1) MUTH (c, Good Magic–Hoppa, by Uncle Mo) 'TDN Rising Star'. O-Zedan Racing Stables Inc; B-Don Alberto Corporation (KY); T-Bob Baffert. Sales history: $190,000 Ylg '22 KEESEP; $2,000,000 2yo '23 OBSMAR. Lifetime Record: MGISW, 6-4-2-0, $1,504,100. Last start: WON Mar. 30 GI Arkansas Derby.

On Apr. 2, three days after Muth's two-length score in the GI Arkansas Derby, trainer Bob Baffert confirmed that this 4-for-6 'TDN Rising Star' is Baltimore-bound for the May 18 GI Preakness S.

“My plan's always been, if he ran well [in Arkansas], we're just pointing him for the Preakness,” Baffert told the Oaklawn media team.

Then the very next day, Muth's owner, Zedan Racing Stables, filed a lawsuit in a Kentucky court with the aim of overturning Churchill Downs's corporate ban of Baffert so that Muth (and possibly other horses trained by Baffert) could run in the Kentucky Derby.

We'll leave the ongoing debate about Baffert's Derby eligibility to the judge for the purposes of this writeup.

The assessment still stands that this son of Good Magic ($190,000 KEESEP, $2 million OBSMAR) is the most consistent and reliable contender at the top of the crop, and he looms as a major threat to blossom into a dominant divisional force. Muth's chief attribute is speed-oriented athleticism fused with a straightforward way of doing whatever has to be done to win.

Baffert said Muth's trip from Santa Anita to Oaklawn “was good for him. First time shipping was important. He ran well. Everything went smoothly for him. He looked great in the stretch. Distance is not going to be a problem for him, so that was very encouraging. A mile and an eighth, I've always felt, really starts to separate them. It was a very tough, competitive race.”

2) SIERRA LEONE (c, Gun Runner–Heavenly Love, by Malibu Moon) 'TDN Rising Star'. O-Mrs John Magnier, Michael B Tabor, Derrick Smith Westerberg, Rocket Ship Racing LLC & Peter M Brant; B-Debby M Oxley (KY); T-Chad Brown. Sales history: $2,300,000 Ylg '22 FTSAUG. Lifetime Record: GISW, 4-3-1-0, $918,000. Last start: WON Apr. 6 GI Blue Grass S.

In Saturday's GI Blue Grass S., 'TDN Rising Star' Sierra Leone (Gun Runner) built up serious momentum with one of his customary off-the-tailgate runs to mow down the competition.

Although he's still not the most polished version of the racehorse his potential and pedigree suggest he will be, this $2.3 million FTSAUG sale-topper has enough raw, off-pace power to establish his status as the top-ranked closer in his class.

After being reluctant to load into the outermost post in front of a lively Keeneland crowd that caught his attention, this Chad Brown trainee broke without incident and was dropped down next to the fence at the back of the pack by Tyler Gaffalione. With stablemate Top Conor (Twirling Candy) establishing an ambitious tempo up front, Sierra Leone waited patiently at the rear, settling unto a rhythmic stride before beginning to unfurl five furlongs out.

Gaffalione sliced him between two rivals nearing the far turn, then popped outside to pick off the mid-pack stragglers. Although still exhibiting a tendency to lean in during his stretch runs like he's shown since age two, Sierra Leone did respond to being roused, and you get the feeling he would have easily shouldered aside any rival who dared get in his way. He won by 1 1/2 lengths and finished up the final sixteenth with his ears pricked forward, indicating he was eager for more.

Sierra Leone's 98 Beyer was a tricky fig to make considering there was only one other main-track route race at Keeneland that afternoon.

Despite being visually arresting, the timing of Sierra Leone's finish was on the tepid side. While the early part of the Blue Grass featured revved-up opening quarter-mile splits of :23.15 and :23.33, Sierra Leone closed ground through a final furlong clocked in :13.43. That's the slowest last eighth among all nine points-awarding Derby preps run at 1 1/8 miles in 2023-24.

3) FOREVER YOUNG (JPN) (c, Reel Steel {Jpn}–Forever Darling, by Congrats). O-Susumu Fujita; B-Northern Racing; T-Yoshito Yahagi. Sales History: ¥98,000,000 Ylg '22 JRHAJUL. Lifetime Record: 5-5-0-0, $2,049,451. Last start: WON Mar. 30 G2 UAE Derby.

The 5-for-5 Forever Young (Jpn) (Real Steel {Jpn}) raced outermost to win the Feb. 24 one-turn mile G3 Saudi Derby with a long, well-timed drive. He was then parked in the four path on both turns to prevail in the G2 UAE Derby over 1900 meters Mar. 30.

For the most part, those ground-conceding tactics have been by design to keep Forever Young from being pelted by kickback from horses in front of him. His connections are on record as saying that the colt dislikes the dirt spray, and he was equipped with a sort of facemask (like blinkers without the cups) in his last race at Meydan.

Is Forever Young's aversion to kickback a reason to discount his chances in the Kentucky Derby? Probably not if you otherwise like his chances. In any given 20-horse Derby, we end up hearing plenty of post-race comments from the trainers of also-rans stating how their horses just couldn't handle the kickback. Some horses persevere through it, some don't and some are race-to-race about how they handle it.

Plus, it isn't like Forever Young, who sold for the equivalent of $720,603 at the JRHA Select Yearling and Foal sale, has never dealt with dirt before. He won three times in Japan at age two despite being in spots where he was forced to take at least some kickback.

In his Oct. 14 maiden win, Forever Young was buried behind the first-flight wall of horses before bursting through near the inside rail. Against stakes company Nov. 3, he was covered up toward the rear for most of the trip before tipping outside to win going away. And on Dec. 13, Forever Young raced just off the heels of the pacemaker before punching past on the far turn to romp by seven lengths.

4) FIERCENESS (c, City of Light–Nonna Bella, by Stay Thirsty) 'TDN Rising Star'. O/B-Repole Stable (KY); T-Todd Pletcher. Lifetime Record: Ch. 2yo, MGISW, 5-3-0-1, $1,703,850. Last start: WON Mar. 30 GI Curlin Florida Derby.

With this past weekend's final nine-furlong prep races yielding wins by two stalkers and one closer, Fierceness's stock upticked because he now looms as the most legitimate speed threat among horses pointing for the Derby.

But bettors in the latest pool for the Kentucky Derby Future Wager–which closed Saturday prior to any of those stakes being run–apparently didn't need to know that bit of pace information before staunchly backing Fierceness. He was established as the 5-2 favorite, a pre-race price that could end up being lower than the 2-year-old champ's actual mutuel odds 3 1/2 weeks from now on Derby Day.

This Repole Stable homebred by City of Light heads to Louisville off a hammer-dropping, 13 1/4-length pasting of an underwhelming GI Curlin Florida Derby field. The impressive 110 Beyer Speed Figure he earned is five points faster than any other number put up by a sophomore so far this year.

But realists will legitimately question the figure's face value considering Fierceness established an all-his-own-way cadence without having to fight hard for the lead or repulse any serious stretch bids.

Eight of the last 10 horses to cross the finish wire first in the Derby have raced on or near the lead. If Fierceness can establish control early, he avoids a lot of potential trouble simply by being out ahead of the first-turn scrum that is an inherent risk in any 20-horse Derby.

