Every day of the year is part of Kentucky Derby season for horse racing fans in the Bluegrass State, but anticipation for the sport’s biggest event really picks up each spring when Keeneland Race Course kicks off its April meet with an opening weekend highlighted by the Toyota Blue Grass Stakes.

The $1 million, Grade 1 Blue Grass, set for April 8 this year, is a key prep race for 3-year-olds in pursuit of the Triple Crown, awarding qualifying points for the Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve on a 100-40-30-20-10 basis to the top five finishers. Twenty-three horses coming out of the Blue Grass have won the Derby, including such champions as Whirlaway, Chateaugay, Northern Dancer, Riva Ridge, Spectacular Bid, Alysheba, Unbridled, and Thunder Gulch.

Street Sense was the last horse to run in the Blue Grass Stakes and then win the Kentucky Derby, finishing second at Keeneland before wearing the garland of roses at Churchill Downs. Last year, Blue Grass winner Zandon finished third in the Kentucky Derby behind Rich Strike and Epicenter.

The 99^th edition of the Blue Grass Stakes drew a competitive field including several highly regarded horses that will need to crack the top three in order to secure a berth in the 149^th Derby four weeks later. The Blue Grass is part of a Saturday card at Keeneland that features four other graded stakes and should draw a large crowd with a weather forecast of mostly sunny skies and temperatures in the low 60s.

The Blue Grass Stakes will be televised on NBC as part of NBC Sports’ “Road to the Kentucky Derby” coverage and will also be shown on FanDuel TV. Post time is set for 5:15 p.m. ET.

Read on for information about all of the Blue Grass Stakes starters.

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1. Tapit Trice (5-2 morning-line odds)

Jockey: Luis Saez

Trainer: Todd Pletcher

Owners: Whisper Hill Farm and Gainesway Stable

Career record: 4 starts – 3 wins – 0 seconds – 1 third

Career earnings: $310,150

Earnings per start: $77,538

Top Equibase Speed Figure: 98

Kentucky Derby points: 50

Pedigree: Tapit – Danzatrice, by Dunkirk

Color: Gray or roan

Running style: Stalker/closer

Notable achievements and interesting facts: A $1.3 million purchase as a yearling back in 2021, Tapit Trice has done little to make people question that price so far in his early career. The Tapit colt enters the Blue Grass on a three-race winning streak dating back to Dec. 17 at Aqueduct, when he rallied late to defeat fellow Kentucky Derby prospect Slip Mahoney by a neck in a one-mile race. He then made his 2023 debut Feb. 4 in an allowance-optional claiming race held at one mile and around one turn at Gulfstream Park, and surged to a visually impressive eight-length score. Next up came a stakes debut in the Lambholm South Tampa Bay Derby, where Tapit Trice was sent off as the 1-2 post-time favorite against a field he towered over in terms of speed figures. The colt broke last in the Tampa Bay Derby and was still in the eighth position out of 12 horses at the top of the stretch, but he angled wide and accelerated impressively under Luis Saez to win going away by two lengths over Classic Car Wash. Through four races, Tapit Trice has displayed tantalizing talent and also a good deal of inexperience. Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher is renowned for patiently handling his Kentucky Derby prospects and spacing out their races adequately in order to give them time to mature on a schedule that will have them peak on Derby day. That means Tapit Trice should reach another rung on the development ladder in Saturday’s Blue Grass Stakes – and if he does, we’ll see him in the winner’s circle. Look for Saez to be aggressive in getting his mount out of the starting gate from the inside post position and then settling him no worse than fourth behind the early leaders before asking for his best on the far turn. With three Blue Grass wins, Pletcher is currently tied with four other trainers for most all time: his three came with Bandini (2005); Monba (2008); and Carpe Diem (2015). Luis Saez won the Blue Grass in 2016 on Brody’s Cause and in 2021 aboard Essential Quality. Pletcher-trained Emmanuel finished third in last year’s race with Saez aboard. Antony Beck’s Gainesway Farm, which bred and co-owns Tapit Trice, co-owned 1981 Blue Grass winner Proud Appeal when the Lexington breeding powerhouse was operated by founder and industry titan John Gaines.

