Keeneland to host final Kentucky Derby qualifying race. These horses can still make it in.

A field of 10 horses will contest the final qualifying points race on the road to the 150th running of the Grade 1, $5 million Kentucky Derby.

The Grade 3, $400,000 Stonestreet Lexington Stakes on Saturday at Keeneland is the final chance at Derby qualification for three of the horses in the field.

Hades, Encino and Liberal Arts are the horses in the Lexington Stakes that could turn a good result in Saturday’s race into an appearance in the 20-horse Derby starting gate.

The Stonestreet Lexington Stakes is a 1 1/16-mile race on the main track at Keeneland, and has a post time of 5:48 p.m. It will be the 10th race as part of an 11-race card.

The Lexington Stakes will award qualifying points to the top-five finishers in the race on a 20-10-6-4-2 scale.

Hades — a Joe Orseno trainee and the horse in post position 5 — already has 30 qualifying points and ranks 24th on the Derby qualifying leaderboard.

Hades won the Grade 3 Holy Bull Stakes in February at Gulfstream Park. Jockey Jose Ortiz will be aboard Hades in the Lexington.

A win would put Hades into the top 20 of the Derby points leaderboard, while a second-place finish would leave him just outside that cutoff line.

Orseno said Hades will run with blinkers on Saturday.

Encino — a Brad Cox trainee and the horse in post position 8 — already has 20 qualifying points and ranks 32nd on the Derby qualifying leaderboard.

Encino won the John Battaglia Memorial Stakes last month at Turfway Park in Florence, and was originally set to contest last Saturday’s Grade 1 Toyota Blue Grass Stakes at Keeneland, a 200-point Derby qualifier that was won by the 8-5 favorite, Sierra Leone.

Instead, Encino was scratched from that race and pointed by Cox toward the Lexington. Jockey Florent Geroux will be aboard Encino in the Lexington.

A win by Encino in the Lexington would move him up to 21st on the Derby points leaderboard.

Liberal Arts — a Robbie Medina trainee and the horse in post position 9 — already has 19 qualifying points and ranks 33rd on the Derby qualifying leaderboard.

Liberal Arts won the Grade 3 Street Sense Stakes at Churchill Downs last fall. Jockey Irad Ortiz, Jr. will be aboard Liberal Arts in the Lexington.

A win by Liberal Arts in the Lexington would move him up to 22nd on the Derby points leaderboard.

The Wine Steward, trained by Michael Maker and to be ridden by Luis Saez, is the 5-2 morning line favorite in the Lexington Stakes.

A son of 2019 Breeders’ Cup Classic winner Vino Rosso, The Wine Steward is 3-1-0 in four career starts. He finished second in the Grade 1 Breeders’ Futurity last fall at Keeneland.

The Wine Steward will leave post position 2 Saturday evening.

Also-eligible horses have made news in Kentucky Derbys

While a victory in Saturday’s race, which is the 42nd running of the Lexington Stakes, wouldn’t move Encino or Liberal Arts directly into the Kentucky Derby field, also-eligible horses have featured prominently in the Run for the Roses in recent years.

In 2022, Rich Strike moved off the also-eligible list into the Derby field and won the race at staggering 80-1 odds.

Last year, a series of scratches meant all of the horses on the also-eligible list made the Derby starting gate. The best finish of a former also-eligible horse in last year’s Kentucky Derby was 12th by Mandarin Hero from Japan.

Only one horse in the 2023 edition of the Lexington, Disarm, used the race as a springboard toward the Kentucky Derby. Disarm ran a distant third in the Lexington to secure his Derby spot, but finished fourth in the Kentucky Derby for trainer Steve Asmussen.

The full field for the 2024 edition of the Grade 3, $400,000 Stonestreet Lexington Stakes is below in order of post position, with the trainer, jockey and morning-line odds also listed.

2024 Lexington Stakes field

▪ 1. Secret Chat: Roderick Rodriguez, Joel Rosario, 15-1.

▪ 2. The Wine Steward: Michael Maker, Luis Saez, 5-2.

▪ 3. Dilger (IRE): Saffie Joseph Jr., Tyler Gaffalione, 12-1.

▪ 4. Footprint: Kenny McPeek, Brian Hernandez Jr., 10-1.

▪ 5. Hades: Joe Orseno, Jose Ortiz, 7-2.

▪ 6. How’s Ur Attitude: John Ennis, Adam Beschizza, 30-1.

▪ 7. Everdoit: Kevin Rice, Axel Concepcion, 30-1.

▪ 8. Encino: Brad Cox, Florent Geroux, 5-1.

▪ 9. Liberal Arts: Robert Medina, Irad Ortiz Jr., 4-1.

▪ 10. Lucky Jeremy: William E. Morey, Gerardo Corrales, 8-1.