Kentucky Downs to Stage 20 Stakes Worth $25.75M

The 2026 Kentucky Downs meet will feature 20 stakes races with $25.75 million in total purses. The seven-day racing season opens on Saturday, August 29, and continues on August 30, September 3, September 5-7, and September 9, offering stakes action on every date.

The Kentucky Thoroughbred Development Fund (KTDF) offers $12.5 million of the total purse money at the stakes level, which is available for registered Kentucky-breds. Horses bred outside of the Bluegrass State are still eligible for some of the most lucrative stakes in the country, with the stakes worth a cumulative $13.25 million in base purses. In addition to a loaded stakes schedule, maiden special weight purses remain the highest in the nation with $170,000 up for grabs in maiden races throughout the meet. 

"We are excited for the upcoming 2026 meet at Kentucky Downs," said Kentucky Downs' Vice President of Racing Ted Nicholson. "Our purse structure remains the highest in the nation, and we are confident that the quality of both our racing and stakes program this season will reflect that."

The meet kicks off with three massive Opening Day stakes, headlined by the newly upgraded Grade 1, $1.75 million Kentucky Downs Ladies Sprint. The stellar card also includes the $750,000 Kentucky Downs Juvenile Sprint and the $500,000 Tight Spot Overnight Handicap, with live broadcast coverage starting at 3:00 p.m. on NBC Sports and Peacock. The excitement builds into Sunday, August 30, featuring the $750,000 Untapable and the $500,000 Tapit. Thursday, September 3, brings the ultimate endurance test--the $750,000 Bowling Green Gold Cup Invitational at 2 1/16 miles.

For the first time ever, Kentucky Downs will host racing on all three days of Labor Day weekend (Saturday, Sept. 5 through Monday, Sept. 7) for the U.S. Open of Turf Championships. This action-packed extravaganza features 12 stakes races worth a collective $18 million in purses.

The lineup is spearheaded by Saturday's Grade 2, $3 million Nashville Derby Invitational, which is the second richest 3-year-old stakes race in America behind only the Kentucky Derby. Saturday's blockbuster card also features four other graded stakes worth at least $1.5 million each, including two Breeders' Cup "Win and You're In" qualifiers: the Grade 2, $2 million Kentucky Turf Cup Invitational (BC Turf) and the Grade 2, $1.75 million Kentucky Downs Turf Sprint (BC Turf Sprint). The Grade 2, $1.5 million Music City and the Grade 2, $1.5 million Kentucky Downs Ladies Turf round out the schedule, which airs live on NBC starting at 3:00 p.m.

Momentum will parlay into Sunday, September 6 with a pair of stakes races for fillies and mares 3-years-old and upward: the Grade 3, $1.5 million Kentucky Downs Ladies Marathon Invitational going 1 5/16 miles and the $500,000 One Dreamer at a distance of 1 1/16 miles for non-winners of a stakes race this year. 

Labor Day Monday, September 7, will mark the final day of the U.S. Open of Turf Championships, featuring a five-stakes program. The card is co-headlined by the Grade 3, $2 million Mint Millions Invitational at one mile and the Grade 2, $1.75 million Franklin-Simpson. Rounding out the high-dollar lineup are the $1.75 million Gun Runner, the $750,000 Kentucky Downs Juvenile Fillies, and the $250,000 Lucky Lantern. 

The curtain will close on the 2026 season on Wednesday, September 9, which will feature the Grade 3, $2 million Dueling Grounds Oaks Invitational for 3-year-old fillies going 1 5/16 miles and the $750,000 Kentucky Downs Juvenile Mile for 2-year-olds. 

FULL 2026 STAKES SCHEDULE

Saturday, August 29

Grade 1, $1.75 million Kentucky Downs Ladies Turf Sprint

Fillies and mares, 3-year-olds and up, 6 ½ furlongs

$750,000 Kentucky Downs Juvenile Sprint

2-year-olds, 6 ½ furlongs

$500,000 Tight Spot Overnight Handicap

3-year-olds and up, 1 mile

Sunday, August 30

$750,000 Untapable

2-year-old fillies, 6 ½ furlongs

$500,000 Tapit

3-year-olds and upward which have not won a stakes in 2026, 1 1/16  miles

Thursday, September 3

$750,000 Bowling Green Gold Cup Invitational

3-year-olds and up, 2 1/16 miles

Saturday, September 5

Grade 2, $3 million Nashville Derby Invitational

3-year-olds, 1 5/16 miles

Grade 2, $2 million Kentucky Turf Cup Invitational

Breeders' Cup "Win And You're In" for the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Turf

3-year-olds and up, 1 ½ miles

Grade 2, $1.75 million Kentucky Downs Turf Sprint

Breeders' Cup "Win And You're In" for the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint

3-year-olds and up, 6 furlongs

Grade 2, $1.5 million Kentucky Downs Ladies Turf

Fillies and mares, 3-year-olds and up, 1 mile

Grade 2, $1.5 million Music City

3-year-old fillies, 6 ½ furlongs

Sunday, September 6

Grade 3, $1.5 million Kentucky Downs Ladies Marathon Invitational 

Fillies and mares, 3-years-old and up, 1 5/16 miles

$500,000 One Dreamer

Fillies and mares 3-years-old and up which have not won a stake in 2026, 1 1/16 miles

Monday, September 7

Grade 3, $2 million Mint Millions Invitational 

3-year-olds and up, 1 mile

Grade 2, $1.5 million Franklin-Simpson

3-year-olds, 6 ½ furlongs

$1.75 million Gun Runner

3-year-olds, 1 mile

$750,000 Kentucky Downs Juvenile Fillies

2-year-old fillies, 1 mile

$250,000 Lucky Lantern

3-year-old fillies which have never won a stake, 6 ½ furlongs

Wednesday, September 9

Grade 3, $2 million Dueling Grounds Oaks Invitational

3-year-old fillies, 1 5/16 miles

$750,000 Kentucky Downs Juvenile Mile

2-year-olds, 1 mile