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Lineup helps Lone Star Derby stature grow 04/06/2001 By Gary West / The Dallas Morning News GRAND PRAIRIE – Three horses arrived Wednesday from Kentucky to join the field for Saturday's $500,000 Lone Star Derby, and the name of a surprise entrant landed in the entry box Thursday, bringing the lineup to eight. But in the minds of many observers, Lone Star Park's showcase race comes down to two – Fifty Stars and Hoovergetthekeys.
Saturday's cohort is arguably the strongest field in the brief history of the race. The eight horses have earned a total of $1.2 million, or an average of $154,429 for each starter. The field last year had earned $640,009, an average of $91,429 for each of the seven starters; the 1997 field had earned $942,865, an average of $104,763.
The surprise entrant was Halo's Shadow, who never has finished better than third in five outings. He's a half-brother to Big Numbers, who disappointed as the 4-5 favorite in last year's Lone Star Derby.
Percy Hope, Me And Thee and Gift Of The Eagle all arrived Wednesday from Kentucky. Percy Hope and Me And Thee both had been entered in Saturday's Illinois Derby at Sportsman's Park, but their connections decided instead on a sojourn to Grand Prairie.
Four of the Lone Star Derby entrants have won stakes races. An easy winner of the recent Rushaway Stakes at Turfway Park in Kentucky, Percy Hope has run close to such horses as Invisible Ink and Outof Thebox, two highly regarded Triple Crown contenders. And Solingen, who could be the pacesetter Saturday, won the recent Spindletop Stakes at Sam Houston, where he also finished third behind Fifty Stars in the Texan Juvenile.
But the headliners are Fifty Stars and Hoovergetthekeys, who are using the Lone Star race as their final prep for the Kentucky Derby. Winner of the Louisiana Derby at Fair Grounds in New Orleans in his last outing, Fifty Stars has earned $583,710 in his career. He comes from the stable of Steve Asmussen, the all-time leading trainer at Lone Star. And Hoovergetthekeys, winner of the Golden Gate and El Camino Real Derbies, has earned $215,780.
Brian Koriner, the trainer of Hoovergetthekeys, said the diminutive gelding has adapted well to his new surroundings since arriving here Tuesday from California.
$500,000, 3-year-olds, 1 1/8 miles. (A bonus of $1 million will go to the winner should he also win any Triple Crown race. Odds by Rick Lee)
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PP | Horse | Jockey | Trainer | Odds | |
1 | Take A Gamble | Ronald Ardoin | Chris Candies | 20-1 | |
2 | Gift Of The Eagle | Glen Murphy | Ken McPeek | 8-1 | |
3 | Halo's Shadow | Paul Nolan | Pedro Lopez | 30-1 | |
4 | Percy Hope | Jon Court | Tony Reinstedler | 4-1 | |
5 | Hoovergetthekeys | Ron Warren Jr. | Brian Koriner | 2-1 | |
6 | Solingen | Gerard Melancojn | Michael Natale | 6-1 | |
7 | Me And Thee | Curt Bourque | Elliott Walden | 8-1 | |
8 | Fifty Stars | Donnie Meche | Steve Asmussen | 9-5 |
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