Blue Grass Stakes and Tapit Trice 2023 Prep Race Recap

The Championship Series races on the Road to the Kentucky Derby featured eight major prep races that awarded 100 points to the winner and a spot in the starting gate for the May 6 Kentucky Derby.

The Blue Grass Stakes on April 8 was won by Tapit Trice (3/2), who rallied past Verifying in the deep stretch to win by a neck. Those two finished well clear and more than 5-lengths in front of other Kentucky Derby runners Blazing Sevens, Sun Thunder, and Raise Cain.

Luis Saez rode Tapit Trice for all three of the horse's wins in 2023 including the March 11 Tampa Bay Derby. Saez will be making his third trip to the Kentucky Derby this time for trainer Todd Pletcher. Saez finished fourth in the 2021 Kentucky Derby with Essential Quality, and first with Maximum Security in 2019 only to have the horse disqualified for interference in the stretch.

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Tapit Trice Kentucky Derby Contender

Tapit Trice will be one of the main win contenders in the 2023 Kentucky Derby, according to FanDuel Racing odds. He's won four straight races entering the Kentucky Derby and his speed figures have continued to improve.

The top two finishers in the 1 1/8 miles Blue Grass Stakes came home strongly with final 3/8 mile times less than 37.5 seconds. Tapit Trice came home in 37.34 seconds with a winning time of 1:50.00.

Nine of the last 11 Kentucky Derby winners and 19 of the last 25 finished the final three furlongs of their final prep race in less than 38 seconds.

The Blue Grass Stakes has been run since 1911 at Keeneland in Lexington, Kentucky. Nine horses have won both the Blue Grass and 1 1/4 mile Kentucky Derby including Spectacular Bid (1979) and Strike the Gold (1991), who was the last to win both races.

Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change