Churchill Downs opens Sunday with Derby, Oaks points preps
Horse racing in Kentucky shifts from Keeneland to Churchill Downs on Sunday as the home of the Kentucky Derby readies to open its 135th fall meet with an 11-race program, all for promising 2-year-old Thoroughbreds.
The 26-day stand covers a five-week stretch every Wednesday to Sunday through Dec. 1. The first race will be 1 p.m. Eastern time daily except for Thanksgiving Day on Thursday, Nov. 28, which will begin at 11:30 a.m.
Sunday’s opening day card is headlined by the 12th runnings of two 1 1/16-mile, $200,000 stakes, the open-company, Grade 3 Street Sense and the Rags to Riches for fillies. Each race is a part of the road to the Kentucky Derby and Kentucky Oaks series and award 10-5-3-2-1 points to the top five finishers.
The Street Sense and Rags to Riches kick off a 16-race fall meet stakes schedule cumulatively worth $5 million.
An added feature to this year’s fall meet is the 26th renewal of the Claiming Crown championship series, which will be staged at Churchill Downs for the second time on Saturday, Nov. 16. Open to claiming horses, the Claiming Crown features eight races with starter allowance conditions and a super-charged total of $1.1 million in prize money for some of the most competitive, blue-collar horses in the country.
On Saturday, Nov. 30, every race will feature 2-year-old Thoroughbreds, including four stakes races. The featured events are two fall meet fixtures each worth $400,000 and run at 1 1/16-miles, the open Kentucky Jockey Club (G2) and Golden Rod (G2) for fillies. Each race awards 10-5-3-2-1 Kentucky Derby and points to the top five finishers. Last year, the 12-race program handled a fall meet-best $12.5 million in wagers.
Pool 1 of the Kentucky Derby future wager with up to 40 betting interests, including the “all others” option, will open Wednesday at noon and close Friday, Nov. 1, at 6 p.m. in advance of the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile at Del Mar. The field for the three-day pool, which features $2 win and exacta wagering, will be released Monday.
Kentucky Derby future wager pool 2 and Kentucky Derby sire future wager will be available from Thursday, Nov. 28, to Sunday, Dec. 1. Pool 2 will run concurrent with the lone Kentucky Derby sire future wager, where fans can bet horses sired by 39 individual sires and an option for all other sires who were not listed.
| Date | Race | Purse | Conditions | Distance | Surface |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sunday, Oct. 27 | Street Sense (G3) | $200,000 | 2yo | 1 1/16 M | Dirt |
| Sunday, Oct. 27 | Rags to Riches (listed) | $200,000 | 2yo f | 1 1/16 M | Dirt |
| Saturday, Nov. 2 | Bet On Sunshine (listed) | $300,000 | 3&up | 6 F | Dirt |
| Saturday, Nov. 9 | River City (G3) | $300,000 | 3&up | 1 1/8 M | Turf |
| Saturday, Nov. 9 | Dream Supreme (listed) | $300,000 | 3&up, f&m | 6 F | Dirt |
| Saturday, Nov. 23 | Chilukki (G3) | $300,000 | 3&up, f&m | 1 M | Dirt |
| Saturday, Nov. 23 | Commonwealth Turf (G3) | $300,000 | 3yo | 1 1/16 M | Turf |
| Thursday, Nov. 28 | Falls City (G3) | $400,000 | 3&up, f&m | 1 1/8 M | Dirt |
| Thursday, Nov. 28 | Cardinal (G3) | $300,000 | 3&up, f&m | 1 1/8 M | Turf |
| Friday, Nov. 29 | Clark (G2) | $600,000 | 3&up | 1 1/8 M | Dirt |
| Friday, Nov. 29 | Mrs. Revere (G2) | $300,000 | 3yo f | 1 1/16 M | Turf |
| Saturday, Nov. 30 | Kentucky Jockey Club (G2) | $400,000 | 2yo | 1 1/16 M | Dirt |
| Saturday, Nov. 30 | Golden Rod (G2) | $400,000 | 2yo f | 1 1/16 M | Dirt |
| Saturday, Nov. 30 | Ed Brown | $225,000 | 2yo | 6 1/2 F | Dirt |
| Saturday, Nov. 30 | Fern Creek | $225,000 | 2yo f | 6 1/2 F | Dirt |
| Sunday, Dec. 1 | Cherokee Mile | $250,000 | 3&up | 1 M | Dirt |