Turfway Debuts 'Synthetic Championships' Card Dec. 14

Turfway Park Racing & Gaming has unveiled its 2024-25 stakes schedule, with $4.9 million in purses across 24 races, highlighted by the $700,000 Jeff Ruby Steaks (Grade III) on Saturday, March 22—a pivotal stop on the Road to the Kentucky Derby—and the debut of the Turfway Park Synthetic Championships, featuring $1 million in purse money spread across four races on Saturday, Dec. 14.

"We're really excited to unveil the stakes calendar for the winter season at Turfway Park, which not only features our marquee Jeff Ruby Steaks Day but also introduces the new Turfway Park Synthetic Championships," said Gary Palmisano Jr., vice president of racing for Churchill Downs Incorporated. "By adding the Turfway Park Synthetic Championships, we're bringing together four stakes races, worth a combined $1 million, for one premiere night of racing."

The Turfway Park Synthetic Championships will feature four $250,000 stakes races: the Prairie Bayou (Listed), Holiday Cheer, Holiday Inaugural, and My Charmer. These races, which were previously run across four separate weekends, have been combined into one high-profile day, that will draw some of the top synthetic horses from across North America to compete for significant purse money.

The Jeff Ruby Steaks, part of the Road to the Kentucky Derby Championship Series, will award qualifying points to the top five finishers on a 100-50-25-15-10 scale toward a spot in the starting gate for the 151st running of the $5 million Kentucky Derby presented by Woodford Reserve (GI) on Saturday, May 3, at Churchill Downs.

In total, Jeff Ruby Steaks Day will feature six stakes contests. Along with the Jeff Ruby Steaks, the undercard includes the $300,000 Bourbonette Oaks (Listed), a Championship Series race on the Road to the Kentucky Oaks, awarding the top five finishers qualifying points on a 100-50-25-15-10 scale toward a spot in the $1.5 million Longines Kentucky Oaks (GI) on Friday, May 1, at Churchill Downs. The other stakes on the card are the $300,000 TwinSpires Kentucky Cup Classic (GIII), the $250,000 Animal Kingdom Stakes, the $250,000 Latonia Stakes, and the $250,000 Rushaway Stakes.

Other highlights include the $175,000 John Battaglia Memorial (Listed) on Saturday, Feb. 22, a Road to the Kentucky Derby Prep Season race and local prep for the Jeff Ruby Steaks. One day prior, 3-year-old fillies will take the stage in the $175,000 Cincinnati Trophy, a prep for the Bourbonette Oaks on the Road to the Kentucky Oaks Prep Season.

Turfway Park's season runs from Wednesday, Nov. 27 through Saturday, March 29. The condition book for the Holiday Meet, which spans Nov. 27-Dec. 29, will be available in the coming weeks.