Five questions to be answered in Saturday’s Grade 1 Blue Grass Stakes at Keeneland

Keeneland’s Grade 1 Kentucky Derby prep race hits the dirt on Saturday when 11 colts head to the post for the $1 million Blue Grass Stakes.

The winner earns 100 Derby qualifying points, followed by 40 for second, 30 for third, 20 for fourth and 10 for fifth. Street Sense was the last Derby winner to prep via the Blue Grass. That was 2007. The 2022 Blue Grass winner Zandon ran third in the 2022 Kentucky Derby.

Here are five questions to be answered in this year’s Blue Grass, which has a 5:15 p.m. post time and will be televised by NBC.

1. Does Todd Pletcher add to his embarrassment of riches?

Todd Pletcher already trains the probable Kentucky Derby favorite in Forte, impressive winner of last Saturday’s Florida Derby and Kingsbarns, who won the Louisiana Derby on March 25.

The 55-year-old Pletcher may boast another top Derby contender in Tapit Trice, a $1.3 million yearling who won the Grade 3 Tampa Bay Derby on March 11. The 5-2 morning-line favorite could be Pletcher’s fourth Blue Grass winner. He’s scored previously with Bandini in 2005, Monba in 2008 and Carpe Diem in 2015.

Pletcher has won the Kentucky Derby twice — Super Saver in 2010 and Always Dreaming in 2017. The Hall of Famer has hit the board just once since, however. That was Audible’s third-place finish in 2018. This year Pletcher is clearly back on the Derby scene front and center. Tapit Trice would help him dominate it.

2. Is Raise Cain the real deal?

Trained by Ben Colebrook, Raise Cain is coming off a 7 1/2-length win at 23-1 in the 1-mile Gotham Stakes at Aqueduct on March 4. The 1 1/8-mile Blue Grass will show if the son of Violence can handle the Derby distance. Raise Cain did win a 7-furlong race at Keeneland last fall. He’s 9-2 on the morning line for Saturday.

Colebrook trained 70-1 shot Knicks Go to a win in the 2018 Breeders’ Futurity at Keeneland. He has never saddled a colt in the Kentucky Derby.

3. Can Verifying produce a qualifying performance?

The son of Triple Crown winner Justify, Verifying has two wins and a runner-up finish in five career starts. The Brad Cox trainee has just 14 Kentucky Derby qualifying points, however. He needs at least a third-place finish to make the starting gate for the May 6 Derby. Cox won the 2021 Blue Grass with Essential Quality, who went on to win the Belmont. He’ll need Verifying, 3-1 on the morning line, to improve on his fourth place Rebel Stakes finish last time out.

Cox trains Arkansas Derby winner Angel of Empire, No. 2 behind Forte on the Kentucky Derby leaderboard. He also trains Hit Show, who is entered in Saturday’s Wood Memorial at Aqueduct. Hit Show is coming off a 5 1/2-length win in the Grade 3 Withers Stakes at Aqueduct on Feb. 11.

4. Can Blazing Sevens get back on track?

Trained by Chad Brown, Blazing Sevens was a 2-year-old star who won the Grade 1 Champagne Stakes. His 3-year-old campaign has been a flop, however. The son of 2018 Blue Grass winner Good Magic finished eighth out of nine horses in the Fountain of Youth on March 4. He did run fourth in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile at Keeneland last November.

Brown has a pair of Blue Grass winners to his credit in Good Magic in 2018 and Zandon last year.

5. Can Kenny McPeek get back in the Derby?

A year ago, Kenny McPeek trained two of the top Kentucky Derby contenders in Tiz the Bomb and Smile Happy. Alas, the two finished eighth (Smile Happy) and ninth (Tiz the Bomb) in the race won by long shot Rich Strike.

This year, the Lexington-based trainer has three entries in the Blue Grass in hopes at least one can make the Derby starting gate. At 10-1 on the morning line, Sun Thunder may have the best shot. He ran second to Angel of Empire in the Risen Star on Feb. 18 at Fair Grounds. McPeek also has Hayes Strike (15-1) and Mendelssohns March (20-1) on Saturday.

Saturday

Toyota Blue Grass Stakes

What: $1 million Grade 1 stakes race for 3-year-olds on dirt, a major prep race for next month’s Kentucky Derby

Where: Keeneland Race Course

Post time: 5:15 p.m.

Distance: 1 1/8 miles

TV: NBC

Favorite: Tapit Trice (5-2)

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