in the Belmont Stakes (G1). Charismatic and 1984 Lexington runner-up Swale are the only Lexington participants to take the Derby.

Victor Espinoza picks up the mount on Ethereal Road.

Other Lexington-winning trainers with starters in Saturday's race include Todd Pletcher (Major General), Kenny McPeek (Dash Attack), and Keith Desormeaux (Call Me Midnight). All three horses are stakes winners over a route of ground.

Peter Cantrell and Benjamin Gase's Call Me Midnight is the only colt to have beaten Epicenter, one of the early Derby favorites, since the fall. He nipped him by a head in the Lecomte Stakes (G3) Jan. 22 at Fair Grounds, and then after sitting out the Risen Star, finished a non-threatening sixth behind him in the March 26 Twinspires.com Louisiana Derby (G2).

"We have only run him twice this year and we were planning on the Derby being his third race back. It didn't work out that way," said Desormeaux. "We'll see if this race can prove if he's Derby quality. If not, we'll just redirect him."

James Graham will pilot the late-running son of Midnight Lute   from the far outside, post 11, in the Lexington. Like other 1 1/16-mile dirt races at Keeneland, the Lexington begins and ends at the track's sixteenth pole.

Edge Racing, Medallion Racing, and Parkland Thoroughbreds' In Due Time seemingly drew better in post 2. Trainer Kelly Breen chose to give the 3-year-old son of Not This Time   more recovery time following his runner-up finish in the March 5 Fasig-Tipton Fountain of Youth Stakes (G2) at Gulfstream Park, skipping the April 2 Curlin Florida Derby Presented by Hill 'n' Dale Farms at Xalapa (G1) and April 9 Blue Grass Stakes in recent weeks.

Paco Lopez, suspended 14 days for careless riding in the Fountain of Youth, a race in which two jockeys were unseated from their mounts, returns in the irons aboard In Due Time. Gulfstream Park stewards made no change to the order of finish.

Major General, winner of the Iroquois Stakes (G3) at Churchill in September but last of 10 in his season debut in the Lambholm South Tampa Bay Derby (G2) March 12 in his comeback, adds blinkers, as does Strava , a colt stepping up from the first-level allowance optional claiming ranks.

One horse initially pointed toward the Lexington, Sunland Park Derby (G3) runner-up Bye Bye Bobby , was not entered and is no longer under consideration for the Kentucky Derby after recently developing a foot abscess, trainer Todd Fincher told Daily Racing Form.

The Lexington is the ninth race on an 11-race program at 5:16 p.m. ET, one race before the day's richest race at Keeneland, the $500,000 Jenny Wiley Stakes (G1T).

Entries: Stonestreet Lexington S. (G3)

Keeneland, Saturday, April 16, 2022, Race 9

• Grade III
• 1 1/16m
• Dirt
• $400,000
• 3 yo
• 5:16 PM (local)

PP	Horse	Jockey	Wgt	Trainer	M/L
1	1Midnight Chrome (KY)	Jose L. Ortiz	118	John C. Servis	20/1
2	2In Due Time (KY)	Paco Lopez	118	Kelly J. Breen	3/1
3	3We All See It (KY)	Luis Saez	118	Eddie Kenneally	15/1
4	4Ethereal Road (KY)	Victor Espinoza	118	D. Wayne Lukas	10/1
5	5Howling Time (KY)	Joseph Talamo	118	Dale L. Romans	15/1
6	6Skate to Heaven (KY)	David Cohen	118	Robertino Diodoro	30/1
7	7Major General (KY)	Irad Ortiz, Jr.	118	Todd A. Pletcher	4/1
8	8Strava (KY)	Tyler Gaffalione	118	Dallas Stewart	20/1
9	9Tawny Port (KY)	Florent Geroux	118	Brad H. Cox	5/2
10	10Dash Attack (KY)	Flavien Prat	120	Kenneth G. McPeek	10/1
11	11Call Me Midnight (KY)	James Graham	120	J. Keith Desormeaux	6/1