Adriano dominates Lane's End Stakes

Courtlandt Farms' homebred ADRIANO (A.P. Indy) effortlessly took command at the top of the lane and cruised home a facile 2 1/2-length winner of the $500,000 Lane's End S. (G2) at Turfway Park on Saturday. Always prominent under Edgar Prado, the Graham Motion trainee finished off nine furlongs over the Polytrack in 1:50 1/5 as the nearly 5-1 third choice. Adriano returned $11.60, $6.40 and $4.60 while keying the $46.80 exacta, $321.60 trifecta and $1,858.80 superfecta (5-8-12-6).

Duke of de Buque (Dixie Union) and Rich Young Ruler (Victory Gallop) sped in tandem to the front early and dueled through splits of :23 and :47, with the latter dispatching of Duke of de Buque when reaching the six-furlong mark in 1:12 2/5. Adriano, who traveled four-wide early, began to make his move approaching the final turn on the outside and easily blew by Rich Young Ruler, eventually reaching a mile in 1:37 4/5 while never being challenged late. Halo Najib (Halo's Image) advanced while wide entering the the stretch and did well to outkick Medjool (Monarchos) for the place, paying $5.40 and $4 as the 3-1 favorite. Medjool was sent off at 7-1 and gave back $4.80 another three-quarters of a length back.

"I thought he was extremely impressive," Motion said. "We had to stay a little closer (to the pace) because you didn't want to come from off the pace today. I thought that played right into our hands, because I know at that pace he can go all day."

Racecar Rhapsody (Tale of the Cat), who was well back early, made up a lot of ground with a big middle move along the rail but flattened some in the stretch and could only muster fourth on this day. The colt capped the superfecta as the 7-2 second choice, and finished 2 3/4 lengths clear of Chitoz (Forest Wildcat), who was trailed by Cannonball (Catienus), Macho Again (Macho Uno), Turf War (Dixie Union), El Aleman (Point Given), Rich Young Ruler and Duke of de Buque. Halo's King (Halo's Image) was withdrawn. 

Adriano earned his first stakes win in this one, boosting his earnings to $394,100 from a 7-3-1-0 lifetime mark. The chestnut broke his maiden in his second career start and followed that up with a fourth-place finish in the Breeders' Futurity (G1). The colt concluded his freshman campaign when fifth in the Laurel Futurity on the turf, but began his juvenile season in a big way when streaking home a 6 3/4-length winner in a grass allowance at Gulfstream. Most recently in his first appearance on dirt, the Kentucky-bred never factored in the Fountain of Youth S. (G2).

"I know if horses handle the turf well, they will handle the Polytrack," Prado explained. "He put me in a great position at the eighth pole and every time I called on him, he responded."

Motion didn't consider Adriano to be a Kentucky Derby (G1) candidate entering the Lane's End, but the colt's impressive showing will force him to reconsider.

"The horse showed that on his day he can be brilliant," Motion said regarding the Kentucky Derby. "I think we all agree that he's probably more of a turf horse, but the Lexington (G2) (at Keeneland on April 19) is something we will definitely consider. I thought (one) key was that he was very good in the paddock. He's very hot-blooded. In the Fountain of Youth, he kind of fell apart (before the race) that day. The fact that he was good today made a big difference."

The winner is out of the winning Gold Canyon (Mr. Prospector) and has a two-year-old half-sister named Gold d'Oro (Medaglia d'Oro) and an unnamed yearling full sister. His second dam, Golden Treat (Theatrical [Ire]), captured the 1992 Santa Anita Oaks (G1) and produced the stakes-winning Double Scoop (Seeking the Gold). This is the same female family as 1987 Belmont S. (G1), Haskell Invitational H. (G1) and Fountain of Youth S. (G2) star Bet Twice (Sportin' Life), who finished second in that year's Kentucky Derby (G1) and Preakness S. (G1).