Tag: GI Toyota Blue Grass S.

Pletcher Derby Crew Works Before Heading To Louisville

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 he's getting ready to ship on Sunday to Churchill, so we just wanted to let him stretch his legs a little bit and not do too much,” Pletcher said. “It looked like he was just kind of in an open gallop out there, doing really well.”

 

 

 

Also breezing together for Pletcher Friday and bound for Louisville were Spendthrift Farm-owned pair Kingsbarns (Uncle Mo) and Major Dude (Bolt d'Oro) who were timed in :49.49 seconds for four furlongs, according to DRF. Kingsbarns is assured a place in the Derby starting gate with 100 qualifying points after his victory in the GII Louisiana Derby, good for eighth overall. Second in the GIII Jeff Ruby Steaks, Major Dude–who is ranked 23rd–is on the bubble with 40 points.

“We were looking for a little more from Major Dude and Kingsbarns. I thought they both went really well [with] good enthusiasm and energy in their gallop-outs and seemed to be moving well so, overall, very pleased,” Pletcher said. “I thought they all went according to plan.”

Friday's works were a relief for Hall of Fame trainer after heavy rains swept through South Florida this week and threatened to disrupt their schedules.

“They've been doing well, they've been eating well, they've been galloping nicely. I was happy to get the works in on the day we scheduled,” he said. “We've had a lot of rain so I wasn't positive that was going to happen, but the track dried out nicely and we had good conditions for it.”

Pletcher also reported that Whisper Hill Farm and Gainesway Stable's 'TDN Rising Star' Tapit Trice (Tapit) exited his Apr. 8 victory in the GI Toyota Blue Grass S. at Keeneland in good order and will join his stablemates in Louisville over the weekend. The gray colt is ranked fourth in the Derby leaderboard with 150 points.

“Tapit Trice came back super, really good energy. He's been galloping the last few days at Keeneland,” Pletcher said. “He'll ship over to Churchill after training on Sunday. Knock on wood, so far so good.”

 

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Forte, Angel of Empire Among 141 Blue Grass Noms; Wonder Wheel Heads Ashland

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 stables represented among the nominees, and we look forward to the outstanding competition on opening weekend. As always, we want to thank our horsemen for their strong support of Keeneland and the Toyota Blue Grass.”

The 1 1/8-mile Toyota Blue Grass is one of five graded stakes worth a combined $2.65 million to be run Apr. 8 on Keeneland's 11-race card, which has a first post time of 12:30 p.m. ET. Other stakes that day are the GI Madison S.; the GII Appalachian S.; the GII Shakertown S.; and the GIII Commonwealth S.

The Toyota Blue Grass is the ninth race with a 5:15 p.m. post. NBC will televise the race along with the GI Runhappy Santa Anita Derby and another Keeneland stakes from 4:30-6 p.m. The post position draw will be held Wednesday, Apr. 5.

The winner of the Toyota Blue Grass will earn 100 points on the Road to the Kentucky Derby, while the second-, third-, fourth- and fifth-place finishers receive 40 points, 30 points, 20 points and 10 points, respectively.

A total of 88 nominees to the Apr. 7 GI Central Bank Ashland S. is led by reigning juvenile champion filly D.J. Stable's Wonder Wheel (Into Mischief) and last weekend's GII Rachel Alexandra winner Pretty Mischievous (Into Mischief).

Click here for a list of Central Bank Ashland nominees; click here for their past performances.

The Central Bank Ashland awards 100 points to the winner on the Road to the May 5 GI Kentucky Oaks. The next four finishers receive 40 points, 30 points, 20 points and 10 points, respectively.

The post Forte, Angel of Empire Among 141 Blue Grass Noms; Wonder Wheel Heads Ashland appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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Keeneland Announces Record Spring Stakes Schedule

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 raised the purses of three listed stakes–the FanDuel Limestone, the Giant's Causeway and the Palisades–by $50,000 each to $250,000. Fifteen stakes are graded, with the GII Beaumont Presented by Keeneland Select featuring an upgrade for 2023.

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.

“Keeneland enjoyed arguably its most successful racing year ever in 2022, thanks to a stellar lineup of equine stars and racing stables competing for record purses and the historic wagering that followed at the Spring and Fall Meets and the popularity of hosting our third Breeders' Cup World Championships,” Keeneland Vice President of Racing Gatewood Bell said.

“We are grateful for the interest in Keeneland racing from our horsemen, horseplayers and fans, and their enthusiasm creates momentum for the future. We are excited to further strengthen this year's Spring Meet stakes schedule so purses of all Grade I races are at least $600,000, while all Grade II races are a minimum of $350,000 and all Grade III events are a minimum of $300,000.”

For information on Keeneland's 2023 Spring Meet, click here.

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