McCraken tops the Blue Grass Stakes on Saturday at Keeneland and the Grade 2 $1 million event has lured a short and sweet cast of seven. Carded at nine furlongs, McCraken will be looking for 100 Kentucky Derby qualifying points if he is fortunate enough to win.
The Blue Grass will be run for the 93rd time this year and although it has not been as pivotal in recent years, it has been a potent Kentucky Derby prep race over the decades. Dust Commander was just an Illinois-bred runner but posted the Blue Grass/Kentucky Derby double in 1970.
Others that have swept the Blue Grass/Kentucky Derby double include Shut Out, Tomy Lee, Chateaugay, Northern Dancer, Lucky Debonair, Forward Pass, Riva Ridge, Spectacular Bid and Strike the Gold.
Those that wager on It’s Your Nickel will get their money’s worth in the Blue Grass this year. He has not faced the same caliber rival as McCraken but he has won three of his four races. One win came via disqualification. This race is a far cry from It’s Your Nickel’s last win in the $97,000 Battaglia at Turfway Park last month.
McCraken has not made a mistake so far. He has won all four of his starts including a Grade 2 and a Grade 3. The son of Ghostzapper took the Kentucky Jockey Club in his 2016 finale and opened this year with a win in the Sam Davis Stakes. The colt missed the Tampa Bay Derby with an ankle strain. He has been working like gangbusters since and his trainer Ian Wilkes indicated from the get go that the injury was minor.
J Boys Echo has a few things going for him against McCraken. He graduated on this very surface as a clear winner and was impressive taking the Gotham Stakes in his last win. Trainer Dale Romans has put a number of serious works into this racer with this event in mind including a solid 1:00 3/5 drill last Saturday.
Tapwrit is a legit contender. He lost his debut when wide but has fired in his other four efforts. He chased McCraken home in the Sam Davis and then flattered that runner by taking the Tampa Bay Derby. He has shown he can handled any kind of going, can be placed anywhere and the way he extended in his last win suggests he will adore this distance.
Wild Shot seems to be taking just that, a wild swing at glory. When he was third in his local effort, he was losing ground late. He has been caught wide in his last two efforts but he has sneaky speed. He was on a sub :22 pace when he graduated sprinting last year.
Irap is in the good hands of Doug O’Neill, who won the Kentucky Derby with Nyquist and I’ll Have Another. He has not ducked anybody in his career but he is still a maiden and has some things to iron out.
On the outside is the comedian known as Practical Joke but his form is nothing to laugh about. He proved his class winning a pair of Grade 1s last year and he didn’t get the best of trips in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile. Considering he may have needed his last race, his effort in the Fountain of Youth on March 4 was not too shabby. A perfect punch line would result in a victory.
This is how the race may unfold. Wild Shot and Irap could very well vie for the lead. There is not a ton of speed in here and Tapwrit or maybe It’s Your Nickel could fall into the 3-hole spot.
The thing McCraken has going for him is the fact he has been stabled at Keeneland for some time. It takes horses time to acclimate in certain situations and this colt has three solid drills over the surface.
McCraken is also in the right hands. His trainer Wilkes knows what to do with a good horse. Wilkes was the exercise rider for the Kentucky Derby winner Unbridled and he trained Breeders’ Cup Classic winner Fort Larned. This is a race this horse needs for conditioning. It would give him a pair of solid preps before the Kentucky Derby. Look for jockey Brian Hernandez Jr. to let this runner settle into stride, relax and then unleash the winning kick inside the eighth pole.
