Eleven stakes races price $3,575,000 shall be supplied throughout the 14-day September meet at Churchill Downs from Sept. 12-29.

The twelfth annual September Meet, which runs for 3 weeks, will provide horsemen loads of alternatives to prep for the Nov. 1-2 Breeders’ Cup World Championships at Del Mar, led by the $500,000 Lukas Traditional (G2) for 3-year-olds and up at 1 1/8 miles and the $400,000 Ack Ack (G3) for 3-year-olds and up at one mile—a Breeders’ Cup “Win and You are In” race for the Grime Mile—Sept. 28. 

Moreover, the Highway to the Kentucky Derby and Kentucky Oaks sequence will kick off Sept. 14, with the $300,000 Iroquois Stakes (G3) and $300,000 Pocahontas Stakes (G3), respectively. Each races for 2-year-olds shall be run at a one-turn mile distance. 

Two adjustments have been made to the stakes schedule in comparison with final yr’s lineup. The gap of the $300,000 Open Thoughts Stakes for fillies and mares, one in every of 5 stakes Sept. 14, has been elevated from six furlongs to six 1/2 furlongs. Moreover, the $200,000 Jefferson Cup for 3-year-olds at one mile on turf has been positioned on hiatus as a result of no turf racing will happen throughout the upcoming meet over Churchill’s troubled turf course. The monitor said it needs to make sure the turf course reaches its most efficiency for the Oct. 27-Dec. 1 fall meet and into subsequent yr’s spring meet.

Churchill Downs’ 14-day meet shall be staged over three weeks from Sept. 12-Sept. 29, with racing on Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays. Exterior of the three Twilight Thursdays (5 p.m. ET) and Downs After Darkish on Sept. 28 (6 p.m. ET), the primary race for all different race days shall be 12:45 p.m. ET. 9 races are scheduled on Wednesdays, eight on Thursdays, and 10-race packages on Fridays and Sundays. Eleven races shall be showcased every Saturday.

 

This press launch has been edited for content material and elegance by BloodHorse Workers.