New week, another question

With almost every significant prep races leading ultimately toward the May 3 Kentucky Derby new questions are raised.

Last week, the previously undefeated War Pass raised many concerns with an astonishingly poor effort – or lack thereof – in the Tampa Bay Derby that a week later eludes explanation.

This week, enter Adriano, winner of the Lanes End Stakes on Saturday at Turfway Park, considered by his connections to be primarily a turf horse, though he is a son of A.P. Indy from Gold Canyon, a daughter of Mr. Prospector with a wealth of turn influence in her female family. Despite Adriano’s one poor effort, his lone race on dirt in the Fountain of Youth Stakes, there is no evidence to dismiss the Graham Motion-trained colt as one limited to turf and synthetic surfaces, at least the one called Polytrack, over which the Lane’s End was contested.

“I thought he was extremely impressive,” Motion said afterward. “Edgar [Prado] gave him a beautiful ride. We had to stay a little bit closer because you didn’t want to come from off the pace today. I thought that played right into our hands because I know at that pace he can go all day.


“I think we all agree that he’s probably more of a turf horse, but the Lexington is something we will definitely consider. The horse showed that on his day he can be brilliant. I thought another key was that he was very good in the paddock. He’s very hot-blooded. In the Fountain of Youth, he kind of fell apart that day. The fact that he was good today made a big difference.”

Perhaps the Fountain of Youth swoon was more a result of Adriano’s pre-race temperament than the surface over which the race was run, but he will press on to Louisville with that question still lingering. The Lexington Stakes is run at Keeneland, another Polytrack surface, leaving the ultimate question to be answered on May 3 at Churchill Downs.

Kentucky Derby betting

This week’s ranking:

Pyro
Big Truck
Court Vision
War Pass
Cool Coal Man
Visionaire
Atoned
Denis of Cork
Big Brown
Adriano
Colonel John
El Gato Malo