No Turf Racing During Churchill Downs' September Meet

Churchill Downs announced Aug. 23 that all racing during the track's September Meet (Sept. 15-Oct. 2) will be run on dirt to allow the new Bermuda hybrid turf course to continue to mature. However, turf racing is expected to resume for the Fall Meet, Oct. 30-Nov. 27.

Churchill Downs unveiled the new turf in April after it was seeded in October of last year, but it was unable to sustain the planned usage, and the track made plans to scale back turf racing from three to two competitions on grass per day through July 4. Just four days later, Churchill Downs announced plans to suspend turf racing at least two weeks. 

By late June, the track scrapped plans for any additional spring meet grass racing, citing "more time for the new root system to continue to develop."

The upcoming September and Fall meets will include 26 stakes races worth a total of $8.31 million. The September meet will feature 11 such races, worth $3.36 million, while the Fall meet will have 15 stakes races valued at $4.95 million. 

The 10th annual September Meet will offer horsemen plenty of opportunities to prep for the Nov. 4-5 Breeders' Cup World Championships at Keeneland, led by the $400,000 Lukas Classic (G3) for 3-year-olds and up at 1 1/8 miles and the $300,000 Ack Ack Stakes (G3) for 3-year-olds and up at one mile—a Breeders' Cup Challenge event for the Dirt Mile—Oct. 1. 

Additionally, the Road to the Kentucky Derby and Kentucky Oaks series will kick off Sept. 17 with the $300,000 Iroquois Stakes (G3) and $300,000 Pocahontas Stakes (G3), respectively. Both races also will award points on the Breeders' Cup "Dirt Dozen" series for their respective divisions. 

Churchill Downs' 133rd Fall Meet, which follows Keeneland's four-week (Oct. 7-29) stand in Lexington, is anchored by the $750,000 Clark Stakes Presented by Norton Healthcare (G1). The 1 1/8-mile test for 3-year-olds and up on "Black Friday," Nov. 25, annually lures some of the top horses in North America and is the centerpiece of nine stakes races scheduled over Thanksgiving weekend. 

Two-year-olds with aspirations of making next year's Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve (G1) and the Longines Kentucky Oaks (G1) will be prominently featured twice during the Fall Meet as part of the 18th annual "Stars of Tomorrow" program. The $200,000 Street Sense Stakes (G3) and $200,000 Rags to Riches for fillies highlight opening day Oct. 30. The $400,000 Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes (G2) and $400,000 Golden Rod Stakes (G2) for fillies are part of the Road to the Kentucky Derby and Kentucky Oaks series Nov. 26.

An added feature to this year's four-week Fall Meet will be the 24th Claiming Crown Championship Series, which will be staged at Churchill Downs for the first time Nov. 12—one week after the Breeders' Cup at Keeneland. Open to claiming horses, the Claiming Crown features eight races with starter allowance conditions and a total of $1.05 million in prize money for some of the most competitive, blue-collar horses in the country.

The condition book of scheduled races for the September Meet was released online Aug. 22 and features 135 races and a record $13,791,000 in prize money for a daily average of $985,071. Maiden special weight races have a $120,000 purse, while allowance races range from $127,000 to $141,000.