Get ready for one of the biggest events on the Kentucky Derby prep race calendar, the Grade 1 Toyota Blue Grass Stakes. With a staggering $1 million purse up for grabs, this momentous race will be held at the esteemed Keeneland racetrack. 

The 2024 Spring Meet opens this weekend, featuring a strong field of 11 formidable runners, looking to take the next step towards the Kentucky Derby.

Join us at 5:52 p.m. on race day to witness history unfold in the 100^th edition of the Toyota Blue Grass Stakes. Let's place our bets and watch the drama of equine athleticism in this vital Kentucky Derby prep race!

These thoroughbred contenders will vie for the top five slots in the race, which offers lucrative Kentucky Derby qualifying points on a scale of 100-50-25-15-10. Some runners have already made their mark on the Derby leaderboard, while others are poised to unleash their potential. The race trail leads to the iconic Kentucky Derby #150, slated for May 4 at the grand Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky. 

Boasting a rich history of producing Kentucky Derby superstars, the Blue Grass Stakes has seen 19 horses move on to claim the Kentucky Derby Trophy. Ten remarkable horses, from Shut Out (1942) to Strike the Gold (1991), have etched their names in history by capturing both the esteemed Blue Grass Stakes and the Kentucky Derby.

Historically, the Blue Grass Stakes has been kind to favorites, with nearly 40% of them tasting victory. This trend has been even more prominent recently, with four favorites triumphing in the last six races.

With a stacked field of 11 runners, who will claim the coveted 100 Kentucky Derby qualifying points? Here are the horses to watch:

1-Top Conor (15-1) - Trainer Chad Brown sends a million dollar horse, Top Conor, into the Blue Grass Stakes.  This horse has only ran 1 time, but won the MSW at Gulfstream Park on 2/17/2024.  Jose Ortiz was the jockey in the irons on that day and he will return to the horse in the Blue Grass. The horse has been working out like a beast and Chad Brown is hoping it runs up to its expectations in this race! 

2-Be You (8-1) - Riding next to his brother, will be Irad Ortiz, in our opinion, the best jockey in the US.  Irad will be aboard Todd Pletcher's horse, Be You.  This Kentucky bred son of Curlin, won his last race, after making an attempt to break the maiden in his 5 races. This horse was really looked at early as a very strong horse with tons of potential however it just hasn't lived up to the hype. With that being said, Irad Ortiz and Todd Pletcher are in this together and you can never look past them!

3-Seize the Grey (20-1) - Legendary Trainer D. Wayne Lucas sends a horse to the Blue Grass Stakes.  This horse is bred nicely out of Arrogate however the numbers just don't show much promise for one. We will look past this horse. 

4-Dornoch (3-1) - The Fountain of Youth (Grade 2) Winner, Dornoch is one of the horses that we like in this race. This horse has traveled well, winning at three different tracks on his way to posting a record of 3-2-0 in 5 career races. Never worse than 2^nd place and has now won 3 straight! The horse ran an amazing race in the Fountain of Youth and his latest workout, shows this horse is ready for another supurb performance. 

5-Good Money (20-1) - Chad Brown horse #2 in this race. Good Money broke his maiden at Tampa Bay back in January and then followed that up with a 4^th place showing in the Tampa Bay Derby.  Just don't really see much potential with this one. 

6-Just a Touch (7-2) - The son of Triple Crown Winner Justify, the horse is bred beautifully and has a ton of upside. He broke his maiden right out the gate with an amazing run on Fair Grounds on January 27.  He followed that up with a 2^nd place finish in the Gotham Stakes (Grade 3) as the favorite under Florent Geroux.  The jock stays on board and you have to count this one on those exotic tickets! 

7-Lat Long (30-1) - Kenny McPeek sends a hores into this race, that truly in all reality probably doesn't belong being here. Numbers just don't support this one but hey, stranger things have happened. But we won't waste our money with it. 

8-Epic Ride (20-1) - On paper, this one may look intriguing but you have to look at the strength of the races. The horse has 2 wins and 2 runner up performances but all 4 races were relatively lacking. Workouts are less than stellar and not deserving of our hard earned dollar. 

9-Mugatu (30-1) - Hard pass on this one. The horse has run 11 times as a 3 year old and hit the board less than half the time.  Only has 1 winner, 

10-Sierra Leone (2-1) - Chad Brown horse #3 in the race. This one is really special.... special at the price of $2.3 million dollars.  Yikes! Ran 3 times, finished in the winners circle two times and a 2^nd place finish to go in between.  The one thing that is a bit concerning is the post position and breaking from out on the 10 hole, which he has never done. If he gets out of the gate under jockey Tyler Gaffalione, we think he will be ok but if he gets in trouble early, it will definitely be tough to recover from with all these horses kicking dirt in his face. 

11-Encino (12-1) - A Nyquist colt that has us scratching our heads with not knowing what to do with him.  In his last race, he looked really good but the race wasn't a very good race.  We will say we are taking a pass here but keep your eyes on this horse in the walkout. 

This is a very tough race to handicap but from an exotic standpoint, we think there is some value to be had. For starters, lets throw $25 to WIN on the 4-Dornoch.  This horse has all the right marks to win and be a very good prospect in the derby.  We will tie him up with a few horses for the exacta and the triple as follows.....