Fierceness | Benoit

5) TRACK PHANTOM (c, Quality Road–Miss Sunset, by Into Mischief) O-L and N Racing LLC, Clark Brewster, Jerry Caroom & Breeze Easy LLC; B-Breeze Easy (KY); T-Steve Asmussen. Sales history: $500,000 yrl '22 KEESEP. Lifetime Record: GSW, 7-3-2-1, $405,000. Last start: 4th in Mar. 23 GII Louisiana Derby.

Track Phantom has been sporting blinkers in the mornings at Churchill Downs in preparation for wearing them for the first time in the Kentucky Derby.

Trainer Steve Asmussen told Daily Racing Form's Marcus Hersch last week that “The blinkers are for what he did from the quarter pole to the wire last time, not what he does in the morning.”

Asmussen was referring to this $500,000 KEESEP son of Quality Road setting a moderate pace in the GII Louisiana Derby, then fading to fourth in deep stretch.

Track Phantom has won three of seven starts, all at a mile or longer, and he consistently breaks well enough to lead the pack, despite often getting disadvantaged by outside draws. He has experience in fighting off rivals in the stretch, and even though this colt isn't always on the winning end, he has gained valuable experience.

According to DRF's Formulator tool, Asmussen's win percentage with all starters over the past five years is 18%. His 205 trainees adding blinkers for the first time during that time frame won 15% of the time. On five occasions in the past five years, Asmussen has tried first-time blinkers on a Grade I starter. None have won, with the best finish among them a second by Disarm (Gun Runner) in the 2023 GI Travers S.

6) DORNOCH (c, Good Magic–Puca, by Big Brown) O-West Paces Racing LLC, R A Hill Stable, Belmar Racing and Breeding LLC, Two Eight Racing LLC & Pine Racing Stables; B-Grandview Equine (KY); T-Danny Gargan. Sales history: $325,000 Ylg '22 KEESEP. Lifetime Record: MGSW, 6-3-2-0, $552,275. Last start: 4th in the GI Blue Grass S. Apr. 6

Dornoch's punchless fourth in the Blue Grass S. is a little easier to make sense of moving forward knowing his connections weren't satisfied with the experiment of rating him off the pace, and that trainer Danny Gargan plans on changing tactics back to letting this colt freewheel on the front end in the Derby.

This $325,000 KEESEP son of Good Magic, who is a full brother to 2023 Derby winner Mage, broke running from post four, but Luis Saez had a handful trying to keep his colt under wraps around the first turn. Dornoch was pegged down at the rail in fourth for most of his trip and had only a mild response when asked to pick it up around the far bend. He briefly ran up on the heels of a rival in front of him three-sixteenths from home, then drifted out towards the onrushing Sierra Leone, who blew by Dornoch in upper stretch with zero resistance.

“He got in there behind,” Gargan said. “It's his first time really getting a lot of dirt like that, he resented it a little bit early, Luis said. He said he kind of ran away from the horses. [Dornoch was] a little bit stuck in there. Next time, we'll break him out of [the gate on the lead] and keep his face clean, and he'll run better next time. There's no pressure now. We're going to go over [to Gargan's hometown of Louisville] and have fun.”

7) IMAGINATION (c, Into Mischief–Magical Feeling, by Empire Maker) O-SF Racing LLC, Starlight Racing, Madaket Stables LLC, Stonestreet Stables LLC, Dianne Bashor, Robert Masterson, Waves Edge Capital LLC, Catherine Donovan & Tom Ryan; B-Peter Blum Thoroughbreds (KY); T-Bob Baffert. Sales history: $1,050,000 yrl '22 KEESEP. Lifetime Record: GSW, 5-2-3-0, $406,800. Last start: 2nd in the GI Santa Anita Derby Apr. 6.

Imagination was a narrowly-beaten second in Saturday's GI Santa Anita Derby. The fact that he forced the issue through a quick opening quarter (:22.72), went after the leader on the far turn, then held the lead for most of the stretch while taking constant pressure from eventual winner Stronghold (Ghostzapper) gives his effort an edge in terms of performance under duress–even though he didn't come out on the winning end of the photo.

In fact, it's now three straight route races in which this $1.05-million KEESEP colt by Into Mischief has hooked up in prolonged late-race fights. One was a win in the Grade II San Felipe S., the two others were neck losses.

“We jumped good and we had a good pace,” said jockey Franke Dettori, noting that pressure from an outside rival turning onto the backstretch meant he pushed Imagination “a little bit earlier than I wanted to.

“In the stretch I was vulnerable for a closer,” Dettori said. “When [Stronghold] passed us, my horse kept fighting back. We were head and head, and he was too strong for me down the line.”

Imagination is now 2-4-0 from six lifetime starts. Trainer Bob Baffert has not publicly declared next-race plans.

8) Just a Touch (c, Justify-Touching Beauty, by Tapit) O-Qatar Racing LLC, Resolute Racing & Marc Detampel; B-Don Alberto Corp. (KY); T-Brad Cox. Sales history: $170,000 RNA '22 KEESEP; $125,000 yrl '22 FTKOCT; $300,000 2yo '23 OBSAPR. Lifetime Record: 3-1-2-0, $281,700. Last start: 2nd in GI Blue Grass S. Apr. 6

The second-place effort by Just a Touch in Saturday's Blue Grass S. was commendable on several levels.

This son of Justify ($170,000 RNA KEESEP, $125,000 FTKOCT, $300,000 OBSAPR) gets credit for attending a fast pace, then wresting control of the lead from the three-sixteenths marker until just before the sixteenth pole. When Sierra Leone torqued by him, Just A Touch was tiring but not folding, and he galloped out more or less on even terms with the winner.

That performance rates additional credibility considering it was only the third lifetime start and first race around two turns for Just a Touch. And this is a colt who also won't hit his third birthday until the day after the Kentucky Derby.

“The pace was a bit quicker than I thought it would be,” said jockey Florent Geroux. “Turning for home, I thought I had it, but was just taken down by Sierra Leone. My horse had a good finish to be second. He ran a good race against really good horses.”

Trainer Brad Cox explained that Just a Touch is “going to have to move forward in the next four weeks. Colts can do that. If he moves forward, he will be able to compete in the Derby.”

9) RESILIENCE (c, Into Mischief-Meadowsweet, by Smart Strike) O-Emily Bushnell & Ric Waldman; B-Pam & Martin Wygod (KY); T-Bill Mott. Lifetime Record: GSW, 6-2-1-1, $494,630. Last start: WON Apr. 6 GI Wood Memorial S.

Resilience, an Into Mischief colt out of a Smart Strike mare, leapfrogged into Derby relevance with a 2 1/4-length stalking victory (90 Beyer) in Saturday's GII Wood Memorial S. at Aqueduct.

Off at 9-2 odds and adding blinkers for the first time, this Bill Mott trainee broke fluidly from the rail under John Velazquez, then conceded the lead while in a touch tight at the fence through the clubhouse turn.

Resilience enjoyed a no-excuse, ground-saving trip behind sparring 52-1 and 80-1 shots on the front end. Velazquez edged him off the rail 4 1/2 furlongs out, then commenced to chipping away at the leaders' margin through the far bend before collaring those spent rivals at the quarter pole.

