Pulpit Is Favored in the Blue Grass Stakes

Pulpit was made the 4-5 early favorite Thursday to beat six other 3-year-olds in Saturday’s Blue Grass Stakes at Keeneland.

The $700,000 race will be the colt’s first start since finishing second behind Captain Bodgit in the Florida Derby on March 15. Pulpit will run on the diuretic Lasix for the first time in the 1 1/8-mile race.

After not racing as a 2-year-old because of stress fracture and other growing pains, Pulpit won his first three starts this year. The only Kentucky Derby winner not to have raced at 2 was Apollo in 1882.

Mike Battaglia, the linemaker for both Keeneland and Churchill Downs, indicated that a victory in the Blue Grass could make Pulpit the favorite for the May 3 Kentucky Derby even if Florida Derby winner Captain Bodgit wins the Wood Memorial on Saturday at Aqueduct.

Lasix is used to control pulmonary bleeding in racehorses. As to why Pulpit will race on the drug, Del Hancock of Claiborne Farm, the colt’s owner-breeder, said trainer Frank Brothers “scoped him one time and there was something there.”

Pulpit is at Churchill Downs at Louisville, with Brothers and the rest of trainer’s stable, and the colt will make the 80-mile trip to Keeneland on Saturday morning.

Others in the field are King Crimson, ridden by Chris McCarron; Stolen Gold, Gary Stevens; Acceptable, Craig Perret; Jules, Willie Martinez; Wrightwood, Joe Bravo; and Celtic Warrior, Francisco Torres.

King Crimson, the second choice at 7-2, and Stolen Gold, co-third-choice at 6-1 with Acceptable, have shipped in from California.