One of the most highly anticipated prep races for the Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve will be held on a rescheduled Tuesday, April 8, at Keeneland Race Course, when a well-matched field of seven 3-year-olds compete in the 101^st Toyota Blue Grass Stakes.

The Blue Grass Stakes is the second most productive prep for the Kentucky Derby in that race’s 150-year history, as 23 horses exiting the Blue Grass subsequently won the Derby at Churchill Downs. Among this group are some of the sport’s all-time greats, including Whirlaway (1941), Northern Dancer (1964), and Spectacular Bid (1979).

Keeneland increased the purse for the Grade 1 Blue Grass to a record $1.25 million for 2025, and the 1 1/8-mile race drew several horses boasting prior stakes wins on the road to the Kentucky Derby. The Blue Grass distributes qualifying points to the May 3 Derby to the top five finishers on a scale of 100-50-25-15-10. It was originally scheduled to be held on the traditional opening Saturday of Keeneland’s Spring Meet but was moved along with the rest of the April 5 card to April 8 due to a weather forecast that calls for several days of thunderstorms and potential widespread flooding in the region (Keeneland’s opening Friday April 4 card has been moved to Monday, April 7, and the new opening day is set for Sunday, April 6).

The Blue Grass Stakes will be broadcast live on FanDuel TV and its originally scheduled post time of 5:52 p.m. ET should carry over to the new race date. If all goes well, the main dirt track should have plenty of time to dry out as what is forecasted to be a copious amount of rain is supposed to subside roughly 48 hours prior to the new date and post time.

Read on for information about each of the Blue Grass starters plus some betting insights:

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1. River Thames (5-2 morning-line odds)

Jockey: Irad Ortiz Jr.

Trainer: Todd Pletcher

Owners: WinStar Farm, CHC Inc., Pantofel Stable, and Wachtel Stable

Career record: 3 starts – 2 wins – 1 second – 0 thirds

Career earnings: $164,400

Top Equibase Speed Figure: 98

Kentucky Derby qualifying points: 25

Pedigree: Maclean’s Music – Proportionality, by Discreet Cat

Color: Bay

Running style: Press the pace

Analysis: This fast, talented colt ships from South Florida to Kentucky in search of a top-three finish that should give him enough points to make the Kentucky Derby. River Thames impressed in his first three career starts earlier this year, all at Gulfstream Park, winning his first two races at six furlongs and then a one-turn mile by a combined 11 ¼ lengths. He then moved up to face stakes company and try two turns for the first time in the 1 1/16-mile Coolmore Fountain of Youth Stakes March 1 at Gulfstream, and nearly improved to 3-for-3 facing a tough field, as he wrested the lead from pacesetting Neoequos in midstretch only to yield at the finish to a fast-closing Sovereignty and lose by a neck. Sovereignty and Neoequos came back to finish second and third, respectively, in last Saturday’s Curlin Florida Derby Presented by Hill ‘n’ Dale Farms at Xalapa. Based on that short but solid résumé, River Thames was made the morning-line favorite in a competitive 101^st Blue Grass Stakes. He should be prominent early in this race under new jockey Irad Ortiz Jr. and it would not be surprising to see the four-time Eclipse Award winning-rider send him straight to the lead where he could be joined by Owen Almighty and East Avenue. His pedigree is a bit suspect for racing longer than a mile but there’s plenty of potential remaining to be tapped. A main win threat for four-time Blue Grass Stakes-winning trainer Todd Pletcher.

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2. Render Judgment (20-1)

Jockey: Sheldon Russell

Trainer: Ken McPeek

Owners: Baccari Racing Stable, Dream Walkin Farms, MJM Racing, and Rocket Ship Racing

Career record: 6 starts – 1 win – 2 seconds – 1 third

Career earnings: $214,110

Top Equibase Speed Figure: 90

Kentucky Derby qualifying points: 29

Pedigree: Blame – Barbara Gordon, by Commissioner

Color: Bay

Running style: Closer

Analysis: After three consecutive disappointing finishes in Kentucky Derby points races, Render Judgment showed signs of reaching competitive form in his most recent start as he rallied late to nab second in the Virginia Derby March 15 at Colonial Downs. The colt from two-time Blue Grass winner Ken McPeek’s barn had moved up to race in Kentucky Derby preps last fall after two solid starts to begin his career (including a win in a 1 1/16-mile race at Churchill Downs), but he was defeated by open lengths in the Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes and again in two races at Fair Grounds to start his 3-year-old campaign, the Gun Runner Stakes and the Fasig-Tipton Risen Star Stakes. In the Virginia Derby, which was added to the Kentucky Derby prep series this year and held at 1 1/8 miles around one turn, Render Judgment stalked in third behind Getaway Car and eventual winner American Promise and kept grinding through the turn and into the stretch to secure the runner-up spot, a distant 7 ¾ lengths out of first. Sheldon Russell, a successful jockey on the Mid-Atlantic circuit, rode Render Judgment for the first time in the Virginia Derby and travels into Kentucky to ride him Saturday while the colt’s previous jockey, Brian Hernandez Jr., takes the mount on Burnham Square. Based on his middling record in Derby preps and also taking into consideration his improved effort at Colonial Downs, filling out the trifecta or superfecta appears to be this longshot’s ceiling, and he’ll need a fast pace to develop for that to happen.

