Guide to Saturday’s $1 million Blue Grass Stakes at Keeneland
Keeneland’s big Kentucky Derby prep race, the Toyota Blue Grass Stakes, plays out Saturday evening on the race course’s opening weekend. Here’s everything you need to know to get set for the 95th running of the Blue Grass:
Post time: 6:23 p.m. (10th race)
Purse: $1 million (Grade 2)
For: 3-year-olds
Distance: 1 1/8 miles (dirt)
Derby points: 100-40-20-10
TV: NBC Sports Network (Broadcast runs from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. and includes live coverage of Derby preps at Aqueduct and Santa Anita — the Wood Memorial and Santa Anita Derby)
Here’s a look at the field with morning-line odds for the Toyota Blue Grass Stakes:
1. Somelikeithotbrown (10-1)
Jockey: Tyler Gaffalione
Trainer: Mike Maker
Owners: Skychai Racing and Sand Dollar Stable
Career record: 7 starts (3 firsts, 2 seconds, 1 third)
Career earnings: $363,478
Kentucky Derby points: 20
Most recent race: Won the Grade 3 Jeff Ruby Steaks on March 9 at Turfway Park.
Notable: Somelikeithotbrown has the most Road to the Derby points of any contender in the Blue Grass Stakes field and comes in off back-to-back wins at Turfway Park. He has not finished out of the money since his first career race last July at Saratoga.
2. Vekoma (9-5)
Jockey: Javier Castellano
Trainer: George Weaver
Owners: R.A. Hill Stable and Gatsas Stable
Career record: 3 starts (2 firsts, 0 seconds, 1 third)
Career earnings: $188,850
Kentucky Derby points: 10
Most recent race: Finished third in the Grade 2 Fountain of Youth Stakes on March 2 at Gulfstream Park.
Notable: Vekoma is lightly raced but widely respected after wins in his first two races, including the Grade 3 Nashua at Aqueduct, followed by a fast-finishing third in the Fountain of Youth.
3. Signalman (5-1)
Jockey: Brian Hernandez Jr.
Trainer: Kenny McPeek
Owners: Tommie M. Lewis, Steve Crabtree, Dean Demaree, David Bremsen, Jim Chambers, and Magdalena Racing
Career record: 6 starts (2 firsts, 2 seconds, 1 third)
Career earnings: $452,990
Kentucky Derby points: 18
Most recent race: Finished seventh in the Grade 2 Fountain of Youth Stakes on March 2 at Gulfstream Park.
Notable: Signalman ran second in the Grade 1 Claiborne Breeders’ Futurity at Keeneland last October and won the Grade 2 Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes at Churchill Downs last November.
4. Market King (20-1)
Jockey: Jon Court
Trainer: D. Wayne Lukas
Owners: Robert C. Baker and William L. Mack
Career record: 7 starts (1 first, 1 second, 2 thirds)
Career earnings: $145,785
Kentucky Derby points: 7.5
Most recent race: Finished third in his division of the Grade 2 Rebel Stakes on March 16 at Oaklawn Park.
Notable: Trainer D. Wayne Lukas, who has more than 600 career graded stakes wins, has won the Blue Grass Stakes twice — with High Yield in 2000 and War in 1987.
5. Chess Chief (30-1)
Jockey: Paco Lopez
Trainer: Dallas Stewart
Owner: James Coleman Jr.
Career record: 5 starts (1 first, 0 seconds, 1 third)
Career earnings: $33,590
Kentucky Derby points: 0
Most recent race: Won a maiden special weight race on March 2 at Fair Grounds.
Notable: The Blue Grass will be the first career stakes race for Chess Chief.
6. Dream Maker (12-1)
Jockey: Florent Geroux
Trainer: Mark Casse
Owner: John C. Oxley
Career record: 5 starts (2 firsts, 0 seconds, 0 thirds)
Career earnings: $72,850
Kentucky Derby points: 0
Most recent race: Finished 10th in the Tampa Bay Derby on March 9 at Tampa Bay Downs.
Notable: Dream Maker has struggled in all three of his graded stakes appearances, running fifth in the Grade 1 Hopeful at Saratoga, 12th in the Grade 1 Claiborne Breeders’ Futurity at Keeneland and 10th in the Grade 2 Tampa Bay Derby.
