Risen Star, a son of Secretariat who had never raced outside Louisiana, wore down Forty Niner in the final yards to win the $105,600 Lexington Stakes at Keeneland by a head today and thoroughly muddle the outlook for the Kentucky Derby May 7.

An authoritative victory by Forty Niner, last year's champion 2-year-old, would have sent him to Louisville as a solid favorite for the Derby and might have kept down the size of the field. Now, though, there is no clear Derby favorite and a full field of 20 seems likely. This is the second time Forty Niner has been run down in a middle-distance race this spring, and it is difficult to be enthusiastic about his chances at the longer Derby distance of 1 1/4 miles.

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