Blue Grass: Tapit Trice outlasts Verifying, survives foul claim

Lexington, Ky.

A stretch duel and a postrace objection Saturday could not slow Todd Pletcher’s dominant march toward Kentucky Derby 2023.

Pletcher’s latest major Derby prep winner is Tapit Trice. The Tapit colt fought his way past a game Verifying down the Keeneland stretch, scoring in the Grade 1, $1 million Blue Grass Stakes and solidifying his spot in the Churchill Downs starting gates May 6.

Tapit Trice’s victory followed those of stablemate Kingsbarns on March 25 in the Louisiana Derby (G2) and Forte last Saturday in the Florida Derby (G1). The son of Tapit has now won four consecutive races, including the Tampa Bay Derby (G3) on March 11.

“We’re blessed,” Pletcher said. “We’ve had a good spring and now we’ve got to hope we have another good four weeks.

“... The distances, as they stretch out, we always felt like would make him better. I think (the 1 1/4 miles of the Kentucky Derby) is right in his wheelhouse.”

Under jockey Luis Saez, Tapit Trice broke Saturday from the inside post in a field of 11 as the 8-5 favorite. Clear the Air, the longest shot in the field at 86-1 odds, took the field through fractions of 23.32 seconds, 48.04 seconds and 1:12.57 through the first six furlongs with Verifying a close second.

Tapit Trice sat in seventh place through the first quarter-mile but, while running five-wide, moved up to fourth down the backstretch and third by the far turn. As Clear the Air gave way, Tapit Trice pulled alongside Verifying and set the stage for a showdown into the stretch.

Well ahead of the rest of the field, Tapit Trice and Verifying battled step-for-step to the 16th pole. At that point, Tapit Trice put a head in front and went on to score by a neck.

“First of all, we had a tough (post) position, especially with him, because he takes a little while to get going,” Saez said. “In the first turn we had an opportunity to put him in the clear. I made a little move early, because the pace was pretty slow, so I could get behind the horse we were supposed to beat.

“I know we have to beat everybody, but that was the horse (Verifying) to follow, so we were right there, and when he made his move, we were right on top of him.”

Tapit Trice covered 1 1/8 miles in 1:50 and returned $5.28 on a $2 bet.

As the crowd of Tapit Trice’s connections poured toward the turf course winner’s circle, the objection sign popped up on the Keeneland board. Verifying jockey Tyler Gaffalione lodged the foul call based on stretch contact.

“When (Tapit Trice) was a neck in front of my horse, (Saez’s) horse got a little green and bumped into mine,” Gaffalione said. “I was just taking a shot. This kind of race, you want to get every advantage you can.

“Hat’s off to the winner. They both ran huge races down the lane, finished up really well. Nothing to hang our head about.”

When asked about the objection, Saez said he felt like he “was riding Tapit Trice perfectly.”

“We came and passed the other horse clear and then when I was in front, I felt like somebody hit my horse from behind,” Saez said. “I feel like the other guy tried to look for a chance and look for a foul. That’s what I feel. I didn’t feel like we would come down. I kept the horse straight and he won the race.”

Tapit Trice sports a 5: 4-0-1 record and $883,650 heading into the $3 million Kentucky Derby. Owner Mandy Pope of Whisper Hill Farm purchased the colt in 2021 for $1.3 million from breeder Gainesway, which has retained a co-ownership interest.

Pope’s two prior Kentucky Derby starters were 2013 fifth-place finisher Mylute and Charge It, 17th-place runner last May.

“It’s unbelievable for me,” Pope said. "It’s dreams come true and a lot of hard work from a lot of people. … We’ll have one of the favorites.”

Tapit Trice owns 150 Kentucky Derby qualifying points, including 100 that he earned with his Blue Grass win. He ranks fourth on that leaderboard behind Forte (190 points), Practical Move (160) and Angel of Empire (154).

Verifying earned 40 Derby points with his runner-up finish Saturday. That gives him 54 when across his Derby trail efforts.

When trainer Brad Cox spoke to reporters, he was unsure if those 54 points would be enough to make the Kentucky Derby field. The updated points list Churchill Downs released following the Santa Anita Derby (G1) and Wood Memorial (G2) showed the Coolmore-owned colt at 13th with a spot clinched for the starting gates.

Prior to the Blue Grass, Verifying was fourth Feb. 25 at Oaklawn in the Rebel Stakes (G2). He has not won in four stakes races but came close Saturday.

“He ran the race I expected him to run, only I expected him to win,” a smiling Cox said. “But he ran very, very hard. I was very proud of him.”

Third-place finisher Blazing Sevens sits at 17th on the Kentucky Derby leaderboard with 46 points and is on the bubble to make the field.

The only remaining Derby prep event, next Saturday’s Lexington Stakes (G3) at 1 1/16 miles over this Keeneland oval, pays points on a 20-8-6-4-2 scale. Trainer Chad Brown will have to wait another week to see if any Lexington runners bump Blazing Sevens from the field.

An on-the-board effort for Blazing Sevens, last year’s Champagne Stakes (G1) winner, was an improved performance after an eighth-place finish March 4 at Gulfstream Park in the Fountain of Youth Stakes (G2). He was six lengths back of winner Tapit Trice, though, and 5 3/4 behind Verifying.

Fourth-place Blue Grass runner Sun Thunder is 14th on the leaderboard with 54 points and has a Kentucky Derby starting spot waiting for him. A runner-up finish in the Risen Star Stakes (G2) highlighted the Kenny McPeek trainee’s earlier Derby trail showings.

The Blue Grass Stakes has produced 23 Kentucky Derby victors but no horse has swept both events since Strike the Gold in 1991. Street Sense, runner-up in the 2007 Blue Grass, is the most recent runner from this prep to score in the Derby.