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Keeneland’s Spring Meet Stakes Schedule Worth Season Record $8.1 Million

Keeneland will award a season record $8.1 million for 19 stakes and celebrate the 100^th running of the $1 million Toyota Blue Grass (G1) during its 2024 Spring Meet, which will cover 16 days from April 5-26. Other Grade 1 races during the meet – an early season showcase of talented Thoroughbreds representing leading owners, trainers and jockeys – are the Central Bank Ashland, the Madison, the Maker's Mark Mile and the Jenny Wiley – each worth $600,000 apiece.

Contributing to the Spring Meet stakes purses is a total of $1.5 million available 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 first half of the year,” Keeneland Vice President of Racing Gatewood Bell said. “We look forward to hosting the country's best horses and their connections here in April.”

Milestone for Toyota Blue Grass

The Toyota Blue Grass, an iconic springtime fixture for 3-year-olds, has been held at Keeneland since the track's first Spring Meet in April 1937. Scheduled on the first Saturday of the season, the 1 1/8-mile race was inaugurated in 1911 at the Kentucky Association track located near downtown Lexington and was run there through 1914 and again from 1919 to 1926.

Following the closure of the Kentucky Association track, the Blue Grass was continued at Keeneland and has been won by such Racing Hall of Famers as Bimelech (1940), Coaltown (1948), Round Table (1957), Northern Dancer (1964), Arts and Letters (1969), Riva Ridge (1972), Alydar (1978), Spectacular Bid (1979), Holy Bull (1994) and Skip Away (1996).

Toyota began to sponsor the Blue Grass in 1996. The purse of the race was $1 million in 2015-2019 and returned to seven figures in 2022.

Central Bank Ashland opens season

The first day of next year's Spring Meet features three stakes for 3-year-olds anchored by the 86^th running of the Central Bank Ashland, an early season objective for top sophomore fillies at 1 1/16 miles. The day features two other stakes each worth $400,000: the Transylvania (G3), at 1 1/16 miles on the turf, and the Lafayette, a 7-furlong dirt race.

This marks the 20^th running of a Keeneland stakes sponsored by Central Bank, which sponsored the Transylvania from 2005-2009 and began sponsoring the Ashland in 2010.

The Toyota Blue Grass leads five stakes on the first Saturday of the season. Also on the card are the $600,000 Madison (G1), for fillies and mares at 7 furlongs on the dirt; the $400,000 Appalachian (G2) Presented by Japan Racing Association, for 3-year-old fillies at 1 mile on the grass; the $350,000 Shakertown (G2), for 3-year-olds and up at 5½ furlongs on the turf; and the $300,000 Commonwealth (G3), for older horses at 7 furlongs on the dirt.

In addition to being signature Spring Meet stakes, the Toyota Blue Grass and the Central Bank Ashland are prominent on the national racing calendar. Both stakes are worth 100 points on the Road to the Kentucky Derby and Road to the Kentucky Oaks, respectively, with the winners of each stakes earning 50 qualifying points to the respective classic.

The early nomination deadline for the two races is Feb. 17. Late nominations are due March 20.

Giant's Causeway upgraded for 2024

Stakes action for 3-year-olds will continue Sunday of opening weekend with the $400,000 Beaumont (G2) Presented by Keeneland Select, at 7 furlongs, 184 feet, on the dirt for fillies, and the $250,000 Palisades, at 5½ furlongs on the grass.

On Friday, April 12, Keeneland will run two turf stakes: the $600,000 Maker's Mark Mile (G1), for 4-year-olds and up at 1 mile, and the $250,000 FanDuel Limestone, for 3-year-old fillies going 5½ furlongs.

Three stakes the following day are the $600,000 Jenny Wiley (G1), a 1 1/16-mile turf race for fillies and mares; the $400,000 Stonestreet Lexington (G3), for 3-year-olds at 1 1/16 miles; and the $300,000 Giant's Causeway (G3), a 5½-furlong turf race for fillies and mares.

For 2024, the Giant's Causeway was upgraded to a Grade 3 event after being a listed stakes since 2006. Keeneland also increased the purse of the race by $50,000.

The Stonestreet Lexington, which is the final prep on this year's Road to the Kentucky Derby, will award 20 Derby qualifying points. Of those, 10 points will go to the winner.

