Road to the Kentucky Derby: Lane's End Stakes

Today's $500,000, Grade II Lane's End Stakes at Turfway Park in Florence, Kentucky will not include many of the top Kentucky Derby contenders, but that doesn't mean it's not an important race for those horses competing. On the contrary, this is an opportunity the 12 lesser-known 3-year-olds in the field to make a name for themselves in their quest for a spot in the Derby

Trainer Todd Pletcher has two horses running today: Chitoz and Duke of de Buqe.

"Duke of de Buqe is a horse we always thought would like the turf," Pletcher said, "and since he's a half-brother to Balto Star, who could run on both dirt and turf, we think Duke of de Buqe will handle the Turfway Polytrack well. The Lane's End is a good option for him."

Here is the full field for the Lane's End Stakes in post position order:

Duke of de Buqe, Julien Leparoux 12-1; Macho Again, Miguel Mena 10-1; Chitoz, Rene Douglas 8-1; Rich Young Ruler, Thomas Pompell 30-1; Adriano, Edgar Prado 6-1; Racecar Rhapsody, Robby Albarado 6-1; Halo's King, Jesus Castanon 50-1; Halo Najib, Kent Desormeaux 7-2; Cannonball, Alex Solis 9-2; El Aleman, Orlando Mojica 99-1; Turf War, Patrick Husbands 5-1 and Medjool, Michael Baze 8-1.

With only a handful of Derby prep races left (at Gulfstream, Oaklawn, Santa Anita, Aqueduct and Keeneland), you can expect to see all the big names back on track in the weeks to come.

Ready to throw down on the Kentucky Derby futures?

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