Keeneland's first Saturday will be special

LEXINGTON, Ky. – New arrivals have been filing into Keeneland in recent days as momentum continues to build for the spring meet that starts Friday.

Florida Derby winner Nyquist was among the horses taking up residence in the Keeneland stable area over the weekend. The unbeaten colt will train – but not race – here for several weeks before leaving for Churchill Downs, where he is expected to be the favorite for the May 7 Kentucky Derby.

Still, there will be plenty of meaningful racing action at a 16-day meet that runs through April 29. The Grade 1, $1 million Blue Grass Stakes will anchor a sensational Saturday card that will include four other graded stakes, including a particularly exciting renewal of the Ashland Stakes.

The Blue Grass is expected to have Zulu, Brody’s Cause, and My Man Sam among the favorites in a big field, while the Grade 1, $500,000 Ashland will match the unbeaten Cathryn Sophia against Rachel’s Valentina and Carina Mia in a short lineup.

Entries for an 11-race Saturday card were to be drawn Tuesday, with the other stakes being the Grade 1 Madison, Grade 3 Commonwealth, and Grade 3 Shakertown.

The Blue Grass and its Aqueduct counterpart, the Wood Memorial, will be included in a 50-cent, intertrack pick-four wager being revived between Keeneland and the New York Racing Association. Both races will be part of a live NBC Sports Network telecast that also will feature the Santa Anita Derby.

First post daily is 1:05 p.m. Eastern, except for the first two Saturdays (April 9 and 16), when it’s 30 minutes earlier.

 The Grade 3, $100,000 Transylvania, the traditional opening-day feature at the spring meet, drew a field of nine 3-year-olds for its 28th running Friday.

From the hedge, this is the field for the 1 1/16-mile turf race: Inspector Lynley, Shakhimat, Prime Time Man, Urban Bourbon, J R’s Holiday, Sorryaboutnothing, Converge, Catapult, and One Mean Man.

The 10-race card starts with the first 2-year-old race of the year in Kentucky, and as usual, trainer Wesley Ward is well represented with the uncoupled pair of Arcelor and Big City Dreamin.

 Trainer John Servis brought just two horses with him from Florida, and both are expected to run Saturday: Cathryn Sophia in the Ashland and Bai Bai Baby in a first-level allowance on turf.

Servis recalled being here 12 years ago with the unbeaten Smarty Jones, who would go on to win the Kentucky Derby and Preakness.

“He didn’t like this track at all, although it was the dirt before they put in the Polytrack,” Servis said early Monday. “We got out of here and worked him the Saturday before the Derby down at Churchill. It all turned out pretty well.”

 The strong winds that rocked Turfway Park in northern Kentucky on Saturday weren’t enough to cause a cancellation or delay to the big Spiral Stakes program, but about 1,000 partygoers in the VIP tent had to be evacuated midway through the card.

Turfway did not offer refunds on the $175 admission, but most customers already had been served food, and they were allowed an open bar at other stations in the plant.

 It’s spring in Kentucky, but somebody needs to tell the weatherman. Overnight temperatures for opening weekend are supposed to dip below the freezing mark, and the daytime highs won’t even reach 50 on Friday and Saturday.