2023 Blue Grass Stakes Betting Odds and Contenders Preview

The 2023 Blue Grass Stakes happens on April 8 at Keeneland! The Grade 1 race offers some of the best prizes on the Road to the Kentucky Derby, including a $1 million purse as well as 100-40-30-20-10 Derby points to the top five finishers. It is the more important of two points races during April’s meet at Keeneland.

The race drew a competitive field of 11 to contest for those spoils. They include impressive prep winners like Tapit Trice and Raise Cain, Grade 1-winning juvenile Blazing Sevens, and even some newer faces like Mendelssohns March and Major Blue.

Nineteen Kentucky Derby winners have used the Blue Grass as a prep for victory in the Kentucky Derby, including 10 who won both races. Though the last Kentucky Derby winner who prepared in the Blue Grass was Street Sense (2007), Blue Grass winners have run well in recent years. Zandon (2022) finished third in the Run for the Roses, and Essential Quality (2021) finished a close fourth. And, though Art Collector (2020) bypassed the Derby completely, he has stayed good and won the Pegasus World Cup (G1) in 2023!

Blue Grass Stakes 2023 Information

Race Date: Saturday, April 8, 2023
Track: Keeneland
Post Time: 5:15 p.m. Eastern Standard Time
Distance: 1 1/8 miles
Age/Sex: Three-year-olds
Where to Watch: FanDuel TV
Where to Bet:TVG.com and FanDuel Racing

Blue Grass Stakes Odds

This is the official field for the 2023 Blue Grass. It is organized by post position and also includes trainers, jockeys, and the morning-line odds set by Keeneland.

Blue Grass Stakes Prep Results

As often happens at a short, premier meets like Keeneland, the horses in the Blue Grass ran all over the eastern half of the country before coming to the race. All eyes will be on the 1-2 finishers in the Tampa Bay Derby, Tapit Trice, and Classic Car Wash. Two horses also come out of the Gotham: Raise Cain won impressively, while Clear the Air tries to rebound from a fifth-place finish.

Four others come out of Road to the Kentucky Derby points races. Scoobie Quando was most recently second in the John Battaglia Memorial at Turfway; he scratched out of the Jeff Ruby Steaks (G3) and turns up here instead. The other three were also-rans in their respective preps: Verifying was fourth in the Rebel (G2), Sun Thunder fifth in the Louisiana Derby (G2), and Blazing Sevens eighth in the Fountain of Youth (G2).

The other three runners come out of wins in non-point races. Hayes Strike won the Private Terms at Laurel last out, while Major Blue and Mendelssohns March both won allowances at Oaklawn last out.

Blue Grass Stakes Contenders

These are the contenders in the 2023 Blue Grass Stakes, organized by post position:

Tapit Trice: He was defeated on debut in November, but has won his last three, including the Tampa Bay Derby, where he started slowly but got rolling well in the lane. The fence in a field this big isn’t great, but as a versatile runner, he should be able to carve a trip from wherever Luis Saez can put him. He may be an underlay on the tote board, though he shapes a contender, and it’s a smart move by Todd Pletcher to give him one more race before the Derby.

Clear the Air: He broke his maiden on the Tapeta at Turfway back in January, but was well beaten in his only points-race try in the Gotham last month. It’s a good thing that he overcame some trouble and was passing horses, but the fact remains that he has to turn the tables on Raise Cain (and on Scoobie Quando, who beat him in an allowance two back), and prove himself on dirt. It’s a tough place for him to find a career-best, especially since 1 1/8 miles could be beyond the stamina of his pedigree.

Verifying: His tactical speed is a plus, but there are a lot of questions. He seems to do his best work fresh off a layoff, and here he comes in for his third start of the cycle, after finishing fourth in the Rebel. Sure, he ran into a bit of traffic, but he didn’t find a real finishing kick. That said, he gets a fast track this time, and his pedigree does suggest he can mature with time and distance. In short, signals are mixed, so demand a price.

Classic Car Wash: He has been versatile, running well from the lead, a stalking spot, or even from well off the pace after some early trouble last out in the Tampa Bay Derby. That should give him options in this big field. He needs to take a step forward to beat the top end of this field, including Tapit Trice, who beat him last out. But, it would be no surprise to see him grab another piece underneath if he can build on his last-out race.

Hayes Strike: With nine starts, he is the most experienced in the field. However, he has class to prove. He grabbed some minor shares in points races last year, but in his last two starts he has faced lesser company. He did get a confidence builder in the Private Terms last out and rediscovered a nice, tactical style. Still, that was with Lasix (something he takes away this time), and he needs to not regress from that notable best effort first off a two-month break.

Scoobie Quando: After three solid starts on Tapeta, he tries the dirt for the first time in the Blue Grass. He had entered in the Jeff Ruby but scratched due to what his trainer called a minor issue, so it remains to be seen how he came back from that. He does have strong stamina breeding, though, and some tactical versatility, so if he handles the dirt, he had a chance to step forward in this spot.

Sun Thunder: A close second in the Risen Star two back, he was a well-beaten fifth behind Kingsbarns in the Louisiana Derby next out. The cut back in trip from that race to the 1 1/8 miles is a point in his favor, though the pace does not look like it will be as fiery this time around as it was in the Risen Star, meaning this confirmed closer will not get as good a setup as he did that time.