There was a spill in upper stretch behind Resilience, but it did not appear to hamper any serious threats to his lead. This colt willingly stayed on late to outfinish 106-1 and 38-1 long shots.

“We broke really well, which was what we wanted to do,” Velazquez said. “He got a little bit aggressive, more than I wanted to in the first part. Then I put him out and he kind of relaxed better on the outside of horses. The reason we put blinkers on is because he's kind of hesitant in passing the horses. So, I kind of engaged him a little bit early to see if he'd pass horses and he passed them. Then I was like, 'Oh, man I might've broken a little too soon.' Then he just kept me busy down the lane.”

Resilience | Sarah Andrew

10) CATCHING FREEDOM (c, Constitution–Catch My Drift, by Pioneerof the Nile) O-Albaugh Family Stables LLC; B-WinStar Farm (KY); T-Brad Cox. Sales history: $575,000 yrl '22 KEESEP. Lifetime Record: GSW, 5-3-0-1, $877,350. Last start: WON Mar. 23 GII Louisiana Derby.

This Constitution colt ($575,000 KEESEP) is now one breeze into a series of four planned workouts before starting in the Derby, where he's likely to be mid-priced in the betting and expected to close from off the pace.

“He's settled in nicely since we shipped him back to Churchill from Fair Grounds,” trainer Brad Cox said after training on Friday. “He was impressive [winning] from that far back in the Louisiana Derby and I think the longer stretch at Churchill, plus the mile-and-a-quarter, should only help him in the Derby.”

Catching Freedom is a medium-framed stayer, and ever since he got on the Derby radar with a grind-'em-down win in the Smarty Jones S. at Oaklawn Jan. 1, Cox has reiterated that this colt won't be wowing anyone with his morning workouts.

So the key to figuring out whether you want to back him or beat him in the Derby is going to have to rely more or race-to-race assessment rather than how Catching Freedom trains over the next 3 1/2 weeks. His Beyer progression has been 72-77-87-87-97.

11) JUST STEEL (c, Justify–Irish Lights {Aus}, by Fastnet Rock {Aus}). O-BC Stables, LLC; B-Summerhill Farm (KY); T-D. Wayne Lukas. Sales History: $500,000 Ylg '22 KEESEP. Lifetime Record: GISP, 11-2-4-1, $724,545. Last start: 2nd Mar. 30 GI Arkansas Derby.

Even though he's an outlier likely to go off north of 30-1, you don't have to squint too hard at Just Steel's past performances to make a case for this D. Wayne Lukas trainee.

This $500,000 KEESEP son of 2018 Triple Crown champ Justify has a bedrock (by today's standards) foundation of 11 starts leading up to Louisville. On three occasions at age three, he's finished second around two turns in points-awarding prep stakes, and the one time he didn't, Just Steel was five wide round both turns at Oaklawn.

His final Kentucky Derby tune-up in the Arkansas Derby was also better than it might seem on paper: Just Steel raced close to the pace despite getting hooked four wide on the first turn, and he sustained his run through the lane in workmanlike fashion without tossing in the towel, finishing only two lengths behind No. 1-ranked Muth.

12) STRONGHOLD (c, Ghostzapper-Spectator, by Jimmy Creed)  O/B-Eric M. and Sharon Waller (KY); T-Philip D'Amato. Lifetime Record: GISW, 6-3-3-0, $827,200. Last start: WON Apr. 6 GI Santa Anita Derby

This Ghostzapper-sired homebred for Rick and Sharon Waller is Kentucky-bound after winning the stretch slugfest in the Santa Anita Derby at 2.2-1 odds. His Beyer of 89 matches the figure he earned when victorious in the GIII Sunland Derby Feb. 18.

Of the nine 1 1/8-miles prep stakes on the Kentucky Derby qualifying calendar this season, the Santa Anita Derby holds the distinction of featuring the fastest opening quarter-mile (:22.72) and the slowest fourth-quarter split (:25.98).

Stronghold broke for the lead straight out of the gate, then was rated back to fourth by Antonio Fresu. After stalking the pacemakers, Stronghold shadowed Imagination on the far turn, split horses in upper stretch, then took over at the eighth pole. For the second straight race, he lost but recaptured the lead in the stretch, prevailing in the final 50 yards with admirable tenacity.

“Stronghold is a horse that just continues to improve, and I think it's the farther the better with him,” trainer Phil D'Amato said.  “He does just enough. He's shown the will to win, but those are usually the kinds of horses that stretch out well because they don't use themselves too much early and drain the gas tank. They have something left. I'm happy where we're at with him right now.”

Potentially rounding out the Derby starting gate…

13) Endlessly (Oscar Performance)

After Endlessly won the Mar. 23 GIII Jeff Ruby Steaks S. to run his record to 5-for-6, with all wins on turf or Tapeta, trainer Michael McCarthy said that this Amerman Racing homebred would be pointed for the GII American Turf S. on the Kentucky Derby undercard instead of using the colt's eligibility points to get into the Derby itself.

Endlessly's connections have since caught Derby fever–or at least a whiff of it.

“After the Jeff Ruby, Mr. Amerman and I talked and we're going to leave all of our options open,” McCarthy said after Endlessly breezed an easy four furlongs in :49.60 (78/111) over the Churchill dirt Saturday morning. “We still have a few weeks to train here and have some time to make a final decision as to what we do next.”

You wouldn't blame them for taking a shot. Endlessly has six starts, all at a mile or longer, and has already twice won over nine furlongs. His four-length, complete-control win with a big outside move in that Turfway stake completely outclassed the field.

14) Mystik Dan (Goldencents)

Mystik Dan was carried out wide entering the backstretch of the Arkansas Derby and took the second turn in the four path. But he stalled when called upon for run and ended up third, beaten 6 1/2 lengths, in his nine-furlong debut.

He currently makes the Kentucky Derby qualifying cutoff with 46 points and will be in “regroup” mode for trainer Kenny McPeek, who hopes a little extra distance will allow this homebred son of Goldencents for owners Lance Gasaway, Daniel Hamby and 4G Racing to get back to his 101-Beyer winning form from the GIII Southwest S.

15) Domestic Product (Practical Joke)

Domestic Product, a Chad Brown-trained homebred for Klaravich Stables, won the GIII Tampa Bay Derby with an 82 Beyer Speed Figure, a five-point regression off his 87-Beyer second in the GIII Holy Bull S.

The Tampa Derby was run as a non-wagering race because of bet-processing problems that caused a delay of more than half an hour past scheduled post.

Domestic Product was a midpack fifth behind a dawdling pace before being shaken up for run and surviving a three-way bob for the win.

For the second straight race, Domestic Product closed into unusually slow fractions. The first two quarter-mile splits in the Holy Bull were :25.03 and :25.50. The Tampa Derby's three opening quarters were clocked in :25.25, :25.89 and :25.07.

16) Honor Marie (Honor Code)

Honor Marie, a modest-framed $40,000 KEESEP colt by Honor Code who turns three on Derby Day, won the GII Kentucky Jockey Club S. at Churchill back on Nov. 25 by rating from last after five horses dueled early and two others took late-race runs at the lead.

In two starts in 2024, this Whit Beckman trainee was fifth in the GII Risen Star S., a key race that notably produced next-out, nine-furlong graded stakes winners Sierra Leone, Catching Freedom and Resilience. Honor Marie was second in his next outing, a 96-Beyer deep-closing try in the Louisiana Derby.

