Buy TicketsSpendthrift Farm’s Further Ado is the 8-5 morning-line favorite in a field of nine 3-year-olds entered in Saturday’s 102nd running of the $1,250,000 Toyota Blue Grass (G1). The 1 1/8-mile race is the day’s 11th and final race. Post time is 6:22 p.m.
Trainer Todd Pletcher has reported that his Toyota Blue Grass entrant, Class President, will not run in the race. Trainer Whit Beckman has sent his entrant, Ocelli, to New York to contest Saturday’s Wood Memorial (G2) Presented by Resorts World Casino at Aqueduct.
Here is additional information about the Toyota Blue Grass to aid in your coverage:
TV and Online Coverage: Thanks to the Keeneland Livestream, fans can watch all Spring Meet races live and at no charge on Keeneland.com, Keeneland Race Day App, Keeneland Select and Keeneland’s YouTube channel.
FanDuel TV begins live coverage of every Keeneland race day at noon and will present live coverage of the Toyota Blue Grass.
NBCSN and Peacock will have live coverage of the Toyota Blue Grass from 6-8 p.m. Telecast will include live coverage of the Santa Anita Derby (G1).
Purse: This is the second year the Toyota Blue Grass has been worth $1,250,000, which equals the amount for the Coolmore Turf Mile (G1) in the Fall Meet. They are Keeneland’s richest races.
Kentucky Derby Points: The winner of the Toyota Blue Grass earns 100 points as part of the Road to the Kentucky Derby, a points-based system with a series of key races offering escalating points to determine which horses will compete in the 152nd running of the $5 million Kentucky Derby (G1) Presented by Woodford Reserve on May 2.
The second-place finisher in the Toyota Blue Grass earns 50 points, followed by 25 points to the third-place finisher, 15 points to fourth-place finisher and 10 points to the fifth-place finisher.
History: The Blue Grass was named for the famous Bluegrass region of Central Kentucky and held in 1911-1914 and 1919-1926 at the old Kentucky Association track near downtown Lexington. Second-place finishers Meridian (1911), Donerail (1913) and Behave Yourself(1921) went on to win the Kentucky Derby. The 1926 winner, Bubbling Over, became the first horse to win the Blue Grass and the Kentucky Derby.
While the Kentucky Association track was falling on hard times in the early 1930s, a group of prominent area Thoroughbred horseman had begun working on establishing a new facility in Lexington. In 1935, they founded the Keeneland Association, purchased land from horseman J.O. “Jack” Keene and set out to open a model race track. Keeneland opened on Oct. 15, 1936, for nine days of racing. In April 1937, Keeneland held its inaugural Spring Meet of 11 days and ran the Blue Grass for the first time.
The winner of the first Blue Grass at Keeneland was Maxwell Howard’s Fencing, who won by three-quarters of a length over Col. E.R. Bradley’s favored duo of Billionaire and Brooklyn, who finished noses apart for second. Nine days later at Churchill Downs, Fencing and Billionaire raced back in the Kentucky Derby, inaugurating a pattern that future Derby hopefuls would follow.
Blue Grass-Kentucky Derby Connection: Ten winners of the Blue Grass at Keeneland have won the Kentucky Derby. Nineteen horses who ran in the race at Keeneland returned to win the Derby.
Post Positions: Here are the post positions and the number of Toyota Blue Grass winners each post position has produced since 1937 (the race was run in two divisions in 1951):
Post No. of Winners
1 14
2 12
3 12 (Burnham Square, 2025)
4 16
5 11
6 7
7 3
8 6
9 2
10 4
11 2
12 0
13 1 (Goyamo, 1954)
14 0
Wagering Records on Toyota Blue Grass Day:
All-sources: $29,261,346 on the 11-race 2024 Toyota Blue Grass card. (All-time Keeneland record.)
On-track: $2,968,451 from the 2012 Toyota Blue Grass card. (Keeneland record for the Spring Meet.)
Odds
Shortest-priced favorite to win: Spectacular Bid (1979), who went off at .05-1 (1-20). He paid $2.10 to win.
Longest shot to win: Stately Victor (2010), who went off at 40.10-1. He paid $82.20 to win.
Most recent post-time favorite to win: Sierra Leone in 2024 at 1.66-1. He paid $5.32 to win.
Largest Margin of Victory:
The largest margin of victory was turned in by Arts and Letters, who won the 1969 race by 15 lengths. He was followed by Alydar(13-length winner in 1978) and Sinister Minister (12¾-length winner in 2006).
Maiden Winners: With a victory, Moonstrocity would join Irap(2017).
Track Record for 1 1/8 Miles:
1:47.75 set by 5-year-old Noble Bird when he won the Hagyard Fayette (G2) on Oct. 29, 2016.
Keeneland Sales Graduates: Four entrants are alumni of Keeneland sales.
Further Ado — Purchased for $275,000 (post sale) from Book 1 of the 2024 September Yearling Sale. Consignor: Gainesway, agent. Buyer: George Mellon.
Moonstrocity — Sold as a yearling for $20,000 at the 2024 January Horses of All Ages Sale. Consignor: Four Star Sales, agent. Buyer: Stripes Stable. Sold for $40,000 at the 2024 September Sale. Consignor: Upson Downs Farm. Buyer: Blue Rose Farm.
Reagan’s Honor — Sold for $140,000 at the 2024 September Sale. Consignor: Paramount Sales, agent. Buyer: West Point Thoroughbreds/Reagan Ingordo.
Talkin — Sold for $600,000 at the 2024 September Sale. Consignor: Indian Creek, agent. Buyer: Jones/Everett/Reeves, Vekoma, Belmar, Pine, Legendary.
Geldings to Win: Great White could become eighth gelding to win following Fencing (1937), Ruhe (second division in 1951), Rockhill Native (1980), Bachelor Beau (1986), Prairie Bayou(1993), Dominican (2007) and Burnham Square (2025).
Pedigree Connections:
Ottinho is a half-brother to Racing Hall of Famer and leading sire Gun Runner.
Reagan’s Honor is from the family of 2005 Kentucky Derby (G1) winner Giacomo.
Talkin is by 2018 Toyota Blue Grass winner Good Magic.
Owners/Breeders:
Gabriel Duignan, who races Reagan’s Honor with West Point Thoroughbreds and David Ingordo, co-bred 2016 winner Brody’s Cause.
R. A. Hill Stable, one of the owners of Talkin, raced 2019 winner Vekoma with Gatsas Stables.
Trainers:
Chad Brown (Ottinho) has three wins: Good Magic (2018), Zandon (2022) and Sierra Leone (2024).
Brad Cox (Further Ado) has one win: Essential Quality (2021).
Trainers with their first entrants in the race are Jena Antonucci (Moonstrocity), Joe Sharp (Creole Chrome) and Cherie DeVaux (Reagan’s Honor).
Jockeys:
Tyler Gaffalione (Creole Chrome) has one win: Sierra Leone(2024).
Jose Ortiz (Reagan’s Honor) has one win: Good Magic (2018).
Flavien Prat (Ottinho) has one win: Zandon (2022).
Joel Rosario (Talkin) has one win: Brilliant Speed (2011).
Riding in the race for the first time are Alex Achard (Great White) and Jose Morelos (Moonstrosity).