Keeneland releases Blue Grass, Ashland nominations

Champion Shanghai Bobby, and fellow top Kentucky Derby contenders Orb,

Verrazano, and Hear the Ghost lead the 189 three-year-olds nominated to this

year's Grade 1, $750,000 Blue Grass Stakes to be run April 13 at Keeneland. A

late nomination period closes March 27.

Currently, 23 of the top 25 point earners on the Road to the Kentucky Derby

are nominated to the 1 1/8-mile Blue Grass, one of the nation's richest

three-year-old preps. Click

here for the complete list of nominees.

Champion two-year-old colt and Breeders' Cup Juvenile winner Shanghai Bobby

headlines the 189 nominees, which are up from last year's total of 180. Also

nominated are the winners of nearly every major Derby prep to date, including

Orb (Grade 2 Fountain of Youth), Verrazano (Grade 2 Tampa Bay Derby), Hear the

Ghost (Grade 2 San Felipe), Flashback (Grade 2 Robert B. Lewis), Goldencents

(Grade 3 Sham), Falling Sky (Grade 3 Sam F. Davis), Oxbow (Grade 3 Lecomte),

Itsmyluckyday (Grade 3 Holy Bull Stakes), Overanalyze (Grade 2 Remsen), Power

Broker (Grade 1 FrontRunner) and Super Ninety Nine (Grade 3 Southwest). 

"The Toyota Blue Grass nominees represent the most talented three-year-old

colts currently on the Derby trail," Keeneland Vice President of Racing W.B.

Rogers Beasley said. "We appreciate the strong support of our horsemen, and look

forward to an exciting spring meet."

Todd Pletcher leads all trainers with 20 Blue Grass nominees, highlighted by

Shanghai Bobby and Verrazano. Bob Baffert is represented by 15 nominees, among

them Flashback, Power Broker, Super Ninety Nine and Grade 2 San Vicente Stakes

winner Shakin It Up, while Kiaran McLaughlin nominated 12.

Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al Maktoum's Darley Stable led owners with eight

nominations, followed by Gary and Mary West with seven and Ken and Sarah Ramsey

with six.

The Blue Grass was first held at the old Kentucky Association track in

Lexington from 1911-14 and from 1919-26, and revived by Keeneland during the

track's inaugural spring meeting, held in April 1937. In all, 23 horses -- four

at the Kentucky Association track and 19 at Keeneland -- have used the Blue

Grass as a path to victory in the Kentucky Derby, most recently champion Street

Sense in 2007.

Donegal Racing's Dullahan exploded in deep stretch to run down favored Hansen

and win the 2012 Blue Grass. In doing so, Dullahan became only the second horse

to win Keeneland's Grade 1 Breeders' Futurity as a two-year-old and return the

following spring to win the Blue Grass, joining Horse of the Year Round Table

(1956-57).  

NBC will provide live coverage of the Blue Grass from 4:30-6 p.m. (EDT) on

April 13. Lexington's NBC affiliate, WLEX TV, will broadcast live from Keeneland

from 3:30-4:30 p.m.

A total of 134 fillies, led by champion Beholder, have been nominated to

Keeneland's Grade 1, $500,000 Ashland Stakes, scheduled for April 6. The

nominees are available at this

link.

The total number of fillies nominated during the early closing period

represents a 67 percent increase over 2012. As with the Blue Grass, a late

nomination period closes March 27.

Contested at 1 1/16 miles, the Ashland historically has been a premier prep

for the Grade 1 Kentucky Oaks. It is featured as the first of five Grade 1

stakes run during Keeneland's spring race meeting, to be held April 5-26.

Beholder, champion juvenile filly and winner of the Breeders' Cup Juvenile

Fillies, enhanced her status on the Road to the Kentucky Oaks with her March 2

win in the Grade 1 Las Virgenes Stakes at Santa Anita.

Other fillies nominated to the Ashland with top-10 point rankings on the Road

to the Kentucky Oaks are Unlimited Budget (winner of the Grade 3 Rachel

Alexandra), Live Lively (Grade 2 Davona Dale), Dreaming of Julia (Grade 1

Frizette) and Fiftyshadesofhay (Grade 3 Santa Ysabel).  Another notable

nominee is last fall's Grade 1 Alcibiades winner Spring in the Air.

Pletcher nominated 15 fillies to lead all trainers, followed by Graham Motion

with nine. Baffert and McLaughlin are each represented by seven nominees.

Since 1936, 31 fillies have used the Ashland as a stepping stone to victory

in the Oaks, most recently Ashado (2004), Summerly (2005) and Proud Spell

(2008). In 2010, Ashland winner Evening Jewel lost the Oaks by a nose to

champion Blind Luck following a thrilling stretch duel between the fillies.

Alex G. Campbell Jr.'s Karlovy Vary won the 2012 Ashland in gate-to-wire

fashion, giving trainer Rusty Arnold and jockey James Graham their first victory

in the race.

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