17) Society Man (Good Magic)

Now trainer Danny Gargan will have not one, but two Good Magic colts aiming for the Derby. Society Man's runner-up effort at 106-1 odds in the Wood Memorial secured the points berth to make the qualifying cutoff.

This $85,000 KEESEP yearling does have three races worth of experience at nine furlongs, although his only win was an on-Lasix score over a muddy, one-turn mile at Aqueduct Mar. 9.

“His mother won going a mile and an eighth and he's getting better,” Gargan said.

That win by dam You Cheated was her only dirt-track score from four wins, and it came at Churchill Downs in the slop in 2018.

18) West Saratoga (Exaggerator)

West Saratoga, an $11,000 KEESEP colt, is currently 11th on the Derby qualifying list with 67 points. He closed at 121-1 in this past weekend's Kentucky Derby Future Wager.

West Saratoga won the very first points-awarding prep stakes of the campaign, the GIII Iroquois  S. back on Sept. 16 at Churchill. He sat fourth behind a breakaway pacemaker, then came with a long, lumbering run to score at 12-1 odds.

This gray hasn't won since. At age three, he's been second, third, then second in the Pasco S., GIII Davis S. and Jeff Ruby S.

19) Catalytic (Catalina Cruiser)

Catalytic ($70,000 KEENOV, $125,000 FTSAUG) hit the side of the starting gate then got fanned four wide into the clubhouse turn of the Florida Derby. He was no match for runaway winner Fierceness, but held second in a best-of-the-rest performance that earned 50 qualifying points to get into the Kentucky Derby.

In his only other two starts, this son of Catalina Cruiser (out of a Distorted Humor mare) broke his maiden sprinting at Gulfstream last October, then finished second as the beaten favorite in an optional claimer/allowance sprint at Tampa Mar. 8.

20) T O Password (Jpn) (Copano Rickey {Jpn})

The connections of the 2-for-2 T O Password (Jpn) have accepted an invitation to compete in the Derby for accruing 40 points in the Japan Road to the Kentucky Derby series.

This is a forward-running colt whose two victories have come against lesser company than that kept by fellow Japanese contender Forever Young.

In the Mar. 23 1,800-meter Fukuryu S., this 13-1 Daisuke Takayanagi trainee went straight to the lead but had to be saved by the wire after losing a four-length cushion in the final half a furlong.

Woodbine's leading rider last year, Kazushi Kimura, has been booked to ride in the Derby.

T O Password won't hit his third birthday until May 20.

The post TDN Sophomore Top 20: Separating Contenders From Pretenders appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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Dornoch dug back gamely to defeat Sierra Leone in a heart-stopping renewal of the GII Remsen S. at a rain-soaked Aqueduct Dec. 2, then took care of business in a scratched-down GII Coolmore Fountain of Youth S. at Gulfstream Mar. 2. Sierra Leone, meanwhile, returned with an excellent come-from-behind victory over a sloppy surface at Fair Grounds in the GII Risen Star S. Feb. 17.

The Blue Grass field of 11 also includes the Brad Cox-trained duo of GIII Gotham S. Mar. 2 runner-up Just a Touch (Justify) and John Battaglia Memorial S. Mar. 2 winner Encino (Nyquist).

“Just at Touch is a very talented horse,” Cox said. “He's shown talent from day one. He was a little late to get to the races, but it was by design. (Dornoch and Sierra Leone) got to the races a little bit earlier, so obviously they have more seasoning. I think this horse is one of our better 3-year-olds. I'm excited against running against these colts. It's a Grade I with very talented horses. It looks to be one of the better Derby preps to date.”

A pair of unbeatens–'TDN Rising Star' Deterministic (Liam's Map) and Tuscan Sky (Vino Rosso)–lead a field of 13 set for the GII Wood Memorial S. at Aqueduct.

Deterministic, an eye-catching debut winner going seven furlongs at Saratoga Aug. 12, showed no signs of rust resurfacing from the bench with an impressive victory in the slop over the aforementioned Just a Touch in the one-turn mile Gotham. Tuscan Sky makes his stakes debut after defeating the talented Nash (Medaglia d'Oro) in an optional claimer on the Risen Star program. Parx invader Uncle Heavy (Social Inclusion) returns to the Big Apple after upsetting the GIII Withers S. over track and trip Feb. 3.

“The Gotham was a very good race and a good field over a wet track–he handled the whole thing well,” trainer Christophe Clement said of the Wood Memorial 7-5 morning-line favorite Deterministic. “It will be interesting to see him going two turns. We'll just go one step at a time. You never know until you try, but his style of racing and the way he trains makes you believe he should stay.”

A pair of last out graded winners–Imagination (Into Mischief) and Stronghold (Ghostzapper)–share top billing in the GI Santa Anita Derby. Imagination posted a career-best 96 Beyer Speed Figure for trainer Bob Baffert while gamely annexing the GII San Felipe S. Mar. 3. Stronghold, second in the GIII Bob Hope S. Nov. 19 and GII Los Alamitos Futurity Dec. 16, broke through with a win in the GIII Sunland Park Derby Feb. 18. Both colts have finished no worse than second in five career starts.

The Blue Grass, Santa Anita Derby and Wood Memorial all offer qualifying points to its top five finishers (100-50-25-15-10) toward the GI Kentucky Derby. Churchill Downs has barred Baffert's trainees from participating in this year's Kentucky Derby and GI Kentucky Oaks stemming in part from a well-documented medication positive found after Medina Spirit won the 2021 Derby.

There are also a pair of Kentucky Oaks preps on tap at Aqueduct at Santa Anita Saturday.

'TDN Rising Star' Kinza (Carpe Diem), winner of the GIII Las Virgenes S. Feb. 10 and GIII Santa Ysabel S. Mar. 9, will put her perfect record on the line for Baffert in the GII Santa Anita Oaks. The field of five also includes Kopion (Omaha Beach), who reported home second-best behind Kinza last time in the Las Virgenes.

Life Talk (Gun Runner) will look to get back on track in the GIII Gazelle S. at the Big A. The GII Demoiselle S. heroine was a disappointing sixth as the heavy favorite in Tampa's Suncoast S. Feb. 10. Maiden of seven starts Where's My Ring (Twirling Candy) makes the trip from Southern California for the Gazelle following a longshot second in the Santa Ysabel.

Saturday's graded stakes also include a fantastic renewal of the GI Resolute Racing Madison S. The field of eight is led by standouts Alva Starr (Lord Nelson), Red Carpet Ready (Oscar Performance) and Vahva (Gun Runner). Keeneland's stacked Blue Grass program also features the GII Appalachian S., GII Shakertown S. and GIII Commonwealth S., respectively.

Saturday's graded action is rounded out by the GII Carter H. and GIII Distaff S. at Aqueduct and the GIII Monrovia S. at Santa Anita.

