LEXINGTON, Ky. – Even with 40 points from his runner-up finish in the April 2 Jeff Ruby Steaks, Tawny Port will wheel back Saturday at Keeneland in the Grade 3 Lexington Stakes, the final qualifier for the 148th Kentucky Derby. Trainer Brad Cox said he is running Tawny Port just two weeks later primarily “to see how he can do on the dirt,” even though the 40 points earned by the Pioneerof the Nile colt in the Ruby figure to be sufficient to make the 20-horse cutoff for the May 7 Derby at Churchill Downs. Points for the $400,000 Lexington are awarded on a 20-8-4-2 basis. Tawny Port, owned by the Peachtree Stable of John Fort, ran fifth at 24-1 in the Feb. 19 Risen Star at Fair Grounds in a race that has been extremely productive with Epicenter, Smile Happy, and Zandon as the 1-2-3 finishers. :: For the first time ever, our premium past performances are free! Get free Formulator now! Tawny Port “has only had four starts, and three have been on synthetic,” said Cox, referring to maiden and allowance wins over the Tapeta at Turfway Park that preceded the Risen Star, which then was followed by a second behind Tiz the Bomb in the Ruby. “He’s an improved horse since the Risen Star, no doubt about it,” said Cox, who already has two other confirmed Derby runners, those being Cyberknife, winner of the Arkansas Derby, and Zozos, runner-up in the Louisiana Derby. :: KENTUCKY DERBY 2022: Derby Watch, point standings, prep schedule, news, and more Cox said a secondary benefit to running in the Lexington is cementing a Derby spot. Going into the weekend, Tawny Port is No. 20 on the points list among confirmed runners, but one other Lexington prospect, In Due Time, currently has 20 points, meaning he could get to 40 with a Saturday victory. Still, even a fourth-place finish by Tawny Port would keep him ahead and thereby avoid a potential tie-breaking scenario that would favor the Lexington winner. A field of about 11 3-year-olds was expected when entries were drawn here Wednesday for the 40th Lexington, a 1 1/16-mile race that will share the Saturday spotlight with two grass races for fillies and mares, the Grade 1 Jenny Wiley at 1 1/16 miles and the Giant’s Causeway at 5 1/2 furlongs. Keeneland will be dark Sunday because of the Easter holiday. Dash Attack gets a shot Kenny McPeek also will be looking to get a third Derby starter when he runs Dash Attack in the Lexington. Dash Attack, winner of the Jan. 1 Smarty Jones at Oaklawn Park in just his second career start, was off the board in two subsequent Derby preps at Oaklawn. He has 10 Derby points. “It’s time for him to try another surface,” said McPeek. “He’s had some nice maintenance works at Churchill and I think he deserves another try.” Smile Happy, second to Zandon in the Blue Grass here Saturday, came out of the race in good shape, said McPeek. “The winner was impressive, and I thought he really liked that surface,” said McPeek. “Our colt was maybe slipping and sliding a little bit in it, but it was a solid race. It was all we needed. We needed points.” Also, Tiz the Bomb, the Ruby winner, could have his first work back Saturday, said McPeek. Rattle N Roll, sixth in the Blue Grass for McPeek, is off the Derby trail and likely will be pointed to the June 12 Matt Winn at Churchill.