On the final days of the Spring Meet, Keeneland will run four graded stakes for older horses. The $300,000 Baird Doubledogdare (G3), for fillies and mares at 1 1/16 miles on the dirt, will be held Friday, April 19. Two stakes on Saturday, April 20 are the $350,000 Elkhorn (G2), at 1½ miles on the turf, and the $300,000 Ben Ali (G3), at 1 3/16 miles on the dirt.

Keeneland will bridge the gap between racing and auctions on closing day, Friday, April 26. The race card will feature the $300,000 Bewitch (G3), for fillies and mares at 1½ miles on the turf.

Following the races, Keeneland will hold the April Selected Horses of Racing Age Sale.

Keeneland 2024 Spring Meet Stakes Schedule

Date	Stakes	*KTDF Contribution to Purse**	Division	Distance
April 5	$600,000 Central Bank Ashland (G1)	$100,000	3YO Fillies	1 1/16 Miles
April 5	$400,000 Transylvania (G3)	$100,000	3YOs	1 1/16 Miles (T)
April 5	$400,000 Lafayette	$100,000	3YOs	7 Furlongs
April 6	$1 Million Toyota Blue Grass (G1)	$150,000	3YOs	1 1/8 Miles
April 6	$600,000 Madison (G1)	$100,000	4YOs & Up, F&M	7 Furlongs
April 6	$400,000 Appalachian (G2) Presented by Japan Racing Association	$100,000	3YO Fillies	1 Mile (T)
April 6	$350,000 Shakertown (G2)	$50,000	3YOs & Up	5½ Furlongs (T)
April 6	$300,000 Commonwealth (G3)	$50,000	4YO & Up	7 Furlongs
April 7	$400,000 Beaumont (G2) Presented by Keeneland Select	$100,000	3YO Fillies	7 Furlongs, 184'
April 7	$250,000 Palisades (L)	$50,000	3YO	5½ Furlongs (T)
April 12	$600,000 Maker's Mark Mile (G1)	$100,000	4YOs & Up	1 Mile (T)
April 12	$250,000 FanDuel Limestone (L)	$50,000	3YO Fillies	5½ Furlongs (T)
April 13	$600,000 Jenny Wiley (G1)	$100,000	4YOs & Up, F&M	1 1/16 Miles (T)
April 13	$400,000 Stonestreet Lexington (G3)	$100,000	3YOs	1 1/16 Miles
April 13	$300,000 Giant's Causeway (G3)	$50,000	3YOs & Up, F&M	5½ Furlongs (T)
April 19	$300,000 Baird Doubledogdare (G3)	$50,000	4YOs & Up, F&M	1 1/16 Miles
April 20	$350,000 Elkhorn (G2)	$50,000	4YOs & Up	1½ Miles (T)
April 20	$300,000 Ben Ali (G3)	$50,000	4YOs & Up	1 3/16 Miles
April 26	$300,000 Bewitch (G3)	$50,000	4YOs & Up, F&M	1½ Miles (T)

*Kentucky Thoroughbred Development Fund. All KTDF purse allotments are subject to approval of the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission.

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Keeneland’s 2024 Spring Stakes Schedule Features 100th Toyota Blue Grass

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.

A spring fixture for 3-year-olds with an eye on the Kentucky Derby, and an informal Lexington holiday, the Blue Grass has been held at Keeneland since the track's first spring meet in April 1937 and was first sponsored by Toyota in 1996. Run on the first Saturday of the Keeneland season, the race carries a lucrative 100 points for the first Saturday in May for the winner. It leads four others on the day including the GI Madison S., the GII Appalachian S., the GII Shakertown S., and the GIII Commonwealth S.

Running on Keeneland's opening day will be the 86th rendition of the GI Central Bank Ashland S., the GIII Transylvania S., and the Lafayette S. The first named carries 100 points toward the Road to the Kentucky Oaks. Early nominations for the Oaks and Derby preps are due by Feb. 17, and late nominations are due Mar. 20.

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Integrity And Welfare Funding Increases In HRI’s Budget For 2024

Horse Racing Ireland boss Suzanne Eade says the industry is facing into a period of uncertainty in relation to gambling regulation and described integrity and equine welfare as “crucial areas” for investment in announcing the budget for 2024.