The post Led by Loaded Blue Grass, Trio of Derby Preps Highlight Saturday’s Graded Stakes Lineup appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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GI Toyota Blue Grass S. – In a race billed as a showdown between the re-opposing GII Remsen S. one-two Dornoch (Good Magic) and Sierra Leone (Gun Runner), don't look past likely third choice Just a Touch (Justify). The highly regarded bay ran to the hype with a powerful debut score for trainer Brad Cox over the promising $1.7-million KEESEP graduate Gun Party (Curlin) (he returned with another very good second-place finish Mar. 16) on debut sprinting in the Fair Grounds slop Jan. 27. He was well-backed at the windows again for his second career start and lost little in defeat finishing second as the favorite over another saturated surface in a deep renewal of the GIII Gotham S. Mar. 2. Just a Touch will finally get a chance to showcase his ability on a fast surface and has every right to take another step forward stretching out to two turns for the first time as well. He should be able to sit a perfect trip just off Dornoch and have the jump on the stretch-running Sierra Leone, who is the horse to beat off his impressive come-from-behind win in the GII Risen Star S. Feb. 17. Selection: #6 Just a Touch (7-2).

GII Wood Memorial S. – No knocks on the 7-5 morning-line favorite and impressive Gotham winner Deterministic (Liam's Map), but I prefer the fellow unbeaten Tuscan Sky (Vino Rosso) here. Like the aforementioned Just a Touch, Tuscan Sky has raced only on wet, sealed tracks in his first two starts. The gray finished up like a real good thing after a bit of an interesting journey (led early, dropped back to third on the far turn and leveled off beautifully in stretch to win going away) sprinting on debut at the Big A Jan. 13. He backed up that effort with another fantastic performance–albeit in a three-horse field–with a two-length decision over sharp next-out Hot Springs S. winner Nash (Medaglia d'Oro) (good for a 95 Beyer) while making his two-turn debut on the Risen Star undercard. Tuscan Sky tuned up for this with a four-furlong bullet in :48 3/5 (1/20) for seven-time Wood Memorial-winning trainer Todd Pletcher at Palm Beach Downs Mar. 30. Tuscan Sky's young sire Vino Rosso won this same race in 2018. Selection: #9 Tuscan Sky (4-1).

GI Santa Anita Derby – It's difficult to make a case against Imagination (Into Mischief), who will be the much-deserved Santa Anita Derby favorite. The $1.05-million KEESEP yearling has run well in all five of his career starts and has taken a nice step forward in his last two. He gave highly regarded Bob Baffert-trained stablemate Maymun (Frosted) all he could handle while finishing second in an optional claimer Feb. 11, then dug in gamely to secure a career high in the GII San Felipe S. Mar. 3. Should be well-spotted beneath Frankie Dettori either on or just off the lead. Selection: #4 Imagination (8-5).

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When viewed alongside other professional sports, which have significantly expanded their playoff structures in recent seasons to capitalize on the immediacy (and bettability) of wild-card  and play-in games with last-chance qualifying berths on the line, the lead-up to the Derby has gone in the opposite direction, minimizing the relevancy of making the final cut as the main event looms closer.

Although four-week spacing is in line with the current less-is-more approach to training top-level sophomores, it's difficult to believe that trend is so etched in stone that it necessitates stacking up the final, most lucrative preps so that three races with the exact same conditions at the exact same distance-the GI Blue Grass S., the GI Santa Anita Derby, and the GII Wood Memorial S.-all must go off within an hour of each other four weeks prior to the first Saturday in May.

No disrespect to 'TDN Rising Star' Disarm (Gun Runner), but the six points he accrued by running third in this past Saturday's GIII Lexington S. at Keeneland didn't exactly make for must-watch racing. It elevated him from 26th to 18th on the qualifying list and dislodged one other competitor, fellow 'Rising Star' Jace's Road (Quality Road).

The Lexington S. is more of a last-gasp shot at the tail end of the “Road to the Kentucky Derby” points series with only 20 total points up for grabs, and its 1 1/16-miles distance is a cutback compared to the stakes that precede it.

If the Derby is going to have a qualifying points system, why not accentuate the inherent drama of racking up points when they are most coveted? If one of those final three 100-points, 1 1/8-miles stakes were to get boldly repositioned to three weeks out, would horses not come?

I think they would-and there would be additional advantages to the track that tries it from the perspective of having a marquee day of racing without much competition.

As recently as 2021, Oaklawn Park was the “only game in town” three Saturdays before the Derby, with its premier stakes, the GI Arkansas Derby, the focal point on the national calendar.

Angel of Empire wins the 2023 GI Arkansas Derby | Coady

Over the previous decade, that three-week template worked pretty well. It was the springboard for American Pharoah's Triple Crown campaign in 2015, plus the Arkansas Derby also produced the 2012 Kentucky Derby favorite, Bodemeister (who ran second in Louisville), and the 2019 Kentucky Derby morning-line favorite, Omaha Beach, who had to scratch days before the race with an entrapped epiglottis.

But in 2022, Oaklawn readjusted its series of prep races by moving back the date of the Arkansas Derby so it sat five weeks out. A pre-Kentucky Derby void now exists that generates little meaningful news or excitement, and the kicker is that this past weekend is also a traditionally slow one on the mid-April national sports landscape.

No, this is not an unrealistic plea to roll back the clock four decades to the era when Churchill Downs used to card the Derby Trial S. on the Tuesday (four days!) before the Derby itself, where it served as a legitimate prep opportunity.

But it's interesting to see how the timetable has evolved for the spacing of the spring's big 3-year-old stakes at Keeneland, Santa Anita and Aqueduct.

The Blue Grass was last run three weeks before the Derby in 2014, having occupied that spot on the calendar for 26 years. As recently as 1988, it was carded 10 days before the Derby.

The Santa Anita Derby has maintained four-week spacing prior to the Kentucky Derby since 1981, when it ran 20 days before the Derby. In 1980 and in some years in the 1970s, a late-March placement five weeks out was the norm.

The last time the Wood Memorial ran three weeks out from the Derby was in 2004. It had been that way since 1993, when two weeks out was the standard.

Of those three races, the Wood Memorial could be best positioned to make a move back to three weeks out. The New York Racing Association (NYRA) has been innovative about readjusting other aspects of its stakes schedule in recent years. And-let's face it-as the lone Grade II race among that trio, it has more incentive to distinguish itself in an effort to regain the Grade I status that the American Graded Stakes Committee stripped away after the 2016 edition.

Had the Wood (and its same-day supporting stakes) been carded for Apr. 15 this year, it wouldn't have had to contend with the opening Saturday of the Keeneland meet, and it would have simultaneously sidestepped the biggest day of the Santa Anita season. In addition, all of racing on that Apr. 8 weekend had to go up against the immensely popular Masters golf tournament, which since the advent of legalized sports wagering in the United States has intensified the competition for viewing eyeballs and betting dollars.

There's another upstream advantage to making the switch as well: When Oaklawn retooled its Derby prep schedule, it also left a vacancy in the national schedule for the third week of March, which had previously been occupied by the GII Rebel S.

This year and last season there were no points-awarding “Road to the Derby” stakes in the two weeks between the GIII Tampa Bay Derby and the GII Louisiana Derby. If NYRA were to retrofit the Wood to three weeks before the Kentucky Derby, it could also move the GIII Gotham S. off its similarly crowded first-Saturday-in March slot, giving it solo status in mid-March while also putting the race in a spot where it isn't as endangered by the threat of winter weather.

