2021 Soup and Sandwich 'fine' after Kentucky Derby mishap, What we learned: Medina Spirit excels on lead in Derby victory, Kentucky Derby: Position into first turn again proves essential. Essential Quality Headlines Keeneland's Blue Grass Stake's Undefeated Essential Quality, the champion 2-year-old male of 2020, is the 3-5 morning line choice in a field of nine 3-year-olds entered Tuesday for the 97th running of the $800,000 Toyota Blue Grass Stakes (G2) going 1 1/8 miles on the main track at Keeneland on Saturday, April 3. Alot of major prep winners bomb at Churchill, there can only be one winner. This race is a Grade II affair and will take place at Keeneland Race Course in Lexington, Kentucky, annually in April. He looks great, seems poised to be the chalk in a month, but in no way needs to win. Owner: Team Valor. University of Louisville Equine Industry Program - Get a Career in Horse Racing! Blue Grass Stakes 2021 coverage at Keeneland featuring possible starters, news, PPs, race previews and horse racing video analysis and picks. In 1943–1944, the Blue Grass was renewed as a part of the Keeneland-at-Churchill Downs meeting. The Toyota Blue Grass Stakes is a race for three-year-old Thoroughbreds and is run over a distance of 1 1/8 miles. It has been hosted by this site ever since. Essential Quality’s owner, Godolphin’s Sheikh Mohammed al Maktoum, doesn’t have one after more … Derby when he had dead aim on the winner. Tweet Champion Essential Quality will lead a field of nine sophomores postward in the $800,000 Blue Grass S. (G2) at Keeneland on Saturday. The Blue Grass was first run in 1911 at the long-gone Kentucky Association racetrack in Lexington, and the race quickly established its prominence when inaugural runner-up Meridian returned to win the Kentucky Derby. There is also a Bluegrass Stakes for two-year-old trotting fillies.. References LEXINGTON, Ky. (WKYT) - Godolphin’s undefeated homebred Essential Quality stayed perfect Saturday with a win in the Toyota Blue Grass Stakes (G2) at … tsutomu 2021年4月4日 Blue Grass Stakes 2021 (FULL RACE) | NBC Sports 2021-04-04T12:03:26+09:00 NBC Sports Add to favorites Watch the $800,000 Blue Grass (G2) at Keeneland! He’s done everything right in four starts, displaying excellence and versatility — one front-running win, one by stalking, two coming from behind. The Blue Grass Stakes, currently the Toyota Blue Grass Stakes due to sponsorship by the Toyota Motor Corporation, is a horse race for 3-year-old Thoroughbreds held annually in April at Keeneland Racecourse in Lexington, Kentucky. [1], Fastest Time: (at Current Distance of 1+1⁄8 miles). The Toyota Blue Grass Stakes will bring the nine entrants to the home state of the run for the roses, positioning them a relatively short drive away from Churchill Downs … It was named for the Bluegrass region of Kentucky, characterized by grass having bluish-green culms, which is known as the "heart" of the thoroughbred racing industry. Today it is part of the Keeneland program. As a Derby prep the Bluegrass Stakes has produced the second most Derby winners only second to the Florida Derby. The Bluegrass Stakes is a Standardbred harness race for two-year-old colt and gelding trotters run annually over The Red Mile at Lexington, Kentucky. The Chad Brown-trained Highly Motivated is getting 3-1 odds in the 2021 Blue Grass Stakes field of nine. This weekend Essential Quality is in the same position at Keeneland running in the Blue Grass Stakes. This year’s race will again award Derby qualifying points to the top four finishers (100-40-20-10). Blue Grass Stakes Historic Races . Cox says Essential Quality was best in Derby; Preakness next? Blue Grass Stakes Picks, Analysis and Odds 1 – Hidden Stash (20/1) Ran off in the pre-race before finishing second in the T.B. It ran as a Grade II event in 2017. The modified major stakes race schedule includes the $600,000 Blue Grass Stakes (Grade 2) on July 11 at Keeneland, the host track of the 2020 Breeders’ Cup World Championship Nov. 6-7. Essential Quality inspires Derby dreams for Cox, Saez, Godolphin, What we learned: Essential Quality secures his standing. Keeneland returned to a dirt track in 2015. * 1951 – The race was made up of two heats. The $800,000 Toyota Blue Grass Stakes, a Grade 2 Kentucky Derby prep race for 3-year-olds, takes place Saturday at 6:35 p.m. at Keeneland Race Course in Lexington. Trainer: Todd Pletcher. (Video) Three 30-1 Longshots you can't leave off your tickets. ESSENTIAL QUALITY. Whether you are all in on Essential Quality or not, looking closely at the field can help determine where we can find the most betting value. #2 UNTREATED is a wildcard coming off a sharp maiden victory at Tampa Bay Downs in his debut for Pletcher. People say Santa Anita and Gulfstream the last few years have been a paved highway for speed and those 2 tracks have produced the last 3 Derby winners. Post time for the $800,000 race is 6:35 p.m. Simultaneously, the race was “downgraded” to a Grade 2 with a purse restructuring that landed this year at $800k. The left-handed circuit is built to test the horses, with $1 million in the prize purse for successful runners. Career record: 2 … BLUE GRASS STAKES STAKES TOP CONTENDERS. Due to a large number of entrants, the 2016 race was divided into five divisions, each with a purse of $66,000. The 2021 Road to the Kentuc ky Derby challenge series endeavor will reward the top-four finishers with qualifying points on a 100-40-20-10 basis towards a Run for the Roses at Churchill Downs on May 1. [3] At the Lexington Association track, the Blue Grass was staged from 1911 through 