Kentucky Downs bills itself as America’s most unique meet, which is 100% accurate. Even more unusual than the shape and undulation of its turf course is its megabucks purse structure.
Saturday’s 11-race card is giving away $13,170,000, topped this year in North America only by Breeders’ Cup Saturday.
English shipper Bellum Justum won last week’s $3.1 million Nashville Derby, the meeting’s richest event, for trainer Andrew Balding.
“The prize money is insane,” said Maddy O’Meara, Balding’s assistant. “That’s why we’re here, for the money, isn’t it? You wouldn’t see prize pots like that back in England, so it’s exciting.”
There are six consecutive graded stakes, each worth $2 million, on Saturday, capped by “Win and You’re In” races offering automatic spots for the Breeders’ Cup Turf (G1) and Turf Sprint (G1) in the 1½-mile Kentucky Downs Turf Cup (G2) and 6-furlong Ainsworth Turf Sprint (G2).
All-time greats Frankie Dettori and Aidan O’Brien will collaborate in the Turf Cup with Irish shipper Chief Little Rock, a regally bred 3-year-old colt. The homebred for international superpower Coolmore is the 4-1 second choice in the morning line behind 8-5 Integration, trained by Shug McGaughey.
Gear Jockey, the ultimate horse for course, will defend his title in the Ainsworth. The 7-year-old is 2-for-2 at Kentucky Downs and 3-for-23 everywhere else.
For those who like to bet on horse racing, here are some handicapping tips. Good luck.
KENTUCKY DOWNS TURF CUP STAKES (race 10, 5:55 p.m. ET)
Chief Little Rock looks like a serious threat to defeat the disappointing Integration, loser of four of his last five and an apparent underlay. They’ll chase defending champion Get Smokin, who will try to lead throughout again.
There’s no better big-race jockey than Dettori, who rode five winners on the meet’s first three cards. Many consider O’Brien the greatest trainer in history. Expect Dettori to sit behind speed types Get Smokin, Sugoi and Balladeer before surging in midstretch.
The son of super sire Galileo has been in the money six times in seven races, and you can draw a line through Chief Little Rock’s last race, a 12th-place finish, 37 lengths behind, in the King Edward VII Stakes at Royal Ascot. That day he was a rabbit for stablemate Diego Velazquez, who didn’t fire and ran 10th of 14. Chief Little Rock was sacrificed on the front end and led by four lengths before tiring a mile into the 1½-mile race. This time he’ll be well meant.
He finished only a length behind Bellum Justum in April at Epsom Downs, a hilly, left-handed English course that resembles Kentucky Downs. He then dominated a Group 3 going 1¼ miles at the Curragh.
The picks: 1 Chief Little Rock 2 Get Smokin 3 Tawny Port
AINSWORTH KENTUCKY DOWNS TURF SPRINT (Race 11, 6:31 p.m. ET)
If this race were being run anywhere but Kentucky Downs, defending champ Gear Jockey would be a throwout and 6-5 favorite Cogburn would appear unbeatable. Gear Jockey hasn’t raced since he was 11th last November in the 5-furlong Breeders’ Cup Sprint (G1), and record-setting Cogburn dominated his only two races this year.
However …
Cogburn’s only defeat in six grass races came in last year’s Ainsworth — fifth, three-quarters of a length behind Gear Jockey, who broke an eight-race losing streak. At 30-1 in his happy place, Gear Jockey is worth a small across-the-board bet, if only for old times’ sake.
Speed has been potent this year at Kentucky Downs, so Cogburn is the horse to beat, though his odds are uninviting. The main threats are One Timer (8-1), second as the 3-2 favorite last year, and Breeders’ Cup Sprint hero Nobals (6-1), both trained by Chicago-based Larry Rivelli.
The wild card is England’s Khaadem (7-2) in his U.S. debut. He comes off two 10th-place duds after leaving his favorite track, Ascot. His only wins the past two years were there in the Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Stakes. If he handles this course, he could be gaining late.
The picks: 1 Cogburn 2 One Timer 3 Khaadem