Hold Me Back, Charitable Man head Blue Grass

Lane's End S. (G2) hero HOLD ME BACK (Giant's Causeway) and undefeated Grade

2 winner CHARITABLE MAN (Lemon Drop Kid) are top draws in Saturday's $750,000

Blue

Grass S. (G1). Eleven horses are set for the 1 1/8-mile event over Keeneland's Polytrack, and the prestigious Kentucky Derby (G1) prep marks the

U.S. debut of English import MAFAAZ (GB) (Medicean), who has already earned a

spot in the Kentucky Derby field by virtue of his win in the Kentucky Derby

Challenge S. at Kempton Park last month. Nineteen Blue Grass contestants have gone

on to win the Kentucky Derby, with Street Sense in 2007 the most recent.

Hold Me Back is the 3-1 favorite on the morning line. A winner in three of

four career starts, including a Keeneland allowance last fall, the Bill

Mott-trained colt made his 2009 debut in the Lane's End at Turfway Park and

rallied from far off the pace to win going away by 1 3/4 lengths. He's three-for-three on Polytrack, breaking his maiden at Arlington Park in September, and Kent

Desormeaux will retain the mount on the WinStar Farm homebred. Hold Me Back will

break from post 10.

Charitable Man returns to the races off a 210-day layoff. Trained by Kiaran

McLaughlin, the Futurity S. (G2) winner was sidelined by a saucer fracture in a

shin, and he'll make his synthetic debut on Saturday with regular rider Alan

Garcia. Two-for-two overall, the Mr. and Mrs. William Warren Jr. colorbearer has

been installed as the 4-1 third choice on the morning line.

Fountain of Youth (G2) runner-up THEREGOESJOJO (Brahms), who exits a

third-place effort to top Kentucky Derby contenders Quality Road (Elusive Road)

and Dunkirk (Unbridled's Song) in the March 28 Florida Derby (G1), is the 7-2

second choice. The bay colt will return off a two-week rest for Kenny McPeek,

and Theregoesjojo defeated Quality Road earlier this year when making his

three-year-old debut in a January allowance at Gulfstream. Calvin Borel picks up

the mount.

Mafaaz will bring a two-for-three mark into his stateside bow. Conditioned by

John Gosden, who saddled Raven's Pass to victory in the 2008 Breeders' Cup

Classic (G1), the chestnut captured his career debut over the Polytrack at

Kempton last September and is two-for-two over the surface following his game

neck score in the Kentucky Derby Challenge on March 18. Regular rider Richard

Hills will be in to guide Mafaaz, who is listed at 12-1 on the morning line.

No horse can be counted out in what promises to be a contentious Blue Grass.

The rest of the field consists of Grade 3 victor TERRAIN (Sky Mesa), who

recorded a fast-closing fourth in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile (G1) and finished a

solid third when making his belated 2009 debut in the Louisiana Derby (G2) last

out; Sam F. Davis S. (G3) winner GENERAL QUARTERS (Sky Mesa), a troubled fifth

last time in the Tampa Bay Derby (G3); Lecomte S. (G3) runner-up PATENA (Seeking

the Gold), who will make his second start for Richard Dutrow following a

disappointing eighth in the slop in the Louisiana Derby; Tampa Bay Derby

runner-up JOIN IN THE DANCE (Sky Mesa); Rushaway S. hero CLIFFY'S FUTURE (The

Cliff's Edge); El Camino Real Derby (G3) second MASSONE (Menifee); and Turfway

Prevue S. winner LOCH DUBH (Friends Lake).