Kentucky Derby Prep Race: Odds to Win Coolmore Lexington Stakes

by Patricia Woo | Apr 12 2010

Essentially the final chance for Kentucky Derby hopefuls to earn enough graded stakes to qualify for the Run for the Roses, the $300,000 Gr. 2 Lexington Stakes at Keeneland in Lexington, Ky, is our race of the week. Among those probable for the 1 1/16mile race are Uptowncharlybrown, Connemara and Game On Dude.

After a promising start to 2010, Uptowncharlybrown has found himself in an early season slump. He began the year with a 6-length win in the $75,000 Pasco Stakes at Tampa Bay Downs on Jan. 16, a month after breaking his maiden by 9 lengths over the same track at the end of 2009. In his first graded stakes race on Feb. 13, the Kentucky-bred son of Limehouse rallied for third in the $225,000 Gr. 3 Sam F. Davis Stakes and followed that up with a hard-luck fifth in the $300,000 Gr. 3 Tampa Bay Derby on March 13. Able to run down his rivals late in the race, the Alan Seewald-trained Uptowncharlybrown will need a clean trip and plenty of room in order to boost his current earnings of $29,000 and vault into the top 20.

Todd Pletcher's Connemara burst onto the 3-year-old racing scene with a thrilling victory in the $150,000 Gr. 3 El Camino Real Derby at Golden Gate Fields on Feb. 20. It was his first try at a graded stakes race, off a runner-up finish in the $100,000 California Derby on Jan. 16, which was his 2010 debut. He had a poor start in his most recent race, the $500,000 Gr. 2 Lane's End Stakes at Turfway Park on March 27, and his six-wide bid netted him third place. With only $138,500 in graded stakes earnings, this Giant's Causeway colt will need a big race in the Lexington Stakes in order to reach the starting gate of the Kentucky Derby.

Even though the Kentucky Derby is out of reach for Bob Baffert's newest charge, Game On Dude, he could play a role in determining the final 20 starters. Previously trained by Mike Mareina, Game On Dude is an Awesome Again colt who faded to seventh in his latest outing, the $750,000 Gr. 1 Florida Derby on March 20. He went into the race off his maiden-breaking victory, also at Gulfstream Park, on Feb. 27. Game On Dude will be racing on synthetic Polytrack for the first time, and looks to play spoiler to those whose Kentucky Derby dreams are riding on the graded stakes earnings from the Lexington Stakes.

Is your Kentucky Derby pick racing in the Lexington Stakes?

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