Castaway Gets Derby Audition in Lexington
A well-matched field of 11 3-year-olds was entered Wednesday morning for Saturday’s 31st running of the $200,000 Coolmore Lexington (G3) at 1 1/16 miles on the main track. The Coolmore Lexington is one of three graded stakes remaining prior to the Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (G1) for horses to earn enough money to be among the top 20 earners to make the starting gate May 5.
The Coolmore Lexington, won last year by Derby Kitten, is carded as the ninth race on Saturday’s 10-race program with a 5:13 p.m. (ET) post time. First post time Saturday is 1:05 p.m.
Headlining the field is Mrs. John Magnier, Michael Tabor and Derrick Smith’s Castaway. Trained by Bob Baffert, Castaway won the Southwest (G3) in his stakes debut at Oaklawn Park by 3¾ lengths before finishing seventh in the Sunland Derby (G3) in his most recent start. Shaun Bridgmohan has the mount for the first time on Castaway, who will break from post position seven.
Three other horses who had solid graded-stakes debuts figure to draw support at the mutual windows from the public.
Tom and Jack Conway and Trey Thornton and Gary Carter’s Morgan’s Guerrilla enters the Coolmore Lexington off a runner-up finish April 7 in the Illinois Derby (G3). Trainer by Mike Maker, Morgan’s Guerrilla will break from post position one and be ridden by Julien Leparoux.
Klaravich Stables and William H. Lawrence’s News Pending finished second to Union Rags in the Fountain of Youth (G2) in his stakes debut and ran seventh in the Florida Derby (G1) in his most recent start. Trained by Dale Romans, News Pending will be ridden by Kent Desormeaux and break from post position 10.
Magic City Thoroughbred Partners’ Golden Ticket finished second in his most recent start, the Tampa Bay Derby (G2). Trained by Ken McPeek, Golden Ticket will be ridden by Manny Cruz and break from post position five.
The field for the Coolmore Lexington, from the inside out, is as follows: Morgan’s Guerrilla (Leparoux, 118 pounds), Summer Front (Ramon Dominguez, 120), Johannesbourbon (Garrett Gomez, 118), Skyring (Jon Court, 118), Golden Ticket (Cruz, 118), Holiday Promise (Junior Alvarado, 118), Castaway (Bridgmohan, 120), Hammers Terror (Robby Albarado, 118), All Squared Away (Julio Garcia, 118), News Pending (Desormeaux, 118) and Gold Megillah (John Velazquez, 118).