Despite their shifting placements on the calendar, the last Wood Memorial winner to score in the Derby was Fusaichi Pegasus in 2000, and the last Blue Grass winner to wear a blanket of roses in Louisville was Strike the Gold in 1991. The Santa Anita Derby has been more recently productive, with its winners scoring in the Kentucky Derby in 2018, 2014 and 2012.

Maybe it will take Disarm winning the Derby this year off a three-week prep to nudge some track to claim that potentially lucrative piece of prime-time real estate.

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Forte's Todd Pletcher-trained stablemate and fellow 'Rising Star' Tapit Trice (Tapit), an impossible come-from-behind winner in the GIII Lambholm South Tampa Bay Derby Mar. 11, will exit from the rail in a deep renewal of the GI Toyota Blue Grass S. at Keeneland. Luis Saez has the mount aboard the Whisper Hill Farm and Gainesway Stable colorbearer, who has been tabbed as the 5-2 morning-line favorite.

“Not exactly the draw we wanted, but he did win the allowance race at Gulfstream Park from post one [going a mile Feb. 4],” Pletcher said.

The Blue Grass field of 11 also includes: runaway GIII Gotham S. winner Raise Cain (Violence); last term's GI Champagne S. one-two 'Rising Star' Blazing Sevens (Good Magic) and Verifying (Justify); and GII Risen Star S. runner-up Sun Thunder (Into Mischief).

Blazing Sevens adds blinkers following a head-scratching eighth in the GII Fountain of Youth S. Mar. 4. Verifying was fourth as the favorite in a sloppy renewal of the GII Rebel S. Feb. 25. Sun Thunder closed into slow fractions to finish fifth in the GII Louisiana Derby Mar. 25.

Practical Move (Practical Joke), ranked in the second spot behind Forte on TDN's Derby Top 12 brought to you by Fasig-Tipton, will shoot for his third straight victory for Tim Yakteen in the GI Runhappy Santa Anita Derby. Last term's GII Los Alamitos Futurity S. winner kicked off his sophomore campaign with an impressive victory over the re-opposing duo of Geaux Rocket Ride (Candy Ride {Arg}) and Skinner (Curlin) good for a field-best 100 Beyer Speed Figure in the GII San Felipe S. Practical Move is the 8-5 morning-line favorite in the field of nine.

Yakteen will also tighten the girth on former Bob Baffert runner and GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile third-place finisher National Treasure (Quality Road). The last-out GIII Sham S. Jan. 8 third-place finisher was a late scratch from the San Felipe due to a bruised foot.

Yakteen saddled Taiba (Gun Runner) and Messier (Empire Maker) to a one-two finish in last year's Santa Anita Derby. Both were previously trained by Yakteen's aforementioned former boss.

“When you run horses, they are all your horses,” Yakteen said. “It gives you the same feeling.”

A field of 13, led by the Brad Cox-trained impressive GIII Withers S. winner and 5-2 morning-line favorite Hit Show (Candy Ride {Arg}), will look to punch their ticket to Louisville via the Big Apple in the GII Wood Memorial S. at Aqueduct. The Gary and Mary West homebred is drawn widest of all in post 13.

“I think he's a horse that does like a mile and an eighth and beyond,” Cox said. “Since he's already shown success in New York, we decided that would be the best spot for him.”

Cox also trains distant GIII Gotham S. runner-up Slip Mahoney (Arrogate), who makes his two-turn debut in the Wood.

Pletcher and the late Hall of Famer “Sunny” Jim Fitzsimmons currently share the record of seven Wood Memorial victories.

Pletcher will have three chances to capture the standalone record via last out Gulfstream optional claimer winner Classic Catch (Classic Empire) and highly regarded maidens Dreamlike (Gun Runner) and Crupi (Curlin). The rail-drawn Dreamlike adds blinkers following a pair of runner-up finishes in South Florida. Crupi was seventh while making his sixth career start in the GII Risen Star S. Feb. 18.

“It's an interesting trio,” Pletcher said. “One thing we feel good about is all three horses will appreciate the mile and an eighth.”

Breeders' Cup Winners Return at Keeneland…

A pair of Breeders' Cup winners will return to Lexington to kick off their 2023 campaigns on the Blue Grass undercard.

Champion female sprinter Goodnight Olive (Ghostzapper), last seen putting an exclamation point on a brilliant campaign in the GI Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Sprint at Keeneland Nov. 5, will take on four rivals, including GI Cotillion S. heroine Society (Gun Runner), in the GI Madison S. The 2022 GI Ballerina H. winner is the 2-5 morning-line favorite.

Last term's 42-1 GI Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint upsetter Caravel (Mizzen Mast), meanwhile, will face males once again a race later in the 5 1/2-furlong GII Shakertown S.

Keeneland's 11-race card also includes the GII Appalachian S.  and GIII Commonwealth S., respectively.

Pair of Kentucky Oaks Preps on Tap…

Who will be favored in this year's wide-open GI Kentucky Oaks?

We'll have our answer following Saturday's GII Santa Anita Oaks and GIII Gazelle S. at Aqueduct.

A field of six, topped by the imposing Chad Brown-trained duo of unbeaten Busher S. heroine Shidabhuti (Practical Joke) and Busanda S. winner Occult (Into Mischief), could vie for favoritism in South Ozone Park. Brown won the 2021 renewal with Search Results (Flatter), who followed with a painful second in the Kentucky Oaks.

Unbeaten 'TDN Rising Star' Faiza (Girvin), winner of Santa Anita's GIII Las Virgenes S. Jan. 28 and GIII Santa Ysabel S. Mar. 5, is the headliner in the Santa Anita Oaks, but remains ineligible for the Kentucky Oaks. Last term's GI Starlet S. heroine is a perfect four-for-four for Baffert, who is currently banned from competition at Churchill Downs.

The Santa Anita Oaks field of nine also includes last term's GI TVG Del Mar Debutante S. winner and Santa Ysabel second-place finisher And Tell Me Nolies (Arrogate); and impressive Santa Anita maiden winners Clearly Unhinged (Into Mischief) and Window Shopping (American Pharoah).

Saturday's graded stakes action is rounded out by Aqueduct's GI Carter H. and GIII Bay Shore S. and Santa Anita's GII Charles Whittingham S. and GIII Monrovia S.

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This past Saturday's last-chance trio of nine-furlong preps for the GI Kentucky Derby unfolded like a tense card game that came down to the crucial final draw. Some decent hands had already been dealt over the course of the long season, but we still needed to see the last three cards from the deck to get a handle on how intriguing and entertaining this year's Run for the Roses would turn out to be.

That final turn revealed, in succession: An ace. An ace. And a tantalizing wild card that nobody saw coming.

Mo Donegal (Uncle Mo)'s deft, sustained run from last to snatch victory in the final jump of the GII Wood Memorial S. at Aqueduct established him as one of the Derby favorites.

But when Zandon (Upstart) one-upped that performance 24 minutes later at Keeneland with his own relentless, adversity-overcoming charge from far back to win the GI Toyota Blue Grass S., it set up one of the most fascinating Derby rivalries in recent memory.

That's because we now get the juicy first-Saturday-in-May rematch of the top two colts from last December's “fighting finish” in the GII Remsen S., in which Mo Donegal outmuscled Zandon (barely) by a nose in a roughly run race that made national headlines for the stewards' non-disqualification of the winner.

