With Further Ado … here’s your Blue Grass winner!
Keeneland stakes recap (Coady Media/John Gallagher photo above of Further Ado’s Blue Grass victory)
Video with comments from Irad Ortiz, Cox, Gustavson, Prat, Gargan and Sharp
LEXINGTON, KY (April 4, 2026) – Spendthrift Farm’s Further Ado, who scored his maiden victory at Keeneland by 20 lengths last October, was the 4-5 favorite in Saturday’s $1,250,000 Toyota Blue Gass (G1) and won the race over six rivals by 11 lengths. The performance enhanced Further Ado’s credentials for the Kentucky Derby (G1) and gave trainer Brad Cox his third likely starter for the race, joining Curlin Florida Derby (G1) Presented by Hill ‘n’ Dale Farms at Xalapa winner Commandment and Jeff Ruby Steaks (G3) winner Fulleffort.
“I felt he had moved forward since Tampa (when he finished second in the Tampa Bay Derby (G3) March 7), so I expected him to run well,” Cox said after winning the Blue Grass for a second time. “I thought he got a great trip. I want to thank (the owners of) Spendthrift (Farm): Eric and Tammy (Gustavson). We kind of put a plan together with him last fall after he won here, to run him at Churchill and have two races leading up to what we hoped would get him to the (Kentucky) Derby (G1), and it worked out. It’s always nice when a plan works out because most of the time it doesn’t. He’s a good colt, full of quality, athletic, a great mover. I’m just happy to be part of the team.”
With the Toyota Blue Grass victory, Further Ado earned 100 qualifying points on the Road to the Kentucky Derby leaderboard for a total of 135 points and guaranteed a spot in the starting gate for the 152nd running of the $5 million Kentucky Derby (G1) Presented by Woodford Reserve to be run May 2 at Churchill Downs.
The top 20 point earners and invitees that pass the entry box April 25 will comprise the Derby field. Also moving into the top 20 was Ottinho, who added 50 points to raise his total to 56.
Trained by Brad Cox and ridden by Irad Ortiz Jr., Further Ado completed the 1⅛ miles on a fast track in 1:49.58. It is the second Toyota Blue Grass victory for Cox, whose initial score came with champion Essential Quality in 2021.
Asked about the 1 1/4-mile Derby’s extra one-eighth mile, Cox said: “No doubt about it. Obviously he’s able to break and put himself in a race and relax, so I think he’s got a lot of great qualities when it comes to his ability to stay forward, then relax and then push home.”
The victory capped off a hat trick for Cox and Ortiz, who each won three races on the program including a Grade 1 victory together in the Resolute Racing Madison with Eclatant.
Great White and Creole Chrome alternated on the lead through fractions of :23.60 and :47.71 with Talkin third on the inside and Further Ado tracking fourth while racing in the clear.
Approaching the far turn, Ortiz moved Further Ado closer to the leaders and at the head of the stretch swept past Creole Chrome and the one-horse procession was on.
Further Ado had opened an 8½-length advantage at the eighth pole and cruised to the finish with the fourth-largest margin of victory in the race’s history.
“I was looking forward to being forward going into the first turn, and I was able to hold the horse outside of me with a little speed, so that was great,” Ortiz said. “I was happy where I was even though I was a little wide. I was allowed to sit off and have a long hold. My horse came back to me and switched off, so that was great. After we passed the half-mile pole, I put my hands down and he kind of slowed down himself, so I woke him up a little bit and then he started going. I said, ‘All right, I don’t want to be in your way, so do your thing,’ and that was it. He was very impressive the way he does things. He’s a light mover, a really nice horse. I’m just happy to sit on these kind of horses. Thanks to (trainer) Brad Cox and the owner (Spendthrift Farm) for giving me the opportunity.”
Ottinho rallied from far back to get second.
“He had an outside draw and he didn’t have much (race) experience,” jockey Flavien Prat said of Ottinho. “We just wanted to give him a good experience. He responded very well. I do think he is going to improve race after race.”
A Keeneland sales graduate, Further Ado is a Kentucky-bred son of Gun Runner out of the Sky Mesa mare Sky Dreamer. Now a two-time graded stakes winner, Further Ado improved his record to 6-3-1-1 and boosted his earnings to $1,146,328 with Saturday’s $755,625 check.
Further Ado returned $3.70, $2.70 and $2.16. Ottinho rallied for second under Flavien Prat to return $6.76 and $4.30 with Talkin finishing 1¾ lengths back in third under Joel Rosario and paying $4.30 to show.
“He ran good — the one hole is a tough place to overcome,” trainer Danny Gargan said of Talkin. “The winner, he ran impressive. We’ll reevaluate and figure something out. Probably think more about the Preakness (G1), something like that. Hopefully he comes back good, give him plenty of time for the next one.”
It was another 1¼ lengths back to Creole Chrome in fourth with Great White, Reagan’s Honor and Moonstrocity following in order.
“What a huge blessing for our family and our team, a lot of whom were here,” said Eric Gustavson, who owns Spendthrift Farm with his wife, Tammy, the daughter of the late Spendthrift owner B. Wayne Hughes. “Thank you to Brad and to Irad and to Keeneland. We’re just so thankful. The first thing we wish is that the Derby was here at Keeneland, because obviously Further Ado’s got a fondness for this place. So we’re thankful for that, and we’re just excited that he did it and he did it the way he did it. All things being equal and God willing, we’ll go to Churchill in a month and see what happens. Obviously you’re taking all the best of the best a month from now, going up against them, but we’re among them now, and maybe we belong, it seems, where maybe there was a question mark there. But right now we just want to celebrate this one. This is pretty sweet.”
