Blue Grass Stakes
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The Blue Grass Stakes, currently sponsored by the Toyota Motor Corporation, is an American Grade 1 horse race for 3-year-old Thoroughbreds held annually in mid April.
It was named for the Bluegrass region of Kentucky, characterized by grass having bluish-green culms, which is known as the "heart" of the thoroughbred racing industry.
First run at the Kentucky Association track in Lexington in 1911, the Blue Grass has, from its inception, served as an important prep for the Kentucky Derby. At the Association track, the Blue Grass was staged from 1911 through 1914 and from 1919 through 1926. The race was revived at Keeneland in the spring of 1937. In 1943-1944, the Blue Grass was renewed as a part of the Keeneland-at-Churchill Downs meeting. In 1945, the Blue Grass was run as part of the Churchill Downs meeting. Today it is part of the Keeneland program.
The race is run at a distance of one and one-eighth miles for a purse of $750,000.
[edit] Winners of the Blue Grass Stakes
| Year | Winner | Jockey | Trainer |
| 2006 | Sinister Minister | Garrett Gomez | Bob Baffert |
| 2005 | Bandini | John Velazquez | Todd Pletcher |
| 2004 | The Cliff's Edge | Shane Sellers | Nick Zito |
| 2003 | Peace Rules | Edgar Prado | Robert J. Frankel |
| 2002 | Harlan's Holiday | Edgar Prado | Ken McPeek |
| 2001 | Millennium Wind | Laffit Pincay, Jr. | David Hofmans |
| 2000 | High Yield | Pat Day | D. Wayne Lukas |
| 1999 | Menifee | Pat Day | Elliott Walden |
| 1998 | Halory Hunter | Gary Stevens | Nick Zito |
| 1997 | Pulpit | Shane Sellers | Frank Brothers |
| 1996 | Skip Away | Shane Sellers | Sonny Hine |
| 1995 | Wild Syn | Randy Romero | Thomas K. Arnemann |
| 1994 | Holy Bull | Mike E. Smith | Warren Croll |
| 1993 | Prairie Bayou | Mike E. Smith | Tom Bohannan |
| 1992 | Pistols and Roses | Jacinto Vasquez | George Gianos |
| 1991 | Strike the Gold | Chris Antley | Nick Zito |
| 1990 | Summer Squall | Pat Day | Neil Howard |
| 1989 | Western Playboy | Randy Romero | Harvey Vanier |
| 1988 | Granacus | Jacinto Vasquez | Pat Collins |
| 1987 | War | Herb McCauley | D. Wayne Lukas |
| 1986 | Bachelor Beau | Larry Melancon | Philip Hauswald |
| 1985 | Chief's Crown | Don MacBeth | Roger Laurin |
| 1984 | Taylor's Special | Pat Day | Bill Mott |
| 1983 | Play Fellow | Jean Cruguet | Harvey Vanier |
| 1982 | Linkage | Willie Shoemaker | Henry S. Clark |
| 1981 | Proud Appeal | Jeff Fell | Stanley Hough |
| 1980 | Rockhill Native | John Oldham | Herbert K. Stevens |
| 1979 | Spectacular Bid | Ronnie Franklin | Bud Delp |
| 1978 | Alydar | Jorge Velasquez | John Veitch |
| 1977 | For the Moment | Angel Cordero, Jr. | LeRoy Jolley |
| 1976 | Honest Pleasure | Braulio Baeza | LeRoy Jolley |
| 1975 | Master Derby | Darrel McHargue | William E. "Smiley" Adams |
| 1974 | Judger | Laffit Pincay, Jr. | Woody Stephens |
| 1973 | My Gallant | Angel Cordero, Jr. | Lou Goldfine |
| 1972 | Riva Ridge | Ron Turcotte | Lucien Laurin |
| 1971 | Impetuosity | Eric Guerin | George Poole |
| 1970 | Dust Commander | Mike Manganello | Don Combs |
| 1969 | Arts and Letters | Willie Shoemaker | Elliott Burch |
| 1968 | Forward Pass | Ismael Valenzuela | Henry Forrest |
| 1967 | Diplomat Way | Johnny Sellers | John O. Meaux |
| 1966 | Abe's Hope | Willie Shoemaker | David M. Carroll |
| 1965 | Lucky Debonair | Willie Shoemaker | Frank Catrone |
| 1964 | Northern Dancer | Bill Hartack | Horatio Luro |
| 1963 | Chateaugay | Braulio Baeza | James P. Conway |
| 1962 | Ridan | Manuel Ycaza | LeRoy Jolley |
| 1961 | Sherluck | Braulio Baeza | Harold Young |
| 1960 | Tompion | Willie Shoemaker | Robert Wheeler |
| 1959 | Tomy Lee | Willie Shoemaker | Frank Childs |
| 1958 | Plion | David Erb | Tom Jolley |
| 1957 | Round Table | Ralph Neves | Willie Molter |
| 1956 | Toby B. | Bobby Baird | R. E. Wingfield |
| 1955 | Racing Fool | Henry Moreno | Loyd Gentry, Jr. |
| 1954 | Goyamo | Eddie Arcaro | Woody Stephens |
| 1953 | Correspondent | Eddie Arcaro | Wally Dunn |
| 1952 | Gushing Oil | Steve Brooks | J. "Whitey" Jansen |
| 1951 | Mameluke | Raymond Adair | Sylvester Veitch |
| 1951 | Ruhe | Job Dean Jessop | Robert McGarvey |
| 1950 | Mr. Trouble | Douglas Dodson | Sylvester Veitch |
| 1949 | Halt | Conn McCreary | Woody Stephens |
| 1948 | Coaltown | Newbold L. Pierson | Ben A. Jones |
| 1947 | Faultless | Douglas Dodson | Ben A. Jones |
| 1946 | Lord Boswell | Eddie Arcaro | James W. Smith |
| 1945 | Darby Dieppe | Melvin Calvert | Charles Gentry |
| 1944 | Skytracer | Mike Cafferella | E. W. Steiger |
| 1943 | Ocean Wave | Wendell Eads | Ben A. Jones |
| 1942 | Shut Out | Eddie Arcaro | John M. Gaver |
| 1941 | Out Boots | Conn McCreary | Steve Judge |
| 1940 | Bimelech | Fred A. Smith | William Hurley |
| 1939 | Heather Broom | Basil James | Earl Sande |
| 1938 | Bull Lea | Irving Anderson | Frank J. Kearns |
| 1937 | Fencing | Jack Westrope | Earl Sande |
Note:
- 1951 – The race was made up of two heats. Sonic won the second heat but was disqualified and placed fourth .
