Blue Grass Stakes 2016 Results: Winner, Payouts and Order of Finish

Brody's Cause raced to victory at the Blue Grass Stakes on Saturday at Keeneland Race Course in Lexington, Kentucky, earning a berth in the Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs next month.

Luis Saez was in the irons for a magnificent nine-furlong trip that netted Brody's Cause 100 points in the Kentucky Derby points standings and the biggest share of the $1 million purse.

Below is a look at the results from Saturday's marquee Grade 1 race, which featured stiff competition in the form of 14 total horses in the field:   

Horse	Win	Place	Show
Brody's Cause	$10.40	$5.00	$3.40
My Man Sam	—	$5.80	$4.00
Cherry Wine	—	—	$3.60
	$2.00 Exacta (6-14)	$1.00 Trifecta (6-14-3)	$1.00 Superfecta (6-14-3-7)
	$67.00	$153.10	$1,520.10

Place	Post No.	Horse	Jockey	Trainer
1	6	Brody's Cause	Luis Saez	Dale Romans
2	14	My Man Sam	Julien Leparoux	Chad Brown
3	3	Cherry Wine	Corey Lanerie	Dale Romans
4	7	Laoban	Jose Lezcano	Eric J. Guillot
5	13	Star Hill	Emisael Jaramillo	George R. Arnold, II
6	9	Goats Town	Robby Albarado	D. Wayne Lukas
7	1	Lookin For a Kiss	Tyler Gaffalione	Michael A. Tomlinson
8	2	Donegal Moon	Martin Garcia	Todd Pletcher
9	5	Crescent Drive	James Graham	Thomas Amoss
10	11	Cards of Stone	Paco Lopez	Todd Pletcher
11	12	Zapperini	Francisco C. Torres	Gregory D. Foley
12	4	Zulu	Javier Castellano	Todd Pletcher
13	10	American Dubai	Chris Landeros	Rodney C. Richards
14	8	Twizz	Mitchell Murrill	Michael J. Maker

The Blue Grass Stakes featured the largest field of any of the Derby prep races, which makes Brody's Cause's triumph all the more impressive. Beginning from the No. 6 post position, Saez ensured he kept up with an ambitious early pace set by Laoban, who finished fourth on what was a well-conditioned track.

The Lexington Herald-Leader's John Clay referenced how Brody's Cause benefited from a return to Keeneland, where he won the Breeders' Futurity this past October:

A gritty performance from Brody's Cause saw him nose out in front down the final straightaway, as Saez exercised patience and eventually allowed his prized contender to jaunt to the winner's circle.

Brian Monzo of WFAN applauded Saez for making a surge when he did as a means of separating Brody's Cause from the rest of the pack:

Trainer Dale Romans has to be thrilled with how the Blue Grass Stakes played out. He nearly had the top two finishers, if not for a gallant effort from My Man Sam, who started in the unenviable position of No. 14, furthest from the rail, and beat Cherry Wine by a nose for second.

The steady hands of jockey Julien Leparoux allowed My Man Sam to also clinch a spot in the Kentucky Derby on the strength of 40 points earned, while Cherry Wine, mounted by Corey Lanerie, is still on the bubble after gaining 20 points.

Despite a disappointing seventh-place effort at the Tampa Bay Derby, Brody's Cause commanded 4-1 morning-line odds, per Jonathan Lintner of the Courier-Journal, and ultimately lived up to the hype as the initial No. 2 favorite.

Stonestreet Farm reacted to pre-race favorite Zulu's underwhelming run, which culminated in a finish of 12th as a 5-2 morning-line favorite:

The focus for Brody's Cause and his connections will obviously shift to Churchill Downs and the Run for the Roses, which is slated for Saturday, May 7. It's a relatively quick turnaround for an unprecedented, huge stage that Brody's Cause has never been on before, but his run on Saturday has to make him among the early Kentucky Derby favorites.

However, it's possible My Man Sam could be an even more viable winner in the first leg of the Triple Crown.

Considering how good his trip was on Saturday from the 14th post and how strong he finished, it's feasible that he'll fare better than Brody's Cause, whose inconsistency at the Tampa Bay Derby muddies his outlook.

Post-Race Reaction

Romans said of Brody's Cause, per The Downey Profile, "It's a horse that needed a race...On to the Derby with a big chance."

"We couldn't be set up better going into the Derby. We think he should improve at 1 1/4 miles," said Romans of Brody's Cause's chances at the Kentucky Derby, per the Lexington Herald-Leader.

The fortuitous trainer also was pleased with Cherry Wine's effort, adding: "We had a plan laid out, we didn't do anything different (after the Tampa Bay Derby). And Cherry Wine ran a heck of a race."