Art Collector wins Blue Grass Stakes; Star filly Swiss Skydiver finishes second
There’s a new player in the Kentucky Derby picture.
Art Collector — making his first start in a Derby prep — challenged star filly Swiss Skydiver in the Keeneland stretch Saturday afternoon and pulled away for an impressive victory in the Grade 2 Toyota Blue Grass Stakes to claim his spot in the Derby starting gate in September.
The 3-year-old son of Bernardini was coming into this race off a 6 1/2-length victory at Churchill Downs last month. That performance — the third straight time Art Collector had crossed the finish line first — proved he deserved a shot in the Blue Grass Stakes.
His showing Saturday means he’ll be in the thick of the conversation during the lead-up to the Kentucky Derby on Sept. 5, and he and his connections will be in a familiar place.
For trainer Tommy Drury — a Louisville native — Saturday’s win marked his first graded stakes victory, and he’ll now have his first Derby contender. Jockey Brian Hernandez Jr. — a Louisville resident — was also aboard Art Collector for his four most recent starts, all at Churchill Downs. And owner Bruce Lunsford — another Louisville resident — will get to bring his homebred colt to his hometown’s biggest race.
“I thought he ran a fantastic race,” Drury said after Saturday’s win. “Just got the dream trip, and just so proud of my horse. He really showed up today. We felt like he was going the right way and felt like he was doing things the right way, but you never know until you run against this kind of competition. So I think he answered a lot of questions today for us.”
Swiss Skydiver — the first filly to run in the Blue Grass since 1944 — finished second after Art Collector drove clear of her at the sixteenth pole. Rushie was third, followed by Enforceable and Attachment Rate.
This story was originally published July 11, 2020 at 5:42 PM.