Prize-money is an area that HRI have concentrated on and will be increased by €1.3m to €69.4m while a record 395 fixtures will be staged. However, while owners have “a record number of opportunities” to look forward to with their horses in 2024, administration fees are set to rise.

Eade said, “The value of the Irish Horse Racing and Breeding Industry was measured in 2023 and amounts to €2.5bn, an increase of over 30% since 2016, despite some challenging times in the intervening period. In framing the industry budget for 2024, Horse Racing Ireland wants to create the environment for that contribution to the economy to grow again.

“Deloitte's research found that the industry fuels in excess of €500m of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) every year and we know that prize money remains the most significant lever in attracting investment into Irish racing. This FDI contributes heavily to rural economies all over Ireland, and so in increasing the fixture list to 395 fixtures in 2024, we do so by increasing the prize money fund to €69.4m and maintaining current race values.

“This budget for 2024 sees increases in the crucial areas of integrity and equine welfare; following the launch of HRI's Sustainability Strategy, it provides for an initial sustainability scheme for racecourses; and it ringfences support for one of the greatest challenges our industry faces: the recruitment and retention of industry staff.”

Integrity funding is set to increase to €17.3m (+7%) as HRI continues to invest in all aspects of Integrity (IHRB, point-to-points, as well as racecourse operational integrity needs). This figure, which includes €0.8m in business-critical IT capital funding to the IHRB, has increased from €16.1m in Budget 2023 and has grown from €12.4m in 2020.

The 2024 Budget provides for investment in equine welfare activities and welfare related grant funding of €3.5m, an increase of €0.8m on Budget 2023. The HRI Equine Welfare focus continues to be on Standards, Traceability, Safety Nets and Education. On-going support of Treo Eile and the Irish Horse Welfare Trust will help to promote the versatility of thoroughbreds for alternative careers. 2024 activities also include phase two of the Equine Injury Risk Reduction (EIRR) project – actions to mitigate risk, continued monitoring and reporting including publication; the introduction of a Welfare Standards Assessment online learning course tailored for Irish Industry participants; and delivery of an Equine Welfare Conference in May 2024. HRI will also continue to support the IHRB with respect to their ongoing welfare activity.

Eade continued, “The IRE Incentive Scheme for breeders will continue in 2024 in recognition of the difficult market conditions at many sales in 2023, and HRI has extended its support for the Point-to-Point sector to include insurance specific grants in 2024.

“2024 will also be an important year for racecourses being the first year of the new media rights deal which will underpin their financial security for the next five years, against a backdrop of uncertainty with respect to gambling regulation. HRI will continue its significant investment in upgrading racecourse facilities with the short-term focus on improving industry infrastructure, while our Marketing team will continue to support racecourses' promotional activities with campaigns to grow interest in our sport and drive fan engagement and increase race day attendances.”

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The 2023-24 All-Value Sire Team Presented By Pedigrees 360: The Veteran Sire And The Sprinter

In North America's commercial stallion game, they don't tend to keep you around unless you're doing something right.

Every year, we see an exodus of stallions to regional and international markets, or the pensioner life, when farms believe a horse can no longer hack it as either a sire of commercial prospects or runners. The process of becoming the type of “made man” who isn't playing for his job every season is different for every farm and every sire, but one way or another, every one of them must prove himself.

With that proven status often comes a higher stud fee to show that some of the risks and question marks have been removed from a stallion's resume. If you know roughly what you're going to get, that's worth something.

Though the “proven” status often comes at a premium, there are still plenty of veteran stallions out there standing for $20,000 or less who have shown over the years that they can put a winner on your mare's produce record. This time around, we'll take a look at two divisions of the All-Value Sire Team known for their reliability – The Veteran and The Sprinter.

To see who else has made the team this year, click here.

To view the extensive chart I've used to track 159 value sires by 51 different statistical categories to aid in my decision-making process, sign up for our Patreon.

Let's get on with the show.

The Veteran: A sire with at least five crops of racing age in 2024. His reputation is pretty much set in terms of what kind of foal he can get you, which means it's easier to plan what kind of mares might work best with him.

