GI Toyota Blue Grass S.

Godolphin homebred East Avenue got back to winning ways with a gutsy wire-to-wire victory in the GIII Matt Winn Stakes Sunday at Churchill Downs. Facing just three rivals, the 7-5 favorite stepped right out to the early lead and was tracked by Coal Battle and Burnham Square through an opening quarter in :24.41 and a half in :47.66. Burnham Square, Coal Battle and second choice Final Gambit lined up across the track behind him as East Avenue turned for home a length in front. Final Gambit's rally never materialized, leaving...

It's exceedingly rare to see a Kentucky Derby point race run on a Tuesday, but thanks to a week of catastrophic weather in the Commonwealth, that's what is happening at Keeneland as a field of seven line up to contest the last of the major Derby preps--the GI Toyota Blue Grass Stakes. On the rail, and fortuitously drawn to the inside of a closer, is 'TDN Rising Star' River Thames (Maclean's Music). With the small field, the speedster will likely encounter considerably less traffic trouble than that post position would...

Due to a forecast of severe storms and significant flooding expected in the Bluegrass region of Kentucky this weekend, Keeneland is rescheduling the first two days of its Spring Meet to ensure the safest environment for horses, participants and fans, according to a press release from the track late on Wednesday afternoon. The decision was made following Gov. Andy Beshear's declaration earlier today of a state of emergency ahead of potentially historic amounts of rain and strong winds across the state during the next four days. Keeneland's opening Friday, April...

Keeneland's 101st running of the $1.25 million GI Toyota Blue Grass on Saturday, Apr. 5 has attracted 133 nominees, including champion Citizen Bull (Into Mischief), according to a release on Thursday from the track. With a $250,000 purse increase this year, the Blue Grass joins the GI Coolmore Turf Mile as Keeneland's two $1.25 million races, which are the richest in track history. The Turf Mile reached that level during the 2024 Fall Meet. "Keeneland is proud of the enhanced stature of the Toyota Blue Grass, and we thank the...

'TDN Rising Star' Sierra Leone (Gun Runner), winner of the GII Risen Star S. Feb. 17, is the 2-1 morning-line favorite in a field of 11 3-year-olds entered for Saturday's 100th running of the $1-million GI Toyota Blue Grass. Tyler Gaffalione has the mount on Sierra Leone and will exit from post 10. Dornoch (Good Magic) (post four), a full-brother to GI 2023 Kentucky Derby winner Mage, is the second choice on the morning line at 3-1. Trained by Danny Gargan, Dornoch enters off a front-running victory in the GII...

Tickets for Keeneland's 16-day Spring Meet, which runs April 5-26, go on sale Feb. 20. Headlined by the 100th running of the GI Toyota Blue Grass S., the meet will award more than $8.1m in purse money over 19 stakes races. Tickets can be purchased in advance here and fans are also welcome to tailgate on The Hill without a ticket or reservation. Keeneland will so also host fans for Kentucky Derby Day with general admission and Equestrian Room dining tickets available along with upgraded tailgate packages.

Verifying (Justify--Diva Delite, by Repent), winner of the GIII Indiana Derby and a half-brother to Eclipse winner Midnight Bisou (Midnight Lute), will stand at Pleasant Acres Stallions in Florida for an introductory fee of $10,000 in 2024. Trained by Brad Cox after selling for $775,000 as a KEESEP yearling, Verifying began his career at two with a win in his first asking at Saratoga before placing in the GI Champagne S. at Belmont at the Big A in his second start. In addition to winning the Indiana Derby, he placed...

In addition to awarding a season record $8.1 million for their 19 stakes races over the course of the meet running from Apr. 5-26, Keeneland will also celebrate the 100th running of the $1-million GI Toyota Blue Grass S. this spring. A total of $1.5 million is being contributed to the stakes purses from the Kentucky Thoroughbred Development Fund (KTDF), pending approval from the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission. "Lucrative purses and outstanding competition make Keeneland's Spring Meet a highlight of the racing calendar for horsemen, horseplayers and fans during the...

Repole Stable and St. Elias Stable's 'TDN Rising Star' Forte (Violence) returned to training Friday morning for his last local work before shipping to Louisville to begin final preparations for the GI Kentucky Derby. Working in company with Bright Future, a 4-year-old son of Curlin, the Derby favorite went a half-mile in :50.28 at Palm Beach Downs for trainer Todd Pletcher, according to Mike Welsch of DRF. "With Forte we were just looking for a nice, easy first work back. He ran in the Florida Derby 13 days ago and...

Keeneland's $1-million GI Toyota Blue Grass Apr. 8 has attracted 141 nominees led by Repole Stable and St. Elias Stable's champion Forte (Violence) and recent GII Risen Star S. winner Angel of Empire (Classic Empire). Click here for the list of the Toyota Blue Grass nominees; click here for their past performances. "As Keeneland's signature race, the Toyota Blue Grass is the crown jewel in our Spring Meet stakes program," Keeneland Vice President of Racing Gatewood Bell said. "It's exciting to see so many of the nation's top sophomores and...

Keeneland will award a season record $8.05 million for 19 stakes to be run during its 2023 Spring Meet, which will cover 15 days from Apr. 7-28. Two focal points on the schedule will be the 99th running of the $1 million GI Toyota Blue Grass and 86th running of the $600,000 GI Central Bank Ashland, both major targets of the nation's top 3-year-olds. Keeneland has increased the purses of two Grade I stakes for older females--the GI Madison and the GI Jenny Wiley--by $100,000 apiece to $600,000 and has...