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2. Clear the Air (30-1)

Jockey: Ricardo Santana Jr.

Trainer: Will Walden

Owner: Cypress Creek Equine

Career record: 4 starts – 1 win – 0 seconds – 0 thirds

Career earnings: $58,610

Earnings per start: $14,653

Top Equibase Speed Figure: 94

Kentucky Derby points: 5

Pedigree: Ransom the Moon – Marsali, by More Than Ready

Color: Bay

Running style: Closer

Notable achievements and interesting facts: Turfway Park-based Clear the Air has a good chance at carrying the longest post-time odds in the Blue Grass when the starting gate springs open Saturday afternoon – if he starts in the race. He is also entered in Aqueduct’s 200-point Kentucky Derby prep on Saturday, the Wood Memorial Presented by Resorts World Casino. Clear the Air’s two best races through four starts have come on Turfway’s synythetic Tapeta Footings surface – a maiden win back in January going six furlongs, where he earned a 94 Equibase Speed Figure, and then a fourth-place finish in the two-turn, one-mile Leonatus Stakes on Feb. 11, in which he had traffic trouble on the far turn but recovered to close well in the stretch. In his most recent start, Clear the Air was shipped to Aqueduct and ran fifth of 14 starters in the one-turn-mile Gotham Stakes, won by Blue Grass foe Raise Cain. He actually outperformed his 44-1 odds in that race and had to check in early stretch before finishing evenly. This colt is by sprinter Ransom the Moon but has some stamina deep in his dam’s (mother’s) bloodlines; nevertheless, he hasn’t shown the ability so far to compete at this level and will be hard pressed to finish in the top five, especially in a race that doesn’t possess a lot of speed on paper.

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3. Verifying (3-1)

Jockey: Tyler Gaffalione

Trainer: Brad Cox

Owners: Westerberg, Susan Magnier, Jonathan Poulin, Derrick Smith, and Michael Tabor

Career record: 5 starts – 2 wins – 1 second – 0 thirds

Career earnings: $304,900

Earnings per start: $60,980

Top Equibase Speed Figure: 102

Kentucky Derby points: 14

Pedigree: Justify – Diva Delite, by Repent

Color: Bay

Running style: Press the pace/stalker

Notable achievements and interesting facts: The pressure’s on for the connections of this son of 2018 Triple Crown winner Justify, who will need to finish at least third in the Blue Grass Stakes – and hopefully better than that – in order to earn enough Kentucky Derby points to enter the top 20 leaderboard. Despite carrying a reputation as one of the most talented members of the 3-year-old division, Verifying only has 14 points to date, those earned with a runner-up finish to Blazing Sevens last October in the Champagne Stakes and via a fourth-place finish in the Rebel Stakes, his most recent start, Feb. 25 at Oaklawn Park. His effort in the Rebel was better than it appears on paper; sent off as the 3-2 favorite in a competitive field, he raced along the inside and was boxed in through the backstretch while keeping in touch with pacesetter Powerful, who set quick opening fractions. Verifying kept on well through the far turn, but could not find clear running room until midstretch, by which time winner Confidence Game, runner-up Red Route One, and third-place Reincarnate had all moved past him. He earned a 96 Equibase Speed Figure in the Rebel, a six-point drop from the sharp 102 figure he tallied in his 3-year-old debut Jan. 14 at Oaklawn, where he routed an allowance-optional claiming field by 5 ¼ lengths racing a two-turn mile. With a better trip, Verifying is eligible to bounce back in a big way in the Blue Grass, making him a top win contender along with Tapit Trice. He’s got a pedigree to handle 1 1/8 miles (and longer) with ease, as he’s a half-brother (same dam [mother], different sire [father]) to champion and $7 million earner Midnight Bisou. Trainer Brad Cox won his first Blue Grass Stakes in 2021 with eventual Belmont Stakes winner and champion 3-year-old male Essential Quality. Co-owners Susan Magnier and Michael Tabor were part-owners of 2000 Blue Grass winner High Yield, and Tabor and Derrick Smith campaigned 2005 winner Bandini.

