BY MICHAEL CUSORTELLI

GRAND PRAIRIE, TX—NOVEMBER 1, 2021—Forty-eight 3-year-olds, headed by Grade 1 winners Empressum and Instygator, are entered in Friday’s 440-yard Texas Classic Derby (G1) trials at Lone Star Park.

A homebred son of world champion Apollitical Jess trained by Heath Taylor for owners Jeff Jones and Steve Holt, Empressum has earned $788,685 from eight races this season, and he is coming off of a Ruidoso Downs summer campaign during which he won the first two legs of the All American Derby Triple Crown, the 400-yard, $673,000 Ruidoso Derby (G1) in June, and the 440-yard, $678,000 Rainbow Derby (G1) in July.

Empressum drew post 2 and will be ridden by Rodrigo Vallejo in the last of six trials.

Instygator races for Barboza Racing Corp. from the barn of trainer Santos Carrizales Jr. The Ivory James gelding has won seven of 11 starts and has earned $1,268,239, and his three wins in four races at the classic 440-yard trip include a 1 1/4-length victory in the September 5, $929,000 All American Derby (G1) at Ruidoso Downs.

Instygator ended his juvenile season with a second-place finish, a nose behind winner Dulce Sin Tacha, in the 400-yard, $1.031-million Texas Classic Futurity (G1) at Lone Star Park. The gelding drew post 2 and will be ridden by Juan Pulido in the second heat.

The 10 fastest qualifiers will meet in the November 27, $400,000-est. Texas Classic Derby final.

The Texas Classic Derby trials, and all Lone Star Park races, can be seen at Q-RacingVideo.com.