Castaway and News Pending aim for victory in the Lexington Stakes to confirm a ticket to the Kentucky Derby
With the Kentucky Derby looming just around the corner, the connections are hoping that their runners will perform in a brilliant manner in the Grade 3 Coolmore Lexington Stakes on 21st April, 2012, and confirm a ride in the
prestigious Grade 1 Kentucky Derby, which will take place on 5th May, 2012.
Only 20 runners have an opportunity to compete in the Kentucky Derby. The horses competing in the Lexington Stakes will make an extra effort to win which will increase their graded earnings, giving them a great chance of running in the mega event.
With their fate depending on this race, Castaway, Morgan’s Guerrilla, News Pending and Golden Ticket will race at the top of their game for this event.
Castaway, son of Street Sense, out of Priceless Storm, already has graded earnings worth of $162,000.
The purse of $120,000 in the Coolmore Lexington Stakes could do wonders for him as he may be able to secure a spot in the Kentucky Derby.
The Bob Baffert trained colt does not lack talent, as he has demonstrated it before in the Grade 3 Southwest Stakes at Oaklawn Park on 20th February, 2012.
Ridden by jockey, R. Bejarano, he sped through the track and downed the victory in a magnificent manner.
Bred by the Hertich-McCarthy Livestock LLC, the young runner suffered a bit of a setback as he finished in seventh place in the Grade 3 Sunland Derby, which took place at Sunland Park on 25th March, 2012.
This race will give the three-year-old colt an opportunity to redeem himself and get the desired graded stakes earning to force a spot in for the Kentucky Derby.
News Pending, trained by Dale L. Romans, is also aiming for a majestic victory in this event.
The son of Harlan's Holiday, out of Motivated Sreva, has graded earnings worth of $80,000, as he previously secured a finish as a runner-up in the Grade 2 Fasig-Tipton Fountain Of Youth Stakes at Gulfstream Park.
Paired with jockey, K.Desormeaux, the team tried their level best but fell 4 lengths short of the victory, which was bagged by Union Rags.
With such a huge event coming up, the connections are more anxious about how their runners will perform.
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