The Kentucky Thoroughbred racing circuit will take a short two-week detour to Kentucky Downs on the finish of August and starting of September, so don’t blink, as a result of for those who do you would possibly miss a few of the richest racing in all of North America.
Excessive-stakes turf racing is returning to Kentucky Downs for a meet lasting seven days on the racecourse positioned inside shouting distance of the Kentucky-Tennessee border not removed from Nashville. The 2024 Kentucky Downs meet will encompass seven dates – Aug. 29 and 31, and Sept. 1, 5, 7, 8, and 11. Anticipate large fields for all the seven days. Kentucky Downs leads the nation in common area measurement based mostly on its 2023 meet with 10.2 starters per route and 10.7 starters in sprints.
Kentucky Downs is house to a 1 5/16-mile turf course that includes a non-oval form and undulations up and down hills with refined elevation adjustments all through the course and a sweeping flip main right into a quarter-mile stretch run, making Kentucky Downs a singular course in North America.
In the event you’re touring within the area, admission to Kentucky Downs is free for the tailgating space and one other part close to the highest of the stretch. Ticketed areas are positioned in midstretch and all the way in which to the end line and the adjoining paddock. Click on right here for extra data.
Kentucky Downs Jockeys and Trainers
Prime nationwide jockeys and trainers shall be regulars on the Kentucky Downs meet. Based mostly on current historical past together with the 2023 meet, the highest jockeys ought to embrace Tyler Gaffalione (12 wins in 2023), Joel Rosario (seven wins), Florent Geroux (six wins), Jose Ortiz (5 wins), and Irad Ortiz Jr. (4 wins). Among the aforementioned riders will develop into greater components throughout Kentucky Downs’ second week of motion after Saratoga closes. Different jockeys to observe for who did nicely in 2023 have been Declan Cannon (4 wins), Cristian Torres (5 wins), and Luis Saez.
The highest jockeys shall be vying for mounts from the highest trainers on the meet, that are anticipated to be led by Mike Maker, who has received extra Kentucky Downs coaching titles than anybody else and whose barn is coming off a standout efficiency on the Saratoga meet. The main Kentucky Downs coach in 2023, nevertheless, was Brendan Walsh, who received eight races from 28 starters for a 29% fee. Maker was tied for second in 2023 with 5 wins together with Saffie Joseph Jr., whereas Jonathan Thomas additionally had a superb meet with 4 winners.
Turf trainers like Graham Movement, Mark Casse, Shug McGaughey, Invoice Mott, and Wesley Ward additionally shall be readily available with a number of dwell contenders. Others exhibiting up ceaselessly within the entries will embrace Brian Lynch, Joe Sharp, Rusty Arnold, Vicki Oliver, Eddie Kenneally, Christophe Clement, and Phil D’Amato. Chad Brown and Todd Pletcher will win some races however are inclined to focus extra on Saratoga. Brad Cox, ever an element on the Kentucky circuit, largely gears up for Churchill Downs at the moment of 12 months. Steve Asmussen can have some starters however usually doesn’t practice lots of turf winners at this stage.
Gigantic Purses and Plentiful Stakes Races
Why do all these horses and horsemen present as much as Kentucky Downs? Nicely, it’s the purses after all. Boosted by income from its hooked up on line casino, Kentucky Downs leads the nation with common day by day purses over $5 million, based mostly on complete purses of the meet of $37 million (together with $15 million in Kentucky-bred funds).
A giant portion of the day by day purses at Kentucky Downs is distributed through the in depth program of 18 stakes races together with 9 graded stakes. Six races on the quick meet will supply purses of $2 million or extra, together with the brand new Grade 3 DK Horse Nashville Derby Invitational (previously the Dueling Grounds Derby), which can supply a base purse of $1.9 million that might attain as excessive as $3.1 million together with Kentucky-bred cash.
The meet will host a pair of Breeders’ Cup Problem Collection races that supply their winners automated expense-paid berths into numerous Breeders’ Cup races. The Kentucky Downs “Win and You’re In” races on the 2024 meet would be the Grade 2 Kentucky Downs Turf Cup Stakes (Longines Breeders’ Cup Turf) on Sept. 7, and the Grade 2 Ainsworth Turf Dash Stakes (Breeders’ Cup Turf Dash), each held on Sept. 7. That day at Kentucky Downs has been dubbed the FanDuel TV U.S. Open Turf Championship day, and it’ll be comprised of a 12-race card with purses reaching as a lot as $13 million, which might make it North America’s second richest race day of the 12 months behind solely Breeders’ Cup Saturday.
The in a single day purse construction can be very excessive in any respect ranges. Kentucky-bred maiden particular weight races will run for $170,000 purses, and Kentucky-bred allowance races shall be value $220,000.
Giant Fields Equal Giant Payoffs
With big purse cash being provided at such a brief meet, it’s no marvel Kentucky Downs attracts the very best common area sizes, which can be a profit for horseplayers. With giant area sizes, you’ll be able to normally additionally anticipate giant mutuel payoffs as a result of the 2 virtually all the time go hand-in-hand at Kentucky Downs.
The nationwide common of successful favorites all the time hovers round 30-33%, however at Kentucky Downs it’s only 26% based mostly on final 12 months. This isn’t to say the Kentucky Downs races are unimaginable to handicap, nevertheless, as a result of roughly 65-70% of Kentucky Downs races are received by one of many first 4 favorites. Which means astute horseplayers can take pleasure in a stable successful edge handicapping Kentucky Downs.
Horses from In every single place Fill the Races at KD
The highest turf horses come to race at Kentucky Downs from all factors, together with Europe. The place do a lot of the Kentucky Downs winners invade from? It must be no shock to handicappers that essentially the most Kentucky Downs winners final raced at Saratoga. The subsequent finest place to search for next-out Kentucky Downs winners is with horses that final raced Ellis Park, adopted by Kentucky horses with longer layoffs that have been final seen at Churchill Downs and even Keeneland. Different tracks which have been recognized to supply next-out Kentucky Downs winners embrace Horseshoe Indianapolis, Delaware Park, and Del Mar. The horses arriving from Europe/England are focusing on KD increasingly every year and are troublesome to disregard. The one factor that Kentucky Downs has by no means actually been a haven for is successful first-time starters, that are comparatively uncommon on the meet.
The Kentucky Downs season is right here. Don’t miss it!
