Cradle highlights River Downs meet

River Downs, the quaint track located on the banks of the Ohio River near

Cincinnati, begins its 82nd season of racing on Friday. The 105-date meet

continues through Labor Day, September 3. The track will be dark on Mondays and

Wednesdays with the exception of May 30, and Independence Day, July 4. During

the month of August, the track will also refrain from live racing on Thursdays.

River Downs will present a live 7/7 alternate race program with Thistledown

on most days and with Beulah Park on Saturday. The track will present nine-race

"solo" cards on Tuesdays. Post time is 1:05 p.m. (EDT).

For the first time in its 31-year history, the $200,000 Cradle S. will be

contested on the turf course. The 1 1/16-mile Cradle is widely considered the

first major distance test for two-year-olds in the country.

"When the Breeders' Cup announced the creation of the $1 million Juvenile

Turf, we looked at our race as an opportunity to become a major prep race," said

John Engelhardt, River Downs track publicist. "The chance to test a two-year-old

on the turf at a distance will be few and far between, and only one other race

in North America will offer a $200,000 purse on the grass prior to the Breeders'

Cup Juvenile Turf.

"The Miller Lite Cradle has always attracted top horsemen from around the

country; this element should appeal to even more. The European runners have many

more opportunities to test their heels on the turf, and this should benefit the

American-based outfits to see if their youngsters have ability on the

greensward."

The Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf for colts, geldings and fillies will be

decided at one mile on the turf. The inaugural running will take place at

Monmouth Park on October 26.

"We'll offer the horsemen a chance to test their horses' fondness for grass

racing in the one-mile Cradle Prep on August 11," River Downs Racing Secretary

Ed Vomacka said. "The Miller Lite Cradle will be run on September 3, and with

the switch to the turf and the new Breeders' Cup race, we may see some horsemen

that have never put our race on their radar before."

The Cradle, along with its ever-growing sister race, the $100,000 Bassinet S.

for two-year-old fillies on September 1, comprise the "River Downs Cradle Stakes

Weekend Festival." The festival has become an important sporting event in the

Cincinnati area over the Labor Day weekend.

For the first time this year, the Montgomery Inn will serve their famous

ribs, chicken, shrimp, pulled pork and Saratoga Chips in the track's Clubhouse

Turf Terrace.

"We've partnered with a world-renowned local restaurant at a sporting venue

that has been on the Ohio River since 1925," River Downs Assistant General

Manager Marty Stringer said. "Dean Gregory is adamant about providing the same

quality food that the Montgomery Inn has been famous for since they opened their

first restaurant in 1951. While we won't offer the entire menu you can get

at the original restaurant or the Boathouse, we will feature the famous barbeque

items here in the Turf Terrace and on a limited basis in Ernie's Deli."

The Regular Guys Radio Show will air every Saturday during the racing season

from 11 a.m. to noon (ET) on AM-1530. Co-hosted by Engelhardt and Ed Meyer, the show

covers the local and national racing scene. "Pick the Pony" will air every

weekday morning at 8:50 a.m. on AM-1530 and AM-980. There will be an extended

version each Friday at 9 a.m.