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4. Classic Car Wash (12-1)

Jockey: Javier Castellano

Trainer: Mark Casse

Owner: Gary Barber

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

Career earnings: $163,550

Earnings per start: $32,710

Top Equibase Speed Figure: 95

Kentucky Derby points: 26

Pedigree: Noble Bird – East Lake Classic, by Orientate

Color: Chestnut

Running style: Stalker

Notable achievements and interesting facts: This Florida-bred gelding has showed consistent progress over the past several months and is worthy of consideration as an exacta or trifecta filler in the Blue Grass at what should be enticing post-time odds. He made his second career start last December after a five-month break and romped in a low-level maiden race at Gulfstream Park, and since then has competed well in three two-turn races against increasingly tougher opponents. Classic Car Wash earned 26 Kentucky Derby points by hitting the board in both of Tampa Bay Downs’ qualifying preps, running third in the Sam F. Davis Stakes on Feb. 11 and then holding a lead in midstretch of the Lambholm South Tampa Bay Derby on March 11 before yielding to Blue Grass opponent Tapit Trice late and settling for second, two lengths behind that odds-on favorite and 1 ¼ lengths clear of the third-place horse. He’s got a midpack running style that could prove beneficial in a Blue Grass lineup that doesn’t possess a lot of speed on paper, and the 95 Equibase Speed Figure he earned in the Tampa Bay Derby is a career high and a nine-point improvement over his Sam Davis figure. Classic Car Wash will need to make a similar leap in ability to post an upset in the Blue Grass, but this hard-trying type is certainly capable of hitting the board – and a second- or possibly third-place finish could give him enough Kentucky Derby points to secure a starting gate position on May 6. Hall of Fame trainer Mark Casse is seeking his first Blue Grass Stakes win; his colt Flameaway finished second in 2018. Javier Castellano won the 2019 Blue Grass aboard Vekoma.

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5. Hayes Strike (15-1)

Jockey: James Graham

Trainer: Ken McPeek

Owner: Dixiana Farms

Career record: 9 starts – 2 wins – 1 second – 1 third

Career earnings: $194,507

Earnings per start: $21,612

Top Equibase Speed Figure: 91

Kentucky Derby points: 7

Pedigree: Connect – Plaid, by Deputy Commander

Color: Dark bay or brown

Running style: Closer

Notable achievements and interesting facts: This under-the-radar Kentucky Derby prospect rebounded from a ninth-place effort in the Leonatus Stakes at Turfway Park with a sharp 1 ¾-length score in the 1 1/16-mile Private Terms Stakes at Laurel Park on March 18, his most recent start. Hayes Strike had accumulated 7 Kentucky Derby points last fall by collecting minor awards in three dirt preps – fourth in the Iroqouis Stakes, third in the Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes, and fourth in the Gun Runner Stakes – but fizzled when racing on Turfway’s synthetic Tapeta Footings surface in his 3-year-old bow. Back on dirt at Laurel Park, he rallied to win the Private Terms over seven opponents, none of which are on the Kentucky Derby trail, so it’s fair to question just how much this Connect colt has improved over his 2-year-old season. Furthermore, the pace scenario for Saturday’s Blue Grass projects to be modest, and that will hamper this closer’s running style. A repeat of his Private Terms effort could put Hayes Strike into the superfecta or possibly trifecta Saturday evening, but anything more than that would be a surprise. Trainer Ken McPeek is loading up for one last shot at Kentucky Derby points with Sun Thunder and Mendelssohns March, also entered in the Blue Grass. The Lexington resident won this race with Harlan’s Holiday in 2002 and Java’s War in 2013. His colt Smile Happy finished second to Zandon in last year’s renewal.

