Lots o' Lex gets First Stakes Win in One Dreamer
Following a nearly one-year layoff and an uninspired 13th-place return to racing in last month’s Beverly D. (G1), 5-year-old mare Lots o’ Lex rediscovered her top form to earn her first stakes win by one length over favored No Fault of Mine while taking Saturday’s $150,000 One Dreamer Stakes at Kentucky Downs in Franklin, Ky.
Channing Hill was aboard the winner for trainer Gerald Aschinger and the mare’s namesake owner, Lisa Lex. This is the owner’s only horse.
“We had every confidence in her because she’s a great horse and she loves to run,” Lex said. “She likes the ground soft. Sorry about the rain but it worked in our favor today. We love the jockey. He had a lot of confidence in her so that made it easy.”
Lisa Lex’s sister, Dana Aschinger, is married to the trainer. The Aschingers co-bred Lots o’ Lex and insisted that Lisa buy her for $7,000 after she failed to attract much interest as a young filly at the 2012 Fasig-Tipton October Yearling Sale.
“We’re proud of her,” Gary Aschinger said. “We didn’t know where we were with her. We didn’t know if we were going to even get our horse back after a year. That’s a long time. I was a little bit worried because this was her second race off a year’s layoff. I just didn’t have a baseline how fit she was and if she cardiovascularly could take the yielding turf. She trains on an all-weather track and her condition was unknown.”
Lots o’ Lex was never farther back than third in the 1 mile and 70-yard event for fillies and mares. She stalked the early pace, set by Fleet Bertie, who led through an opening quarter-mile in :23.33. Longshot American Mon Amie advanced outside to take the lead approaching the five-eighths marker and through a half-mile in :47.06, while Lots o’ Lex and Hill crept into second. American Mon Amie showed the way into the straight but ceded in upper stretch to Lots o’ Lex, who pulled clear while the rest of the field failed to make up significant ground.
“With the time off, you’re a bit concerned with the soft turf course, but she just cruised,” Hill said. “She passed this test with an A+. I’m really looking forward to riding this filly at Keeneland with the fall meet coming up. This is a good little filly. She handled that turf course well, which is in pretty good shape considering how hard it was earlier, but now it’s just a little soft. Good form holds up here and it translates to other places.”
Lots o’ Lex stopped the timer in 1:43.17. Although stewards labeled the course “good,” Equibase listed it as “yielding” for the sake of the official chart.
No Fault of Mine rallied for second while never seriously threatening the winner, checking in three-quarters of a length to the good of Fleet Bertie. Behind her came Complete St., Entrechat, American Mon Amie, Inside Out, Annulment and Cabana.
A Kentucky-bred by Kitalpha (a full brother to Kingmambo and Miesque’s Son who was one the leading sire in Zimbabwe) out of Lactea (Mr. Prospector), the winner paid $27.20, $11 and $6.40.
Lots o’ Lex will be pointed to a graded stakes event at the Keeneland Fall Meet.
Source: Kentucky Downs