22 stakes planned for Kentucky Derby week; American Turf now $1 million
?q=100)
Churchill Downs has raised the purse of the American Turf Stakes to $1 million, a $400,000 increase over 2024, after the race was designated a Grade 1 by the American Graded Stakes Committee late last year.
The American Turf, for 3-year-olds at 1 1/16 miles on the grass, will be one of 22 stakes races run during Kentucky Derby week worth a total of $17.9 million, according to a stakes schedule Churchill released on Friday. The 43-day meet will include a total of 50 stakes worth $26.2 million.
The American Turf, which was a Grade 2 race last year, received the heaviest purse boost, with several other races being targeted for relatively minor increases. The purse for the Maxfield will go from $175,000 to $250,000, and the purse for the Chicago, a race previously run at Arlington Park outside Chicago which was upgraded to a Grade 2 for this year, will go from $250,000 to $300,000.
This year’s May 3 Derby will continue to have a purse of $5 million, while the May 2 Kentucky Oaks will have a purse of $1.5 million.
The powerhouse Derby card will have 11 graded stakes, five of them Grade 1, and the Oaks card will have seven stakes, all of them graded.