Road to the Kentucky Derby and Oaks kicks off during ‘Downs
After Dark’
The Road to the Kentucky Derby and Road to the Kentucky
Oaks kick-off in prime time under the lights Saturday at Churchill Downs as the
legendary Louisville, Kentucky, racetrack enters into its a first foray of September racing
since 1890.
A new chapter in Churchill Downs’ storied history began
Friday in earnest with the start of the new 12-date September meet. The
four-week flurry of weekend horse racing will mark the first time in the track’s
139 years that three race meets will be conducted in a calendar year.
Ten-race programs with be staged every Friday (1:45 p.m.
[EDT]), Saturday (12:45 p.m.) and Sunday (12:45 p.m.) in September, with
two 11-race “Downs After Dark” night racing programs scheduled for this Saturday
and September 28.
The special Downs After Dark racing begins at 6 p.m.
Over the course of the boutique meet, horsemen will have
the opportunity to compete for a daily average of $407,000 in prize money, which
includes eight stakes events cumulatively worth $975,000.
More than $500,000 in stakes prizes will be awarded
Saturday as Churchill Downs’ hosts a stakes quartet, led by two important
$150,000 juvenile fixtures at 1 1/16 miles.
The 32nd running of the Grade 3 Iroquois for
two-year-olds, which was previously staged during the fall meet in late October,
was moved to September, received a $50,000 purse increase and the distance was
elongated by a sixteenth of a mile so it could launch the 18-race “Kentucky
Derby Prep Season.”
Meanwhile, the Grade 2 Pocahontas, which will be staged for
the 45th time, launches the “Kentucky Oaks Prep Season” series.
Points will be awarded to the top four finishers in both races
— 10 points for first, 4 for second, 2 for third and 1 for fourth. The top
point-earners at the series’ conclusion next spring will ultimately determine
which horses have preference to start in the 140th renewals of the Kentucky
Derby and Kentucky Oaks.
A dozen colts and geldings were entered in the Iroquois —
the most since 13 ran in the 2005 renewal — and eight fillies were lured to the
Pocahontas. Each race also is a part of the Breeders’ Cup “Win and You’re In”
Challenge Series, and the winners will earn respective starting positions in the $2 million
Breeders’ Cup Juvenile and Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies in early
November at Santa Anita.
Saturday’s 11-race Downs After Dark program also will
showcase top milers in the Grade 3, $100,000 Ack Ack Handicap, and fillies
and mares in the $100,000 Locust Grove over 1 1/16 miles.
Churchill Downs’ new September Meet not only provides
horsemen with lucrative racing opportunities at an important time on the racing
calendar, but it creates a new product offering and experience for area sports
fans and entertainment seekers.
Fans are encouraged to express their passion and dress in support of their
favorite school Saturday night as Churchill Downs is transformed into
Louisville’s ultimate nighttime hot spot for “Downs After Dark: College Rivalry
Night.” Each fan that passes
through admission gates will be asked which collegiate team they support. At
night’s end, the school with the most votes will be awarded $5,000 in
scholarships. Additionally, the runner-up will receive $3,000 in grants, while
the third-place finisher will get $2,000.
Churchill Downs’ celebration under the lights is sure to
have the atmosphere of a tailgate party in its spacious 30,000-square-foot
Plaza, complete with live music, unique food and drink offerings, corn hole
games, a football toss, cheerleaders, marching bands and more. Admission gates
will open at 4 p.m., the final live race will be 11:10 p.m. and the on-track
party will continue in the Plaza until 11:30 p.m.
Cover charge (general admission) to all Downs After Dark
events is $10. Holders of shareholders passes or horsemen licenses and children
age 12 and under (when accompanied by an adult) will be admitted free of charge.
No one under the age of 18 will be admitted to the track unless they are
accompanied by a parent or responsible adult.
Indoor dining packages in
Millionaires Row are $59.90 per person and include a delectable buffet dinner,
reserved seat and official program. Outdoor third-floor box seats are $20 and
include general admission, a box seat in the third-floor clubhouse and an
official program.
“College Rivalry Night” is the centerpiece of opening week
activities. Churchill Downs launched its meet Friday and hosted the “City’s
Best Happy Hours!” with drink specials, food trucks and live music in the Plaza
from 4-7 p.m.
Meanwhile,
Sundays are scheduled as Family Fun Days. The 10-race programs, which
begin at 12:45 p.m., will showcase family-focused activities on the Plaza
Balcony throughout the day from 11:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Kids 12 and younger are
invited to enjoy games, crafts, visits from the popular mascot Churchill Charlie
and special weekly events.
Racing at Churchill Downs in September is rare but not
unprecedented. The track’s fall meet, which will be held for the 124th time from
October 27-November 30, was staged exclusively during September on nine occasions:
1875-76, 1879, 1884, 1886-90.
Churchill Downs’ most recent September racing
dates occurred in the mid-1980s when a pair of extended spring/summer meets
stretched into the month. The April 30-September 5 fall meet of 1983 consisted of 93
racing days, and the 1984 meet, also 93 days, ran from April 28-September 3. Prior
to those mid-’80s meets, the most recent September racing dates were conducted
at Churchill Downs during back-to-back fall meets of 1966 (September 10-October 8) and
’67 (September 2-October 7).
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