River Thames, sold by Legacy Bloodstock at the 2023 Fasig-Tipton New York Bred Yearling Sale, finished third in the $1,250,000 Blue Grass S. (G1) on April 8 to secure enough points for a spot in the starting gate for the 151st Kentucky Derby.

After a ‘TDN Rising Star’ debut on January 11 and an equally impressive Allowance victory on February 1|, River Thames entered the Blue Grass off a close second in the Fountain of Youth (G2) on March 1.

“It was the first time at a mile and an eighth. It seemed like he stuck it out pretty well, and he’s come a long way in a short period of time. It was a good effort,” Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher told Thoroughbred Daily News after the Blue Grass.

River Thames makes it two years in a row that a Legacy Bloodstock yearling grad has qualified for the Kentucky Derby and he continues the stellar run by Legacy grads on the Triple Crown trail in recent seasons. In 2024, Keeneland September grad No More Time made the Derby Top 20 points list with a victory in the Sam F. Davis S. (G3) and a near miss in the Tampa Bay Derby (G3).

Three previous Legacy grads have taken their owners on the ride of a lifetime at Churchill Downs on the first Saturday in May, including Girvin who scored in a pair of Grade 2 Derby preps and went on the win the Haskell S. (G1) at Monmouth Park.