One of Kentucky’s biggest racing days of the year is coming up this Saturday, and Kentucky Derby betting enthusiasts will want to pay close attention. Keeneland is hosting the first Saturday of its annual spring meet, and the card is headlined by the Blue Grass Stakes.
It’s one of the final major Kentucky Derby prep races. The winner will receive 100 qualifying points and clinch a spot in the Churchill Downs starting gate on the first Saturday in May. Here’s everything you need to know about the big day’s big event.
2024 Blue Grass Stakes Quick Facts
- Date: Saturday, April 6
- Location: Keeneland Race Course; Lexington, Ky.
- Distance: 1 1/8 miles
- Purse: $1 million
- Kentucky Derby points (to the top five finishers): 100-50-25-15-10
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Sierra Leone Headlines The Field
Trainer Chad Brown has never won the Kentucky Derby, but he’s got a real chance this year. His top 3-year-old, #10 Sierra Leone, is the 2-1 favorite for the Blue Grass and figures to be one of the Derby favorites next month.
In his last start, Sierra Leone won the Risen Star Stakes at Fair Grounds in Louisiana, and that race has come back very well. The third-place finisher, Catching Freedom, won the Louisiana Derby, and minor check-getters Honor Marie and Track Phantom ran second and fourth behind him.
The only horse to beat Sierra Leone in that one’s three prior starts is #4 Dornoch, the 3-1 second choice. A full brother to 2023 Kentucky Derby winner Mage, Dornoch nosed Sierra Leone in the Remsen and went on to win the Fountain of Youth at Gulfstream Park.
#6 Just a Touch, meanwhile, ships in from New York for trainer Brad Cox. He most recently ran second in the Gotham at Aqueduct, but he was wide that day over a very muddy track. He’s turned in two sharp five-furlong works since coming to Keeneland a few weeks ago, and he’s the 7/2 third choice.
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2024 Blue Grass Stakes Selections
Sierra Leone already has a Kentucky Derby spot locked up for a reason. He’s won arguably the classiest Kentucky Derby prep race we’ve seen all year, and there’s plenty of early speed in here to set up for his late-running style. As much as I’d like to give you a price on top, Sierra Leone hits me as a very imposing, very logical favorite.
I’ll take a stand against Dornoch, who benefited from a major inside bias in the Remsen and won a Fountain of Youth that was decimated by scratches. Just a Touch has every right to improve and will be my second choice.
I will, however, give you a price in third. #3 Seize the Grey has clearly improved by leaps and bounds as a 3-year-old. He won two starts back at Oaklawn Park and was a decent third in the Jeff Ruby Steaks at Turfway Park despite a wide trip. 88-year-old Hall of Famer D. Wayne Lukas already has one Kentucky Derby runner (Just Steel), and a third-place finish from Seize the Grey at a big price (20-1 on the morning line) could give him a second one.
- 1st: #10 Sierra Leone
- 2nd: #6 Just a Touch
- 3rd: #3 Seize the Grey