Blazing Sevens: One of the better juveniles of last year, he disappointed in the Fountain of Youth last out though perhaps the poor start and the layoff both had something to do with the poor performance. The blinkers-on is an interesting move: not only is that a good move for trainer Chad Brown in general, but he showed tactical speed in his maiden-breaker, suggesting he may be able to tap into that again with the new headgear. He also gets a switch to big-race mainstay Irad Ortiz.

Major Blue: He has a lot of class to prove since he makes his stakes debut in the Blue Grass. However, without a lot of early pace in the race, he is likely to be the horse who dictates terms, especially after setting the pace in a 5 1/2-furlong sprint allowance last out. That said, he needs a massive step forward to be competitive against this company, and 1 ⅛ miles may test his stamina.

Raise Cain: He won the Gotham like a good thing despite his 23-1 odds, rallying from near last and overcoming some trouble a quarter-mile from the finish to win by 7 1/2 lengths. He does not have to drop out that far, however, as suggested in previous starts. That ability to overcome trouble is a positive with this big field and this wide gate, and his pedigree appeals for the nine-furlong trip. If he can run back to that last-out effort over a dry track, something his Gun Runner effort suggests he may do, he figures.

Mendelssohns March: The least-experienced horse in the field, he comes out of a 1 1/2-length win in a sloppy route allowance at Oaklawn. His pedigree suggests that he’ll get nine furlongs and more, and he has been able to turn in good efforts from both on and off the pace, a positive, especially from this wide gate. However, he needs to take a sharp step forward against this better company.

Blue Grass Stakes Past Winners Past Performances

In the eight years since the Blue Grass got back on dirt, six different races have produced winners of the race. Carpe Diem (2015) came out of a victory in the Tampa Bay Derby (G2), while Brody’s Cause (2016) rebounded from a seventh-place finish in that race. There are also two recent winners who both came out of third-place tries in the Fountain of Youth (G2): Good Magic (2018) and Vekoma (2019).

Three other recent Blue Grass winners came out of other points races. Essential Quality (2021) won the Southwest (G3), Zandon (2022) was third in the Risen Star (G2), and Irap (2017) came out of a fourth-place try in the Sunland Derby (G3). Art Collector (2020), who won the COVID-delayed July edition of the Blue Grass, came out of an allowance win at Churchill Downs but did have one graded-stakes try as a two-year-old.

Blue Grass Stakes Undercard

The Blue Grass is the ninth of eleven races Saturday at Keeneland, on a card that features five stakes races. Other major races on the card include the $600,000 Madison (G1) for older female dirt sprinters, the $400,000 Appalachian (G2) for sophomore female turf milers, the $350,000 Shakertown (G2) for older turf sprinters, and the $300,000 Commonwealth (G3) for older dirt sprinters. The classiest horses in the country come to Keeneland, and with big fields all day, make plans to watch on FanDuel TV and bet with FanDuel and TVG all day long!

Keeneland

Keeneland is the historic racetrack that hosts the Florida Derby each year. It is the only American racetrack that offers all three racing surfaces: conventional dirt, turf, and a synthetic Tapeta surface. The outer track is a dirt course measuring one and one-eighth miles around, complete with a chute that allows for classic one-turn dirt mile races. The next track inward is a one-mile and seventy-yard Tapeta track that opened in 2021. The inner course is a seven-furlong turf track.

Keeneland has hosted many major races over the years, including the Breeders’ Cup in 1989, 1992, and 1999. In 2017, the race ran the rich Pegasus World Cup for the first time, which was at one time the world’s richest horse race. But the Florida Derby, run along the road to the Kentucky Derby, remains Keeneland’s most established and famous race.

Blue Grass Stakes FAQ

Q: When is the Blue Grass Stakes?
A:The 2023 Blue Grass Stakes will be run Saturday, April 8, at 5:15 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time. The race is the ninth of eleven on Saturday’s card at Keeneland.

Q: Where is the Blue Grass Stakes?
A: It takes place at Keeneland in Lexington, Kentucky.

Q: Which trainer has the most wins in the Blue Grass Stakes?
A:Five trainers have three wins each in the Blue Grass: Ben Jones, Woody Stephens, LeRoy Jolley, Nick Zito, and Todd Pletcher. Pletcher will try to take the record for himself outright with Tapit Trice this year.

Q: Who is the favorite for the 2023 Blue Grass Stakes?
A:Tapit Trice, off of his impressive victory in the Tampa Bay Derby, has been named the 5-2 morning-line favorite in the Blue Grass.

Q: Who is the best Blue Grass Stakes jockey?
A:Bill Shoemaker leads all jockeys with six wins in the Blue Grass between 1959 and 1982. Among jockeys riding in the race in 2023, Luis Saez leads all riders with two wins, with Brody’s Cause (2016) and Essential Quality (2021). He rides morning-line choice Tapit Trice for trainer Todd Pletcher.

Q: Who won the 2022 Blue Grass Stakes?
A:Zandon won the 2022 Blue Grass Stakes for trainer Chad Brown and rider Flavien Prat. Prat does not ride the race in 2023, but Brown returns withBlazing Sevens, who will be ridden by Irad Ortiz, Jr.