Road to the Kentucky Derby > Lexington Stakes
Lexington Stakes Race Facts
- Location: Keeneland Racecourse, Kentucky
- Inaugural Race: 1936
- Current Distance: 1 1/16 miles (8.5 furlongs)
- Track Type: Left-Handed Dirt
- Age Qualifications: Three-year-olds
- Status: Grade 3
- 2023 Purse: $400,000
- 2023 Race Date: Saturday, April 15th
2022 Lexington Stakes Results
| POST | HORSE | JOCKEY / TRAINER | WIN / PLACE / SHOW |
|---|---|---|---|
| 9 | Tawny Port | Florent Geroux / Brad H. Cox | $12.20 / $6.40 / $3.80 |
| 7 | Major General | Irad Ortiz, Jr. / Todd A. Pletcher | $7.60 / $4.80 |
| 2 | In Due Time | Paco Lopez / Kelly J. Breen | $2.80 |
| 4 | Ethereal Road | Victor Espinoza / D. Wayne Lukas | |
| 8 | Strava | Tyler Gaffalione / Dallas Stewart | |
| 10 | Dash Attack | Flavien Prat / Kenneth G. McPeek | |
| 1 | Midnight Chrome | Jose L. Ortiz / John C. Servis | |
| 5 | Howling Time | Joseph Talamo / Dale L. Romans | |
| 11 | Call Me Midnight | James Graham / J. Keith Desormeaux | |
| 6 | Skate to Heaven | David Cohen / Robertino Diodoro | |
| 3 | We All See It | Luis Saez / Eddie Kenneally |
Exotic Payoffs:
- $1.00 Exacta (9-7) Paid: $41.80
- $0.50 Trifecta (9-7-2) Paid: $58.80
- $0.10 Superfecta (9-7-2-4) Paid: $63.23
Watch the 2022 Lexington Stakes
History of the Lexington Stakes
First held as a race for 2-year-olds in 1936, this didn’t become a significant 3-year-old race until 1973, when it was known as the Calumet Purse. It was renamed the Lexington Stakes in 1984.
The Lexington Stakes gives horses a last chance to get into the Kentucky Derby. Points on the Road to the Kentucky Derby table was previously allocated to the first four finishers on a 10-4-2-1 basis, but that has been upgraded to 20-8-4-2 in 2018. It’s highly unlikely to be enough to earn the winner a Derby spot in itself, but the points can be enough to secure a start for a horse already on the fringe of qualifying.
Just two horses that ran in the Lexington Stakes have gone on to win the Derby; Swale, who finished second in the Lexington Stakes in 1984, and Charismatic, who won both races in 1999. Other winners of the race include the Classic winners Master Derby, Risen Star, and Touch Gold.
These days the race is used more often as a prep for the Preakness Stakes or Belmont Stakes than the Kentucky Derby; no Lexington Stakes runner has contested the Derby since 2011. Many of the horses won’t have contested earlier Derby prep races; punters may need to look at a wide variety of previous races when making their selections for this race.
Lexington Stakes Historical Results
| Year | Winner | Jockey / Trainer | Distance / TIme |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Tawny Port | Florent Geroux / Brad H. Cox | 1 1⁄16 miles / 1:45.24 |
| 2021 | King Fury | Brian Hernandez Jr. / Kenneth G. McPeek | 1 1⁄16 miles / 1:43.50 |
| 2020 | Race not held | ||
| 2019 | Owendale | Florent Geroux / Brad H. Cox | 1 1⁄16 miles / 1:44.14 |
| 2018 | My Boy Jack | Kent J. Desormeaux / J. Keith Desormeaux | 1 1⁄16 miles / 1:44.22 |
| 2017 | Senior Investment | Channing Hill / Kenneth G. McPeek | 1 1⁄16 miles / 1:45.05 |
| 2016 | Collected | Javier Castellano / Bob Baffert | 1 1⁄16 miles / 1:43.33 |
| 2015 | Divining Rod | Julien R. Leparoux / Arnaud Delacour | 1 1⁄16 miles / 1:43.29 |
| 2014 | Mr. Speaker | Jose Lezcano / Claude R. McGaughey III | 1 1⁄16 miles / 1:44.18 |
| 2013 | Winning Cause | Julien R. Leparoux / Todd A. Pletcher | 1 1⁄16 miles / 1:43.93 |
| 2012 | All Squared Away | Julio A. Garcia / Wesley A. Ward | 1 1⁄16 miles / 1:42.55 |
| 2011 | Derby Kitten | Julien R. Leparoux / Michael J. Maker | 1 1⁄16 miles / 1:42.03 |
| 2010 | Exhi | Robby Albarado / Todd A. Pletcher | 1 1⁄16 miles / 1:44.38 |
