Senior Investment Nails West Coast in G3 Lexington

LEXINGTON, KY – Fern Circle Stables’ Senior Investment nailed West Coast at the wire to win by a head in the 36th running of the Grade 3, $200,000 Stonestreet Lexington for 3-year-olds.

Trained by Kenny McPeek and ridden by Channing Hill, Senior Investment covered 1 1/16 miles on a fast main track in 1:45.05.  It was the first victory in the race for both McPeek and Hill, as well as Senior Investment’s first graded stakes victory.

“Once I got him tipped out where he could really stretch his legs out, he came home nice,” Hill said.  “At the 1/8 pole, I wasn’t 100 percent sure I was going to get there, but he was really running on.  This is a really nice colt – really special.  When I won on him at Oaklawn, he showed a lot, showed a turn of foot, too.  Today, he was the best one.”

Resiliency set the pace and led the field of 10 through fractions of :24.16 and :47.71 as Senior Investment raced in eighth.  On the far turn, Time to Travel moved to the lead, only to have West Coast quickly pounce and take over at the head of the stretch.  West Coast opened a daylight margin until Senior Investment arrived on the scene late to prevail in a three-horse photo, with No Dozing finishing another neck back in third.

“It was a good race and I had a good trip,” said Flavien Prat, jockey on West Coast.  “He made a nice move on the turn and it was too bad we got caught at the end.”

The victory was worth $120,000 and increased Senior Investment’s earnings to $207,080 with a record of 8-3-0-1.  A Keeneland sales graduate, Senior Investment is a Kentucky-bred son of Discreetly Mine out of the Deputy Commander mare Plaid.

“I was pretty confident,” said winning trainer Kenny McPeek.  “I’ve been trying to find a 1 1/8-mile race, and I had the option of taking him out of town.  But I really felt like OK, we’re here.  He trained really good here this week.”

Time to Travel finished another 3 1/4 lengths back in fourth and was followed in order by Lookin At Blessing, Convict Pike, Souper Tapit, He’s Munnie, Capt. Grider, and Resiliency.

Off as the favorite at 2-1, No Dozing had a troubled first turn after the horse to his inside, Souper Tapit, stumbled and nearly went over the inner rail, then forced No Dozing to check hard.

“He ran a tremendous race after that,” said No Dozing’s jockey, Joel Rosario.  “He put everything back together.  He was running really well in the end, and it looked like, for a second, he was the winner.”

Senior Investment returned $24.20, $8.20, and $4.20.  West Coast brought back $3.80 and $2.60, while No Dozing paid $2.40 to show.

Keeneland