The Keeneland Spring Meet is over. Who won the most races? How much was bet?
The 2025 Spring Meet at Keeneland is now in the books.
The 15-day festival of racing at the Lexington track ended with a 10-race card on Friday, which took place during sporadic rainstorms and wet conditions.
This year’s Spring Meet began with a two-day delay due to severe weather in the commonwealth. The Spring Meet was to begin Friday, April 4, but the start of the meet was pushed back to Sunday, April 6, because of storms and flooding.
For the 15-day Spring Meet, Keeneland reported all-sources wagering (not including whole card simulcasting at Keeneland) of $192,676,486. This was a decrease of nearly 12% from last year’s Spring Meet total.
A big reason for this drop-off was the two-day delay at the start of the meet, which caused the meet’s two signature races — the Central Bank Ashland for fillies on the Road to the Kentucky Oaks and the Toyota Blue Grass Stakes on the Road to the Kentucky Derby — to be shifted from their normal spots on Friday and Saturday of Keeneland’s opening week.
All-sources wagering on the day of the Central Bank Ashland (Monday, April 7) was $11,465,100 this year, compared to $18,174,298 in 2024. All-sources wagering on the day of the Blue Grass Stakes (Tuesday, April 8) was $20,330,175 this year, compared to $29,261,347 last year.
Keeneland reported the total Spring Meet on-track handle as being $13,290,263, a decrease of more than 16% compared to last year.
Burnham Square wins Blue Grass Stakes on Road to Kentucky Derby
Burnham Square was the winner of the major Kentucky Derby prep race contested during this year’s Spring Meet at Keeneland. An Ian Wilkes trainee, Burnham Square topped a field of seven horses to win the Grade 1, $1.25 million Toyota Blue Grass Stakes, a 100-point Derby qualifying race, on April 8.
Ridden by Brian Hernandez Jr. — who won both the Kentucky Oaks and the Kentucky Derby last year — Burnham Square’s victory in the Blue Grass Stakes put him atop this year’s Kentucky Derby qualifying points leaderboard.
Burnham Square became only the seventh gelding to win the Blue Grass, and the first since Dominican in 2007. Burnham Square won the Blue Grass by a nose over East Avenue.
Before this year, the last time the Blue Grass was held on a weekday was in 1988.
The $1.25 million that this year’s Blue Grass Stakes was worth marked a record purse amount for the race. It matches the purse amount for the Grade 1 Coolmore Turf Mile — which is run during the Fall Meet — as the two richest races held at Keeneland.
Despite only being contested among seven horses, more than half of this year’s Blue Grass Stakes field will be in the starting gate for the Grade 1, $5 million Kentucky Derby on May 3 at Churchill Downs in Louisville.
Four horses from the Blue Grass Stakes are expected to be in next week’s Derby field. Burnham Square, East Avenue and Owen Almighty, who finished in a dead heat for sixth in the Blue Grass, all securely made the Derby field on qualifying points.
Render Judgment, who finished the Blue Grass in fifth, moved into the Derby field on Saturday morning after Tappan Street dropped out of the race with an injury.
The Spring Meet at Keeneland also featured another Kentucky Derby qualifying race, the Grade 3, $400,000 Stonestreet Lexington Stakes. That race awards a combined 42 Derby qualifying points to the top five finishers.
But this year, none of the seven horses that competed in the Lexington Stakes had the ability to earn enough points to make the Derby field. The Lexington was won by Gosger, who is trained by Brendan Walsh and was ridden by Irad Ortiz Jr.
The post-position draw for the Kentucky Derby will take place at 7:15 p.m. Saturday at Churchill Downs.
La Cara wins key Kentucky Oaks qualifier during Spring Meet
Due to the delayed start of the Spring Meet, Keeneland was host to the final qualifying race on the road to this year’s Grade 1, $1.5 million Kentucky Oaks, a signature race for fillies to be run Friday at Churchill Downs in Louisville.
That final prep race — the Grade 1, $750,000 Central Bank Ashland — was won on April 7 by La Cara, a Mark Casse trainee who topped an impressive field of eight fillies by 1 1/4 lengths.
La Cara’s win in the Ashland gave her the second-most qualifying points for the Oaks.
Of the 14 horses projected to take part in the Kentucky Oaks, two of them ran in the Ashland. In addition to La Cara, Take Charge Milady is also set to compete in the Oaks after finishing second in the Ashland.
