Buy TicketsWinStar Farm, CHC Inc., Pantofel Stable and Wachtel Stable’s River Thames is the 5-2 morning-line favorite in a field of seven 3-year-olds entered in today’s 101st running of the $1.25 million Toyota Blue Grass (G1). Post time for the 1 1/8 race is 5:52 p.m.
Here is additional information about the Toyota Blue Grass to aid in your coverage:
TV and online coverage: Thanks to the Keeneland Livestream, fans can watch all Spring Meet races live and at no charge on Keeneland.com, Keeneland Race Day App, Keeneland Select and Keeneland’s YouTube channel.
FanDuel TV begins live coverage of every Keeneland race day at noon and will have live exclusive coverage of the Toyota Blue Grass.
$1.25 million purse: This marks the first year the Toyota Blue Grass has been worth $1.25 million, which equals the amount for the Coolmore Turf Mile (G1) in the Fall Meet as the richest races at Keeneland. The Coolmore Turf Mile reached that amount last year.
Kentucky Derby points: The winner of the Toyota Blue Grass earns 100 points as part of the Road to the Kentucky Derby, a points-based system with a series of key races offering escalating points to determine which horses will compete in the 151st running of the $5 million Kentucky Derby (G1) Presented by Woodford Reserve on May 3.
The second-place finisher in the Toyota Blue Grass earns 50 points, followed by 25 points to the third-place finisher, 15 points to fourth-place finisher and 10 points to the fifth-place finisher.
History: The Blue Grass was named for the famous Bluegrass region of Central Kentucky and held in 1911-1914 and 1919-1926 at the old Kentucky Association track near downtown Lexington. Second-place finishers Meridian (1911), Donerail (1913) and Behave Yourself (1921) went on to win the Kentucky Derby. The 1926 winner, Bubbling Over, became the first horse to win the Blue Grass and the Kentucky Derby.
While the Kentucky Association track was falling on hard times in the early 1930s, a group of prominent area Thoroughbred horseman had begun working on establishing a new facility in Lexington. In 1935, they founded the Keeneland Association, purchased land from horseman J.O. “Jack” Keene and set out to open a model race track. Keeneland opened on Oct. 15, 1936, for nine days of racing. In April 1937, Keeneland held its inaugural Spring Meet of 11 days and ran the Blue Grass for the first time.
The winner of the first Blue Grass at Keeneland was Maxwell Howard’s Fencing, who won by three-quarters of a length over Col. E.R. Bradley’s favored duo of Billionaire and Brooklyn, who finished noses apart for second. Nine days later at Churchill Downs, Fencing and Billionaire raced back in the Kentucky Derby, inaugurating a pattern that future Derby hopefuls would follow.
Blue Grass-Kentucky Derby connection: Ten winnersof the Blue Grass at Keeneland have won the Kentucky Derby. Nineteen horses who ran in the race at Keeneland returned to win the Derby.
Post positions: Here are the post positions and the number of Toyota Blue Grass winners each post position has produced since 1937 (the race was run in two divisions in 1951):
Post No. of Winners
1 14
2 12
3 11
4 16
5 11
6 7
7 3
8 6
9 2
10 4 (Sierra Leone, 2024)
11 2
12 0
13 1 (Goyamo, 1954)
14 0
Wagering records on Toyota Blue Grass Day:
All-sources: $29,261,346 on the 11-race 2024 Toyota Blue Grass card. (All-time Keeneland record.)
On-track: $2,968,451 from the 2012 Toyota Blue Grass card. (Keeneland record for the Spring Meet.)
Odds
Shortest-priced favorite to win: Spectacular Bid (1979), who went off at .05-1 (1-20). He paid $2.10 to win.
Longest shot to win: Stately Victor (2010), who went off at 40.10-1. He paid $82.20 to win.
Most recent post-time favorite to win: Sierra Leone in 2024 at 1.66-1. He paid $5.32 to win.
Largest margin of victory:
The largest margin of victory was turned in by Arts and Letters, who won the 1969 race by 15 lengths. He was followed by Alydar (13-length winner in 1978) and Sinister Minister (12¾-length winner in 2006).
Track record for 1 1/8 miles:
1:47.75 set by 5-year-old Noble Bird when he won the Hagyard Fayette (G2) on Oct. 29, 2016.
Keeneland sales graduates:
Two entrants are alumni of Keeneland sales.
Admiral Dennis, a $425,000 purchase from Book 1 of the 2023 September Yearling Sale. Consignor: Taylor Made Sales Agency, agent for WinStar Farm Bred & Raised. Buyer: Albaugh Family Stables/Barry Berkelhammer, agent.
Owen Almighty, a $360,000 purchase as a weanling at the 2022 November Breeding Stock Sale. Consignor: Taylor Made Sales Agency, agent. Buyer: Sycamore Hall Farm/David Wade, agent.
Geldings to win:
Burnham Square could become the sixth gelding to win following Fencing (1937), Ruhe (second division in 1951), Rockhill Native (1980), Bachelor Beau (1986), Prairie Bayou (1993) and Dominican (2007).
Keeneland pedigree connections:
The dam of Burnham Square is Linda, a Grade 2 winner who was second in the 2016 Pin Oak Valley View (G3) at Keeneland. Burnham Square is from the family of three-time Keeneland stakes winner La Coronel, who in 2017 took the Queen Elizabeth Challenge Cup (G1) and the Appalachian (G3) Presented by Japan Racing Association and the 2016 Jessamine (G3).
The second dam of Chancer McPatrick is Dream Empress, winner of the 2008 Darley Alcibiades (G1).
East Avenue is from the family of Horse of the Year Cody’s Wish, who in 2022 won the first of his two victories in the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile (G1) when Keeneland hosted the Breeders’ Cup World Championships.
Render Judgment is from the family of 2010 Maker’s Mark Mile (G1) winner Karelian.
River Thames is from the family of 2017 Madison (G1) winner Paulassilverlining.
Owners:
Albaugh Family Stables (Admiral Dennis) won in 2016 with Brody’s Cause.
Godolphin (East Avenue) won in 2021 with Essential Quality.
WinStar Farm (co-owner of River Thames and breeder of Admiral Dennis) raced 2015 winner Carpe Diem with Stonestreet Stables.
Trainers:
Todd Pletcher (River Thames) has a record four Blue Grass wins: Bandini (2005), Monba (2008), Carpe Diem (2015) and Tapit Trice (2023).
Chad Brown (Chancer McPatrick) has three wins: Good Magic (2018), Zandon (2022) and Sierra Leone (2024).
McPeek (Render Judgment) has two wins: Harlan’s Holiday (2002) and Java’s War (2013).
Brad Cox (Admiral Dennis) has one win: Essential Quality (2021).
Sending out their first starters are Brian Lynch (Owen Almighty) and Brendan Walsh (East Avenue).
Jockeys:
Luis Saez (Admiral Dennis) has three wins: Brody’s Cause (2016), Essential Quality (2021) and Tapit Trice (2023)
Brian Hernandez Jr. (Burnham Square) has one win: Art Collector (2020).
Jose Ortiz (Owen Almighty) has one win: Good Magic (2018).
Flavien Prat (Chancer McPatrick) has one win: Zandon (2022).
Riding in the race for the first time is Sheldon Russell (Render Judgment).
Keeneland Grade 1 double:
East Avenue is bidding to become the sixth horse to win the Claiborne Breeders’ Futurity (G1) at 2 and return at 3 to win the Toyota Blue Grass. The others: Essential Quality (2021-2022), Brody’s Cause (2016-2017), Carpe Diem (2014-2015), Dullahan (2011-2012) and Round Table (1956-1957).