Churchill Downs

In the lone GI Kentucky Oaks points race on Sunday, Runnin N Gunnin (Gun Runner) deposited into her account the top prize of 20 points as she took home the Sunland Park Oaks. Breaking out of the maiden special weight ranks at third asking when the filly owned by Valor Farm's Douglas Scharbauer won by a head at Horseshoe Indy at the end of October, Runnin N Gunnin was well-beaten against optional claimers at Churchill Downs a month later. In her prep for this spot, the Keeneland September grad cleared...

If the countdown on their website is any indication, Colonial Downs can't wait to put on a show come Virginia Derby weekend during an inaugural three-day Spring meet held March 13-15. The New Kent, VA-based track, though known primarily for it's famous Secretariat Turf Course, stands ready to host a new dirt feature on the 'Road to the Kentucky Derby' in the Virginia Derby which will see a field of Triple Crown hopefuls travel 1 1/8 miles with Derby points being awarded to the top five finishers on a 50-25-15-10-5...

Submissions for the Friday, May 2 Kentucky Oaks Survivors Parade are now being accepted, Churchill Downs announced Monday morning. This year's event will honor 150 Breast and Ovarian cancer survivors and fighters with tickets for the recipient, plus one guest, to attend the 151st Kentucky Oaks to participate in the march on the track. Those who have overcome or are battling a breast or ovarian cancer diagnosis, who have never participated in the Oaks Survivors Parade, may submit their story here until Friday Feb. 28. Those who are nominating a...

Tickets for Kentucky Derby Week and the entire 43-day Spring Meet, which spans nine weeks from Apr. 26-June 29 at Churchill Downs, go on sale Thursday at noon (all times Eastern), the track said in a release on Wednesday. Tickets for the 151st Kentucky Oaks and Kentucky Derby May 2-3 are available by clicking here or by calling (502) 636-4447. Churchill Downs also provides a secure, official resale marketplace to purchase Derby and Oaks tickets via the Churchill Downs Ticketmaster Ticket Exchange, which can be found here. Derby Week general...

Keeneland Race Course is projecting overall purses for the upcoming April meet to increase in the range of 10-12%, with maiden special weight (MSW) purses for 3-year-olds and up rising to $110,000 after that MSW figure had plateaued at $100,000 for the past three springs. Churchill Downs plans to card 3-and-up MSW races at $120,000 during its April-June meet, a level that hasn't changed since 2022. Executives from both tracks disclosed those spring 2025 purse projections during the Jan. 28 Kentucky Thoroughbred Development Fund (KTDF) advisory board meeting. Rick Hiles,...

After considering several options, trainer Kenny McPeek said Monday that newly minted Horse of the Year Thorpedo Anna (Fast Anna) will make her four-year-old debut in the GII Azeri S. on March 8 at Oaklawn Park. That would give her time to make the April 5 G1 Dubai World Cup, but McPeek said he has all but ruled out a trip to the Middle East in order to run in the April 12 GI Apple Blossom S., also at Oaklawn. "The Azeri will be a good first step back for...

Pleasure Ridge Park (PRP) High School sophomore Kayci Shacklette is the grand prize winner of the 39th annual Horsing Around with Art competition, the Kentucky Derby Museum announced Monday morning via press release. Shacklette's artwork, The Final Furlong, will be professionally framed and displayed prominently at the museum, and she will receive a spring race day prize package sponsored by Churchill Downs. The PRP art department was awarded $500 to purchase art supplies. The contest attracted 255 submissions from students in grades 1-12 from 37 public, private, and parochial schools...

Early nominations for 3-year-old Thoroughbreds to become eligible for the 2025 Triple Crown close Monday, Jan. 27 with a $600 payment, a press release from Churchill Downs said on Thursday. Nominations and payments to the 2025 Triple Crown series can be made through the portal by clicking here. Horses can also be nominated during the late phase with a $6,000 payment due Monday, Apr. 7. The final opportunity for eligibility is through a supplemental nomination fee due at entry time for each Triple Crown race: GI Kentucky Derby ($200,000), GI...

In the Fasig-Tipton Silverbulletday Stakes at Fair Grounds it was Simply Joking (Practical Joke) who took home the prize with a gate to wire display and the 20 points which can be applied to her 'Road to the Kentucky Oaks' account. The 3-year-old came into the race having only one other start under her belt when the Pennsylvania-bred captured the Letellier Memorial Stakes in New Orleans Dec. 21. Backed as the 8-5 choice here, Simply Joking was handed a rather easy lead and proceeded to make every pole a winning...

Eoin Harty's world is chock full right now. For starters, his home is situated in the midst of one of the worst wildfires in California history, but somehow it has survived the nightmarish ordeal. Then, there is his role as the president of the California Thoroughbred Trainers, a position he has held since 2019. What that means is he is at the forefront of trying to turn around the declining fortunes of racing in the state, which he admits is no easy task. The good news is that he has...

The Churchill Downs, Inc. (CDI) subsidiary that operates the advance-deposit wagering (ADW) platform TwinSpires sued the Michigan Gaming Control Board (MGCB) in federal court Jan. 12, alleging that the state's requirement that ADW providers be linked to a licensed racetrack and live race meeting is "unlawful." The state's track-partnership requirement currently can't be fulfilled by any ADW because there hasn't been any Thoroughbred racing in Michigan since 2018, and Standardbred races last ran in February 2024. TwinSpires (and other ADWs) had previously partnered with the harness operation at Northville Downs,...

Undefeated 3-year-old colt Barnes has been tabbed as the 10-1 individual betting favorite in Pool 3 of the Kentucky Derby Future Wager as it begins a three-day run on Friday, Jan. 17 at noon before closing Sunday at 6p.m. Owned by Zedan Racing and trained by Bob Baffert, the GII San Vicente winner leads the 39 individual betting interests in Pool 3, with the pari-mutuel field of "All Other 3-Year-Olds" tabbed as the 5-2 overall favorite. The pool, which features $2 Win and Exacta wagering, is available at racetracks and...