Cowtown Cat, piloted by Fernando Jara, made capturing a top prep for the Kentucky Derby look easy with a wire-to-wire, 2 ¼-length win over Reporting for Duty in Saturday's $500,000 Illinois Derby (Grade 2) at Hawthorne Park.

The 3-year-old chestnut son of Distorted Humor completed the 1 1/8-miles over a "fast" track in 1:51.21 and paid $9, $5.20, and $4.60 as the 7-2 second choice in the field of nine. Reporting for Duty, dismissed at odds of nearly 25-1, came running strong at the end to finish second and paid $16.20 and $7.40. Bold Start finished another ¾-lengths back in third under jockey Larry Melancon and paid $4.60 to show. Even money favorite Cobalt Blue, coming off a win in the San Felipe (Grade 2), faltered to finish seventh for jockey Victor Espinoza.

Sacrafice Bunt finished fourth and was followed under the wire by Catman Running, Quite Acceptable, Cobalt Blue, Family Talk, and Love Dubai.

As expected, Cowtown Cat jumped out to the early lead and was allowed to dictate a soft early pace. He navigated the first quarter-mile in :24.85 and the first half-mile in :49.42. He held a constant ½-length advantage over Catman Running throughout the first six furlongs, which he clicked off in 1:13.56. Bold Start and Cobalt Blue stalked from the third- and fourth-place positions throughout much of the early running. Approaching the stretch, Cobalt Blue threw in the towel as Cowtown Cat began to slip away from the pack; Catman Running could no longer keep up but Reporting for Duty began to make his presence felt on the outside. He was, however, no match for Cowtown Cat who pulled away to win by an easy 2 ¼-lengths.

Owned by WinStar Farm and trained by Todd Pletcher, Cowtown Cat won for the fourth time in seven lifetime starts. The $300,000 winner's share from the Illinois Derby boosted his career bankroll to $488,463. His graded earnings kitty now stands at $437,253 - more than enough to secure a spot in the starting gate for Kentucky Derby 133 to be run at Churchill Downs on May 5. The Illinois Derby was the second Kentucky Derby prep secured by Cowtown Cat this season after a win in the Gotham (Grade 3) on March 10 at Aqueduct over Wafi City and Summer Doldrums.

Reporting for Duty and Bold Start each seem likely to attempt a run in the Kentucky Derby based on their strong performances in the Illinois Derby. The problem for each potential contender is their lack of graded earnings; Reporting for Duty boasts $100,000 from graded stakes and Bold Start has just $85,000 in graded loot. In recent years it has taken at least $100,000 to secure a start in the Kentucky Derby. The Derby hopes of Merv Griffin's colt Cobalt Blue seem to have been dashed by his lackluster seventh-place finish.