Coolmore Lexington (Grade 3) (KYD)- $200.000 Purse
KEE- For Three Year Olds
One Mile and One Sixteenth on the Dirt
April 11, 2020

Saturday was the final day for horses to qualify for the KYD next month, though the more popular AR Derby was not the only chance for a horse to get it in. In the Coolmore Lexington, 20 points were on the line for the winner, making it ideal for a horse like Steak And Potatoes. Tiratzo’s colt sat 28th on the KYD leaderboard, a spot that would not be enough to get into the race without a boost, but at the same time being close enough to where a win would get the job done. No reason to go to OP in that situation. Steak And Potatoes would run here, and after this win, he will go into the KYD coming off a victory, and there is never anything wrong with that. The victory is the first in the race for Tiratzo and jockey J A Vargas Jr. Congratulations to them! The race was run in a time of 1:41.30, finishing in a dead heat with the 2018 race for the second fastest in the stake’s history. Let’s take a look at it!

(1/4 Mile- :23.08)- The outside push was strong in this race, as both Chaos Broke Out and A Boy And His Dog, from Mb Stables and Choppy Inc., respectively, shoot out to the front. They cannot cross over to the rail immediately, because the Black Ice Racing-trained Currax also broke well and stayed within a length for a little while. Chaos Broke Out and A Boy And His Dog would be able to get to the rail in time for the majority of the first turn, however. On the rail, the eventual winner, Tiratzo’s Steak And Potatoes, also had a good start but was not as aggressive about it. He would assume a position just off the lead by two and a half lengths. Currax was in the third lane here, and in the middle was Dragster, running for D J C Racing Stables. There was another two length gap behind that threesome, to the next threesome, which consisted of Magical Emperor (La Canada Racehorses), Jolly Rook (Angelos Stable), and Lucky But (Night Rider Stables). Run Up The Score (Mb Stables) ran in the fourth lane, but was about a length behind those three. Further back, the trailers, County Medical (Crocker Ggs), Raid Of The Mist (Allinthegate), and Shinjuku (RNP Stables), all ran together.

(½ Mile- :46.33)- Moving into the backstretch, Chaos Broke Out and A Boy And His Dog slow it down just a little bit. Dragster and Currax remain two lengths from the front, as they battle for third side by side. Meanwhile, Steak And Potatoes does not leave the rail even though A Boy And His Dog starts looking as though he may start to lose ground on the inside. Lucky But is sixth, and running to his outside is a horse that made a pretty strong push at the start of the backstretch. That came from Run Up The Score, who looked as though he was going to pass more horses then he actually did, before settling into this midpack spot. Magical Emperor stayed closeby to them, and there was not much change further back.

(Top Of Stretch, 1.5F To Go)- Completing the backstretch portion, and the run around the final turn, Chaos Broke Out was able to maintain his pace, and seemed to be in good form as he hit the top of the stretch. Behind him, there were some changes, as his former running made, A Boy And His Dog, was unable to keep up. Due to that, Steak And Potatoes had to move down a lane, and fortunately for J A Vargas Jr, there was plenty of room to do so, and to get by that fading rival easily. Once in that lane, the push to the front began, a move that also allowed him to get by Dragster and Currax pretty quickly. Now, at the top of the stretch, the post-time favorite was in great position, a length ahead of everyone other then Chaos Broke Out, and positioned to make that pass. Currax may have been easily passed by Steak And Potatoes, but he still maintained his wide lane pretty well. Dragster was coming up empty, and was passed by the advancing Lucky But, a horse that seemed to be in a good spot now to get a good piece of the purse. Behind him would by Jolly Rook, and if he could either stay in that spot, or pass Dragster rapidly, he’d have a great lane to make a late bid if he had it within him. County Medical was starting to show some interest as well.

(Finish- 1:41.30)- In the stretch, there was not much question as to who was going to win the race. Steak And Potatoes continued to run exceptionally well, and put Chaos Broke Out away pretty easily. No one behind him was close enough to concern Tiratzo, and Steak And Potatoes wins it by a length, and will be seen next month in the KYD! Jolly Rook ends up being second, and did run well while running out of time. It seemed as though Lucky But might be more of a threat, but he could not pick it up in the stretch. The steady wide trip of Currax kept that one in third, over Lucky But. County Medical is another that started running late, and for him, that missed a check. Chaos Broke Out drops to sixth. Rounding out the finishing order, it’s Magical Emperor, Raid Of The Mist, A Boy And His Dog, Dragster, Run Up The Score, and Shinjuku.

About The Winner– Steak And Potatoes, trained by Tiratzo and ridden to victory by J A Vargas Jr, is a three year old colt by Far West, and is out of Natashka The Great. He was bred in New Jersey by Greeko Holdem as a first quarter two year old. He was acquired by Tiratzo, via Maxmillion Farm, in private sales for $688.000 in late February. Congratulations to the connections! The win is his fourth in eight starts, his second stake win, and first graded win. His career earnings are now $341.200.

Track: Fast
Time: :23   :46¹  1:09⁴  1:41¹

$2 Mutuel Prices:

$1 Exacta: 1 – 4 Paid 92.90
$1 Trifecta: 1 – 4 – 8 Paid 469.40

Scratched: Steel Champion, What Moon

— NS

Categories: Grade III, STAKES ARTICLES