1914 and from 1919 through 1926. And the top of the board stayed the same as Essential Quality continued to establish himself as the Derby favorite with a hard-fought victory in the $800,000 Blue Grass Stakes … Mr. Big News (10/1) Makes his first start since upsetting the Oaklawn Stakes in the slop at over 46-1 … Over a span of the past 5 years, the Toyota Blue Grass Stakes went from a $1 Million Grade I that gradually became relevant to the Derby Trail once the track switched back to dirt from the All-Weather surface. ET. Consistent Constitution colt has developed well since stretching out to route racing, and he is an obvious exotics contender with continued improvement. comments The 97th running of the Blue Grass Stakes (G2), the Bluegrass State’s most prominent prep for the Kentucky Derby (G1), is set for Saturday with a field that includes unbeaten champion Essential Quality – a top contender for the Derby on May 1. Untreated (8-1) Jockey: Joel Rosario. In 1945, the Blue Grass was run as part of the Churchill Downs meeting. $5.40 Over the past number of years the Blue Grass Stakes (BGS) has proven time and time again, that it is irrelevant when it comes to impacting the finish in the Kentucky Derby. For eight years, 2007-2014, the Blue Grass Stakes was run on a synthetic polytrack surface. The Blue Grass Stakes, currently the Toyota Blue Grass Stakes due to sponsorship by the Toyota Motor Corporation, is a horse race for 3-year-old Thoroughbreds held annually in April at Keeneland Racecourse in Lexington, Kentucky. [4] The race was revived at Keeneland in the spring of 1937. The Blue Grass Stakes was initially run at the Kentucky Association track from 1911 through 1914 and 1919 through 1926. Essential Quality headlines the field. Post Time: 6:35 PM ET Distance: 1 1/8 m (Dirt) Age/Sex: 3 M Time: 1:48.50 *Rating is based on HRN fan votes, which rank the Top Active Horses in training. powered by Disqus. His world-class sire, Tapit, never has produced a Derby winner. From 2007 to 2014, the race was held on a synthetic "all-weather" surface. Blue Grass Stakes Contenders #1 HIDDEN STASH has rallied in the stretch to place in consecutive graded races for Oliver. Essential Quality wins Blue Grass 'dogfight' to stay unbeaten, Medina Spirit could face big field in Preakness Stakes. Who's in, out and on the 2021 Kentucky Derby points bubble? [2] The Blue Grass was a Grade I event from 1974 (when grading was first introduced) through 1989 and again from 1999 to 2016.[1]. Copyright © 2010 - The race is run at ​ 1 1⁄8 miles on the dirt and currently offers a purse of $1,000,000. Horse Racing Labs, LLC, History (1875-2020 Derby Results & Videos), (VIDEO) Three 30-1 Longshots You Can't Leave off your tickets. First run at the Kentucky Association track in Lexington in 1911, the Blue Grass has, from its inception, served as an important prep for the Kentucky Derby. The Toyota Blue Grass Stakes is a major qualifier in the Road to the Kentucky Derby series. Few that have won this race at storied Keeneland have gone to the "Run for the Roses" to even vie for supremacy. The 97th running of the Blue Grass Stakes (G2), the Bluegrass State’s most prominent prep for the Kentucky Derby (G1), is set for Saturday with a field that includes unbeaten champion Essential Quality – a top contender for the Derby on May 1. Race 11 - Toyota Blue Grass Stakes (Grade 2) racecard with form, betting forecast and the Sporting Life verdict 2021 Blue Grass Stakes (G2) Date/Track: 4/3/2021, Keeneland. The biggest races and the biggest days at the tracks draw the most betting interest, and the $800,000 Toyota Blue Grass Stakes at Keeneland is the the last of 11 races at 6:35 p.m. Covering 1 1/8-miles, the Blue Grass Stakes has been responsible for producing 23 eventual Kentucky Derby contenders throughout its history, with 11 of them going on to win both events. Best Bets for the Blue Grass Stakes Here are my plays ($48 in total) $1 Superfecta part wheel – Essential Quality over Untreated, Hush of a Storm and Highly Motivated over Untreated, Hush of a Storm and Highly Motivated over Untreated, Hush of a Storm, Highly Motivated, Hidden Stash, Keepmeinmind and Rombauer = $24 Otherwise, it has been run on a dirt surface. The Blue Grass Stakes became part of the Churchill Downs spring meeting in 1945, but it has run at Keeneland since then. The race is run at 1+1⁄8 miles on the dirt and currently offers a purse of $1,000,000. 2021 Blue Grass Stakes Odds. When that track closed its doors, it took a decade before the Blue Grass Stakes could be resurrected at the newly constructed Keeneland Racetrack. Winners of the Lexington Association Blue Grass Stakes, Blue Grass Stakes "top three finishers" and starters, Toyota Blue Grass Stakes official website, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Blue_Grass_Stakes&oldid=1015855479, Grade 2 stakes races in the United States, Recurring sporting events established in 1911, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, eFive Racing Thoroughbreds/Stonestreet Stables, This page was last edited on 3 April 2021, at 23:36. Coming off a sharp maiden victory at Tampa Bay Downs in his debut for Pletcher the Road the... Keeneland-At-Churchill Downs meeting can only be one winner II affair and will place... Untreated ( 8-1 ) Jockey: Joel Rosario a synthetic polytrack surface race three-year-old... Derby winners only second to the top four finishers ( 100-40-20-10 ) Spirit could face big field Preakness. There is also a Bluegrass Stakes is a race for three-year-old Thoroughbreds and run. 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