Churchill Downs opens fall meet with card full of 2-year-olds
Horse racing in Kentucky shifts from Keeneland to Churchill Downs on Sunday as the home of the Kentucky Derby readies to open its 136th fall meet with an 11-race program for 2-year-old Thoroughbreds.
The 26-day stand covers a five-week stretch every Wednesday-Sunday through Nov. 30. The first race will be 1 p.m. EDT daily except for Thanksgiving, when racing will begin at 11:30 a.m.
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The meet kicks off Sunday with the 21st annual stars-of-tomorrow program, which is devoted entirely to hopeful juveniles with aspirations of trail-blazing their way to Kentucky Derby 2026 and the Grade 1 Kentucky Oaks.
Sunday’s opening-day card is headlined by the 13th runnings of two 1 1/16-mile, $200,000 stakes, the open-company Street Sense (G3) and Rags to Riches for fillies. Each race is a part of the road to the Kentucky Derby and Kentucky Oaks series which award 10-5-3-2-1 qualifying points to the top five finishers.
The Street Sense and Rags to Riches kick off a 16-race fall-meet stakes schedule worth $5 million.
The stars-of-tomorrow card was started in 2005. Graduates have included horses of the year Rachel Alexandra in 2009 and Gun Runner in 2017. They also include Kentucky Derby winners Super Saver in 2010, Mandaloun in 2021, Mystik Dan in 2024 and Sovereignty in 2025. Seven Kentucky Oaks winners have come out of the program including Rachel Alexandra in 2009, Believe You Can in 2012, Monomoy Girl in 2018, Secret Oath in 2022, Pretty Mischievous in 2023, Thorpedo Anna in 2024 and Good Cheer in 2025.
Reigning horse of the year Thorpedo Anna will be honored in a special retirement ceremony between races Sunday before beginning her second career as a broodmare at Hill ’n’ Dale Farm. After a race to be determined, the star filly will walk over with the field and remain in the paddock during the race before stepping into the winner’s circle for a ceremonial photo. Trainer Kenny McPeek announced Thorpedo Anna’s retirement from racing Oct. 15. The daughter of Fast Anna retires with career-defining victories in the Kentucky Oaks (GI) and Breeders’ Cup Distaff (GI). The seven-time Grade 1 winner is owned by Hill ’n’ Dale Equine Holdings, Judy Hicks, Mark Edwards and Magdalena Racing.
Kentucky Derby Future Wager pool 1 opens next Wednesday at noon EDT with up to 40 betting interests, including the popular all-others option, The pool will stay open until Oct. 31 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. The second KDFW pool and the only Kentucky Derby Sire Future Wager will be open Nov. 27-30.
The 27th Claiming Crown championship series will be staged at Churchill Downs on Nov. 15. Open to claiming horses, the Claiming Crown features eight races with starter-allowance conditions and $1.1 million in prize money for some of the most competitive, blue-collar horses in the country. This is the third time the Claiming Crown will be run at Churchill.
The 151st running of the $600,000 Clark (G2) is the most lucrative race on fall-meet stakes schedule. The 1 1/8-mile test for 3-year-olds and up on Black Friday annually lures some of the top horses in North America and is the centerpiece of nine stakes races scheduled during Thanksgiving weekend.
A second stars-of-tomorrw card will be run Nov. 29. Among four stakes, the featured events are two Grade 2s which are worth $400,000 each and run at the 1 1/16-mile distance. They are the open Kentucky Jockey Club and the Golden Rod for fillies. Each race is a part of the road to the Kentucky Derby and Kentucky Oaks series. Last year the 12-race program handled a fall meet-best $12.5 million in wagers.
| Date | Purse | Race | Cond. | Dist. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct. 26 | $200,000 | Street Sense (G3) | 2yo | 1 1/16 |
| $200,000 | Rags to Riches (listed) | 2yo f | 1 1/16 | |
| Nov. 1 | $300,000 | Bet On Sunshine (listed) | 3&up | 6 f |
| Nov. 8 | $300,000 | River City (G3) turf | 3&up | 1 1/8 |
| $300,000 | Dream Supreme (listed) | 3&up, f&m | 6 f | |
| Nov. 15 | $300,000 | Chilukki (G3) | 3&up, f&m | 1 mi |
| Nov. 22 | $300,000 | Commonwealth Turf (G3) turf | 3yo | 1 1/16 |
| Nov. 27 | $400,000 | Falls City (G3) | 3&up, f&m | 1 1/8 |
| $300,000 | Cardinal (listed) turf | 3&up, f&m | 1 1/8 | |
| Nov. 28 | $600,000 | Clark (G2) | 3&up | 1 1/8 |
| $300,000 | Mrs. Revere (G2) turf | 3yo f | 1 1/16 | |
| Nov. 29 | $400,000 | Kentucky Jockey Club (G2) | 2yo | 1 1/16 |
| $400,000 | Golden Rod (G2) | 2yo f | 1 1/16 | |
| $225,000 | Ed Brown | 2yo | 6 1/2 | |
| $225,000 | Fern Creek | 2yo f | 6 1/2 | |
| Nov. 30 | $250,000 | Cherokee Mile | 3&up | 1 mi |
Claiming Crown championship series, Nov. 15
| Race | Purse | Clmg. tag | Cond. | Dist. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jewel | $200,000 | $35,000 | 3&up | 1 1/8 |
| Emerald, turf | $175,000 | $25,000 | 3&up | 1 1/16 |
| Canterbury, turf | $150,000 | $25,000 | 3&up | 5 1/2 |
| Tiara, turf | $150,000 | $25,000 | 3&up, f&m | 1 1/16 |
| Rapid Transit | $125,000 | $16,000 | 3&up | 7 f |
| Glass Slipper | $100,000 | $12,500 | 3&up, f&m | 1 mi |
| Iron Horse | $100,000 | $8,000 | 3&up | 1 1/16 |
| Ready's Rocket Express | $100,000 | $8,000 | 3&up | 6 f |
Purse offerings for the fall meet include money from the Kentucky Thoroughbred Development Fund.