Gosger Captures the Lexington Stakes, Preakness Could Be Next Target

The son of Nyquist captured the final points race on the Road to the GI Kentucky Derby, now just three weeks away

Gosger took a step forward and could now be under consideration for the GI Preakness S. / KEENELAND

LEXINGTON, Kentucky (Special for Turf Diario).- Gosger delivered a breakout performance in Saturday’s GIII Stonestreet Lexington S., cruising home an authoritative winner in the final stop on the Road to the GI Kentucky Derby. However, none of the participants earned enough qualifying points to secure a spot in the starting gate on May 4.

Making his stakes debut, the son of Nyquist, bred by Harvey A. Clarke Racing Stable, sat just off the pace before launching a decisive bid in the stretch to score by two lengths over pacesetter Bracket Buster (Vekoma) and favored Praetor (Into Mischief), whom he handled with ease once set down for the drive.

Puerto Rican star Irad Ortiz Jr. was in the irons and praised the colt’s effort: “He’s a really nice horse. In the stretch, he showed a little immaturity, looking around, so I just tried to keep him straight and focused. He was very impressive. I had a dream trip, and he responded every time I asked. He was there for me the whole way. Everything went perfectly. Brendan [Walsh] did a great job. I’m happy to be here.”

Trainer Brendan Walsh added: “We weren’t quite sure if he had enough experience to come and run in a race like this. Maybe he could have used another race or two. But we gave him a bit of time after he broke his maiden [Feb. 15 at Gulfstream Park], and he really grew up during that period, so we decided to be patient. I think he’s got a ton of potential and a very bright future ahead.”

As for what’s next, Walsh said: “We’ll see how he comes out of the race. We’re not going to rush anything unless he really demands it. He’s the type of horse that’s only going to get better as the year goes on, so we’ll be careful, pick our spots, and let him develop.

“We’re hoping this was a step forward. It was his first time going two turns. He should be sharper mentally next time, and we can go from there. The main thing is not to push him too hard too soon—sometimes that backfires. We’ll take our time, and like I said, I think he’s going to turn into a really nice horse as the season progresses.”