New To Horse Racing? Let Us Explain...

An trifecta or superfecta filler: We're suggesting that you might want to add the horse to your bet if you’re playing an trifecta (picking the first three finishers) or a superfecta (first four finishers), and using this horse in the third and/or fourth slot but not to win.

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3. Burnham Square (4-1)

Jockey: Brian Hernandez Jr.

Trainer: Ian Wilkes

Owner: Whitham Thoroughbreds

Career record: 5 starts – 2 wins – 1 second – 1 third

Career earnings: $222,130

Top Equibase Speed Figure: 94

Kentucky Derby qualifying points: 30

Pedigree: Liam’s Map – Linda, by Scat Daddy

Color: Bay

Running style: Stalker

Analysis: This gelding has run well in all five of his career starts and projects as a main win candidate in a competitive Blue Grass Stakes as he returns to the track where he started his racing career last fall. Burnham Square nearly won his Keeneland debut in a six-furlong maiden claiming race Oct. 26, losing by a half-length at 30.92-1 odds, and he also outran long odds in start number two at Churchill Downs in November, checking in third by three-quarters of a length in a 1 1/16-mile race. After shipping to Gulfstream Park for the winter, Burnham Square improved significantly, closing out 2024 with a nine-length romp again at 1 1/16 miles and then unleashing a visually impressive effort in his stakes debut, where he rallied in the stretch to defeat subsequent Florida Derby winner Tappan Street by 1 ¾ lengths in the 1 1/16-mile Holy Bull Stakes. In his next start, Burnham Square started his rally too late and finished fourth by three lengths to Sovereignty in the 1 1/16-mile Coolmore Fountain of Youth Stakes March 1 at Gulfstream. He galloped out well in that race and has trained well since for his final Derby prep. As such, Burnham Square could be primed for a rebound under first-time rider Brian Hernandez Jr. A must-use horse for exacta and trifecta tickets who could offer value as a win wager as he tussles with Fountain of Youth runner-up River Thames again.

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4. Owen Almighty (3-1)

Jockey: Jose Ortiz

Trainer: Brian Lynch

Owner: Flying Dutchmen Breeding and Racing

Career record: 6 starts – 3 wins – 2 seconds – 0 thirds

Career earnings: $484,310

Top Equibase Speed Figure: 98

Kentucky Derby qualifying points: 65

Pedigree: Speightstown – Tempers Rising, by Bayern

Color: Bay

Running style: Pacesetter/press the pace

Analysis: Based on talent alone, Owen Almighty takes a back seat to no horse in the Blue Grass field. He’s never finished worse than second in six starts (although he was disqualified from first to fifth in the seven-furlong Pasco Stakes at Tampa Bay Downs Jan. 11 after bumping a rival) and he comes in off of a visually impressive and highly-rated 3 ½-length score in the 1 1/16-mile Lambholm South Tampa Bay Derby March 8. It’s hard to overlook, however, the discussion about this colt’s future reported before his Tampa Bay Derby start, in which trainer Brian Lynch opined that Owen Almighty would have his best opportunity to excel at races around a one-mile distance. Since he’s all but secured a spot in the Kentucky Derby, there’s a possibility that the Blue Grass and its extra sixteenth of a mile is serving as a final test to determine whether Owen Almighty’s connections should ship to Churchill Downs for the 1 ¼-mile classic. It’s also worth noting that Irad Ortiz Jr., who had ridden Owen Almighty for four consecutive starts, including his front-running Tampa Bay Derby win, is slated to ride River Thames, another horse with ample early speed, in the Blue Grass. Owen Almighty should face pressure if he attempts to lead from start to finish under red-hot jockey Jose Ortiz, but he’s shown a lot of toughness so far in his career and figures to be in the mix when the field turns for home as he attempts to prove the doubters wrong. 

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5. East Avenue (3-1)

