Welcome to the land of crazy purse money … also known as Kentucky Downs. The track, located about 45 minutes north of Nashville, runs a 7-day meet of turf races every year with the lure of outrageously lucrative purses. A case in point: the $3 million Nashville Derby Invitational (G2) on Saturday for 3-year-olds going 1 5/16 miles around the oddly shaped course.
The $3 million purse makes it one of the richest in North America. There is a caveat: the full $3 million is only available to horses bred in Kentucky, which covers eight of the 12 entrants. The other four runners contest $1.75 million—not exactly chump change.
With a huge purse on the line for a long-distance grass race, the four European-based runners figure to dominate the proceedings. They’ve come a long way and don’t plan on going home empty-handed.
Glacius (4-1) looks to have the upper hand. Trained in England by Hugo Palmer, Glacius shipped to Saratoga last month to post a front-running victory in the Saratoga Derby (G1). He has the advantage of being fully acclimated to U.S. racing.
Ireland’s champion trainer Aidan O’Brien, who rarely skips a big-money grass event on these shores, sends out Causeway as the 5-2 morning line favorite. After winning the King Edward VII (G2) at Royal Ascot, Causeway was a disappointing seventh in the Grand Prix de Paris (G1) over soft ground at Longchamp while solidly backed at 3-1 odds. Perhaps the footing was not to his liking. He’ll undoubtedly find firmer footing in this spot for his rebound bid.
Gostam (6-1) is Germany’s hope here. He ran poorly most recently in the German Derby (G1), finishing 10th.
Nil Bua Gan Dua (10-1) won a minor stake last time out in Ireland for Joseph O’Brien, the son of Aidan.
Who is the best U.S. hope? Perhaps it is Fancy Sailor (8-1), the recent winner of the Water Tower Stakes at Ellis Park. The rest appear hard-pressed to keep pace with the Europeans.
Post time is 5:36 p.m. ET for the Nashville Derby.
| # | Horse | Jockey | Trainer | Odds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Royal Causeway (KY) | C A Torres | D Stewart | 20/1 |
| 2 | Royal Guard (KY) | F Geroux | B H Cox | 8/1 |
| 3 | Glacius (GB) | L Saez | H Palmer | 4/1 |
| 4 | Caroline St Beat (NY) | T Gaffalione | M Clement | 20/1 |
| 5 | Versailles Road (KY) | J R Velazquez | T A Pletcher | 12/1 |
| 6 | Causeway (IRE) | R L Moore | A P O'Brien | 5/2 |
| 7 | Fuzzbuster (KY) | M Gutierrez | V H Oliver | 20/1 |
| 8 | Fancy Sailor (KY) | B J Hernandez, Jr. | B A Lynch | 8/1 |
| 9 | Gostam (GER) | A Fresu | A Wohler | 6/1 |
| 10 | Go Grey (KY) | J L Ortiz | M J Maker | 20/1 |
| 11 | Nil Bua Gan Dua (KY) | B Curtis | J P O'Brien | 10/1 |
| 12 | Blackmail (KY) | J Castellano | M E Casse | 15/1 |
Last Updated on 09/02/2026
The writing team at US Racing is comprised of both full-time and part-time contributors with expertise in various aspects of the Sport of Kings.
