So Adriano wins — quite handily — this past weekend’s Lane’s End Stakes at Turfway Park. But what does this really mean in terms of the Kentucky Derby picture?

Well, it means that Adriano can start in the Derby if he wants due to sufficient graded earnings. Yet Adriano’s best races have been on either turf or synthetic surfaces, and his race in the Fountain of Youth was dreadful on conventional dirt.

That said, trainer Graham Motion is a great horseman — and if Adriano is indeed pointed to the Derby, then it would be safe to assume that he feels Adriano’s most recent form turnaround can be attributed to the colt’s improvement and not just a return to Polytrack.

As for the remainder of the Lane’s End field, Halo Najib raced well. He lost some position heading into the far turn, and was unable to gain on the winner through the late stages. With improvement, he could prove troublesome.