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6. Scoobie Quando (15-1)

Jockey: Luan Machado

Trainer: Ben Colebrook

Owners: Andrew Warren and Rania Warren

Career record: 3 starts – 1 win – 2 seconds – 0 thirds

Career earnings: $120,000

Earnings per start: $40,000

Top Equibase Speed Figure: 94

Kentucky Derby points: 8

Pedigree: Uncle Mo – Daveron, by Black Sam Bellamy

Color: Bay

Running style: Stalker/closer

Notable achievements and interesting facts: Scoobie Quando is owned by Oklahoma residents Andrew and Rania Warren, who also own Raise Cain. This son of champion Uncle Mo will need to finish first or second in the Blue Grass to qualify for the Kentucky Derby and give the Warrens two starters on May 6. He faces long odds shipping in from Turfway Park and making his dirt debut against Grade 1 competition. Scoobie Quando has made all three career starts on Turfway’s synthetic Tapeta Footings track; he did not debut until Jan. 7, when he won the 6 ½-furlong Turfway Prevue Stakes by a neck, and then he posted consecutive runner-up finishes to Wadsworth in a one-mile allowance optional claiming race on Feb. 11 and to Congruent in the March 4 John Battaglia Memorial Stakes at 1 1/16 miles. Wadsworth subsequently ran a solid fourth in the Jeff Ruby Steaks at Turfway two weeks ago, while Congruent finished a disappointing sixth out of 10 runners. Scoobie Quando has a good pedigree in terms of stamina, as his dam, the German-bred mare Daveron, won four turf stakes races in the U.S. at distances ranging from 1 1/16 miles to 1 1/8 miles and also produced 2019 Canadian champion 3-year-old male Global Access and millionaire turf router March to the Arch. If he handles the surface switch, Scoobie Quando could muster a late-closing third or fourth against this field, but that won’t give him enough points for the Kentucky Derby. This colt may be better suited to turf in the long run.

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7. Sun Thunder (10-1)

Jockey: Florent Geroux

Trainer: Ken McPeek

Owners: R.T. Racing Stable and Cypress Creek Equine

Career record: 5 starts – 1 win – 1 second – 1 third

Career earnings: $201,250

Earnings per start: $40,250

Top Equibase Speed Figure: 94

Kentucky Derby points: 34

Pedigree: Into Mischief – Greenfield d’Oro, by Medaglia d’Oro

Color: Bay

Running style: Closer

Notable achievements and interesting facts: Sun Thunder arguably represents the best chance for trainer Ken McPeek to confirm travel reservations to Louisville on May 6 among his three Blue Grass Stakes contenders. The son of top sire Into Mischief earned Kentucky Derby qualifying points in his first two races of 2023 when fourth in the Southwest Stakes on Jan. 28 at Oaklawn Park and then second in the Risen Star Stakes Presented by Lamarque Lincoln and Lamarque Crescent City Ford Feb. 18 at Fair Grounds. His runner-up effort in the Risen Star was impressive, as he took a short lead in midstretch before succumbing late to a rallying Angel of Empire and finishing a length behind. Angel of Empire came back to win the Arkansas Derby by 4 ¼ lengths last week and will be one of the top five or six betting choices in the Kentucky Derby if he remains on target for the race. Sun Thunder did not get a good pace setup in his most recent start, and while he made up some ground in the Twinspires.com Louisiana Derby March 25 at Fair Grounds he was no threat to wire-to-wire winner Kingsbarns and finished fifth of 12, defeated by 8 ½ lengths. Just as last time, Sun Thunder will be dependent on a fast early pace in the Blue Grass in order to set up his rally, and that may not happen … but if he does get a decent setup, he should be closing fast in the Keeneland stretch under Florent Geroux. In most years, accumulating 35-40 Kentucky Derby qualifying points has been sufficient to earn a horse a spot in the Derby starting gate. This year, with possibly two foreign horses gaining automatic berths to the Derby, the threshold may end up higher. Sun Thunder is on the borderline as it currently stands with 34 points, and he’ll need a second- or third-place finish Saturday in order for his connections to feel secure about qualifying for the Derby. McPeek’s two prior Blue Grass wins came with Harlan’s Holiday in 2000 and Java’s War in 2013.

