He broke strongly to take an early lead. Heading down the stretch, Steppenwolfer made a strong challenge for the lead, but Lawyer Ron held him off to win by 3/4 length. In the 2006 Grade III Rebel Stakes held at Oaklawn Park on March 18, Lawyer Ron got a poor start and was trapped against the rail in fifth. Coming out of the first turn, he moved to the outside but remained in fifth down the backstretch. Under jockey John McKee, he made his move at the start of the second turn. Moving strongly up the field, he took the lead by the time he came out of the turn and won by three lengths. The 2006 Arkansas Derby was a $1 million Grade II stakes race run at Oaklawn Park in Hot Springs, Arkansas, on April 15, 2006. Lawyer Ron was the odds-on favorite. Early in the race, he was bottled in between horses in fourth but moved up on the rail coming out of the first turn to gain the lead. Lawyer Ron was then challenged by Private Vow coming out of the second turn but pulled away and won by 2¾ lengths over a late-surging Steppenwolfer. Past Performances In most of Lawyer Ron's victories, he jumped out to an early lead and set the pace. All of his wins were characterized by a strong driving finish. In the 2006 Rebel Stakes, Lawyer Ron demonstrated the ability to come from the back of the field as well. His ability to both start and close a race made him a favorite to win the 2006 Kentucky Derby, according to many experts. He left the gate in 6th place in the Derby but after the first turn moved quickly to 2nd place, where he remained down the long back side. He tired at the top of the stretch and finished 12th. On August 25, 2006, Lawyer Ron won the inaugural running of the St. Louis Derby at Fairmount Park Race Track in Illinois. Ridden by John Velazquez and hard to handle in the early part of the race, on September 30 Lawyer Ron lost to Curlin by a neck in a stretch duel in the Grade I Jockey Club Gold Cup at Belmont Park. Early in the race, he ran in second place behind the early fractions of 24:26, 47:88, and 1:11:66 set by Brother Bobby. Jockeys Through his early