Desormeaux brothers eager for Texas Red's likely return in San Vicente

Desormeaux brothers eager for Texas Red's likely return in

San Vicente

Texas Red, the 6 1/2-length winner of the Breeders' Cup Juvenile on November

1 at Santa Anita Park, is likely to make his three-year-old debut in the

Grade 2, $200,000 San Vicente Stakes at seven furlongs on February 1 back at the

Arcadia, California, venue.

"He's been in training the whole 45 days (since the

Juvenile)," trainer Keith Desormeaux said as Texas Red exercised on the main

track at Santa Anita Friday morning. "His first breeze will be tomorrow."

Asked

if his younger brother and Texas Red's regular jockey Kent Desormeaux would work him,

Keith said, "I doubt it. We don't need the expert

on a maintenance breeze.

"The horse has been a little bit too much the past couple of weeks, and it

kind of makes you a little nervous," the trainer added. "He's ready to get

something started. Nothing's definite, but right now I'm thinking about the San

Vicente."

It's been a fairytale year for Kent Desormeaux, who

resurrected his career at the age of 44 with upper echelon finishes in the

standings at Santa Anita, Del Mar and Los Alamitos, capped by the upset victory

in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile aboard Texas Red.

"I can't even tell you how thrilled I am to be back in

California, living in one house, riding for my family with the favorite for the

Kentucky Derby," Kent Desormeaux said.

"Most jockeys would love to be in my shoes right now, and I thank the Lord

I'm the one standing in them. The same slide show keeps going through my mind of

when Keith and I were competing against each other as kids, in basketball and

riding, and now we're on racing's No. 1 stage together."

In addition to the Breeders' Cup, Texas Red finished third in his only other

stakes try, the Grade 1 FrontRunner Stakes at Santa Anita. He currently owns a

5-2-1-1 record having banked $1,192,300 in career earnings.

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