Grade 1 Winner Basin Works for Toyota Blue Grass

Toyota Blue Grass (G2) hopeful Basin, who races for Terry Green’s Jackpot Farm, was the first horse to breeze over Keeneland’s fast track Monday when he covered a half-mile in :50.20 around 5:45 a.m. The breeze was the second consecutive move at Keeneland for last year’s Runhappy Hopeful (G1) winner, who covered 5 furlongs in 1:00.60 a week ago.

In his most recent race, Basin was second in a division of the Arkansas Derby (G1) at Oaklawn Park. The colt, which has won two of six races and earned $471,000, is ninth on the Road to the Kentucky Derby leaderboard with 50 points.

Basin is a member of the first crop by Liam’s Map, who won the 2015 Las Vegas Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile (G1) at Keeneland. Jackpot purchased the colt for $150,000 at Keeneland’s 2018 September Yearling Sale, where he was consigned by Brookdale Sales, agent for breeder Cottonwood Stables.

Asmussen, North America’s second-leading all-time trainer by wins (8,896) and earnings ($333,188,601), has started five horses in the Toyota Blue Grass with his best finish a runner-up effort by Storm Treasure in 2006. He sent out Jackpot’sZing Zang to a ninth-place finish in the 2018 Toyota Blue Grass.

Entries for the 96^th running Toyota Blue Grass and five other stakes will be taken Wednesday. The Toyota Blue Grass carries 170 qualifying points for the Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve (G1) on a 100-40-20-10 scale to the first four finishers.