‘Are you drunk?’ College student’s stunning win at Keeneland among opening-day highlights.

Laura Grueneberg, a University of Kentucky senior from Louisville, took a while to make her first trip to Keeneland, but she came out a big winner as the recipient of one of two $10,000 Runhappy Scholarships on College Scholarship Day.

“I’m completely shocked. I don’t think I can process it,” Grueneberg said. “I just called my dad and he was like ‘No. What?’ And I had to repeat it three or four times because he just did not (understand). ‘What do you mean you just won $10,000?’

“I said, ‘Dad, I’m not crazy, I’m at a horse track right now.’ And then he asked, ‘Are you drunk?’”

For Grueneberg the scholarship will help pay off her college loans. “This is an unbelievable amount of money to me. I’m really, really happy.”

The $10,000 means just as much to Connor O’Brien, a UK sophomore also from Louisville. His father, Padraic O’Brien, was recently diagnosed with cancer.

“This means a lot, because he’s our only source of income,” Connor O’Brien said. “This pays a semester for me. ... This is a dream. This isn’t real.”

Held in partnership with the Kentucky Thoroughbred Association, more than $300,000 in scholarships have been awarded since the program’s inception in 2002.

The first Runhappy Scholarship, presented by Jim and Linda McIngvale, owners of champion Runhappy, who stands at Claiborne Farm in Paris, was presented in 2016. This is the first meet where two $10,000 scholarships have been awarded. In addition to the major prizes, there were 10 $1,000 scholarship winners.

Pleasant opening day

Keeneland opened its Spring Meet on Friday to a breezy, somewhat overcast day with temperatures in the low 60s, an almost perfect way to begin 16 days of racing.

“It’s a lot better than I thought it was going to be. I thought it was going to be cold and rainy,” said Kyle Cottingham, an Edgewood native who now lives and works in Lexington.

Saturday’s Toyota Blue Grass Stakes Day likely will be a sterner test with snow showers forecast overnight right through the first post at 1:05 p.m.

Cottingham said he might bring his brother to the track Saturday, since he’s never been, as long as there’s not too much snow on the ground.

WKYT chief meteorologist Chris Bailey’s latest blog post calls for the entire state to see anywhere from 1 to 3 inches of snow in the early morning hours, but the system should move off as racing gets underway. Temperatures for Saturday afternoon are expected to top out in the low 40s.

New show, new host

Friday marked the first day for Jesse Ullery in his new role as Keeneland paddock host and handicapper with partner Katie Gensler.

Ullery, who has been a Keeneland sales associate since 2016 and a sales announcer since 2014, succeeds Mike Battaglia in the on-camera role. He stood in for Gensler a couple of times last year, which proved to be an audition.

“It’s a lot of fun for me,” Ullery said. “I actually started out as a track announcer in Oklahoma, so it’s fun to kind of go back to my roots and go back to hosting a pre-race show with Katie, who’s been wonderful help. She’s great to handicap with.”

Ullery and Gensler also host “Today at Keeneland” a new, live preview show at 11:30 a.m. at the track. Both thought the inaugural edition went well.

“I think he not only has the background as being a handicapper, which is needed for this job, but also as an announcer. He’s got an amazing voice to do this job,” Gensler said, noting she also likes that he has that background in sales and pedigrees. “He’s the whole package.”

The Blue Grass

Chad Brown, trainer of Toyota Blue Grass Stakes favorite Good Magic, arrived at Keeneland on Friday to oversee his stable.

“The horse looks great,” Brown said of Good Magic. “He’s very healthy, traveling really well over the track.”

The Breeders’ Cup Juvenile champion will be looking to bolster his résumé after a disappointing third place his last time out in the Fountain of Youth. Brown didn’t like Good Magic’s draw out of the No. 11 post, but he did like his chances.

“He’s a very talented horse; hopefully, he’ll overcome that and work out a good trip.”

Coming up

The Toyota Blue Grass Stakes is one of five graded stakes races on Saturday’s card at Keeneland.

The Grade 1, $500,000 Ashland Stakes is a prep race for the Kentucky Oaks. Prior to the Ashland and Blue Grass are the Grade 3, $250,000 Commonwealth, the Grade 2, $200,000 Shakertown and the Grade 1, $300,000 Madison.

This story was originally published April 6, 2018 at 7:27 PM with the headline "‘Are you drunk?’ College student’s stunning win at Keeneland among opening-day highlights.."