Pletcher nominates 24 to Lane's End

Pletcher nominates 24 to

Lane's End

A total of 156 sophomores has been nominated to the March 22 Lane's End S.

(G2) at Turfway Park, stakes coordinator Randy Wehrman announced Sunday.

Boasting a purse of $500,000, the 37th edition of the Lane's End drew 10 fewer

nominations than last year. The 1 1/8-mile Polytrack event will be run six weeks

before the May 3 Kentucky Derby (G1).

Leading the list for a third straight year is trainer Todd Pletcher, who has

nominated 24 three-year-olds to the race. Included among his nominees is

Tropical Park Derby (G3) winner COWBOY CAL (Giant's Causeway), runner-up most

recently in the Hallandale Beach S. to stablemate WHY TONTO (Indian Charlie),

who is also nominated to the Lane's End. CashCall Futurity (G1) fourth MONBA

(Maria's Mon); stakes winner ATONED (Repent),

last seen running second by a neck in the November 24 Remsen S. (G2); and

impressive maiden winners SLEUSE (Grand Slam) and UNDERSTATEMENT (Distorted

Humor) are also among Pletcher's preliminary entrants.

Trainer Larry Jones has nominated FERRAGAMO (Vindication), who was an

exciting winner of the Mountain Valley S. at Oaklawn Park on Saturday. Last

year, Jones saddled Hard Spun to a 3 1/4-length score in the Lane's End off a

fourth in the Southwest S. at Oaklawn. That Grade 1-winning bay would go on

to finish second in the Kentucky Derby (G1), third in the Preakness S. (G1) and

fourth in the Belmont S. (G1) before ending his career with a second in the

Breeders' Cup Classic (G1).

Other nominees to the Lane's End include U. S. CAVALRY (Officer) and BIG GLEN

(Cactus Ridge), the respective winners of two local preps, the Turfway Prevue S.

and WEBN S. The third local prep, the John A. Battaglia Memorial S., is

scheduled for Saturday.

All horses nominated to the Lane's End are automatically nominated to the

Battaglia as well as a pair of events on the Lane's End undercard, the Hansel S.

and Rushaway S. The Lane's End and Rushaway will both be televised by ESPN.