First Team: Midshipman

Ch. h., 2006, Unbridled's Song x Fleet Lady, by Avenue of Flags
Standing at Darley, KY, $15,000

The year might have changed, but the song remains the same – Midshipman is one of the safest bets on the board.

If you're looking to get a winner under your mare's produce record, Midshipman tracks at 58 percent winners from horses of racing age, which trails only The Factor (62 percent) and Take Charge Indy (59 percent) among significant value sire contenders. It's also a higher percentage of winners from horses of racing age than all North American stallions standing for $70,000 or more except Tapit (62 percent) and War Front (58 percent).

Though Midshipman was himself a champion juvenile, this is not an indication that his runners are “one and done” types when it comes to winning. His progeny win 16 percent of their total races, which ties him for the highest among significant Kentucky stallions standing for $20,000 or less, and his WOW figure (wins divided by winners) of 3.44 wins per winner trails only First Samurai (3.65) among Kentucky value sires.

I know what you're thinking: Wins are fine, but can Midshipman take you to the next level? His six percent stakes winners from foals of racing age is tied for the highest among significant North American value sires, and it puts him in the mix with stallions standing for multiples of his fee.

The ways that Midshipman's runners have won those stakes races suggest he can cook with whatever ingredients the mare brings to the recipe. Amidst Waves and Ship Cadet did damage in the 2-year-old sprint ranks during this year's Saratoga meet, while 3-year-old Back To Ohio has won eight of nine career starts and absolutely dominated the state-bred stakes scene, going around one turn and two.

As a son of Unbridled's Song, Midshipman could have easily fallen prey to having a fine-boned appearance, but he has plenty of substance, likely helped along by his broodmare sire Avenue of Flags, a stout son of the equally stout Seattle Slew who was extremely fast out of the gates as a juvenile.

Though Midshipman was a Breeders' Cup winner around two turns, his frame skews more toward a sprinter's, with a relatively compact, strong build and solid bone, and his best foals have tended to follow in that notion.

We've seen that carry on through future generations, as well. One of Midshipman's best runners was Lady Shipman, who came within a neck of beating the boys in the 2015 Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint. Lady Shipman is herself the dam of the elite turf sprinter Golden Pal, who has since become North America's busiest stallion. Lady Shipman is a carbon copy of her sire, with all of the substance you'd ever want in a mare, and Golden Pal adds a bit of refinement from his own sire, Uncle Mo.

But enough about the present, let's talk about the future. Darley has been very careful with its pricing of Midshipman over the years, and breeders have responded with lots of support. He has a pipeline of 190 registered 2-year-olds, yearlings, and weanlings, which is on the higher end among veteran value sires, and he consistently covers a healthy book of mares.

There is so much value in knowing what you have when it comes to planning a mating. Midshipman can give you a consistency that few others in the stud book can offer at any price.

Second Team: Sky Mesa

B. h., 2000, Pulpit x Caress, by Storm Cat
Standing at Three Chimneys Farm, KY, $10,000

The exacta stays the same from last year in this category, but in a position where consistency is king, that shouldn't come as a surprise.

Midshipman and Sky Mesa are practically in lockstep when it comes to lifetime percentages: dead even by winners from foals of racing age (58 percent) and stakes winners from racing-age foals (six percent), and Midshipman holds a slight lead by percentage of total wins from progeny starts (16 percent to 15 percent).

Sky Mesa has 17 crops of racing age, which ties Mineshaft for the most among active North American value sires, so we have about as much data on what the stallion can get for you as we could possibly collect. He gets his foals to the track and into winner's circles.

As an A.P. Indy-line horse through his own sire Pulpit, Sky Mesa retains many of the hallmarks of that line, with a big shoulder and powerful backside propelling a frame that's not overly tall.

We have the formula on what makes a good Sky Mesa runner about as well as any stallion in North America. At a $10,000 stud fee, he should be on the list for any breed-to-race operation.

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The Sprinter: A veteran sire who either has a proven track record of getting successful sprinters, or a young sire who has the racetrack performance or pedigree to suggest his foals will excel around one turn.

