Grade 2, $800,000 Blue Grass Stakes 1 1/8 miles, Keeneland, April 3, 2021 (100 Derby qualifying points for first, 40 for second, 20 for third, 10 for fourth) Winner: Essential Quality, by Tapit Trainer: Brad Cox Jockey: Luis Saez Owner: Godolphin, LLC Beyer Speed Figure: 97 The champ still wears the crown. ESSENTIAL QUALITY, last year’s Eclipse Award-winning 2-year-old male, ran his record to a perfect 5 for 5 with this victory in his final prep before the Kentucky Derby four weeks hence. He obviously loves Keeneland, where he won the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile and the Breeders’ Futurity last fall, and now he returns to Churchill Downs, where he won his debut last year, appropriately on the belated 2020 Derby Day undercard. He’s come full circle. Among the appealing aspects of Essential Quality is he can adjust to all conditions, most notably pace. In the slow-paced Breeders’ Futurity, he was right up with the leaders. In the fast-paced Breeders’ Cup Juvenile (https://www.drf.com/news/road-2021-kentucky-derby-breeders-cup-juvenile-analysis), he lagged back and closed well. He’s won on a sloppy track, in the Southwest (https://www.drf.com/news/road-2021-kentucky-derby-southwest-stakes-analysis), so be it fast or sloppy, he’s fine. He’s won races at three different tracks. And he’s taken a step forward with his Beyer fig every time. Try and knock him all you want – and his paddling action with his left front is certainly ripe for analyzing – but the bottom line is he has won every time, at every track he’s been on, no matter the pace, no matter the track condition, with solid figs. He’s thoroughly admirable, and is a deserved main player in this year’s Derby. :: KENTUCKY DERBY 2021: Derby Watch, point standings, prep schedule, news, and more In this race, which had an obvious lack of speed, Essential Quality bobbled slightly leaving the gate when bumping with ROMBAUER, but advanced to bank into the first turn alongside HIGHLY MOTIVATED before Saez got him to sit about a length behind. He moved closer while under a snug hold early on the backstretch, raced alongside Highly Motivated around the far turn, had to shift out at midstretch when Highly Motivated came off his line, but resolutely kept to his task and wore down Highly Motivated in deep stretch. There should be more pace in the Derby, which I think will help him. I think he’s better when he can sit a bit farther back and not have to do the dirty work. Highly Motivated, who finished second, was making his two-turn debut and with the paucity of pace the lead was his if his connections desired, which they did, and why wouldn’t they? He led into the first turn with Essential Quality lapped on him, set a measured pace of 1:12.08 for the first six furlongs, then was urged along midway on the far turn when Essential Quality turned up the pressure. He staved off Essential Quality to the furlong pole, drifted out, swapped over to his wrong lead – likely from fatigue – and couldn’t hold off the winner late. The top two flew the fourth quarter-mile of the race in 23.89 seconds while separating from their rivals. This was a terrific effort, but Highly Motivated got the trip he wanted, at a distance probably more suitable to him than the Derby’s 1 1/4 miles, and couldn’t last. But when you come this close to one of the top contenders, if not the favorite, for the Derby, you’ve earned the right to go on. Rombauer, who was third, was bumped between rivals leaving the gate, then was eased back and cleverly guided to the rail to save ground around the first turn while following Highly Motivated. He stayed in that spot down the backstretch, could not stay with the top two during that quick fourth quarter-mile, then finished up well enough, clearly best of the rest while not a threat to the top two after saving every inch of ground. HIDDEN STASH, who was fourth, saved ground toward the rear of the field around the first turn while following Rombauer, was angled to the center of the track down the backstretch and had to wait in some traffic with a half-mile to go, then split horses while under an aggressive ride three furlongs out. He was tipped three paths wide into the lane, was bumped in upper stretch by KEEPMEINMIND, stayed on his wrong lead, then finished evenly. Keepmeinmind, who was fifth, broke a half-step slow, then advanced to be midpack into the first turn while in the four path before angling to the three path, inside of HUSH OF A STORM. He moved closer to be about a length behind Essential Quality entering the backside, raced alongside Rombauer on the far turn while the top two got away, drifted out in upper stretch to bump into Hidden Stash, then steadily faded. He has not progressed at all from 2 to 3. SITTIN ON GO, who was sixth, is the poster child for mismanagement and the most virulent strain of Derby fever. As we’ve chronicled time and again here, most recently following his prior start in the Tampa Bay Derby (https://www.drf.com/news/road-2021-kentucky-derby-tampa-bay-derby-analysis), he’s a one-turn, one-turn horse (2 for 2) who has been thrown into a steady series of two-turn races long after the evidence has become overwhelming that this is not what he wants to do. Yet here he was again, and with another predictable result. He eased back from between rivals into the first turn and dropped over to the two path, bothering a couple behind him, was between rivals in the two path, just outside Rombauer, down the backstretch, was outrun into the far turn and moved to the rail, and was badly outrun the rest of the way. Five straight two-turn races, five straight losses in which his best finish is sixth. I feel sorry for him. Hush of a Storm, who was seventh, came in a bit at the start to tighten up rivals to his inside, then went into the first turn just behind and outside of Essential Quality. He drifted to the four path late on that turn, allowing Keepmeinmind to slip inside him, then raced in the middle of the track down the backstretch. He was sent along three furlongs out to try and keep up, but had no response, then beat a steady retreat. He’s 3 for 3 on Tapeta, and has been badly beaten in both dirt tries. UNTREATED, who was eighth, hopped slightly at the start, then had to check into the first turn when Sittin On Go dropped over on him. He was shuffled back to last, was outrun down the backstretch to lose contact with the pack, was angled to the four path entering the lane after going past the tiring LEBLON while being ridden sympathetically, and never got involved. He has first-level allowance conditions. Leblon, who was last of nine, was pinched back between horses leaving the gate, then had to check hard on the heels of Sittin On Go into the first turn. He raced outside Untreated around the first turn while at the rear, advanced to be outside Hidden Stash for much of the backstretch run while getting carried to the middle of the track, went into the far turn in the three path, but was done three furlongs out and capitulated.