Take Charge Milady is trained by Kenny McPeek and ridden by Brian Hernandez Jr. That duo teamed up to win the Oaks last year with Thorpedo Anna, the 2024 Horse of the Year.
The post-position draw for the Kentucky Oaks will also take place Saturday night at Churchill Downs.
What happened in the stakes races during the Keeneland Spring Meet?
The Spring Meet at Keeneland featured 19 stakes races that were worth a combined $9.4 million.
The aforementioned Ashland and Blue Grass were the headline races from this group, but plenty of other high-level stakes contests took place at the Lexington track this month.
Here’s who won each of those stakes races, with the results listed in chronological order:
▪ Grade 2, $400,000 MiddleGround Capital Beaumont on Sunday, April 6.
Won by Verity, with winning connections Eoin Harty (trainer), Vincent Cheminaud (jockey) and Godolphin (owner).
▪ Listed, $300,000 Palisades (turf) on Sunday, April 6.
Won by Normandy Coast, with winning connections Eddie Kenneally (trainer), Ben Curtis (jockey) and Red Gate Racing (owner).
▪ Grade 1, $750,000 Central Bank Ashland on Monday, April 7.
Won by La Cara, with winning connections Mark Casse (trainer), Dylan Davis (jockey) and Tracy Farmer (owner).
▪ Grade 3, $600,000 Transylvania (turf) on Monday, April 7.
Won by Test Score, with winning connections Graham Motion (trainer), Manny Franco (jockey) and Amerman Racing (owner).
▪ Listed, $400,000 Lafayette on Monday, April 7.
Won by Colloquial, with winning connections George Weaver (trainer), Manny Franco (jockey) and Harrell Ventures and Starlight Racing (owner).
▪ Grade 1, $1.25 Million Toyota Blue Grass on Tuesday, April 8.
Won by Burnham Square, with winning connections Ian Wilkes (trainer), Brian Hernandez, Jr. (jockey) and Whitham Thoroughbreds (owner).
▪ Grade 1, $650,000 Resolute Racing Madison on Tuesday, April 8.
Won by Positano Sunset, with winning connections Ian Wilkes (trainer), Julien Leparoux (jockey) and Six Column Stables, Randall Bloch, John Seiler, and David Hall (owner).
▪ Grade 2, $500,000 Appalachian (turf) on Tuesday, April 8.
Won by Nitrogen, with winning connections Mark Casse (trainer), Jose Ortiz (jockey) and D. J. Stable (owner).
▪ Grade 2, $400,000 Valvoline Global Shakertown (turf) on Tuesday, April 8.
Won by Think Big, with winning connections Michael Stidham (trainer), Ben Curtis (jockey) and Godolphin (owner).
▪ Grade 3, $350,000 Commonwealth on Tuesday, April 8.
Won by Extra Anejo, with winning connections Steve Asmussen (trainer), Flavien Prat (jockey) and Winchell Thoroughbreds (owner).
▪ Grade 1, $650,000 Maker’s Mark Mile (turf) on Friday, April 11.
Won by Carl Spackler (IRE), with winning connections Chad Brown (trainer), Flavien Prat (jockey) and e Five Racing Thoroughbreds (owner).
Following this win, e Five Racing earned a Keeneland Tray in honor of its eighth graded stakes win at the track.
▪ Listed, $300,000 FanDuel Limestone (turf) on Friday, April 11.
Won by Shisospicy, with winning connections Jose D’Angelo (trainer), Irad Ortiz, Jr. (jockey) and Morplay Racing (owner).
▪ Grade 1, $650,000 Jenny Wiley (turf) on Saturday, April 12.
Won by Choisya (GB), with winning connections Simon Crisford (trainer), Luis Saez (jockey) and Rabbah Bloodstock (owner).
▪ Grade 3, $400,000 Stonestreet Lexington on Saturday, April 12.
Won by Gosger, with winning connections Brendan Walsh (trainer), Irad Ortiz, Jr. (jockey) and Harvey A. Clarke Racing Stables (owner).
▪ Grade 3, $350,000 Giant’s Causeway (turf) on Sunday, April 13.
Won by Future Is Now, with winning connections Michael J. Trombetta (trainer), Paco Lopez (jockey) and the Estate of R. Larry Johnson (owner).
▪ Grade 3, $350,000 Baird Doubledogdare on Friday, April 18.
