Churchill Downs

Three of trainer Brad Cox's Breeders' Cup hopefuls turned in their final works ahead of championship weekend Sunday at Churchill Downs, a day later than originally planned due to rain in the Louisville area Saturday. Aiming for the GI Breeders' Cup Classic, Essential Quality (Tapit) went five furlongs in a bullet :59.40 (1/22) and Knicks Go (Paynter) covered the same distance in 1:01.20 (9/22). GI Longines Breeders' Cup Distaff contender Shedaresthedevil (Daredevil) went her five furlongs in 1:00.80 (2/22). "It was a great morning and all three horses put in...

Grade I winners Got Stormy (Get Stormy) and Juju's Map (Liam's Map) put in their final works for their respective Breeders' Cup races at Churchill Downs Friday morning. MGISW turfer Got Stormy had her final career breeze at 7:30 a.m. under jockey Declan Carroll, cruising a half-mile in :48.60 in preparation for the GI Breeders' Cup Mile. "We had some rain in the area but the track was really good so I decided to move her work up a day," trainer Mark Casse's assistant David Carroll said. "Sometimes you see...

Kentucky's live racing schedule for 2022 will largely mirror this season's template of race dates according to a calendar approved Tuesday by the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission. The following three tweaks stand out from 2021: 1) Churchill Downs will race through July 4 instead of closing in late June; 2) Kentucky Downs was granted a seventh racing date, up from six; 3) Keeneland Race Course will host the Breeders' Cup the first Friday and Saturday in November, directly book-ended by live racing at Churchill on the dates right before and...

Godolphin homebred Maxfield (Street Sense) will bypass an expected start in the GI Breeders' Cup Classic Nov. 6 and will instead point for the GI Clark H. at Churchill Downs 20 days later. The story was originally reported by the Daily Racing Form. "He has such a good record at Churchill. We're going to skip California with him altogether," trainer Brendan Walsh told the DRF. "It's very important for him to win a Grade I this year. This probably gives him his best chance to get a Grade I at...

Thunderous Affair (Liaison), trained by Lindsey Partridge, was selected by the panel of judges of the Thoroughbred Makeover and National Symposium, presented by Thoroughbred Charities of America, as the 2020 Thoroughbred Makeover Champion, sponsored by Churchill Downs. The 4-year-old, who was bred in Kentucky by Jim Williams, never made a start, but did train to race. Thunderous Affair was placed through CANTER Michigan. Lindsey Partridge, a professional based in Pontypool, Ontario, is no stranger to the Thoroughbred Makeover--she won the overall title back in 2015 with Soar--but she admitted her...

Turfway Park executives are projecting purses for maiden special weight (MSW) races to nearly double to about $60,000 for the upcoming dual meets that will be run December through March. Last season, Turfway paid out just $32,000 for MSW races while conducting meets heavily compromised by both the COVID-19 pandemic and a massive grandstand rebuild that kept the northern Kentucky oval closed to on-track spectators. Turfway's 2021-22 MSW purse projection was disclosed Tuesday during a Kentucky Thoroughbred Development Fund (KTDF) advisory board meeting by Tyler Picklesimer, the track's director of...

In conjunction with the sixth annual Thoroughbred Industry Employee Awards presented by Godolphin, this year's Community Award has been renamed the Dr. J. David "Doc" Richardson Community Award presented by Churchill Downs. The announcement was made following the sixth race Saturday at Churchill Downs as the track hosted a Celebration of Life for Richardson, the distinguished Louisville surgeon who was an owner, breeder and widely respected leader in the horse racing industry. He died Sept. 7 in Saratoga Springs, NY, from complications due to a breakthrough COVID infection at the...

A quartet of horses headed towards engagements at the Breeders' Cup World Championships at Del Mar Nov. 6 were out for serious workouts Saturday morning at both major Kentucky venues. Champion Essential Quality (Tapit) worked five furlongs in the company of Ellis Park allowance winner Colonel Bowman (Curlin) just after the track opened for business shortly after 5:30 Saturday morning. The duo broke off at the half-mile pole, crossing the wire in :46.80 before completing the move around the clubhouse turn in :59.20. Essential Quality outgamed Midnight Bourbon (Tiznow) to...

6th-Churchill Downs, $127,000, Alw (NW2L)/Opt. Clm ($80,000), 10-1, 2yo, 6f, 1:09.04, ft, 3/4 length. CHATTALOT (c, 2, Midnight Lute--Mamboalot {SP}, by Kingmambo) ran to 9-5 favoritism to score narrowly first out at Saratoga on opening Saturday July 17, but was let go at 6-1 facing a few formidable foes here. Finding a foothold at the rail while drafting behind the leaders in the garden spot early, the bay was bottled up a bit through a :45.09 half. He muscled his way out into the clear as GII Saratoga Special S....

The inaugural running of the GIII Lukas Classic in 2013, contested as the Homecoming Classic, was won handily by the previous year's GI Breeders' Cup Classic hero Fort Larned (E Dubai), who would go on to finish a hard-trying fourth in defense of his Classic title five weeks later. This year's renewal goes through Korea Racing Authority's Knicks Go (Paynter), who is expected to cement his status as the favorite for the championship day feature Saturday afternoon. An imperious winner of last year's GI Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile over a...

Sponsored by Alex Nichols Agency 7th-CD, $120K, Msw, 2yo, 1m, post time: 3:50 p.m. ET Joseph Murphy's WOLFE COUNTY (Medaglia d'Oro) is the latest foal to the races for the stakes-placed Dawn Raid (Vindication) making him a half-brother to 2016 GI Preakness S. and GI Haskell Invitational S. hero and WinStar sire Exaggerator  (Curlin). Dawn Raid is herself a half-sister to MGSW and Sovereign Award winner Embur's Song (Unbridled's Song). He squares off with fellow debutant Monologue (Runhappy), a half-brother to SW & GISP Endless Chatter (First Samurai) and to...

A new historical racing machine (HRM) entertainment venue named Derby City Gaming Downtown will be opened in Louisville, according to Churchill Downs. The 43,000-square-foot venue will include 500 HRMs, a fresh-air gaming area, three unique bars, and a retail and merchandise store. Construction on Derby City Gaming Downtown will begin later this year with an anticipated opening date in early 2023. "CDI is committed to investing in the city of Louisville and today we are particularly excited to announce this new downtown entertainment venue," said Churchill's CEO Bill Carstanjen. "Our...