LEXINGTON, Ky. — Tapit Trice was the favorite in the Toyota Blue Grass Stakes at Keeneland on Saturday and considered one of the top choices for next month’s Kentucky Derby, but his last race had left some questions.
His performance in his final Derby prep likely went a long way toward answering them.
The gray son of Tapit broke from the inside post in the 11-horse field, raced midpack around the first turn and started making his move on the backstretch — a major departure from his previous start in the Tampa Bay Derby, a race Tapit Trice eventually won but not without leaving himself ample work to do at the end.
In that race four weeks ago, the lumbering colt didn’t make his move until it was nearly too late, entering the stretch in eighth place and needing a far-wide rally before gobbling up horses as the wire approached.
The Blue Grass Stakes ended the same way — with Tapit Trice in the winner’s circle — but getting there was a much different story.
“He kind of takes a little while to get going,” jockey Luis Saez acknowledged after the victory. “But the first time we had an opportunity to put him in the clear — and I made a little move early, because the pace was pretty slow. So I wanted to be right there behind the horse we were supposed to beat. I know we gotta beat everybody, but that was the horse to follow. So we were right there, and when he made the move, we were right on top of him.”
The horse to follow was Verifying — the 2-1 second choice Saturday and supposed early speed in this Blue Grass Stakes. Instead, it was 86-1 shot Clear the Air that set the pace and ultimately led the field into the final turn, but Verifying passed him before they hit the stretch.
By the time he did, Tapit Trice was just to his outside and on fairly even terms.
Those two battled throughout the stretch — even bumping slightly on at least a couple of occasions — and Tapit Trice stuck his nose in front just a few strides from the finish line, winning the race by a head to cement his standing as one of the top contenders in the Kentucky Derby.
“Exciting finish,” said trainer Todd Pletcher. “He fought with a nice horse and kept going to the wire, and that’s what we were hoping to see.”
An objection was filed over the contact in the stretch, but the replay showed Tapit Trice had kept his line and the final result held. He paid $5.28 to win, $3.12 to place and $2.64 to show. Verifying, trained by Brad Cox, paid $3.70 to place and $2.92 to show. Blazing Sevens, trained by Chad Brown, finished third at 6-1 odds and paid $3.74 to show.
The final time was 1:50.00.
All three of those colts have enough points to qualify for the Kentucky Derby on May 6.
Sun Thunder finished fourth, Gotham Stakes winner Raise Cain was fifth, Mendelssohns March was sixth, and Hayes Strike, Classic Car Wash, Scoobie Quando, Major Blue and pacesetter Clear the Air completed the order of finish.
Tapit Trice now has four wins in five starts, his only defeat coming on a third-place finish Nov. 6 at Aqueduct in his first career race. Saez has been aboard for the past three victories in his four-race winning streak. The Derby contender is owned by Whisper Hill Farm LLC and Gainesway Stables.
Pletcher, who has had a record 62 Kentucky Derby starters and won the race with Super Saver in 2010 and Always Dreaming in 2017, should have one of his best lineups yet this year.
He trains the presumptive favorite in Forte, the 2-year-old champion of this group and most recently the Florida Derby winner. Pletcher also has Kingsbarns, who won the Louisiana Derby last month.
“We never take anything for granted,” Pletcher said of his chances next month in Louisville. “We feel great about the hand we have right now. But it’s four long weeks to get there.”
Tapit Trice will go into May 6 at No. 4 on the Derby points leaderboard, behind only Forte, Arkansas Derby winner Angel of Empire and Practical Move, who won the Santa Anita Derby on Saturday.
This was Pletcher’s fourth Blue Grass Stakes win and the third such victory for Saez.
Before the race, Pletcher said he thought the added distance — from 1 1/16 miles to 1 1/8 miles — would benefit his colt, who had shown a penchant for taking some time to find his top speed. And even before Tapit Trice had won Saturday, the Hall of Fame trainer dropped a tease for the future.
“I think the mile and a quarter will be in his wheelhouse,” he said.
