The field is set for the 2025 Blue Grass Stakes at Keeneland. See the contenders and odds
The arrival of the 2025 Spring Meet at Keeneland means it’s time, once again, for the Lexington racetrack’s annual showcase event on the American Road to the Kentucky Derby.
On Tuesday, April 1, the post-position draw took place for the 101st edition of the Grade 1, $1.25 million Toyota Blue Grass Stakes, a key 1 1/8-mile qualifying race ahead of next month’s Kentucky Derby.
The annual prep race was supposed to be run Saturday, but Keeneland shifted the scheduled racing activities on Friday and Saturday to Monday and Tuesday due to the threat of historic severe weather in Kentucky.
As such, the Blue Grass Stakes will now be run Tuesday, April 8.
The full field for the 2025 Blue Grass from the rail out, with trainers, jockeys and morning-line odds listed, is:
▪ 1: River Thames (Todd Pletcher, Irad Ortiz Jr., 5-2).
▪ 2: Render Judgment (Kenny McPeek, Sheldon Russell, 20-1).
▪ 3: Burnham Square (Ian Wilkes, Brian Hernandez Jr., 4-1).
▪ 4: Owen Almighty (Brian Lynch, Jose Ortiz, 3-1).
▪ 5: East Avenue (Brendan Walsh, Luan Machado, 3-1).
▪ 6: Chancer McPatrick (Chad Brown, Flavien Prat, 7-2).
▪ 7: Admiral Dennis (Brad Cox, Luis Saez, 20-1).
River Thames — who finished second in the Grade 2 Fountain of Youth Stakes at Gulfstream Park in early March — is the 5-2 morning-line favorite in the seven-horse Blue Grass field.
The favorite has won five of the last seven editions of the Blue Grass Stakes. In history, the favorite has won 40 of the 100 editions of the Blue Grass, which has been run at Keeneland since the track’s first Spring Meet in April 1937.
Other horses to know from the field include East Avenue, who was the runaway winner last fall at Keeneland in the Grade 1 Breeders’ Futurity. Other notable entrants include two-time Grade 1 winner Chancer McPatrick and Burnham Square, who won the Grade 3 Holy Bull Stakes in February at Gulfstream Park.
Owen Almighty was last seen winning the Grade 3 Tampa Bay Derby in early March.
Lexington native Kenny McPeek, who has trained two Blue Grass Stakes winners, will saddle 20-1 shot Render Judgment. McPeek trained the winners of last year’s Kentucky Derby (Mystik Dan) and Kentucky Oaks (Thorpedo Anna).
Now in existence for more than a century, the Blue Grass is part of the Kentucky Derby Championship Series. That’s the official title for a group of 16 races that includes the top points qualifiers to secure a spot in the Derby.
The Blue Grass is one of the 100-point qualifiers for the Derby, which means it awards points to potential Derby horses on a 100-50-25-15-10 scale to the top-five finishers. Finishing in the top two spots in the Blue Grass usually is enough on its own to secure a starting spot in the 20-horse Derby gate.
Ten horses — Shut Out (1942), Tomy Lee (1959), Chateaugay (1963), Northern Dancer (1964), Lucky Debonair (1965), Forward Pass (1968), Dust Commander (1970), Riva Ridge (1972), Spectacular Bid (1979) and Strike the Gold (1991) — have won both the Blue Grass Stakes and the Kentucky Derby, although no horse has accomplished this double in more than 30 years.
A total of 19 horses who ran in the Blue Grass Stakes at Keeneland have gone on to win the Run for the Roses.
The 151st running of the Grade 1, $5 million Kentucky Derby is set for May 3 at Churchill Downs in Louisville.
The Blue Grass is set to be the 10th of 11 races on Tuesday at Keeneland. This includes five stakes races worth a combined $3.15 million.
There’s a $250,000 purse increase for the Blue Grass this year, which matches the Grade 1 Coolmore Turf Mile as Keeneland’s two $1.25 million races, which are the richest in track history.
Free General Admission will be available to all Keeneland patrons on Monday and Tuesday, with no ticket purchase required.
This story was originally published April 1, 2025 at 1:49 PM.
