4/18 (KEE): Lexington (GII); Giant's Causeway
 

8th (5:04) Giant's Causeway S.

5 1/2 Furlongs (Turf) | Fillies and Mares | 3 Year Olds And Up Stakes | Purse: $100,000

1 Mrs Petoski Felix J E 118 LA
2 Kosmo's Buddy Coa E M 121 LA
3 Ride Em Cowgirl Prado E S 118 L
4 Marina Ballerina Douglas R R 118 L
5 Diamondrella (GB) Maragh R 121 LA
6 Bahama Mama (IRE) Desormeaux K J 118 L
7 Lady Chace Mena M 118 LA
8 Classify Bridgmohan S X 121 LA
9 Just for Keeps Leparoux J R 118 LA
10 Coy Cat Albarado R J 121 LA
11 Genuine Devotion (IRE) Garcia Alan 118 LA
12 Jazzy (ARG) Velazquez J R 118 LA
AE Taletobetold Lanerie C J 118 LA
AE Megadeed Hernandez B J Jr 118 LA



9th (5:40) Coolmore Lexington S. (G2)

1 1/16 Miles (All Weather Track) | Open | 3 Year Olds Stakes | Purse: $300,000

1 Jeranimo Blanc B 117 L
2 Omniscient Albarado R J 117 LA
3 Pitched Perfectly Garcia Alan 117 LA
4 Brave Victory Velazquez J R 117 LA
5 His Greatness Douglas R R 117 LA
6 Masala Coa E M 117 Blk-On LA
7 Conservative Desormeaux K J 117 L
8 Square Eddie Prado E S 123 LA
9 El Crespo Castellano J J 123 L
10 Parade Clown Leparoux J R 117 Blk-Off LA
11 Advice Gomez G K 117 Blk-Off LA
12 Hull Mena M 117 LA

Really good card on Saturday.

Mrs. Petoski in the Giant's Causeway, isn't that John Perotta's filly?

One of these gets into the Derby, and I'm talking Kentucky Derby.

yes

we met Mr. Petoski.

Nice fellow. Although he tried to eat Steve's microphone. :D

I :{>: Oskie!

Hull.

God, they must really want to get His Greatness into the Derby, huh?

Can someone explain how the Giant's Causeway is a race for fillies and mares? Maybe it's me, but... WTF?

I've been asking that for years... noone knows.:confused:

The race was once named the Stravinsky.

In fact - a very nice Holy Bull mare named Confessional once won the Stravinsky stakes during Keeneland's Spring meet and the A. P. Indy stakes during Keeneland's fall meet.






Naming a 5.5 furlong sprint on turf for fillies and mares after A. P. Indy might be one of the all-time great worst named stake races.

As someone noted above, the used to be the Stravinsky, when he stood at Coolmore. Keeneland often names races for the stallions of the farm sponsoring the stakes race that day. Saturday's Lexington Stakes is sponsored by Coolmore, the home of Giant's Causeway. (That being said, I agree that matching GC with a 5.5F turf sprint for fillies and mares is a bad match.) If you look at the overnights for Saturday, all of the races are named for Coolmore stallions : Grand Slam, Tale of the Cat, Johanessburg, etc.

You bring back bad memories, of one of the most expensive take-downs I ever encountered, when Confessional was DQ'd (unjustifiably, IMO) from a 2YO maiden race at Saratoga.

For the reason discussed above, I'd bet it was run on the undercard of the Breeders' Futurity when Lane's End sponsored that race.

From a Brisnet article, Hull will not run:
One horse entered in the Lexington who will not be running is HULL (Holy Bull). Dissatisfied with drawing post position 12, owner Barry Irwin released a statement after entries were taken saying Hull would be scratched from the Lexington in favor of the April 25 Derby Trial S. (G3) at Churchill Downs.

the return of genuine devotion..chucks old horse..:tro:

The Derby Trial is probably a better spot for the horse, anyway.

I want to beat Square Eddie here, but It's pretty puzzling who can do it.
Leaning towards the Assmussen colt, but is Albarado kryptonite right now, or what?

I like Mike so I'm not going to say anything, but really..

He could run big here, but the Derby would be ugly..three in a month:wf

And I really like the horse too, and want him to do well...but it seems like they're going to run him into the ground trying to get him to the Derby.

Would rather see him get a little break and come back to a track he likes this summer and rack up some wins there....since he's still eligible for some conditions.

And it's a turf sprint. Forgive me if I'm wrong but I don't recall Giant's Causeway being a sprinter at any time in his career.

I know it's a marketing thing but WTF.

Would Square Eddie be racing now if the Derby was in July? Didn't he break his leg two months ago?

Some great quotes in this article. :rolleyes:

http://www.drf.com/news/article/102993.html

that $hit is funny...

Square Eddie winning the Lexington will be a more amazing training job than DaHoss winning his 2nd BC mile off one prep in two years????

true comedy there!!

Wonder what HOssy thinks about that!!

The most interesting thing I got out of that article is the tiebreaker scenario should Charitable Man and Dunkirk end up tied in earnings, nevermind the fact El Crespo would end up in the same tiebreaker should he end up second in the Lexington.

I'm hoping for a win from Conservative here because at least his connections are a little well, conservative. :D

I actually thought the best line of the piece...

Three horses were dropped from the top 20, all because they left the Derby trail, either through retirement (Old Fashioned), minor injury (Theregoesjojo), or, in the case of Terrain, refreshing common sense.

I liked that one too. :tro:

Terrain has the same grinding, lollygagging, hanging style as recent Derby superfecta horses such as Imawildandcrazyguy, Steppenwolfer, Invisible Ink, Impeachment etc.

Plus, he's one of the few horses in the race with some real colored form ... I realize he's hopelessly overmatched from a win standpoint - and might not get the super fast pace to help him out - but damn, would he still have been a great overlay to finish 4th and add some value to my thick pile of skimpy Derby superfecta tickets.

Sad to see him leave for the Lone Star Derby .. where he will probably still manage to find one or two better than him anyway.

I posted this about Terrain the other day as well. He was most definitely a super rounder-outer. And he's more likely to get that setup in the Ky. Derby than the Lone Star Derby, but I do think the connections did the right thing as they're not looking to cash super tickets.

I think I've come to a conclusion of this cluster**** of a handicapping exercise that is called the Lexington Stakes

Trifecta box of Square Eddie/Jeranimo and Omniscient

She has more to over-come than her stablemate Charitable Man.

Two if Sq Eddie dosent win.

Hull scratched...

Here's hoping that they send Eddie home.

Why, while I don't think he has a chance in the Derby, he ran pretty big today, TVG showed an ISO and when asked, he exploded. Just got tired, which was expected.....

That move around the turn would've been incredible at Los Al.

He's a good horse that could really do well for them this year.

I just think it was really obvious that he is not ready for the Derby seeing as he was a short horse today and two weeks isn't going to make a difference.

But today's race will? You'd have an extremely hard time convincing me not to go with a horse who has a 2-year-old foundation, and now two starts as a 3-year-old, who puts in a wide middle move like that.

No way Square Eddie should have been left up in 3rd. And I'm usually pretty steward friendly. But c'mon.

So you're saying that horse has got a shot to win the derby? Really?

Two starts that were interrupted by a fracture...but clearly that doesn't matter. :rolleyes: