Kentucky Downs Gears Up for Ky Turf Cup

A quartet of high caliber stakes races are on tap for Saturday’s live racing action at Kentucky Downs, highlighted by the signature race of the live meet, the $600,000 Kentucky Cup Turf (GR. III) for three-year-olds and older at a distance of 1 1/2 miles. The Kentucky Cup Turf (GR. III) goes off as the 9th race on the 10-race card, and is also the third leg of a highly-attractive “all stakes pick 4” on races 7 – 10.

 

Fall will be in the air in Franklin on Saturday, as the weather forecast calls for sunny skies and a high of 73 degrees. In addition to great live horse racing action, Kentucky Downs will host a wide variety of family fun activities including a petting zoo and face painting for the kids. Additionally, the track will be hosting “College Day” with a college mascot race, and a drawing for a laptop given to a current college student after each live race. First live race time is 1:35 p.m. (CDT).

 

Leading off the “all stakes pick 4” is the 7th race of the day, the $200,000 More Than Ready Mile, named in honor of the Grade I winning champion sire that stands at stud at WinStar Farm in Lexington, Kentucky. That is immediately followed on Saturday by the $200,000 Kentucky Downs Ladies Sprint, for three-year-old and older fillies & mares going 6 1/2 furlongs. The $600,000 Kentucky Cup Turf (GR. III) is the featured attraction, followed by the nightcap of the $200,000 Kentucky Downs Ladies Turf at one mile on the grass.

 

The Kentucky Cup Turf drew a highly competitive field of 11 starters, with War Dancer (War Front x Deed I Do, by Alydeed) made the 3-1 morning line choice. War Dancer comes into the race off a very game fourth place finish (beaten only 2 1/4 lengths) in the Grade I Sword Dancer Stakes at 1 1/2 miles on the turf at Saratoga back on August 17. Prior to that race, the Ken McPeek-trained colt was third in the Grade III Arlington Handicap on July 12, and won the Grade III Louisville Handicap at Churchill Downs on May 24. Alan Garcia gets the mount on War Dancer for the fifth straight race. In his career, War Dancer has earned over $588,000.

 

This year’s remaining Kentucky Downs live racing dates are September 13, 17 and 24. Purses for this year’s live meet average over $1,000,000 per race day.

 

Kentucky Downs features a one-of-a-kind European-style turf course that offers a fair test to horses at all levels of competition. The Kentucky Downs race course is among the longest courses in North America at 1.3125 (1 5/16) miles in length. With subtle elevation changes throughout the course, a sweeping turn into the stretch run and a quarter-mile run from the end of the final turn to the finish line, racing at Kentucky Downs is unlike any racing seen this side of the Atlantic Ocean.

Highlights of each remaining live racing day include:

 

Saturday, September 13 (Kentucky Turf Cup Day)

 

Wednesday, September 17 (Ladies Day)

 

Wednesday, September 24 (Closing Day)