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8. Blazing Sevens (6-1)

Jockey: Irad Ortiz Jr.

Trainer: Chad Brown

Owner: Rodeo Creek Racing

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

Career earnings: $472,250

Earnings per start: $94,550

Top Equibase Speed Figure: 98

Kentucky Derby points: 16

Pedigree: Good Magic – Trophy Girl, by Warrior’s Reward

Color: Dark bay or brown

Running style: Stalker/closer

Notable achievements and interesting facts: A Grade 1 winner last year at age 2, Blazing Sevens disappointed in his 3-year-old bow on March 4 when he finished eighth of nine in the Fountain of Youth Stakes at Gulfstream Park. He was bumped after leaving the starting gate, settled near the back of the field early on, and never made a move to contend, ending up 26 lengths behind winner Forte. The son of 2018 Blue Grass winner Good Magic had a productive 2022 campaign, winning two of four starts including the Champagne Stakes going a one-turn mile at Aqueduct, where he defeated Blue Grass rival Verifying by 3 ¼ lengths on a sloppy track. Obviously, he’ll need to rebound completely from his no-show in the Fountain of Youth to have any chance at winning the Blue Grass, and he’s put in some solid workouts in Florida over the past several weeks. It’s possible that he is more suited to one-turn races at distances up to a mile rather than the two turns and 1 1/8 miles he’ll tackle Saturday, although he did finish a non-threatening fourth of 10 last November in the 1 1/16-mile FanDuel Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Presented by TAA (again behind Forte) on Keeneland’s main track. It’s not out of the question that Blazing Sevens could give trainer Chad Brown his second consecutive Blue Grass Stakes win following Zandon’s impressive outing last year, but filling out the trifecta is a more realistic prospect given how poorly this colt ran last month. Brown also trained Good Magic to win the Blue Grass five years ago, one start prior to running second behind Justify in the Kentucky Derby.

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9. Major Blue (30-1)

Jockey: David Cabrera

Trainer: D. Wayne Lukas

Owners: Bob Ghent, Ann Ghent, Laurie Lukas, and D. Wayne Lukas

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

Career earnings: $121,605

Earnings per start: $30,401

Top Equibase Speed Figure: 91

Kentucky Derby points: 0

Pedigree: Flatter – Ire, by Political Force

Color: Bay

Running style: Pacesetter

Notable achievements and interesting facts: A big class test awaits this Oaklawn Park shipper in the Blue Grass. Major Blue represents the last hope for legendary trainer D. Wayne Lukas to have a Kentucky Derby starter this year. He comes in on a two-race winning streak, both of them at Oaklawn. He broke his maiden in his third career start on March 11, holding on by three-quarters of a length in a two-turn, one-mile race, and then scored by 1 ½ lengths in a 5 ½-furlong allowance-optional claiming race on March 23. Cutting back to 5 ½ furlongs after winning at a mile is a bit unusual, and even more so is stretching out to 1 1/8 miles 16 days later in a Grade 1 stakes, but if that’s what Derby dreams require … so be it. Major Blue projects to be the pacesetter in the Blue Grass and could be all alone on the lead for a while, although it would not be a surprise to see Tapit Trice and Verifying apply pressure after a half-mile or so, especially if Tapit Trice gets out of the starting gate better than he did in the Tampa Bay Derby. Needless to say, it would be a huge upset if this late-blooming colt wins the Blue Grass and sends “The Coach” back to the Kentucky Derby with a horse he co-owns. Lukas won the 1987 Blue Grass with War and the 2000 edition with High Yield.

