Blue Grass Stakes Payout Odds for Render Judgment, Burnham Square and Admiral Dennis
Due to a rain postponement, this year's Blue Grass Stakes will take place on Tuesday evening, a rare week day Kentucky Derby prep race. The Blue Grass Stakes is run at 1+1⁄8 miles on the dirt and currently offers a purse of $1,000,000.
Render Judgment
This long shot pays out 20-1 odds.
Jockey: Sheldon Russell. Trainer: Kenny McPeek. Owner: Baccari Racing Stable, Dream Walkin Farms, MJM Racing and Rocket Ship Racing.
Career record: 6 starts (1 first, 2 seconds, 1 third).
Career earnings: $214,110. Kentucky Derby points: 29 (24th on leaderboard).
Most recent race: Finished second in the Virginia Derby at Colonial Downs on March 15.
Notable: McPeek, who completed the rare double of winning the Kentucky Oaks and Kentucky Derby last year, has won the Blue Grass twice, with Harlan’s Holiday (2002) and Java’s War (2013). Render Judgment has won only one race in his six career starts, a maiden special weight event at Churchill Downs last October that came three weeks after he finished second in his career debut in a maiden special weight race at Keeneland.
Admiral Dennis
He comes in with early 20-1 odds.
Jockey: Luis Saez. Trainer: Brad Cox. Owner: Albaugh Family Stables.
Career record: 5 starts (2 firsts, 0 seconds, 1 third).
Career earnings: $151,050. Kentucky Derby points: Two (70th on leaderboard).
Most recent race: Finished sixth in the Grade 2 Rebel Stakes at Oaklawn Park on Feb. 23.
Notable: Admiral Dennis’ only graded stakes in five starts was the Rebel. He most likely needs to finish first or second on Tuesday in order to secure enough qualifying points to run for Cox in the Kentucky Derby. The trainer saddles four horses already in the top 20 in points: Tappan Street (third, with 110 points), Final Gambit (fifth, with 100 points), Flood Zone (12th, with 50 points) and John Hancock (20th, with 35 points).
"I like him," Cox said back in December. "He's a big, good-looking horse. It's his first time going two turns; he should handle it."
Burnham Square
Jockey: Brian Hernandez Jr. Trainer: Ian Wilkes. Owner: Whitham Thoroughbreds.
Career record: 5 starts (2 firsts, 1 second, 1 third). Career earnings: $222,130. Kentucky Derby points: 30 (23rd on leaderboard). Most recent race: Finished fourth in the Grade 2 Fountain of Youth Stakes at Gulfstream Park on March 1.
Notable: Burnham Square is in after a win in the Holy Bull (G3) and a fourth-place finish in the Fountain of Youth (G2). River Thames, the morning-line favorite at 5-2, was second in the Fountain of Youth in his third career start. East Avenue is a Grade 1 winner at Keeneland, having notched the Breeders' Futurity here last fall. He, Render Judgment and Admiral Dennis are searching for a stakes win this year after disappointing performances in earlier preps.
How Many Blue Grass Stakes Winners Have Gone on to Win The Kentucky Derby?
A total of ten Blue Grass Stakes winners have gone on to victories in the Kentucky Derby. That is pretty awesome.
But there's one small problem. The last horse to achieve this feat did so in 1991 and all others were pre-1979.
Shut Out (1942)
Tomy Lee (1959)
Chateaugay (1963)
Northern Dancer (1964)
Lucky Debonair (1965)
Forward Pass (1968)
Dust Commander (1970)
Riva Ridge (1972)
Spectacular Bid (1979)
Strike the Gold (1991)
An interesting caveat: 19 horses that have participated in the Blue Grass Stakes went on to win the Kentucky Derby.
|
Post
|
Horse
|
Trainer
|
Jockey
|
Odds
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | River Thames | Todd Pletcher | Irad Ortiz, Jr. | 5-2 |
| 2 | Render Judgment | Kenny McPeek | Sheldon Russell | 20-1 |
| 3 | Burnham Square | Ian Wilkes | Brian Hernandez, Jr. | 4-1 |
| 4 | Owen Almighty | Brian Lynch | Jose Ortiz | 3-1 |
| 5 | East Avenue | Brendan Walsh | Luan Machado | 3-1 |
| 6 | Chancer McPatrick | Chad Brown | Flavien Prat | 7-2 |
| 7 | Admiral Dennis | Brad Cox | Luis Saez | 20-1 |
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