Photo taken as the 14 contenders in the 2018 Blue Grass Stakes approach the first pass over the finish line. 5 are still on the top of the Kentucky Derby leaderboard. Go GoodMagic, Flameaway, Free Drop Billy, Blended Citizen and Sporting Chance! Machismo will race again, just 1 week later in the 2018 Arkansas Derby!
Happy Friday the 13th! I am tickled to think of all the peculiar betting habits and quirks I will see among the superstitious gamblers and horsemen at Keeneland today! Everyday is a good day at the track but tomorrow we will see the very last lap on the Road to the Kentucky Derby. Saturday, 4/14/18 features the final two prep races, the Lexington Stakes and the Arkansas Derby.
Share This: There is nothing better than live racing at Keeneland!
And their off! Live racing returns to Keeneland today. This opening weekend of the Spring Meet will feature eight grades stakes races with purses equaling $2.75 million dollars. The 16 day meet is packed with quality Thoroughbred racing. I hope many of you get the opportunity to visit Keeneland soon and for those who can not, my favorite race of the meet, the Blue Grass Stakes, will be aired live on NBC Sports Network. Here is what we have to look forward to at Keeneland this weekend.
Share This: Graydar is happy to welcome visitors at Taylor Made Farm
As the Road to the Kentucky Derby winds its way through Europe this week I’m taking a moment to evaluate the top of the leaderboard to look for patterns and new talent. I must say, I am overjoyed to have trainer D. Wayne Lukas, with Bravazo and Sporting Chance, back in the running. Also, I am struck by the presence of second-crop sires Poseidon’s Warrior, Violence and Graydar. It is refreshing to see the new breath of young sire power blowing into Thoroughbred racing. Graydar is the leading second-crop sire in North America by winners. Watch out for his offspring in the Kentucky Derby and other Classic races.
Share This: Free Drop Billy at Keeneland’s September Yearling Sale, 2016.
I won’t be home for the holiday as I will be laboring on Labor Day. Despite that, there is hope for the holiday, the Hopeful Stakes to be exact. As Saratoga winds down, the nation’s 2 year-old Thoroughbreds are racing forward.
