In what’s shaping up to be a hard-fought $1.2 million Blue Grass Stakes, Todd Pletcher has the top favorite in the strong contender River Thames, with no less a rider than Irad Ortiz in the irons. They drew the rail, which may or may not be a good thing, but for having drawn the rail, this race’s 7-horse field is a more forgiving starting environment than the 21-horse rugby scrum that some of these athletes will find themselves in as they break from the Churchill gate a month from now.
The closely watched River Thames is the real deal, but he’s going to have some work on Saturday afternoon to live up to his 5-2 morning line and hit the wire first. Before we parse exactly what sort of work that will require, here’s the field and today’s newly-bestowed odds.
Post Position, Horse, jockey, trainer, morning line odds
1. River Thames, Irad Ortiz Jr., Todd Pletcher, 5-2
2. Render Judgment, Sheldon Russell, Kenny McPeek, 20-1
3. Burnham Square, Brian Hernandez Jr., Ian Wilkes, 4-1
4. Owen Almighty, Jose Ortiz, Brian Lynch, 3-1
5. East Avenue, Luan Machado, Brendan Walsh, 3-1
6. Chancer McPatrick, Flavien Prat, Chad Brown, 7-2
7. Admiral Dennis, Luis Saez, Brad Cox, 20-1
(Source: Keeneland, 4/1/25)