The Toyota Blue Grass Stakes was the latest race that bestowed points on horses seeking to qualify for the 2020 Kentucky Derby, which of course is being held in September this year because of the COVID-19 pandemic. We’ve updated the Kentucky Derby leaderboard for you and made some observations on the most recent action. *Remember you can take all your action cravings to JAZZ Sports’ Racebook; they’ve got daily racing odds and betting pools on all Triple Crown races!
Kentucky Derby Update: Who’s In and Who’s Out?
Leaderboard (TOP 15 – After Toyota Blue Grass Stakes) – horses with 10+ points as of July 14
Position Horse Points
1 Tiz the Law 272
2 Honor A.P. 120
3 Authentic 100
4 Art Collector 100
5 King Guillermo 90
6 Ete Indien 74
7 Modernist 70
8 Ny Traffic 70
9 Dr Post 60
10 Basin 50
11 Mischievious Alex 50
12 Enforceable 43
13 Shivaree 40
14 Max Player 40
15 Swiss Skydiver 40
Art Collector picked up 100 points by winning the Blue Grass Stakes and is now one of 11 horses with at least 50 points toward Kentucky Derby qualification. The top 20 horses are eligible. There have been four Prep Races in the last two weeks, but except for Art Collector’s huge jump up the standings, there have not been many seismic alterations.
Enforceable took fourth place at the Blue Grass Stakes and now has 43 points. In five of the six Prep Races that he has started, he has five top-four finishes and won the Lecomte (Grade III) in January. So currently Enforceable appears to be right on the bubble and would likely benefit from one more Prep Race to stack up some more points.
Swiss Skydiver is an interesting case, as the filly grabbed 40 points by finishing second in the Blue Grass Stakes. She is leading in points for qualifying for the Kentucky Oaks, and it looks like that is where trainer Ken McPeek wants to put her. If she had won the Blue Grass Stakes, things might be different, but when she got passed down the stretch after giving it all, it looks like the Oaks will be her destination.
Uncle Chuck is still a horse to look at, as he won the Los Alamitos Derby (Grade III) last week. He did get 20 points from that win (there were only four entrants), so he will need more points to get off the bubble. He’s one of Bob Baffert’s horses, as is Thousand Words, who got eight points for finishing as the runner-up at Los Alamitos. He still has work to do, but it would not be surprising to see both of these Baffert horses at Churchill Downs.
Major Fed came in second at the Indiana Derby and now has 38 points. Expect to see him line up for another Prep Race, if not two, in order to get into that field as well.
Keep a head’s distance to other bettors with JAZZ Horse Racing’s top betting advice. See you next time!
