USA: Godolphin’s three-year-old colt First Mission is likely to use his victory in the Keeneland’s Lexington Stakes on Saturday [April 15] as a launching pad to the 148th Preakness Stakes on May 20 at Pimlico.
“That’s definitely the spot on the calendar that would make the most sense,” trainer Brad Cox said of the middle jewel of the Triple Crown. “Obviously we have to see what happens for the Kentucky Derby and who does what there. But it’s one of those things where it would be the logical spot moving forward.”
The $400,000 Lexington was the last Kentucky Derby qualifying points race. First Mission, who won the G3 event by a half-length over Arabian Lion, was making his stakes debut and the 20 points accrued for first place comes far short of making the Derby’s 20-horse field.
However, the five-week timing to the Preakness is ideal. “A lot of talent; we’ve liked him for a while,” Cox said right after the Lexington. “We always thought he’d be a horse who could get around two turns or be his best at two turns - and maybe farther. We certainly think he could get – oh, I don’t know, a mile and three-sixteenths, maybe?
“I thought that was an impressive effort for a horse that had run only three times,” Cox added. “Luis [Saez, jockey] made the comment that up the backside, he was kind of eyeballing the horse on the outside. He said, ‘When I asked him to pick it up, he started to accelerate,’ then obviously dropped down to the inside.
“That was probably the winning move there. He didn’t want to swing too wide off the turn and lose a lot of ground. Overall, a good heads-up ride from Luis, and he is a horse that is continuing to learn. He should get something out of each and every race moving forward.
First Mission is a son of 2007 Kentucky Derby winner Street Sense, who stands at Darley America. “We had him last year as a 2-year-old and he just wasn’t keeping pace last summer,” Cox said.
“There wasn’t anything wrong, no surgeries or anything. He just needed some time to go to the farm and be just a regular horse instead of a racehorse.
“We sent him down to the Fair Grounds, and he breezed well and continued to get better every week. He showed he’s a runner … just very fortunate to be a part of what we hope is a big career for him.”
Michael Banahan, Godolphin USA director of bloodstock, added: “He ran the way we were hoping he’d run.
“It was a big step going from an easy maiden win. We knew he had plenty of talent, plenty of quality. But you never know until you step up to that graded level what they’re going to do.
“He was tested out there," Banahan added. "He didn’t have the easiest race in the world: made it tight on him coming around the bend coming down there. You have to be brave to do that. So, I think he passed a lot of tests, especially class test and bravery test as well. Showed a lot of character. We were very proud of him. We anticipated he could do that, and we’re just grateful it was proven out on the racetrack that he could be that good.”
Sheikh Mohammed’s first American Triple Crown race victory came under the Darley banner in the 2006 Preakness with Bernardini, who took an early-career path similar to First Mission en route to Preakness glory in Baltimore.
“Both horses just started a little bit late, weren’t going to make the Derby, which is okay” Banahan said. “Obviously, we’d all love to make the Derby. (But) if he can turn out to be a horse as good as Bernardini was or win the type of races he won, we’d be happy.”
Louisiana Derby runner-up Disarm finished third to secure a spot in the Kentucky Derby’s 20-horse starting gate. While the Derby is the objective, owner Ron Winchell indicated that Preakness is an option if Disarm appears to need more time between races.
• Visit the Preakness Stakes website and the Godolphin website
Twilight Gleaming joins Love Reigns in Wesley Ward’s Royal Ascot pack
‘She’s a special filly’: Love Reigns set for Wesley Ward’s Royal Ascot team after comeback success
View the latest TRC Global Rankings for horses / jockeys / trainers / sires