7. Admire (15-1)
Jockey: Robbie Albarado
Trainer: Dale Romans
Owner: Albaugh Family Stables
Career record: 4 starts (1 firsts, 0 seconds, 0 thirds)
Career earnings: $58,060
Kentucky Derby points: 0
Most recent race: Finished seventh in the Grade 2 Tampa Bay Derby on March 9 at Tampa Bay Downs.
Notable: Albaugh Family Stables has put a horse in the Kentucky Derby each of the past three years, with Free Drop Billy (2018), J Boys Echo (2017) and Brody’s Cause (2016).
8. Win Win Win (7-2)
Jockey: Irad Ortiz Jr.
Trainer: Michael Trombetta
Owner: Live Oak Plantation
Career record: 5 starts (3 firsts, 1 second, 1 third)
Career earnings: $167,300
Kentucky Derby points: 10
Most recent race: Finished third in the Grade 2 Tampa Bay Derby on March 9 at Tampa Bay Downs.
Notable: Win Win Win set a Tampa Bay Downs track record in winning the 7-furlong Pasco Stakes by 7 ¼ lengths on Jan. 19.
9. Sir Winston (15-1)
Jockey: Julien Leparoux
Trainer: Mark Casse
Owner: Tracy Farmer
Career record: 7 starts (2 firsts, 0 seconds, 1 third)
Career earnings: $99,550
Kentucky Derby points: 1
Most recent race: Finished fifth in the Grade 2 Tampa Bay Derby on March 9 at Tampa Bay Downs.
Notable: Sir Winston’s speed figures have taken a jump upward with every race he’s run.
10. Lucky Lee (20-1)
Jockey: Chris Landeros
Trainer: John Servis
Owner: Cash is King
Career record: 4 starts (2 firsts, 0 seconds, 0 thirds)
Career earnings: $58,600
Kentucky Derby points: 0
Most recent race: Finished seventh in the Grade 3 Withers Stakes on Feb. 2 at Aqueduct.
Notable: Servis also trains Jaywalk, the 2018 Eclipse Award winner for 2-year-old fillies and the favorite for Saturday’s Central Bank Ashland Stakes at Keeneland.
11. So Alive (15-1)
Jockey: Luis Saez
Trainer: Todd Pletcher
Owner: Robert V. LaPenta
Career record: 4 starts (2 firsts, 0 seconds, 1 third)
Career earnings: $72,569
Kentucky Derby points: 2
Most recent race: Finished third in the Grade 3 Sam F. Davis Stakes on Feb. 9 at Tampa Bay Downs.
Notable: So Alive was bumped at the start of the Sam F. Davis but was flying at the end and rallied from last in a field of nine to finish third.
12. Parsimony (20-1)
Jockey: Mario Gutierrez
Trainer: Doug O’Neill
Owner: Reddam Racing
Career record: 8 starts (0 firsts, 4 seconds, 0 thirds)
Career earnings: $56,700
Kentucky Derby points: 0
Most recent race: Finished eighth in his division of the Grade 2 Rebel Stakes on March 16 at Oaklawn Park.
Notable: Parsimony is a perpetual bridesmaid. He’s never won a race but has been a runner-up four times. However, O’Neill and Reddam Racing brought colt with an almost-identical resume to Keeneland in 2017 and won it all. Irap was 0-for-7 with three runner-up finishes before winning the Blue Grass.
13. Moonster (30-1)
Jockey: John McKee
Trainer: Dale Romans
Owner: Calumet Farm
Career record: 8 starts (1 first, 0 seconds, 2 thirds)
Career earnings: $60,549
Kentucky Derby points: 4
Most recent race: Finished third in the Grade 3 Jeff Ruby Steaks on March 9 at Turfway Park.
Notable: Moonster is one of the most seasoned contenders in the Blue Grass Stakes. Saturday’s race will be the ninth start of his young career.
14. Aquadini (30-1)
Jockey: Corey Lanerie
Trainer: Dallas Stewart
Owners: Andrew Farm and On Our Own Stable
Career record: 4 starts (1 first, 1 second, 0 thirds)
Career earnings: $36,060
Kentucky Derby points: 0
Most recent race: Finished second in an allowance optional claiming race on March 2 at Fair Grounds.
Notable: Saturday will be the first time Aquadini has raced anywhere other than Fair Grounds and his first attempt against stakes competition.