Reigning 2-year-old champ Good Magic takes Blue Grass Stakes; Kentucky Derby is next

There would be “no excuses” for Good Magic in this one, trainer Chad Brown said of his reigning 2-year-old champion and Kentucky Derby contender.

The son of Curlin came into his 3-year-old campaign saddled with high expectations, but he never seriously threatened in his first start of the year, finishing third as the heavy favorite in last month’s Grade 2 Fountain of Youth Stakes.

Brown said Good Magic needed that race. He also said his star colt needed to show something more in Saturday’s Toyota Blue Grass Stakes at Keeneland.

Good Magic did just that. He broke well under jockey Jose Ortiz, stuck a head in front at the top of the stretch, took command a few strides later and held off Flameaway by 1½ lengths.

“I thought it was an outstanding performance — a very professional effort,” Brown said.

Good Magic, breaking out of the 10 spot in a full field of 14 contenders, went a bit wide into the first turn but settled in nicely a few lengths behind pacesetters Flameaway and Arawak heading down the backstretch. Ortiz gave him plenty of room to run, and Good Magic made his move going into the turn, stuck a head in front of Flameaway heading into the stretch and took over from there.

He switched leads at one point in the stretch and appeared to jump a shadow near the finish line, but it was otherwise exactly what Brown was looking for in Good Magic’s final prep before next month’s Kentucky Derby.

“I loved where he was all throughout the race, and it just became a matter of if he’s good enough and fit enough today,” Brown said. “Thankfully, he kicked again. He’s a very reliable horse.”

Ortiz added of the trip: “It was perfect.”

It couldn’t have gone much better for Good Magic, who defeated Solomini by 4¼ lengths at Del Mar on Nov. 4 to win the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile and take top 2-year-old honors over Bolt d’Oro, the favorite and third-place finisher in that race.

Good Magic was a 7-10 favorite in the Fountain of Youth on March 3 but never really challenged the leaders and finished third that day. This would be his last chance to prove himself before the Derby, and he solidified his status as one of the top contenders at Churchill Downs on May 5.

Flameaway held on for second place. The D. Wayne Lukas-trained Sporting Chance finished third but was knocked down to fourth after veering into the path of Free Drop Billy, who was placed third.

The last Blue Grass Stakes winner to go on and win the Kentucky Derby was Strike the Gold in 1991. Blue Grass runner-up Street Sense won the Derby in 2007, while Blue Grass fourth-place finishers Sea Hero (1993) and Thunder Gulch (1995) also went on to win the Derby.

The final time Saturday was 1:50.18, and Good Magic paid $5.20 to win as the 8-5 favorite. It was the first Blue Grass Stakes victory for Brown, who finished second in each of the past two years with Practical Joke and My Man Sam.

Next stop: Louisville.

“Only having two starts this year, our plan was to have him competing on Derby Day,” Brown said. “So hopefully he takes another step before Derby Day, and I think he’s going to need to. As well as he ran today, it’s an outstanding crop of horses this year.”

As Brown was speaking, the impressive Justify was putting away Bolt d’Oro to win the Santa Anita Derby and perhaps stake his claim to the label of Kentucky Derby favorite. UAE Derby winner Mendelssohn and Florida Derby winner Audible will also be among the favorites. Other top contenders could emerge from next weekend’s Arkansas Derby, the final major Kentucky Derby prep of the spring.

Good Magic should get plenty of attention over the next four weeks, as well, and he’s likely to stick around Lexington for a little bit longer.

Bred in Kentucky and purchased for $1 million at the Keeneland September Yearling Sale in 2016, Good Magic obviously liked the Lexington track Saturday — earning $600,000 for the Grade 2 victory — and Brown said his champion colt would have at least one workout over the Churchill Downs surface in preparation for the Derby.

For the time being, he’s staying put.

“He seems to love Keeneland,” Brown said. “Right now, I’m leaning toward probably leaving him here for a couple of weeks. Getting his first breeze out of the way here at a track I know he likes. And then get him over to Churchill.”

This story was originally published April 7, 2018 at 6:36 PM with the headline "Reigning 2-year-old champ Good Magic takes Blue Grass Stakes; Kentucky Derby is next."