Midnight Hawk tops field for Illinois Derby

By: SPORTS NETWORK

Stickney, IL (SportsNetwork.con) - Sunland Derby runner-up Midnight Hawk heads a field of eight 3-year-olds for Saturday's 57th edition of the $500,000 Illinois Derby at Hawthorne Race Course.

Trained by Bob Baffert, Midnight Hawk will start the 1 1/8-mile race from post 3 with Martin Garcia coming in to ride the gray colt. The colt has 52 points for a place in the Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs on May 3, but the Illinois Derby offers no points.

Midnight Hawk, owned in part by Mike Pegram, has finished in the money in all his five career starts. Along with his second behind stablemate Chitu in the Sunland Derby, Midnight Hawk was runner-up to Santa Anita Derby winner California Chrome in the San Felipe Stakes in March and third to Candy Boy in February's Robert B.Lewis Stakes.

After breaking his maiden last December in his debut effort, Midnight Hawk won the Sham Stakes at Santa Anita on Jan. 11. He has earned $347,000.

Here is the field from the rail out: Dynamic Impact, Miguel Mena; A Step Ahead, Chris Emigh; Midnight Hawk, Martin Garcia; Irish You Well, Channing Hill; King Cyrus, Rosie Napravnik; Emmett Park, Lori Wydick; Global Strike, Tim Thornton and Class Leader, James Graham.

Post time for the Illinois Derby will be approximately 6:42 p.m. ET.