Kentucky Downs

The Mint Event Center was officially launched Wednesday morning with a ribbon-cutting ceremony attended by local, regional and state civic leaders and officials, including business representatives from Kentucky and Tennessee, The Mint Gaming and Kentucky Downs said in a release. The Event Center is Simpson County's largest space for events and conventions, which is positioned as the area's newest location for weddings, parties, conferences, corporate meetings and live entertainment. The space can accommodate groups from 12 to 445 people. "All the economic development you see here is exactly an example...

The GIII Mint Millions S. will become the first $2-million race ever run at Kentucky Downs, as well as the richest American turf race outside of the Breeders' Cup, when it is run Sept. 2 at the Franklin track. The one-mile Mint Millions offers a base purse of $1 million, with another $1 million from the Kentucky Thoroughbred Development Fund (KTDF). Last year, the base was $600,000, with a $400,000 supplement from the KTDF. The Millions was one of 17 stakes--including nine graded events--that was unveiled Wednesday for the track's...

Purse levels for maiden special weight (MSW) races on the Kentucky circuit have been projected for the summer meets at Ellis Park ($70,000 through 24 dates in July and August) and Kentucky Downs ($150,000 for seven days in September). Those figures were disclosed by representatives of those tracks Wednesday during a meeting of the Kentucky Thoroughbred Development Fund (KTDF) advisory committee. The projected Ellis MSW purses will be a boost from the $60,000 offered in 2022. Kentucky Downs will remain year-over-year level at $150,000 after last bumping up MSW purses...

Stakes winner Get Western (Get Stormy--Marquetessa, by Marquetry) has joined the retirees at Old Friends in Georgetown, Kentucky. The 7-year-old gelding won the 2019 Old Friends S. at Kentucky Downs for trainer Charles LoPresti and owner Ward C. Pitfield. The "Win for Life" contest guaranteed him placement at Old Friends upon retiring from racing. Eventually transferred to J. Reeve McGaughey's barn, Get Western's last race was at Turfway Park in February of 2022. He was transferred to the Secretariat Center, located at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington, for retraining...

The FanDuel Meet at Kentucky Downs concluded Wednesday with record wagering topping $80 million for the seven-day run. Purses again set a record, reaching almost $18 million paid out to horse owners. With $12,896,355 bet on Wednesday's closing card, total wagering on the meet reached $80,175,928, clipping Kentucky Downs' previous record of $74,088,532 over six days last year for an increase of 8 percent. A record $21,065,982 was bet on Saturday Sept. 10. The average field size was 10.61 horses, the highest since 2019. The record wagering comes in spite...

Mike Maker, who has made it a habit of winning the training title at Kentucky Downs, did it again this meet, continuing his dominance with his record seventh training title at the seven-day boutique meet. Tyler Gaffalione held on to win the riding title. The 28-year-old jockey won his second championship at the track with nine wins from 66 starts. He also had 17 seconds (seven of them in the last two days of the meet) and three third-place finishes. Maker won 12 races, a meet record. The old record...

The Sunday program at Kentucky Downs, which was set to feature the GIII AGS Ladies' Marathon S., was called off following the day's second race owing to deteriorating weather conditions. According to a tweet from officials, the final nine races from Sunday will be contested Tuesday, Sept. 13, with first post at 12:25 p.m. CT. The races will not be redrawn, but a new program will be created. All scratches are back in. The last of seven scheduled days of live racing is set for Wednesday, Sept. 14, at 12:25...

Another record was set Saturday at Kentucky Downs when $21,065,982 was wagered on the 12-race card. Perhaps even more impressively, Kentucky Downs out-handled Del Mar, where $19,423,928 was bet. Del Mar ran 11 races on Saturday. That a wagering record was set was hardly a surprise considering that the card at Kentucky Downs was also the best ever offered at the sport's most unique racetrack. There were six graded stakes on the card and five of them were worth $1 million. The average field size was 11, the type of...

It may be hard to believe, but American runner--and international star--Campanelle (Ire) (Kodiac {GB}) was winning her first U.S. graded event in Saturday's GIII Mint Ladies Sprint S. at Kentucky Downs. Of course, she's a Group 1 winner and highweight in both England and France, but the remarkable U.S-trained and -based 4-year-old's biggest win on American soil previously was Keeneland's listed Giant's Causeway S. in April. She'd shipped over to Royal Ascot after the Giant's Causeway to deadheat for third in the G1 Platinum Jubilee S. June 18, no easy...

It turns out Flightline (Tapit) isn't only fast horse Hronis Racing has in the John Sadler barn, as Bran (Fr) (Muhaarar {GB}) set a new course record of 1:07.41 for the six furlongs of the GII FanDuel Turf Sprint S. at Kentucky Downs. A "Win and You're In" event for the GI Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint, the $1 million race was being contested for the 24th time and was Sadler's first win at the Franklin, Ky. track after just a handful of starts. At 11-1, Bran broke uneventfully and sat...

Red Knight blew up the tote at 15-1 in the GII Kentucky Turf Cup S. at Kentucky Downs Saturday, earning a spot in the gate for the GI Breeders' Cup Turf in November. Breaking sharply from his inside post, the chestnut settled back near the rear with just three of his 11 rivals beat through an opening half-mile in :49.72. Inching up a bit, but still biding his time through three-quarters in 1:14.52, Red Knight snuck up the outside to be within striking distance approaching the far turn. Four wide...

Sponsored by Alex Nichols Agency 3rd-DMR, $80K, Msw, 2yo, 1mT, post time: 5:00 p.m. ET Of the 94 first-crop yearlings by Good Magic reported as sold in 2021 (110 ring), no horse cost more than REINCARNATE, who gets his career going at what has been a soggy Del Mar over the weekend. The Apr. 1 foal, a $775,000 purchase out of last year's Keeneland September sale, is out of the stakes-winning Allanah (Scat Daddy), who was acquired by Peter O'Callaghan's Woods Edge Farm for $105,000 in foal to Street Boss...