Our sport is often stuck in the “Racing needs a superstar” mentality. But horse vs. horse grudge matches? I say bring 'em on. They really are the more fascinating allure.

Still, if you're the type of fan who latches onto sky's-the-limit, undefeated prospects, the racing gods had one more card to toss your way Saturday.

Thirty-seven minutes after the two Eastern races yielded aesthetically satisfying results, the GI Runhappy Santa Anita Derby delivered the unexpected gift of 'TDN Rising Star' Taiba (Gun Runner), who crashed the Kentucky Derby party by mowing down two highly-heralded speedsters, sparking a late-to-the-party journey to Louisville with an audacious two-for-two record amid an aura of revenge.

Although you won't see Churchill Downs promoting this storyline, the most riveting subplot over the next four weeks will involve Taiba's owner, Amr Zedan, who won the Derby last year with longshot Medina Spirit, a rags-to-riches $1,000 yearling. Medina Spirit died suddenly after a December workout, and he was subsequently disqualified from his Derby win for a betamethasone overage, a penalty that Zedan is currently appealing.

Last week, Zedan insisted (reportedly against the advice of his trainer, according to DRF's Jay Privman) that Taiba–who sold for $1.7 million as a juvenile–be entered in the Santa Anita Derby even though the colt had just broken his maiden Mar. 5.

Taiba's largely unforeseen win on Saturday now gives Zedan a shot at righting what he perceives as a Derby wrong. Even Zedan's choice of a name for this prized colt underscores his mission: Roughly translated from Arabic, Taiba means “one who is clean” or “one who refrains from evil.”

So which prep was strongest?

Story arcs aside, make no mistake that Zandon ran the most visually appealing 'Wow!' race that sets him up as the likely favorite for the Derby.

Zandon asserted himself midpack through the first turn of the Blue Grass, exuding confident body language while into the bit and hemmed in by horses through the tightly-packed first turn.

The pace was moderate (first three quarters in :24.04, :24.35 and :24.33), yet Flavien Prat allowed Zandon to drift back to last by the half-mile pole. Over the course of the next furlong, Zandon found himself pocketed while still bringing up the rear, yet Prat never panicked when guiding his colt to the outside to start picking off stragglers on the far turn.

Zandon split horses while gaining on the first flight, and Prat made the dicey decision to drop back inside at the head of the lane. He was walled up and had to punch his way to the outside three-sixteenths from home, and after an unfazed Zandon shouldered aside a tiring rival, he had dead aim on well-regarded favorite and 'TDN Rising Star' Smile Happy (Runhappy).

Zandon kicked home with purpose through a last quarter in :25.14 and a final eighth in a respectable :12.49, his tied tongue flapping loose in the chilly breeze while 2 1/4 lengths clear of the competition. The final time was 1:50.35 over a drying-out track labeled good (98 Beyer Speed Figure).

In the Wood Memorial, Mo Donegal's off-the-pace task was made tougher when favored Morello (Classic Empire) hit the gate at the break and couldn't effectively pressure the speedy Early Voting (Gun Runner), whose high cruising gear enabled him to post consecutive quarters in :23.86, :23.89, :23.84 and :24.04.

Mo Donegal, from last, began a methodical march 4 1/2 furlongs out and quickened his cadence at the three-furlong pole before jockey Joel Rosario gambled on tight inside passage off the turn for home. The still-strong Early Voting wasn't about to opt out of this fight however, and when Rosario switched outside at the eighth pole two lengths in arrears, it looked as if he had left Mo with too much work to do.

Yet Mo Donegal closed the gap incrementally, prevailing by a neck while always intently focused. As he's demonstrated in previous efforts, this is the sort of colt who is unlikely to unleash a storming stretch run that propels him to a big-margin victory. But he knows where the wire is and what his job is, and always has something left for the later stages.

Mo Donegal's 1:47.69 winning time over the “fast” track translated to a 98 Beyer. But here's the more important number out of that race: Mo Donegal has now won two nine-furlong races that featured identical final eighths in :12.33.

Of all the 1 1/8-miles preps we've seen in 2021-22, those are the two fastest clockings for that final fraction.

Meanwhile, on the Left Coast…

The Santa Anita Derby was supposed to be a figurative match race between 'TDN Rising Star' Messier (Empire Maker) and the blitzing early gunner Forbidden Kingdom (American Pharoah).

Apparently, someone forgot to tell this to Taiba and jockey Mike Smith.

Taiba was keen in the early stages and stacked up three across the track through the first turn with the aforementioned two favorites. The pecking order sorted itself out on the back straight with Forbidden Kingdom making the pace, Messier stalking menacingly, and Taiba taking it all in from third through splits of :23.23, :23.43 and :24.27.

Messier prolonged his inevitable cracking of Forbidden Kingdom through the far turn before wresting command at the quarter pole. But Taiba was also primed to pounce at that juncture, and Messier initially repulsed his stablemate's bid in upper stretch.
In an effort that belied his relative inexperience, Taiba dug in and came again, and even though Messier was noticeably shortening stride in the run to the wire (fourth quarter in :25.04 and final eighth in :12.70), Taiba kept on extending fluidly, driving clear over the “fast” dirt to win by 2 1/4 lengths in 1:48.67 (101 Beyer).

Taiba will be up against all sorts of historical norms by forging ahead to the Kentucky Derby off just two lifetime starts. Since 1937 (the advent of detailed start statistics), only four horses have ever even attempted the Derby in career start number three: China Visit (sixth in 2000), Disposal (18th in 1992), Senecas Coin (DNF in 1949) and Perfect Bahram (ninth in 1946). In addition, Bert G. ran 14th in 1945 off just one previous lifetime outing.

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“The horse is coming along really well,” said trainer Chad Brown. “He's been doing well since the Withers and he's been doing everything the right way. He's still on track for the Wood.”

Early Voting captured his debut going a one-turn mile Dec. 18 at Aqueduct before annexing the Withers in front-running by 4 1/2 lengths over Un Ojo (Laoban), the next-out winner of the GII Rebel S. at Oaklawn Park. Grantham (Declaration of War), the fourth-place finisher in the Withers, came back to run second in the GII Tampa Bay Derby Mar. 12.

“It was great for him to finish ahead of those horses in only his second start. As a trainer, it gives you a lot of confidence coming out of a key race,” Brown said.

Jeff Drown's Zandon (Upstart) remains on target for the GI Blue Grass S. Apr. 9 at Keeneland. The unlucky GII Remsen S. runner-up made his 2022 debut in the GII Risen Star S. Feb. 19 at Fair Grounds, where he missed the break but rallied from 10th to finish third.

“He missed the break, but I was happy to see him persevere. He got a lot out of the race fitness wise,” Brown said.

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Contributing to the stakes purse increases is a total of $1.5 million available from the Kentucky Thoroughbred Development Fund (KTDF), pending approval from the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission. Purses for some stakes doubled for 2022, most prominently the Maker's Mark Mile (G1) increased from $300,000 to $600,000, Stonestreet Lexington (G3) from $200,000 to $400,000 and Ben Ali (G3) from $150,000 to $300,000. Others, such as the Kentucky Utilities Transylvania (G3), Beaumont (G3) Presented by Keeneland Select and Shakertown (G2) received significant boosts.

