My Boy Jack, Greyvitos Headline Lexington Stakes

Trainer Keith Desormeaux wants to give My Boy Jack every chance to prove himself worthy of the first leg of the Triple Crown, but he also doesn't want to fool himself. By the end of the day April 14, he figures to have both issues resolved.

It may not carry the stature it once had on the Road to the Kentucky Derby, but the $200,000 Stonestreet Lexington Stakes (G3) still serves a purpose in sorting out last-second matters. Currently occupying the 20th spot on the Kentucky Derby points leaderboard—and with the Arkansas Derby (G1) and its 170 points up for grabs on the same day—My Boy Jack will aim to prove he belongs, literally and figuratively, when he breaks from the outside post 12 in the 1 1/16-mile Lexington Stakes.

The Lexington Stakes offers 20 qualifying points to the winner toward the Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve (G1). With 32 points to his credit following a victory in the Feb. 19 Southwest Stakes (G3) and a third-place effort last time out March 24 in the Twinspires.com Louisiana Derby (G2), My Boy Jack could use the additional points (20-8-4-2 to the top four finishers) Saturday at Keeneland to move onto the right side of the standings bubble.

The Derby field is open to 20 starters but one spot already has been awarded through the European Road to the Kentucky Derby to Gronkowski. So the top 19 in the main Road to the Kentucky Derby will secure spots in the starting gate.

More importantly, he could use a win to convince his conditioner and co-owner to target the Derby.

"If I can't win the Lexington, this horse has got no business in the Derby," said Desormeaux, whose Don't Tell My Wife Stables co-owns My Boy Jack along with Sol Kumin's Monomoy Stables. "These are serious, serious horses this year, even more than in years past; I think the talent this year is off the charts. If he can't win the Lexington and do it decisively, then he has no business in the Kentucky Derby."

Desormeaux's refreshingly honest assessment of his charge has a fair amount of confidence to it as well.

A stakes winner on turf during his 2-year-old season, My Boy Jack was considered for both the Sentient Jet Breeders' Cup Juvenile (G1) and Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf (G1T) in November, with his connections opting for what they thought was the more favorable setup in the latter.

A lousy post and wide trip contributed to him finishing seventh that day. For My Boy Jack's sophomore debut, Desormeaux pushed to try him back on the dirt. He wasn't wrong in that directive as My Boy Jack finished third to grade 1 winner McKinzie during his seasonal bow in the Jan. 6 Sham Stakes (G3), then came back to score a 4 1/2-length win over a muddy (sealed) Oaklawn Park track in the Southwest Stakes.

And if Desormeaux's brother, Hall of Fame jockey Kent Desormeaux, had been a bit more patient when hitting the throttle on the son of Creative Cause  in the Louisiana Derby, the trainer believes My Boy Jack might not have hung the way he did in late stretch.

"It wasn't the fact that he went too wide. It was the speed of the move," Keith Desormeaux said. "He needed to move more gradually. In other words, he went from zero to 60 in one-eighth, and he didn't need to do that.

"I think he could have remained steady and picked up the horses as he needed to in the longest stretch, or the second-longest stretch, in the country. Kent seemed to have forgotten that fact, and that's what cost us the race. But you know, those things happen. Kent has given me more genius rides than questionable rides, so we know those things happen. We would prefer if we didn't have to run again, but, you know, I am going to look at this Lexington race as a building block, not a race that will cause us to regress."

While My Boy Jack controls his own destiny as far as getting himself into the Kentucky Derby field, graded stakes winner Greyvitos is aiming to be a force in the 3-year-old ranks down the line.

The son of Malibu Moon  showed ability breaking his maiden in the Bob Hope Stakes (G3) Nov. 11. Sandwiched between that triumph and his subsequent victory in the Dec. 17 Remington Springboard Mile Stakes was the harrowing experience of surviving the Lilac Fire that tore through San Luis Rey Downs. So when trainer Adam Kitchingman found some heat in the colt's knees after that Springboard Mile win—he ended up having a couple chips taken out—the likelihood of missing the Kentucky Derby was put into proper perspective.

"I knew it was going to be tough if we were going to make the Derby, and I knew that I had to give him the most possible time and the easiest prep race possible," Kitchingman said. "I could have opted to run in Arkansas and go for more points. I just didn't feel it was in the horse's best interest, for what he's gone through. And if it doesn't happen, it doesn't happen. But if it does, then it does."

Stonestreet Stables already has a top 3-year-old in reigning divisional champion Good Magic, but they could have a late bloomer in Mark Casse-trained Telekinesis. The son of Ghostzapper  broke his maiden by 3 1/4 lengths first time out at Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots Feb. 9 and was third last time out against elders in a 1 1/16-mile allowance test.

"I think he's a superstar," Casse said. "He broke his maiden really impressively, and then we were kind of between a rock and a hard place in that the 3-year-old allowance races weren't going in New Orleans, so we had to go to either (Oaklawn) or stay and run against older horses. We made the Lexington our goal, and to do that, we had to run against older horses, and it's nearly impossible for a 3-year-old in March to beat them. But his numbers are really good."

Entries: Stonestreet Lexington S. (G3)

Keeneland, Saturday, April 14, 2018, Race 9

• Grade III
• 1 1/16m
• Dirt
• $200,000
• 3 yo
• 5:34 PM (local)

PP	Horse	Jockey	Wgt	Trainer	M/L
1	1Battle At Sea (LA)	Kendrick Carmouche	118	Michael J. Maker	8/1
2	2Telekinesis (ON)	Javier Castellano	118	Mark E. Casse	4/1
3	3Seven Trumpets (KY)	Robby Albarado	118	Dale L. Romans	8/1
4	4Honor Up (NY)	Jose L. Ortiz	118	William I. Mott	12/1
5	5Magicalmeister (KY)	John McKee	118	James K. Chapman	20/1
6	6Greyvitos (VA)	Joel Rosario	120	Adam Kitchingman	6/1
7	7Pony Up (KY)	John R. Velazquez	118	Todd A. Pletcher	6/1
8	8Gracida (LA)	Julien R. Leparoux	118	Doug F. O'Neill	12/1
9	9Navy Armed Guard (KY)	David Delgado	118	Joan Scott	20/1
10	10Zanesville (KY)	James Graham	118	Thomas M. Amoss	20/1
11	11Arched Feather (KY)	Victor Lebron	118	Edward Harrison Frederick	20/1
12	12My Boy Jack (KY)	Kent J. Desormeaux	120	J. Keith Desormeaux	5/2