Expert Pick of the Week: Blue Grass Stakes

Jul 10, 2020 John Mucciolo/TwinSpires.com

A baker’s dozen of 3-year-olds will contest Saturday’s $600,000 Blue Grass Stakes (G2) at Keeneland. The ultra-competitive field will also act as a major 2020 Road to the Kentucky Derby challenge series event, with points going to the top four finishers on a 100-40-20-10 structure.

John Oxley’s Enforceable comes in fresh off the short layoff for his second try over the Keeneland surface. The well-bred son of Tapit was third in the Breeders’ Futurity (G1) in October, and I think that he is poised to better that result in the Blue Grass. He is the Expert Pick of the Week.

Trained by Mark Casse, the Kentucky-bred broke his maiden at today’s 1 1/8-mile trip as a juvenile and has faced five straight graded fields since. The Lecomte (G3) victor has been consistent in 2020, checking in second in the Risen Star (G2) two prior, which preceded an even fifth-place result in the Louisiana Derby (G2) most recently. The colt was stuck behind a slow early pace on that occasion and figures to get more honest fractions to rally into on Saturday.

Enforceable is from a fine family, as he counts four-time Grade 2 star Mohaymen and 2019 La Jolla (G3) hero Kingly as full-brothers, as well as Grade 1 winner New Year’s Day as a half-brother. The gray colt is doing some of his best morning work as of late, showing a trio of bullet drills in his last five works to indicate that he is rounding up to a peak effort at Keeneland.

Joel Rosario, who is widely known as one of the best finishers in the jockey colony, will take the reins atop Enforceable for the initial time which is a big positive. The late runner lands in a cast that figures to establish a solid early tempo, and the fact that the colt showed a fine turn of foot on the surface in the past is a major plus, too.

#12 Enforceable winning the Blue Grass Stakes is the Best Bet of the Week.