Churchill Scraps Turf Use for Remaining Spring Stakes

Churchill Downs announced June 28 that four planned stakes races would be moved from the track's grass course, which a Churchill release said needs "more time for the new root system to continue to develop."

The Louisville, Ky., track will not offer any more grass races before its spring meet concludes July 4.

One of the four races, the $350,000 Wise Dan Stakes (G2T) for older horses July 2, will go on hiatus this year. Had it been run on dirt, the 1 1/16-mile race could have conflicted with the 1 1/8 Stephen Foster Stakes (G2) that heads Churchill's Saturday program.

According to Churchill, two other Saturday stakes that had been planned for turf—the $200,000 American Derby for 3-year-olds at 1 1/16 miles, and the $200,000 Tepin for 3-year-old fillies at one mile—will be contested on dirt. Then July 3, the $160,000 Anchorage Overnight Stakes for older fillies and mares will be run at a mile on the main track after initially being scheduled on grass.

The track's troubled course, unveiled in late April after being laid down with sod in October, initially received positive reviews but proved unable to withstand planned usage. Wear and tear in the course became evident roughly a month into the spring meet. Following an equine fatality June 10 during racing on its grass course, Churchill announced a suspension of turf racing for at least two weeks. The timetable was extended.

Amid hot summer temperatures and cut short to promote root growth, the course currently has a yellowish tint, compared to a lush green from early spring.

Four horses worked on the Churchill Downs turf Tuesday morning, and Churchill made the announcement canceling remaining stakes racing on turf by midafternoon, a day before entries are made for the Saturday card.

"The root system for the new Bermuda-hybrid continues to mature each day, and its development has benefited from the warm climate and 2 1/2-week rest, but it's not where we want it to be just yet," said Churchill Downs president Mike Anderson. "Additional time is needed for the course to become more robust, and we'll give it time."

Churchill Downs experienced problems with its prior turf course during its cooler fall meets, leading to a suspension of grass racing in the fall of 2020. Following the 2021 spring meet, Churchill invested $10 million in a widened course with a new irrigation system.

After the spring meet that ends Monday, Churchill also has one summer day of racing planned Aug. 13, with the track scheduled to host the Arlington Million (G1T), Beverly D. (G1T), Pucker Up Stakes (G3T), and Secretariat Stakes (G2T). Those races were previously run at Arlington International Racecourse before Churchill Downs Inc. reached an agreement last fall to sell that property to the National Football League's Chicago Bears.

The track did not address the status of Million Day in its Tuesday announcement, and Darren Rogers, the track's senior director of communications and media services, said Churchill "had nothing more to add at this time" in response to an inquiry about the scheduled day of turf racing and any contingency plans if the course remains unsuitable for racing.

The Arlington Million and Beverly D. historically attract wide-ranging domestic and international interest—participation that could be impacted by uncertainty over course conditions.

Later in the year, Churchill Downs has a September meet and fall race meet.