Won by Gin Gin, with winning connections Brendan Walsh (trainer), Jose Ortiz (jockey) and Calumet Farm (owner).
▪ Grade 2, $400,000 VisitLEX Elkhorn (turf) on Saturday, April 19.
Won by Utah Beach, with winning connections Ignacio Correas (trainer), Vincent Cheminaud (jockey) and Jeffrey S. Amling and Merriebelle Stable (owner).
▪ Grade 3, $350,000 Ben Ali on Saturday, April 19.
Won by Tennessee Lamb, with winning connections Rusty Arnold (trainer), Jose Ortiz (jockey) and Calumet Farm (owner).
▪ Grade 3, $350,000 Bewitch (turf) on Friday, April 25.
Won by Forever After All, with winning connections Brendan Walsh (trainer), Irad Ortiz, Jr. (jockey) and Dixiana Farms (owner).
Flavien Prat wins jockey title for Spring Meet
With one race to spare on Friday’s closing day card, jockey Flavien Prat secured the Spring Meet jockey title.
Prat — a 32-year-old native of France — won his 20th race of the Spring Meet while aboard Unmatched Wisdom for trainer Chad Brown on Friday afternoon in the penultimate race of the Spring Meet.
Prat’s 20 wins during the Spring Meet included two stakes victories: Prat was aboard Extra Anejo for trainer Steve Asmussen in the Grade 3, $350,000 Commonwealth on April 8 and Carl Spackler (IRE), also for Brown, in the Grade 1, $650,000 Maker’s Mark Mile on April 11.
This marks the first Keeneland leading rider title for Prat, who won five races during the final two days of the meet to surge into the lead.
Just behind Prat on the jockeys leaderboard were Luis Saez and Jose Ortiz, who each had 18 winners during the Spring Meet. Irad Ortiz Jr. also rode double-digit winners during the Spring Meet. He reached the winner’s circle 16 times.
Prat could ride in next week’s Kentucky Derby, but his announced mount, Baeza, will be an also-eligible for that race.
Saez was to ride Tappan Street in the Derby, but that horse suffered a condylar fracture right foreleg and will no longer take part in the Run for the Roses.
Jose Ortiz will ride Sandman and Irad Ortiz Jr. will be aboard Publisher in the Kentucky Derby.
Brad Cox, Brendan Walsh tie for training title at Keeneland Spring Meet
Brad Cox and Brendan Walsh were the only trainers to saddle double-digit winners during the 2025 Spring Meet at Keeneland.
Cox and Walsh tied for the training title after sending out 10 winners each.
Cox didn’t win any of the 19 stakes races, but he had the winner (Tickled Quist) in the final race of the meet to tie Walsh atop the trainer standings.
This is Cox’s second Spring Meet training title and his seventh Keeneland training title overall.
Walsh had three winners in stakes races during the Spring Meet: Gosger in the Grade 3, $400,000 Stonestreet Lexington, Gin Gin in the Grade 3, $350,000 Baird Doubledogdare and Forever After All in the Grade 3, $350,000 Bewitch on Friday.
This is Walsh’s first Keeneland training title.
Right behind Cox and Walsh on the trainers leaderboard was Wesley Ward, who saddled nine winners. The trio of Cox, Walsh and Ward all entered Friday’s final 10-race card with nine wins each, but only Ward failed to find the winner’s circle on closing day.
Two other trainers earned recognition for their efforts during the Keeneland Spring Meet.
Rusty Arnold and Bill Mott both now have saddled 307 winners at Keeneland, which is tied for the most all-time. Mott won one race during this year’s Spring Meet. Arnold won four, including his 25th stakes win at Keeneland with Tennessee Lamb in the Grade 3, $350,000 Ben Ali.
Calumet Farm leads all owners during Keeneland Spring Meet
The leading owner for this year’s Keeneland Spring Meet was a bit of a throwback, with Brad Kelley’s Calumet Farm owning five winners during the 15-day meet. Two of these winners for hometown Calumet came in stakes races. Calumet owns Gin Gin, the winner of the Grade 3, $350,000 Baird Doubledogdare, and Tennessee Lamb, the winner of the Grade 3, $350,000 Ben Ali.
This marks the second leading owner title at Keeneland for Calumet under Kelley’s ownership.
This story was originally published April 26, 2025 at 7:00 AM.
