Ellis Park looks ahead to 25-day summer meet beginning July 3
Ellis Park will launch its 25-day summer meet July 3, headlined by record stakes purses.
The meet begins with a Thursday-through-Sunday schedule before transitioning to Saturday-through-Monday racing from July 13 to Aug. 18. The season concludes with a Friday-through-Sunday lineup Aug. 22-24.
The 2025 racing season will feature some of the top barns and jockeys in North America competing for record purses, including $100,000 for maiden special weight races and allowance races up to $108,000. The competitive roster of trainers expected to have starters at Ellis Park include Steve Asmussen, Rodolphe Brisset, Brad Cox, Cherie DeVaux, Greg Foley, Mike Maker, John Ortiz, Dale Romans and Brendan Walsh. Local mainstays such as Eric Foster, Wayne French, John Hancock, Kenny Miller, Bonnie Pittman and Billy Stinson Jr. also will be active, along with newcomers Ray Ashford and Abel Ramirez-Rodriguez.
One of North America’s top riders, Tyler Gaffalione, who continues to rehabilitate from an ankle injury sustained in March, is targeting a return this summer at Ellis. He’ll be joined in the jockeys' room by Jaime Torres and Luan Machado, the top two in the 2024 leading rider standings, respectively. Also expected to have mounts at the meet are Rafael Bejarano, Adam Beschizza, Vincent Cheminaud, Declan Cannon, Martin Garcia, Florent Geroux, James Graham, Brian Hernandez Jr., Daniel Machado, Irving Moncada, Edgar Morales and Gabe Saez.
Ellis Park’s stakes schedule offers a record $4 million across 18 races, led by the Grade 3, $400,000 Pucker Up on Kentucky Downs preview weekend, Aug. 2-3. The weekend includes seven stakes races, with notable events such as the $300,000 Kentucky Downs Preview Turf Cup and $250,000 Kentucky Downs Preview Turf Sprint.
The $300,000 Ellis Park Derby and $200,000 Groupie Doll headline an Aug. 10 card that features six stakes totaling $1.3 million. Also scheduled are the $200,000 Ellis Park Juvenile, $200,000 Ellis Park Debutante, $200,000 Audubon Oaks and $200,000 R. A. “Cowboy” Jones Memorial.
Every race day will be broadcast live on FanDuel TV, featuring live, on-site coverage. The wagering menu again will include two daily Pick 5s on nine-race cards, a $3 all-turf Pick 3 and a 20-cent jackpot Pick 6.
On Mondays, the Kentucky Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association will present a $200 best-turned-out horse award to the groom of the best-presented horse in each race. In addition, lead pony competitions will be held throughout the meet with cash prizes awarded in partnership with the Kentucky HBPA.
Racing coverage will be led once again by Joe Kristufek, who also will make the morning-line odds. Track announcer Tony Calo returns to the Ellis Park simulcast feed and will provide all the play-by-play action as well as being a co-handicapping analyst.