Blue Grass Stakes 2016: TV Schedule, Post Positions, Odds, Contenders and More
The 2016 Blue Grass Stakes at Keeneland Race Course in Lexington, Kentucky, serves as one of several intriguing prologues to May's Kentucky Derby, and the action figures to be hotly contested with a full 14-horse field ready to jockey for potential positioning in the year's first Triple Crown race.
But with the action still a couple of days away and post positions recently revealed for the $1 million run, here's a rundown of everything you need to know in advance of Saturday's proceedings.
Schedule
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Date: Saturday, April 9
Post time: 6 p.m. ET
TV: NBC Sports Network
Post Positions and Odds
| 1. Lookin for a Kiss | 50-1 |
| 2. Donegal Moon | 5-1 |
| 3. Cherry Wine | 12-1 |
| 4. Zulu | 5-2 |
| 5. Crescent Drive | 20-1 |
| 6. Brody's Cause | 4-1 |
| 7. Laoban | 12-1 |
| 8. Twizz | 12-1 |
| 9. Goats Town | 20-1 |
| 10. American Dubai | 20-1 |
| 11. Cards of Stone | 20-1 |
| 12. Zapperini | 30-1 |
| 13. Star Hill | 10-1 |
| 14. My Man Sam | 10-1 |
Contenders
With 170 Kentucky Derby qualifying points up for grabs, all eyes will be on the seldom-run Zulu—who's set to enter Saturday's race as the morning-line favorite at 5-2 for good reason.
According to Claire Novak of Blood-Horse, Zulu won his first two races by a combined 9 ¼ lengths before finishing 2 ¼ lengths back of Mohaymen—one of the top projected contenders in this year's Kentucky Derby field, per Odds Shark—at the Fountain of Youth Stakes on Feb. 27.
Now well-rested, the three-year-old appears primed for a resurgent display against a crowded Blue Grass Stakes field.
"We weren’t making any secrets about the fact we didn’t want to run against Nyquist and Mohaymen [in the Florida Derby last Saturday]…we wanted to put ourselves in the position of instead of being third choice, being possibly the favorite," trainer Todd Pletcher said Tuesday, per Novak. "At least for the morning line, we handicapped it properly."
Beyond Zulu, there are a few other names to keep an eye on.
Brody's Cause at 4-1 has the second-best odds among any horse not named Zulu, and his start from the sixth post could wind up playing favorably to the colt's strengths.
"We’re thrilled," Brody's Cause racing manager Steve Castagnola said of the post position, per the Courier-Journal's Jonathan Lintner. "He’s a horse that likes to come from off the pace. It looks like there should be enough pace in the race and hopefully our jockey, Luis Saez, can navigate a good trip from slightly off the pace."
The good news for Pletcher and Brody's Cause trainer Dale Romans is that if either of their favorites falter, they both have other talented horses slated to run Saturday who could sneak to the front of the pack and pull off an upset.
Should Zulu slip up, Pletcher can pin his hopes on the success of Donegal Moon—who touts solid 5-1 odds and recently posted a 13 ½-length allowance score at Parx Racing in Bensalem, Pennsylvania, per Lintner.
Finally, Romans' Cherry Wine (12-1 odds) deserves consideration as a potential sleeper after drawing the No. 3 post. Although Romans originally said he would consider pulling Cherry Wine out of the Blue Grass Stakes in favor of the Wood Memorial Stakes, per Novak, he changed his tune following Tuesday's draw.
"We got such a good post that we'd like to stay where we are," Romans said following the draw, per Lintner. "… It's an important decision. We don't have enough points right now to get in."
And with the winner of Saturday's race set to earn 100 qualifying points, the stakes are remarkably high with Kentucky Derby eligibility in so many horses' sights.
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