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10. Raise Cain (9-2)

Jockey: Joel Rosario

Trainer: Ben Colebrook

Owners: Andrew Warren and Rania Warren

Career record: 6 starts – 2 wins – 1 second – 1 third

Career earnings: $268,578

Earnings per start: $44,763

Top Equibase Speed Figure: 92

Kentucky Derby points: 54

Pedigree: Violence – Lemon Belle, by Lemon Drop Kid

Color: Bay

Running style: Stalker/closer

Notable achievements and interesting facts: Based on historical precedent, Raise Cain has already earned enough Kentucky Derby qualifying points to gain a berth to the May 6 classic, as he gained 50 of them last month when winning the Gotham Stakes at Aqueduct. His presence in the Blue Grass, then, can be viewed as a tune-up for the Derby and possibly even a test of his stamina, since his Gotham win came at a one-turn, one-mile distance. Raise Cain earned a modest 91 Equibase Speed Figure in the Gotham and was a 23.50-1 longshot in that race, and the Gotham’s pace scenario was affected by a loose horse that had tossed its jockey at the start, resulting in fast early fractions that set up Raise Cain’s rally. That said, he did win by 7 ½ lengths and looked good doing so, and this Violence colt also flashed talent in a two-turn Derby prep when he finished second to Jace’s Road in the Dec. 26 Gun Runner Stakes at Fair Grounds. He also has experience on Keeneland’s main track, winning his second career start there at seven furlongs last fall and then finishing third in the Bowman Mill Stakes held at six furlongs. Other than a fifth-place finish in the Leonatus Stakes on Turfway Park’s synthetic track back in January, Raise Cain has kept good form going back to October of last year. Tapit Trice and Verifying both appear to have a higher ceiling than this hard-trying type, but he’s certainly capable of filling out the Blue Grass trifecta while prepping for a shot at glory next month in Louisville. Joel Rosario won the 2011 Blue Grass aboard Brilliant Speed.

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11. Mendelssohns March (20-1)

Jockey: Brian Hernandez Jr.

Trainer: Ken McPeek

Owners: Harold Lerner, Nehoc Stables, AWC Stables, and Team Stallion Racing Stable

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

Career earnings: $91,800

Earnings per start: $45,900

Top Equibase Speed Figure: 83

Kentucky Derby points: 0

Pedigree: Mendelssohn – Unappeased, by Galileo

Color: Dark bay or brown

Running style: Closer

Notable achievements and interesting facts: This colt with an intriguing pedigree just arrived on the scene in February when he made his first career start in a one-mile turf race at Fair Grounds and was elevated from second to first when the winner was disqualified for bumping him and forcing him in during the stretch run. Trainer Ken McPeek then started Mendelssohns March on dirt in a 1 1/16-mile allowance-optional claiming race on March 9 at Oaklawn Park, where he was sent off as the fourth betting choice in an eight-horse field at 8.40-1 odds. He handled the turf-to-dirt switch with aplomb and relished a sloppy track to boot, waiting for an opening along the inside and then scooting clear to win by 1 ½ lengths. Obviously, Mendelssohns March showed his connections enough raw talent to convince them that this major Kentucky Derby prep is worth a try, and he’ll be one of the longest shots in the race come post time. His Equibase Speed Figure will need to improve around 20 points from the 81 and 83 posted in his first two races – a tall task. On the positive side, he has good bloodlines for running longer: he’s a half-brother (same dam [mother], different sire [father]) to 2020 Kentucky Derby third-place finisher Mr. Big News and is related to some other notable horses deeper in his pedigree, including champions Glorious Song and Devil’s Bag and leading sire Saint Ballado. Mendelssohns March is a definite horse to consider using in trifecta and superfecta tickets, and one to watch down the road. McPeek is seeking his third Blue Grass win to join Harlan’s Holiday (2002) and Java’s War (2013) after finishing second with Smile Happy last year. Jockey Brian Hernandez won the Blue Grass in 2020 aboard Art Collector, when the race was postponed to July during the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.