High Yield Gets Lukas to Kentucky Again

In a long stretch drive, High Yield lost the lead for a stride or two, then regained it to beat More Than Ready by a head in the $750,000 Blue Grass Stakes at Keeneland.

“That was a very heroic effort,” said Pat Day, who rode the winner. “My horse took control going into the turn and I was able to secure room inside.”

Todd Pletcher, who trains More Than Ready, thought the difference was that High Yield had the inside lane, where most of the winners ran in the last two days at Keeneland.

“If we could have switched . . . positions with High Yield, we would have won,” Pletcher said.

High Yield will give trainer Wayne Lukas a Kentucky Derby starter for the 20th consecutive year. Lukas has won the Derby four times, including last year with Charismatic.

“We’re going to go [to the Derby] with great optimism,” Lukas said. “But it’s a tough year. There are so many good 3-year-olds out there. I’m impressed with the whole crop.”

High Yield, second in the Florida Derby when Hal’s Hope beat him by a head in a stretch duel, paid $5.80, running 1 1/8 miles in 1:48 3/5 on a fast track. More Than Ready finished three lengths ahead of Wheelaway, and then came Deputy Warlock, Bare Outline, Settlement, Mighty and Hal’s Hope.

In other Kentucky Derby preps, Graeme Hall, an 18-1 shot, won the $500,000 Arkansas Derby by 3 3/4 lengths at Oaklawn Park and Bet On Red, who wasn’t nominated to the Triple Crown races, was the late-running winner of the $250,000 California Derby at Golden Gate Fields.

Graeme Hall, winner of only two of seven starts, had never won a stake before Saturday. Under Robby Albarado, he led all the way, running 1 1/8 miles in 1:49. Snuck In, the 2-1 favorite, finished second, a head in front of Impeachment, and Elite Mercedes was fourth.

Bet On Red paid $10.80 after running 1 1/8 miles in 1:48. Jekyll And Hyde was second and favored David Copperfield ran third.