Kentucky Downs is one of a kind. Hills, sharp turns, undulations and an uphill finish make it unique among American racetracks, as does its massive purse structure.
The all-grass layout not far from the Tennessee border opens an eagerly anticipated seven-day meeting Thursday, when $2.61 million will be distributed on an 11-race card that drew 138 entries. Among the lucrative offerings are four $170,000 maiden races and the $500,000 Tapit Stakes. The other dates are Aug. 31, Sept. 1, 5, 7, 8 and 11.
Kentucky Downs Photo.
Seven-day, all-grass meet opens Thursday with large purses, full fields
Saturday’s feature is the 1 5/16-mile, Grade 3 Nashville Derby Invitational, with a $3.1 million purse for Kentucky-breds and $1.9 million for others. On the undercard are the Grade 2, $1.5 million Ladies Turf Sprint and the Grade 3, $1.5 million Ladies Turf at a mile.
The Sept. 7 card has two “Win and You’re In” races for the Breeders’ Cup, the 6-furlong, $2 million Ainsworth Turf Sprint (Grade 2) and the 1½-mile, $2 million Kentucky Turf Cup (Grade 2).
“What’s really gratifying is how geographically diverse these stakes fields are, with horses coming from all over, including from Europe,” said Ted Nicholson, Kentucky Downs’ vice president of racing.
“They’re giving away so much money there,” said Tyler Gaffalione, who’s having his best Saratoga ever. He and fellow star Flavien Prat are leaving the nation’s most prestigious meeting to ride the 1 5/16-mile, kidney-shaped course for many of North America’s top trainers.
The source of the megabucks is the wildly popular Instant Racing, a hybrid of video gaming and pari-mutuel wagering based on a database of previously run races. Since 2011 the endless cash flow from Kentucky Downs’ 300 Historical Horse Racing terminals has transformed the rural track into a gold mine.
Horseplayers love the action at a track where deep, competitive fields produce generous payoffs. Handicapping Kentucky Downs is challenging, but when you get it right, you get rewarded.
Horses nimble enough to handle the unusual twists and turns have an edge, but you can’t identify them until they’ve run there. Sometimes the track favors inside speed; sometimes the trailers entering the long, uphill stretch finish 1-2. It’s tricky and unpredictable.
It’s also the ultimate “horse for course” track. Exhibit A is 7-year-old sprinter Gear Jockey, who has earned $1,586,651, $1,166,280 of it at Kentucky Downs. Except for two stakes victories there, he’s 3-for-23 lifetime.
“I’d have to ask him why he likes it so much,” trainer Rusty Arnold said. “I don’t know. It’s hard to say. I mean, he’s run there twice and won them both. He just gets comfortable down there.”
In 2021, Gear Jockey won a $1 million Grade 3 at Kentucky Downs before losing his next eight races. That slump ended with a $48.60 score in last year’s $1 million Ainsworth.
“He loves this course,” Arnold said. “I thought he had lost his edge.”
So did all but the sharpest handicappers.
It was glorious déjà vu for them and for jockey Jose Lezcano, who said, “He gave me the same race he gave me two years ago.”
The lesson: If a horse has shown a fondness for Kentucky Downs, don’t worry too much about its current form. Making that pari-mutuel leap of faith can boost the ego and the bottom line.