LEXINGTON, Ky. – The rich got richer Saturday at Keeneland. Tawny Port didn’t need any more qualifying points to make the 20-horse cutoff for the Kentucky Derby, but he took down 20 more anyway when improving his Derby stock as a clear-cut winner of the Lexington Stakes, the final points qualifier for the May 7 Derby. Tawny Port, owned by the Peachtree Stable of John Fort, earned $229,000 of the $400,000 purse with his one-length triumph in the Grade 3 Lexington, but, more importantly, the son of the late Pioneerof the Nile showed he could handle a dirt surface. The colt previously had raced just once on dirt when finishing fifth in the Feb. 19 Risen Star at Fair Grounds. “There was a little bit of a question mark with how well he would handle the dirt,” trainer Brad Cox said. “But he was pretty powerful today.” Ridden by Florent Geroux, Tawny Port rallied from eighth in a field of 11 3-year-olds when finishing 1 1/16 miles in 1:45.24 over a fast track. He paid $12.20 as second choice. Tawny Port was given an 89 Beyer Speed Figure. :: Take your handicapping to the next level and play like a pro with free Formulator, DRF's premium data product Major General, a 7-1 shot who led most of the way under Irad Ortiz Jr., fought back late to hold second, another 1 1/2 lengths before In Due Time, the 19-10 favorite under Paco Lopez. Ethereal Road was another length back in fourth. Six of the starters in the Lexington, which offered points on a 20-8-4-2 basis toward the 148th Derby, entered the race with at least 10 points, led by Tawny Port, who just two Saturdays ago rang up 40 by finishing second in the Jeff Ruby Steaks at Turfway Park. He now has 60. Major General now has 18; In Due Time has 24; and Ethereal Road has 22. The updated leaderboard issued Saturday evening by Churchill Downs shows Happy Jack (30 points) as No. 20, followed by Pioneer of Medina (25), In Due Time, and Ethereal Road. However, the Derby status of at least two horses higher on the list, Early Voting and Morello, has not been confirmed by their respective camps; both colts have 50 points. As many as four also-eligibles can make the Derby program (Nos. 21-24). On a cloudy and breezy afternoon, Major General went in splits of 23.85, 48.01, and 1:12.45 before his pursuers started making their moves. Strava poked his head in front at the furlong grounds, but then Tawny Port, having emerged from a tight pack, came motoring down the center of the track as clearly best. “Looks like the (Derby) distance (of 1 1/4 miles) should be no problem,” said Geroux, who already had Cyberknife, the Arkansas Derby winner, as a prime Derby mount. Tawny Port, a dark bay Kentucky-bred, now has three wins from five starts. His other three races all were over the Tapeta at Turfway, where he won a maiden and allowance race before trying the Risen Star. On Saturday, he was wheeling back in two weeks off a runner-up finish behind Tiz the Bomb in the Ruby. “He ran well at the Fair Grounds,” Cox said. “Florent came back and had positive comments after that race, and I thought, ‘Well, you know, right now, maybe you try to go in the Jeff Ruby Steaks.’ So that’s what we did, and he ran a real respectable race. Then we found ourselves nominated to this race and it worked out today. This was actually John’s idea to run in this race.” Cox, the two-time reigning Eclipse champion trainer, now has three confirmed starters for the Derby, the others being Cyberknife and Zozos. Cox won the Derby last year with second finisher Mandaloun, who has been awarded victory by the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission on the disqualification of Medina Spirit for a medication violation. This was the second triumph in the Lexington for Cox and Geroux, who teamed to win the 2019 running with Owendale. Meanwhile, Kelly Breen, trainer of In Due Time, said he would need to consult with the owners before deciding whether to try to make the Derby field or just wait for the May 21 Preakness. “I still think he’s a top horse,” Breen said. “Paco said he felt like the horse didn’t handle the track very well.” The $2 exacta (9-7) paid $83.60, the $1 trifecta (9-7-2) returned $117.60, and the 10-cent superfecta (9-7-2-4) was worth $63.23. Keeneland is dark Sunday because of the Easter holiday. After three dark days, the only five-day week of the 15-day spring meet begins Wednesday with an eight-race card.