By Associated Press
Lexington, KY – Brilliant Speed punched his ticket for the Kentucky Derby with a thrilling stretch run to win the $750,000 Blue Grass Stakes on Saturday at Keeneland.
The 3-year-old colt lagged behind the rest of the 12-horse field until the turn, then exploded over the final quarter-mile to edge Twinspired by a nose.
The $450,000 winner's check gives Brilliant Speed more than enough graded-stakes earnings to earn a spot in next month's Run for the Roses. Ridden by Joel Rosario and trained by Tom Albertrani, Brilliant Speed covered the 1 1-8 miles on Keeneland's Polytrack in 1:50.92 and paid $40.20, $20.80 and $13.
Twinspired and jockey Robby Albarado paid $21.20 and $11.80 for second, while King Congie paid $8.80 for third.
Santiva went off as the solid 2-1 favorite but never threatened despite slow fractions on a cold, wet day more reminiscent of late fall than early spring. He ended up ninth, jeopardizing his chances of making the Derby field.
The Derby is limited to 20 horses, with a spot determined by graded stakes earnings if more than 20 are entered. Santiva began the day 18th on the list.
Meanwhile, Brilliant Speed locked up a spot by looking right at home in his first start on a synthetic surface. He loped lazily along before the turn for home. Rosario got his horse's attention then expertly swung him wide, allowing Brilliant Speed to chase down the leaders with massive strides.
The victory was the latest in a string of improbable results for one of the Derby's final major preps. Brilliant Speed went off at 19-1 thanks largely to an unimpressive resume that included just one victory, a triumph on the turf in a maiden allowance race at Tampa the day after Christmas.
He hit the board in each of his two previous starts this year, including a third in the Hallandale Beach Stakes at Gulfstream Park on Feb. 6.
Yet nothing seemed to indicate the kind of performance he put together Saturday. His win has earned him a trip to the Derby, sweet redemption for owner Charlotte Weber, who lost Derby contender To Honor and Serve to a leg injury last week.
Success in the Blue Grass hasn't translated to the Derby lately. Strike the Gold is the last horse to sweep both races and Street Sense is the last Blue Grass entry to come through under the twin spires.