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Notes About Today's Toyota Blue Grass

April 9, 2022

Lucky Seven Stable’s Smile Happy is the 9-5 morning-line choice in a field of 12 3-year-olds entered in today’s 98th running of the $1 million Toyota Blue Grass (G1) going 1 1/8 miles on the main track. 

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.

NBC coverage: The Toyota Blue Grass is the ninth of 11 races on the April 9 card with a 5:10 p.m. ET post. NBC will televise the race along with the Wood Memorial (G2) Presented by Resorts World Casino from Aqueduct and Runhappy Santa Anita Derby (G1) from 4:30-6 p.m. 

$1 million purse: The purse of this year’s Toyota Blue Grass has been restored to $1 million. The race also was worth $1 million in 2015-2019.

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 148th running of the $3 million Kentucky Derby (G1) Presented by Woodford Reserve on May 7. 

The second-place finisher in the Toyota Blue Grass earns 40 points, followed by 20 points to the third-place finisher and 10 points to the fourth-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. 

With the closure of the Kentucky Association track, a group of prominent area Thoroughbred breeders went to work to return racing to 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          13
2          12 
3          11 
4          15 (Essential Quality, 2021)
5          11 
6          7

7          3

8          6
9          2
10        3 

11        2
12        0
13        1 (Goyamo, 1954)
14        0

Wagering records on Toyota Blue Grass Day: 
All-sources: $25,809,200 on the 11-race 2019 Toyota Blue Grass card. (All-time record for Spring Meet.)

On-track: $2,968,451 from the 2012 Toyota Blue Grass. (All-time record for Spring Meet.)

Odds
Shortest-priced favorite to win: Spectacular Bid (1979), who went off at .05-1 (1-20). He paid $2.10.

Longest shot to win: Stately Victor (2010), who went off at 40.10-1. He paid $82.20.

Most recent post-time favorite to win: Essential Quality, who won in 2021 at 2-5. 

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). 

Fastest times: The stakes record is 1:47 1/5, set by Skip Away in 1996. The track record for 
1 1/8 miles is 1:47.75 set by 5-year-old Noble Bird when he won the Hagyard Fayette (G2) on Oct. 29, 2016.  

Maiden winner: Commandperformance is bidding to become the second maiden to win. In 2017, Irap became the first maiden to win. He paid $64.60 to win. 

Geldings: Trademark is bidding to become the seventh gelding to win. The others: Fencing (1937), Ruhe (1951, 2nd div.), Rockhill Native(1980), Bachelor Beau (1986), Prairie Bayou (1993) and Dominican (2007).

Keeneland sales representatives: Ten of the 12 entrants are graduates of Keeneland sales.

Blackadder, a $620,000 purchase at the 2020 September Yearling Sale. Consignor: Stone Farm. Buyer: Donato Lanni, agent for SF/Starlight/Madaket.

Commandperformance, a $220,000 purchase at the 2020 September Sale. Consignor: James M. Herbener Jr., agent. Buyer: St. Elias Stables.

Emmanuel, a $350,000 purchase at the 2020 September Sale. Consignor: Gainesway, agent. Buyer: Maverick Racing.

Ethereal Road, a $90,000 purchase at the 2020 September Sale. Consignor: Lane’s End, agent. Buyer: Wingardium Leviosa.

Golden Glider, a $395,000 purchase as a weanling at the 2019 November Breeding Stock Sale. Consignor: Nursery Place, agent. Buyer: Justin Casse, agent.

Rattle N Roll is a graduate of two sales. $55,000 purchase as a weanling at the 2019 November Sale. Consignor: Select Sales, agent. Buyer: Rexy Bloodstock. $210,000 purchase at the 2020 September Sale. Consignor: Paramount Sales, agent. Buyer: Kenneth McPeek, agent.

Smile Happy, a $175,000 purchase as a weanling at the 2019 November Sale. Consignor: Moreau Bloodstock Int’l. Buyer: Cooper Bloodstock.

Trademark is a graduate of two sales. $37,000 purchase as a weanling at the 2019 November Sale. Consignor: Brereton C. Jones/Airdrie Stud, agent. Buyer: Rosetown Bloodstock. $42,000 purchase at the 2020 September Sale. Consignor: Eaton Sales, agent. Buyer: BBN Racing.

Volcanic, a $230,000 purchase at the 2020 September Sale. Consignor: South Point Sales Agency, agent. Buyer: Breeze Easy.

Zandon, a $170,000 purchase at the 2020 September Sale. Consignor: Brereton C. Jones/Airdrie Stud, agent. Buyer: Mike Ryan, agent.

Pedigrees:
These stallions already have sired winners of the race:

Curlin (Fenwick) is the sire of 2018 winner Good Magic.

Ghostzapper (Golden Glider) is the sire of 2010 winner Stately Victor.

Pulpit, who won the race in 1997, is the broodmare sire of Blackadder and Volcanic.

Joining Upstart as stallions with two offspring in the 2022 race is Quality Road, sire of Blackadder and Ethereal Road.

Breeders:
Former Kentucky Gov. Brereton C. Jones bred two starters: Trademark and Zandon. Both are by Upstart, who stands at Jones’ Airdrie Stud in Midway, Kentucky, and both are out of mares by another Airdrie stallion, Creative Cause.

Owners:
Michael J. Mackin’s Lucky Seven Stable owns two starters: Rattle N Roll and Smile Happy.

WinStar Farm, who owns Emmanuel in partnership with Siena Farm, won the race in 2015 with Carpe Diem (owned in partnership with Stonestreet Stables).

Trainers:
Todd Pletcher is bidding to become the seventh trainer to win the Blue Grass and Ashland in the same year. He won Friday’s Central Bank Ashland (G1) with Nest and is saddling Commandperformance and Emmanuel in the Toyota Blue Grass.

Trainers who have swept the Blue Grass and Ashland in the same year are:

  • Ben Jones in 1948 (Coaltown and Bewitch)
  • Woody Stephens in 1949 (Halt and Tall Weeds) 
  • George Poole in 1971 (Impetuosity and You All) 
  • LeRoy Jolley in 1976 (Honest Pleasure and Optimistic Gal)
  • D. Wayne Lukas in 1987 (War and Chic Shirine)
  • Kenny McPeek in 2002 (Harlan’s Holiday and Take Charge Lady) 

Pletcher has three wins: Bandini (2005), Monba (2008) and Carpe Diem (2015).

McPeek (Rattle N Roll, Smile Happy) has two wins: Harlan’s Holiday (2002) and Java’s War (2013).

Lukas (Ethereal Road) has two wins: War (1987), High Yield (2000).

Other trainers who have won the race are:

Chad Brown (Zandon), who won with Good Magic (2018).

Sending out their first starters are Rodolphe Brisset (Blackadder) and Kevin McKathan (Fenwick).

Jockeys:
Irad Ortiz Jr is bidding to become the seventh rider to win the Blue Grass and Ashland in the same year. He won Friday’s Central Bank Ashland (G1) on Nest and is riding Commandperformance in the Toyota Blue Grass. The most recent jockey to have completed the double is Mike Smith in 1994 aboard Holy Bull (Blue Grass) and Inside Information (Ashland).

Rafael Bejarano (Trademark) won the race on Dominican (2007).

Brian Hernandez Jr. (Rattle N Roll) won the race on Art Collector (2020).

Luis Saez (Emmanuel) won the race on Brody’s Cause (2016) and Essential Quality (2021).

Riding in the race for the first time is Adam Beschizza (Volcanic).