During the 15-day Spring Meet, Keeneland will contest a total of 10 stakes on grass and nine stakes on dirt while offering multiple stakes on six days. Post time for the first race each day is 1 p.m. ET.

Keeneland will be closed for racing on Easter Sunday, April 17.

“Keeneland is thrilled to offer such a lucrative Spring Meet stakes schedule for horsemen, horseplayers and racing fans,” Keeneland President and CEO Shannon Arvin said. “Keeneland is coming off a record-breaking 2021 in terms of wagering, which we are reinvesting in purse money to further elevate our racing program. We look forward to world-class racing this April setting the stage for a huge racing year that will continue with the Fall Meet in October and the return of the Breeders' Cup World Championships on Nov. 4-5.”

The 98th running of the Toyota Blue Grass and the 85th running of the Central Bank Ashland both are worth 170 points on the Road to the Kentucky Derby and Road to the Kentucky Oaks, respectively. The winners of each stakes will earn 100 qualifying points to the respective classic.

The early nomination deadline for the two stakes is Feb. 19. Late nominations are due March 23.

The Central Bank Ashland, at 1 1/16 miles, is one of three stakes for sophomores on opening day of the Spring Meet. The others are worth $400,000 each: the Kentucky Utilities Transylvania (G3), a 1 1/16-mile turf race, and the return of the Lafayette, a 7-furlong dirt race.

The Lafayette was a fixture for 3-year-olds during the Spring Meets of 1937-2008. The race was run for older horses in 2015 and 2020 on the undercard of the Breeders' Cup.

“Keeneland in the spring is about 3-year-olds blossoming into talented runners, and we have focused on enhancing those stakes in particular to attract the best sophomores in the country,” Vice President of Racing Gatewood Bell said. “Moving the Central Bank Ashland to opening day makes the start of the Spring Meet extra special and provides a showcase for this historic Grade 1 event, which is the division's first Grade 1 race of the year. And the fact that Easter Sunday falls on the second Sunday of the meet – when Keeneland is closed for racing – allows us to present a blockbuster opening weekend with 10 stakes worth a total of $4.55 million.”

Five of those stakes will be run opening Saturday, led by the Toyota Blue Grass, Keeneland's signature Triple Crown prep. For 2022, the purse of the 1 1/8-mile race has been increased from $800,000 in 2021 and returns to the $1 million status of 2015-2019.

The other stakes that day are the $500,000 Madison (G1), for fillies and mares at 7 furlongs; $400,000 Appalachian (G2) Presented by Japan Racing Association for 3-year-old fillies at 1 mile on the grass; $350,000 Shakertown (G2), for 3-year-olds and up at 5½ furlongs on the turf; and $300,000 Commonwealth (G3), for older horses at 7 furlongs.

Opening Sunday will present two stakes for 3-year-olds: the $400,000 Beaumont (G3) Presented by Keeneland Select, at 7 furlongs, 184 feet, on dirt for fillies; and the $200,000 Palisades, at 5½ furlongs on the grass. The Beaumont is worth 17 points on the Road to the Kentucky Oaks, with the winner collecting 10 points.

For the remainder of the Spring Meet, racing will be held Wednesday through Sunday with the exception of Easter Sunday.

Stakes action returns Friday, April 15, with the $600,000 Maker's Mark Mile (G1), for 4-year-olds and up at 1 mile on turf, and the $200,000 TVG Limestone, for 3-year-old fillies going 5½ furlongs on the grass.

Saturday, April 16, will present three stakes: $500,000 Jenny Wiley (G1), a 1 1/16-mile turf race for fillies and mares; $400,000 Stonestreet Lexington (G3), for 3-year-olds at 1 1/16 miles; and $200,000 Giant's Causeway (L) a 5½-furlong turf race for fillies and mares.

The Stonestreet Lexington, which is the final prep on this year's Road to the Kentucky Derby, awards 34 Derby qualifying points. The winner will earn 20 points.

Four graded stakes on the remaining days of the season will showcase older horses. The first is the $300,000 Baird Doubledogdare (G3), for fillies and mares at 1 1/16 miles, on Friday, April 22.

Two stakes will be run Saturday, April 23: $350,000 Elkhorn (G2), at 1½ miles on the turf, and $300,000 Ben Ali (G3), at 1 1/8 miles on dirt. The Ben Ali was moved from the second Saturday of the season.

The April 29 closing-day feature is the $300,000 Bewitch (G3), for fillies and mares racing 1½ miles on the turf.

Keeneland 2022 Spring Meet Stakes Schedule

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

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“That's the plan,” trainer Michael McCarthy said Monday.

The homebred son of Twirling Candy automatically qualified for a starting berth in the 146th Preakness with his victory in the El Camino Real Derby on Feb. 13 at Golden Gate Fields. He was third, beaten 5¾ lengths in the Blue Grass behind champion Essential Quality and Highly Motivated, who finished fourth and 10th, respectively, in Saturday's Kentucky Derby (G1).

Since Rombauer has been most effective running from off the pace, McCarthy said the Blue Grass did not suit him because there was no early speed in the race at Keeneland.

“The horse laid a little closer than I would have liked but ran a credible third,” McCarthy said.

Rombauer was second by three-quarters of a length in the American Pharoah (G1) on Sept. 26 at Santa Anita and completed his 2-year-old season with a fifth in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile (G1) on Nov. 6 at Keeneland.

“He's done everything and made a nice little progression from 2 to 3,” McCarthy said. “He's put on a little weight. He's a horse that takes pretty good care of himself, so he's been pretty easy that way.”

McCarthy said that Rombauer will have his final work at Santa Anita and will ship to Pimlico early next week.

Get Her Number, who defeated Rombauer by three-quarters of a length in the American Pharoah, will not run in the Preakness, trainer Peter Miller said Monday.

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Working in company with 4-year-old allowance winner Kentucky Ghost and unraced 3-year-old Social Chatter, Hidden Stash produced fractions of :12.60, :24.40, :36.60 and :47.80, catching up to his workmates at the wire after starting 8 lengths back. He galloped out five furlongs in 1:00 and six furlongs in 1:13.80 over a fast track with jockey Rafael Bejarano aboard.

Fourth in Keeneland's Toyota Blue Grass (G2) in his most recent start, Hidden Stash ranks 21st on the Road to the Kentucky Derby leaderboard. The top 20 point earners to pass the entry box will be in the starting gate for the $3 million race. A few horses ahead of Hidden Stash are considered not likely to enter.

The  bullet work put to rest any concerns trainer Vicki Oliver might have had about Hidden Stash being tired following his Toyota Blue Grass run.

“I thought he worked really well and we beat the rain,” Oliver said, referring to a steady rain that began at 6:15 a.m. “I was going to work Thursday, Friday or Saturday. I was watching the weather and I wanted to get a decent work in, so we went this morning.”

Oliver plans to work Hidden Stash again on Saturday, April 24 and ship to Churchill Downs the morning of Tuesday, April 27. The colt by Constitution is familiar with Churchill, where he raced twice last year and picked up one of his two career victories.

Under operation for less than three years, BBN Racing is proud of its accomplishments with such runners as Grade 1 winner Concrete Rose, raced in partnership with Ashbrook Farm, and Grade 2-placed Hidden Stash.

In Kentucky, “BBN” means only one thing: the University of Kentucky fandom. The enthusiastic group inspired the racing operation's name.

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