Good Magic gets back on track with Blue Grass win

LEXINGTON, Ky. – Good Magic returned to the form that made him a champion when edging away Saturday to a 1 1/2-length victory as the favorite in the 94th running of the Grade 2, $1 million Blue Grass Stakes at Keeneland.

Ridden by Jose Ortiz, Good Magic now will head to the Kentucky Derby as one of the favorites after rebounding from a third-place finish in the March 3 Fountain of Youth in his only prior start as a 3-year-old. His victory in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile last November earned the colt the Eclipse Award for top 2-year-old of 2017.

“I loved the way he did it today,” said Chad Brown, who trains Good Magic for the partnership of eFive Racing Thoroughbreds and Stonestreet Stables.

Showing his handiness when fifth of 14 3-year-olds through the opening stages, Good Magic began moving up approaching the half-mile pole, finally drawing even with front-running Flameaway as they neared the quarter pole. Down the stretch, with Ortiz keeping him to a steady drive, Good Magic gradually increased his advantage as Flameaway persisted to hold second.

:: ROAD TO THE KENTUCKY DERBY: Prep races, point standings, replays

Sporting Chance finished third, another 1 3/4 lengths back, but the D. Wayne Lukas-trained colt was disqualified to fourth for swerving out sharply with about 100 yards to go, impeding Free Drop Billy, who was elevated from fourth to third on the stewards’ decision.

Good Magic, a Curlin colt bred by Stonestreet, returned $5.20 after finishing in 1:50.18 over a fast track. He now has won 2 of 5 starts, with his BC victory having come as a maiden. He earned 100 qualifying points toward the Derby, with the respective 2-3-4 finishers getting 40, 20, and 10 points.

Under a late-developing sun on a day when early snow and unseasonable cold limited the ontrack crowd to just 14,629, Flameaway was sent to the early lead by Jose Lezcano with Arawak hounding him to the outside. They sped a few lengths clear down the backside, with Sporting Chance and Kanthaka following closest and Good Magic in a good spot behind them.

“It was perfect,” said Ortiz. “I was pretty confident on him. I was hoping he would put me in good position and he did.”

Brown said Good Magic will remain stabled among his 25-horse string at Keeneland for the foreseeable future before moving over to Churchill Downs, where the 144th Derby will be run May 5.

“We’ll go over to Churchill, we’ll figure out when,” said Brown. “We’ll give him at least one work over the track there. We’ll maybe get his first work out of the way back here. Hopefully he’ll be able to handle the mile and a quarter.”

Brown said Good Magic “probably was a little short, in hindsight,” for the Fountain of Youth at Gulfstream Park. “He was a stronger, fitter horse for this. I thought it was an outstanding performance. This win means a lot. I’m so grateful to win this race.”

Flameaway, the 5-1 second choice in the Blue Grass, continued to show his hallmark of consistency and also will proceed to the Derby, said trainer Mark Casse. Trainer Dale Romans also said he most likely will run Free Drop Billy, assuming the colt makes the 20-horse cutoff governed by the qualifying points.

After the top four, the full order for the Blue Grass was Blended Citizen, Kanthaka, Tiz Mischief, Marconi, Zing Zang, California Night, Gotta Go, Machismo, Determinant, and Arawak.

The $2 exacta (11-12) paid $25.40, the $1 trifecta (11-12-10) returned $47, and the 10-cent superfecta (11-12-10-2) was worth $26.76.

The Blue Grass was the fifth and last stakes on the richest card of a 16-day spring meet that began Friday. It ended an all-stakes pick five (races 6-10) that paid $5,849.10 for 50 cents and a pick four (races 7-10) worth $148.30 for 50 cents.

The all-time Keeneland record crowd of 40,617 was set on Blue Grass Day 2012.