Jockey: Luan Machado

Trainer: Brendan Walsh

Owner: Godolphin

Career record: 4 starts – 2 wins – 0 seconds – 0 thirds

Career earnings: $410,645

Top Equibase Speed Figure: 97

Kentucky Derby qualifying points: 10

Pedigree: Medaglia d’Oro – Dance Music, by Ghostzapper

Color: Bay

Running style: Pacesetter/press the pace

Analysis: This regally bred colt from the international powerhouse Godolphin operation is the Blue Grass wild card. East Avenue turned heads last summer and fall with back-to-back pacesetting romps in his first two starts, a six-furlong maiden win at Ellis Park and then a powerhouse 5 ¼-length score in the 1 1/16-mile Claiborne Breeders’ Futurity held at Keeneland, and as such was sent off as the 9-5 post-time favorite in the 1 1/16-mile FanDuel Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Presented by TAA at Del Mar in November. He lost all chance in the Juvenile after stumbling at the start, and therefore lost little respect over the winter and remained ranked highly in most Kentucky Derby polls and among the favorites in future-book pools, leading up to his anticipated 3-year-old debut in the Feb. 15 Risen Star Stakes at Fair Grounds. East Avenue was favored at 4-5 odds in the Risen Star, held at 1 1/8 miles, and he was projected to set the pace against a full but relatively unaccomplished field; instead, longshot Magnitude took the early lead and East Avenue stalked him before fading on the far turn and finishing 10^th of 12 runners behind a dominant (and now sidelined) Magnitude. He’s had nearly two months to regroup and has been training very well at Fair Grounds and Keeneland, and perhaps a return to the track where he scored a Grade 1 win will help him get back on an upward trajectory. Luan Machado, who rode East Avenue in his maiden win at Ellis, regains the mount while East Avenue’s regular jockey, Tyler Gaffalione, recovers from an ankle injury. Look for Machado to send East Avenue out of the gate swiftly and attempt to control the pace, despite the presence of fellow speed horses River Thames and Owen Almighty. This colt does have the best stamina pedigree of that trio by a considerable margin, but he’ll need a career-best effort to rejoin the top rank of Kentucky Derby contenders. Notably, East Avenue will be fitted with blinkers for the first time in the Blue Grass, which will hopefully help him get off to a good start and stay focused during the race.

New to racing? Let us explain…

Blinkers are cups that are placed on the outside of each eye on a horse prior to a race. They can be cut to different lengths and are used to restrict the horse’s field of vision, which ideally will enable him/her to perform better through improved focus on what is in front of him rather than what is behind.

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6. Chancer McPatrick (7-2)

Jockey: Flavien Prat

Trainer: Chad Brown

Owner: Flanagan Racing

Career record: 5 starts – 3 wins – 1 second – 0 thirds

Career earnings: $605,000

Top Equibase Speed Figure: 95

Kentucky Derby qualifying points: 35

Pedigree: McKinzie – Bernadreamy, by Bernardini

Color: Bay

Running style: Closer

Analysis: Like East Avenue, Chancer McPatrick has lost some luster as a leading Kentucky Derby prospect following a disappointing 3-year-old debut but has the talent to make amends Saturday. Last summer and fall, the colt from the first crop of Grade 1 winner McKinzie won his first three starts with eye-catching rallies, including the seven-furlong Hopeful Stakes at Saratoga and the one-turn-mile Champagne Stakes at Aqueduct. But when stretched out to two turns in the 1 1/16-mile Breeders’ Cup Juvenile at Del Mar in November, he finished a distant sixth, and he then took some time off from training after having minor ankle surgery. Chancer McPatrick made a belated 3-year-old debut in the Tampa Bay Derby March 8, and rallied late to finish second, 3 ½ lengths behind gate-to-wire winner Owen Almighty. That race should serve as a good refresher for this talented colt, who certainly is eligible to improve in his second start of the year for three-time Blue Grass-winning trainer Chad Brown. He’s yet to win around two turns but is bred to handle route racing, and jockey Flavien Prat, who has been aboard Chancer McPatrick for all of his starts, travels into Lexington for the mount. Look for Chancer McPatrick to be rallying from near the back of the pack, and rescheduling the Blue Grass to a day where a dry track is likely should help him get a much cleaner (in the literal sense of the word) trip.

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7. Admiral Dennis (20-1)

Jockey: Luis Saez

Trainer: Brad Cox

Owner: Albaugh Family Stables

Career record: 5 starts – 2 wins – 0 seconds – 1 third

Career earnings: $151,050

Top Equibase Speed Figure: 95

Kentucky Derby qualifying points: 2

Pedigree: Constitution – Gulf Coast, by Union Rags

Color: Chestnut

Running style: Stalker

Analysis: It’s safe to say that Admiral Dennis hasn’t fulfilled high expectations set for him going back to last fall, and the Blue Grass offers one last opportunity for this son of good young sire Constitution to rejoin the Kentucky Derby discussion. He was sent off as the post-time favorite in his first four career starts, and he won two of them – a one-turn mile maiden race at Churchill Downs last November and a 1 1/16-mile allowance-optional claiming race at Fair Grounds in January. Admiral Dennis also finished fourth by 16 ½ lengths as the 4-5 favorite in the 1 1/16-mile Gun Runner Stakes at Fair Grounds in December, and when he made his second start in a Kentucky Derby prep, the 1 1/16-mile Rebel Stakes Feb. 23 at Oaklawn Park, he did so as a 18.10-1 longshot. Truth be told, Admiral Dennis ran respectably in the Rebel, as he started slow, trailed the field in 13^th through a half-mile, and then made a belated rally on the far turn and swung six wide in the stretch to finish a non-threatening sixth. Now, it’s the 11^th hour in terms of Derby hopes for this colt who’s bred for stamina, and his recent workouts at Oaklawn Park and Churchill Downs suggest he could be ready for a top effort. A fast early pace in the Blue Grass – which could happen – would help his chances to pull the upset or at least finish second. Anything less will probably leave him on the outside looking in for the Kentucky Derby.