Saturday’s $200,000, Grade 3
Lexington
Stakes serves as a final opportunity for Silver Medallion to earn his way into the Kentucky Derby (G1) on May 7. Currently 24th
on the graded earnings list at $184,334, Silver Medallion would easily vault
into the top 20 with Saturday’s $120,000 winner’s share, but he will first have
to get past five rivals in the 1 1/16-mile event on Keeneland’s Polytrack.
Silver Medallion didn’t fare well when seventh in the 2010 Breeders’ Futurity
at Keeneland, but he was transferred to Steve Asmussen two starts later and
immediately scored in the grassy Eddie Logan Stakes at Santa Anita in late December.
The bay colt opened his three-year-old season with an encouraging victory in the
Grade 3 El Camino Real Derby, winning by 1 1/4 lengths over the Tapeta track at
Golden Gate Fields, and was freshened nearly two months for his last effort, a
fourth in the April 9 Santa Anita Derby on dirt.
Silver Medallion figures to appreciate the return to an all-weather track and
will pick up a new rider in Javier Castellano.
Casper’s Touch can’t be overlooked following his sharp
three-length allowance score earlier in the meet. Trained by Kenny McPeek, the
dark bay faltered badly when trying graded rivals in the Fountain of Youth
Stakes two starts back, but Casper’s Touch displayed a dynamic turn of foot on
Polytrack last time, rallying quickly to the lead off the far turn. He rates as
a top contender Saturday with Alan Garcia returning.
Prime Cut is an up-and-coming colt who will be making his stakes
debut in the Lexington. The Neil Howard trainee placed in a couple of
allowance/optional claiming events at Fair Grounds before breaking through with
a commendable victory last out, defeating the highly-regarded Bind at a
mile and 70 yards on March 26. Edgar Prado will be back in the saddle.
Maiden winner Derby Kitten, who exits a runner-up in the April
2 Alligator Alley S. on turf; multiple stakes-placed Taptowne, exiting a
fifth in the Spiral Stakes; and former claimer Hurricane Lake round out the Lexington field.
Two races earlier, five older horses will square off in the $150,000, Grade 3
Ben Ali at 1 1/8 miles, and the 2010 Lexington winner,
Exhi, will
make his first start of the year for Todd Pletcher. The four-year-old colt was
last seen finishing second in the Grade 2 Fayette on the Polytrack in October. His main rivals are
Researcher and Stay Put.
Keeneland will also offer the $100,000
Giant’s Causeway for filly and mare turf sprinters, and Stormy Publisher tops a field of 11 in the 5 1/2-furlong affair. The Christophe
Clement-trained mare has won three straight stakes since being imported from
Argentina and will break from the far outside with Garcia. Other contenders
include Rose Catherine, who won four straight stakes for Pletcher
before recording a pair of unplaced efforts in her last two, and last-out
Bienville S. vixen Wild About Marie.