Big Blue Kitten among three champions to run Saturday

It is not out of the ordinary for an Eclipse Award-winning horse or two to run on Kentucky Derby Day. But Saturday, three are expected, all in different races – with Nyquist going in the Kentucky Derby, Tepin in the Churchill Downs Distaff Turf Mile, and Big Blue Kitten in the Woodford Reserve Turf Classic.

Nyquist and Tepin will be clear-cut favorites to win their races, though perhaps not Big Blue Kitten. The champion turf horse of 2015, he is likely to face a deep, talented group in his first start of 2016.

Foes for Big Blue Kitten in the Grade 1, $500,000 Woodford Reserve, at 1 1/8 miles on the Churchill grass, potentially include Bolo, Chocolate Ride, Danish Dynaformer, Divisidero, Finnegans Wake, Grand Arch, Grand Tito, Reporting Star, Roman Approval, Slumber, Tourist, and World Approval.

“He’s trained well enough to win off the layoff,” said Chad Brown, the trainer of Big Blue Kitten. “The distance is a touch short for him, but he’s won at a mile and an eighth before.”

Last year, Big Blue Kitten won at 1 1/8 miles in the Grade 3 Fort Marcy Stakes at Belmont Park on Derby Day. Big Blue Kitten also won the Grade 1 United Nations and Grade 1 Joe Hirsch Turf Classic last year.

Brown also will kick off Slumber’s 2016 campaign in the Woodford Reserve.

Slumber upset Big Blue Kitten in the Grade 1 Manhattan on Belmont Day going 1 1/4 miles. Both horses last raced Oct. 31 in the Breeders’ Cup Turf, with Big Blue Kitten finishing third and Slumber fourth.

On Monday, Divisidero breezed a half-mile in 51 seconds around the dogs on a yielding Churchill course.

The Saturday card will be drawn Wednesday.