First Team: Frosted

Gr. or ro. h., 2012, Tapit x Fast Cookie, by Deputy Minister
Standing at Darley, KY, $10,000

Believe it or not, I don't enter the selection process with any preconceived notions of who I plan to end up where on the team. My first year of doing these in 2022 proved that who I thought might be a sure thing in a certain position would be anything but a sure thing once I sat down with all the evidence.

With that being said, there was never a point where I thought Frosted would ever put a dent in this category. Nothing about his race record, and very little of his pedigree, says “sprinter,” but Frosted has turned out to be an incredibly potent source of successful one-turn runners.

Over the past two years, Frosted has gotten 3.26 percent stakes winners from total sprint starters, which stacks up better than a lot of Kentucky sires whose modus operandi is one-turn races. He's been especially good in 2023, where his eight sprint stakes winners (of 10 total stakes winners) tie him for fourth among Kentucky sires at all price points behind the likes of Into Mischief (18) and Munnings (12). His 4.35 percent sprint stakes winners from starts in 2023 is also in the pantheon of sires this season.

His top sprinter is Jasper Krone, who has become a millionaire in Japan as a four-time stakes winner, including scores in the Group 3 CBC Sho and the Kitakyushu Kinen.

Domestically, Frosted's sprinters have been led in 2023 by Ice Dancing, who started the year with a convincing victory in the G3 Santa Ynez Stakes, going seven furlongs. He has also had nice stakes winners in Post Time (City of Laurel Stakes at Laurel Park), Flakes (Game Face Stakes at Gulfstream Park) and Frosty View (Northern Lights Futurity at Canterbury Park).

Darley has been adjusting Frosted's stud fee for a few years, and he has been eligible for the All-Value Sire Team since the 2022 breeding season. He stood for $10,000 for the first time in 2023, and breeders responded by packing 154 mares into his book. The increase of 46 mares from the previous season was the ninth biggest year-to-year gain in mares bred this season.

Buyers have also responded with overwhelming positivity to Frosted's lower fee. The median sale price from his yearling crop conceived in 2021 – the first year he stood for $25,000 – rose to $40,000 after finishing at $30,000 the previous season. His weanling crop, conceived on a $20,000 fee, also saw year-over-year improvements in median sale price this fall.

Darley seems to have found a good balance with supply and demand with their pricing on Frosted, and in doing so, they might have unlocked a skill in the stallion that we couldn't have seen coming. Frosted is by no means “just” a sprint sire because of his lofty placing in this category, but knowing what a sire can be good at can be helpful in planning matings. At $10,000, Frosted offers a ton of value, no matter what you're trying to do with him.

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Second Team: Jimmy Creed

Ch. h., 2009, Distorted Humor x Hookedonthefeelin, by Citidancer
Standing at Spendthrift Farm, KY, $10,000

Last year's First-Teamer in this division doesn't stray far from that spot in 2023, thanks in large part to his ability to get a stakes winner around one turn.

Over the past two years, Jimmy Creed has gotten 3.73 percent sprint stakes winners from starters, which puts him above a lot of his contemporaries, and especially those known as one-turn sires.

Jimmy Creed's best runner is the determined turf miler Casa Creed, who has had a history of big efforts when he scales back to one turn, including a win in last year's G1 Jaipur Stakes. He also has Private Creed taking the G2 Franklin-Simpson Stakes at Kentucky Downs and Joey Freshwater winner winning the G3 Bay Shore Stakes at Aqueduct. All six of Jimmy Creed's graded stakes winners earned that status in sprint races.

Jimmy Creed remains a trusted name with breeders, who sent 113 mares to him in 2023, marking a 19-mare increase.

On the commercial market, his strength continues to be in the 2-year-old arena once his foals get a chance to show how fast they are. His juveniles finished with the third-fastest average one-furlong breeze time in the 2023 2-Year-Old Sale Sire Power Rankings, with an average time of :10.164 seconds (measuring in tenths), which further displays just how quick the turn of foot on the Jimmy Creeds can be.

A breeder has to know what they want when they send a mare to Jimmy Creed, but if they do, and it matches up with what the sire can offer, there are paths to success.

Check in for future installments to see who made the All-Value Sire Team among stallions of various ages and specialties, including freshman sires of 2024, sires awaiting their first yearlings, regional sires, and more.

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