Bet the 2021 Blue Grass Stakes - Payout Odds to Win

• The Blue Grass Stakes at Keeneland features an $800,000 purse

• Essential Quality is the odds-on favorite to win at 3-5

• Highly Motivated comes in with the second shortest odds of 3-1

The $800,000 Blue Grass Stakes at Keeneland features a field of nine horses.  These are your favorites:

Essential Quality: 3-5

Highly Motivated: 3-1

Keepmeinmind: 8-1

Essential Quality captured the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile at Keeneland late last year. He is undefeated in his last four starts.

The race is run at ​1 1⁄8 miles on the dirt and has been a Grade II race since 2017.

Most recently he won the Grade 3 Southwest on Feb. 27 at Oaklawn Park by a whopping 4 1/2 lengths on a sloppy track.

“I just think it speaks volumes to actually how good he is and how much talent he has,” said trainer Brad Cox. “We’re in a good spot with him. He’s just a very good horse.”

Highly Motivated finished 3rd at the Gotham March 6th.

From Horse Racing Nation:

Highly Motivated did not run a bad race by any means when finishing third in the Gotham (G3) to kick off 2021. The son of Into Mischief broke a bit slowly and steadied in traffic early on, forcing him to settle in sixth place behind a modest pace. Despite these obstacles, Highly Motivated never gave up and came rallying late to finish third by just 1 3/4 lengths.

I expected Highly Motivated to take a big step forward in Saturday’s 11th race at Keeneland, the $800,000 Blue Grass Stakes (G2, post time 6:35 p.m. EDT). He is quick enough to secure an uncontested lead in this paceless race, and trainer Chad Brown wins at a 48-percent rate with horses running long for the second time. Can Highly Motivated upset heavy favorite Essential Quality? I don’t think it is out of the question.

gg