| 2009 | Advice | Garrett K. Gomez / Todd A. Pletcher | 1 1⁄16 miles / 1:43.33 |
| 2008 | Behindatthebar | David R. Flores / Todd A. Pletcher | 1 1⁄16 miles / 1:42.14 |
| 2007 | Slew's Tizzy | Robby Albarado / Gregory Fox | 1 1⁄16 miles / 1:43.20 |
| 2006 | Showing Up | Cornelio Velasquez / Barclay Tagg | 1 1⁄16 miles / 1:46.42 |
| 2005 | Coin Silver | Javier Castellano / Todd A. Pletcher | 1 1⁄16 miles / 1:45.76 |
| 2004 | Quintons Gold Rush | Jerry D. Bailey / Steven M. Asmussen | 1 1⁄16 miles / 1:43.82 |
| 2003 | Scrimshaw | Edgar S. Prado / D. Wayne Lukas | 1 1⁄16 miles / 1:45.47 |
| 2002 | Proud Citizen | Mike E. Smith / D. Wayne Lukas | 1 1⁄16 miles / 1:44.58 |
| 2001 | Keats | Larry Melancon / Niall M. O'Callaghan | 1 1⁄16 miles / 1:43.54 |
| 2000 | Unshaded | Shane Sellers / Carl A. Nafzger | 1 1⁄16 miles / 1:43.60 |
| 1999 | Charismatic | Jerry D. Bailey / D. Wayne Lukas | 1 1⁄16 miles / 1:41.00 |
| 1998 | Classic Cat | Robby Albarado / David C. Cross Jr. | 1 1⁄16 miles / 1:42.80 |
| 1997 | Touch Gold | Gary L. Stevens / David E. Hofmans | 1 1⁄16 miles / 1:43.20 |
| 1996 | City by Night | Shane Sellers / Patrick B. Byrne | 1 1⁄16 miles / 1:42.20 |
| 1995 | Star Standard | Pat Day / Nicholas P. Zito | 1 1⁄16 miles / 1:45.00 |
| 1994 | Southern Rhythm | Garrett K. Gomez / James O. Keefer | 1 1⁄16 miles / 1:45.60 |
| 1993 | Grand Jewel | Jerry D. Bailey / Neil J. Howard | 1 1⁄16 miles / 1:43.60 |
| 1992 | My Luck Runs North | Ricardo D. Lopez / Angel M. Medina | 1 1⁄16 miles / 1:44.00 |
| 1991 | Hansel | Jerry D. Bailey / Frank L. Brothers | 1 1⁄16 miles / 1:42.60 |
| 1990 | Home At Last | Jerry D. Bailey / Carl A. Nafzger | 1 1⁄16 miles / 1:43.40 |
| 1989 | Notation | Pat Day / James W. Murphy | 1 1⁄16 miles / 1:44.40 |
| 1988 | Risen Star | Jacinto Vasquez / Louie J. Roussel III | 1 1⁄16 miles / 1:42.80 |
| 1987 | War | Herb McCauley / D. Wayne Lukas | 1 1⁄16 miles / 1:44.40 |
| 1986 | § Wise Times | K. Keith Allen / Philip A. Gleaves | 1 1⁄16 miles / 1:44.80 |
| 1985 | Stephan's Odyssey | Laffit Pincay Jr. / Woodford C. Stephens | 1 1⁄16 miles / 1:42.60 |
| 1984 | He Is A Great Deal | Julio C. Espinoza / Bernard S. Flint | 1 1⁄16 miles / 1:45.40 |
| 1983 | Highland Park | Jacinto Vasquez / Anthony L. Basile | 1 1⁄16 miles / 1:44.80 |
| 1982 | Stage Reviewer | Jerry D. Bailey / Lucien Laurin | 1 1⁄16 miles / 1:44.20 |
| 1981 | Swinging Light | Dan Delahoussaye / James P. Conway | 1 1⁄16 miles / 1:44.20 |
| 1980 | Rockhill Native | John Oldham / Herbert K. Stevens | 1 1⁄16 miles / 1:43.40 |
| 1979 | Pianist | Michael Morgan / Peter M. Howe | 1 1⁄16 miles / 1:43.00 |
| 1978 | Sensitive Prince | Mickey Solomone / H. Allen Jerkens | 1 1⁄16 miles / 1:44.80 |
| 1977 | Giboulee | Jeffrey Fell / Jacques Dumas | 1 1⁄16 miles / 1:42.80 |
| 1976 | No Link | Darrel McHargue / Douglas Davis Jr. | 1 1⁄16 miles / 1:43.20 |
| 1975 | Master Derby | Darrel McHargue / Smiley Adams | 1 1⁄16 miles / 1:42.60 |
| 1974 | Satan's Hills | David E. Whited / Peter W. Salmen Jr. | 1 1⁄16 miles / 1:43.00 |
| 1973 | Our Native | Don Brumfield / William Resseguet Jr. | 1 1⁄16 miles / 1:42.80 |
| 1943–1972 | Race not held | ||
| 1942 | Technician | Ovie Scurlock / Ross O. Higdon | 1 1⁄16 miles / 1:46.80 |
| 1941 | Steel Heels | Jimmy George / Frank P. Letellier | 1 1⁄4 miles / 2:03.40 |
| 1940 | Steel Heels | Albert Snider / Frank P. Letellier | 1 1⁄4 miles / 2:04.20 |
| 1939 | Chief Onaway | Eddie Arcaro / Richard T. Watts | 1 1⁄8 miles / 1:50.40 |
| 1938 | Tunica | George South / Charles C. Norman | 1 1⁄8 miles / 1:49.40 |
| 1937 | Co-Sport | Porter Roberts / Richard T. Runnels | 6 furlongs / 1:12.80 |
| 1936 | White Tie | Joseph Cowley / John M. Gaver Sr. | 6 furlongs / 1:12.00 |