Kentucky Downs: Big fields fill 3 big-money Saturday stakes

The field is set for Kentucky Downs’ landmark Grade 3 Nashville Derby Invitational with its $3.1 million purse for Kentucky-breds and $1.9 million for other horses.

Twelve 3-year-olds were entered for Saturday’s 1 5/16-mile turf stakes with another two invited as also-eligibles with the opportunity to run if there are scratches.

Click here for Kentucky Downs entries and results.

Saturday’s card also includes the $1.5 million Ladies Turf Sprint (G2) at 6 1/2 furlongs and the $1.5 million Kentucky Downs Ladies Turf (G3) at a mile. Both attracted overflow fields as did 10 of the 11 races on Saturday's program. The first post is at 1:25 p.m. EDT.

“Huge shout-out to the horsemen and our racing office,” Kentucky Downs vice president of racing Ted Nicholson said. “Our goal is to improve every year, and I’d say we’re achieving that mission. What’s really gratifying is how geographically diverse these stakes fields are with horses coming from all over, including from Europe.”

Kentucky Downs’ seven-day all-turf meet runs from Thursday to Sept. 11.

N.Y. shippers will lure Nashville Derby bets

Three New York horses figure to be the Nashville Derby favorites. Carson’s Run, winner of the Saratoga Derby Invitational (G1) in his last start for trainer Christophe Clément; Belmont Derby Invitational (G1) runner-up White Palomino, scratched by Chad Brown out of the postponed Saratoga Derby to await this race; and Shug McGaughey-trained Cugino, Churchill Downs’ impressive Audubon winner who missed the Saratoga Derby with an untimely temperature.

Kentucky is represented by Cameo Performance and Abrumar, the top two finishers in Ellis Park’s $250,000 Kentucky Downs Preview Nashville Derby. Lagynos was second by a neck in Saratoga’s National Museum of Racing Hall of Fame (G2) in his last start after collecting a second, two thirds and a fourth in Kentucky stakes in his prior turf starts. 

Rothschild, third in the Oceanside at Del Mar in his only start this year, ships in from California for trainer Tim Yakteen. Rothschild finished 2023 with a second by a neck in Del Mar’s Cecil B. DeMille (G3) in his turf debut.

The Nashville Derby had three changes to the original invitations extended, and the 1 5/16-mile stakes will have three Europe-based horses with the addition of Sea the Thunder for Great Britain trainer Ralph Beckett. Sea the Thunder joins original invitees Stromberg for Ireland’s Joseph O’Brien and Bellum Justum for England’s Andrew Balding. If their accomplishments seem light compared with their American competitors, they have more experience at longer distances and could be horses benefiting from the firmer Kentucky Downs turf.

The new invitees include Wesley Ward-trained Navy Seal, second in a Saratoga allowance race in his last start, and Todd Pletcher-trained Nomos, second in Delaware Park’s 1 3/8-mile Kent. El Matador and Hamilton’s Way are on the also-eligible list and may run if there are scratches.

For Kentucky-breds, the Nashville Derby will be America’s second richest race behind only the $5 million Kentucky Derby among stakes held at one track. The $1.9 million base purse itself is the most lucrative turf stakes in North America outside three Breeders’ Cup races.

Formerly known as the Dueling Grounds Derby, the Nashville Derby is carded as the eighth of 11 races with a post time of 5:16 p.m. EDT.

Dontlookbackatall heads Ladies Sprint

The first-, second- and fourth-place finishers of Saratoga’s Caress (G3), Dontlookbackatall, Danse Macabre and Secret Money, are entered to line up in the Ladies Turf Sprint.

The Caress was Clément-trained Dontlookbackatall’s third straight stakes win, giving her an overall turf record of 11: 5-4-0. Danse Macabre, trained by Kelsey Danner, rallied to take the lead late only to be nailed at the finish at Saratoga. Secret Money, trained by Brendan Walsh, was making her move when she found herself in tight at the sixteenth pole, settling for fourth by a total of a half-length.

Secret Money won last year’s Music City, now a Grade 2, at Kentucky Downs. Danse Macabre was second that day after capturing Kentucky Downs’ Untapable at age 2.

Awesome Treat earned a spot in the starting gate by winning Ellis Park’s $250,000 Kentucky Downs Preview Ladies Sprint at 25-1 odds. Second in a photo was Red Carpet Ready, a multiple graded-stakes winner on dirt who was making her turf debut at Ellis with the Ladies Turf Sprint the target.

California-based Richard Baltas brings the 4-year-old filly Ag Bullet, who is 5-for-6 on turf, including a win in Santa Anita’s Monrovia (G3). Ruby Nell and Elm Drive also come from the West Coast.

Bling, third in the Ellis prep by a total of a neck, was third in last year’s Music City. Kaufymaker, Ocean Club and Moon Ray also are in the body of the race. Chicago-based Oeuvre, whose 16 wins include a Kentucky Downs allowance race last year, is on the also-eligible list.

The Ladies Turf Sprint will be run as the ninth race Saturday. It is scheduled for 5:50 p.m. EDT.

Fluffy Socks leaves nest for Ladies Turf

Four-time graded-stakes winner Fluffy Socks, a millionaire who is part of trainer Chad Brown’s deep arsenal of female turf milers and distance horses, escapes her talented stablemates to run in the Kentucky Downs Ladies Turf. She returns to the site of her first win four years ago.

Last year’s Ladies Turf winner Regal Realm is back. If she has been disappointing in her two starts this year, trainer Jonathan Thomas designed them as a means to getting back to Kentucky Downs after a long layoff. Thomas also entered New York’s Perfect Sting winner Mouffy, also owned by Augustin Stable.

The overflow field includes Ellis Park’s $250,000 Kentucky Downs Preview Ladies Turf winner Walkathon, a multiple graded-stakes winner who is 6-for-13 on turf. Last year’s runner-up Sparkle Blue, her Graham Motion-trained stablemate Mission of Joy, Nadette, Implicated, Evvie Jets and 2021 Kentucky Downs Juvenile Fillies winner Turnerloose are the other graded-stakes victors in the field. Stakes winners Spirit and Glory and Sacred Wish rounds out the field.

The Ladies Turf goes as the 10th race Saturday with a scheduled post time of 6:24 p.m. EDT.