Churchill Downs doubles Stephen Foster purse to $2 million

Churchill Downs has doubled the purse of the June 27 Stephen Foster Handicap, making the Grade 1 mid-summer race for older horses worth $2 million, among the richest purses in the U.S.

The Stephen Foster will anchor a card this year that has six other stakes races, three of them graded. The race is attracting interest this year from 2025 Horse of the Year Sovereignty, 2025 Dubai World Cup winner Magnitude, and Oaklawn Handicap winner White Abarrio, among other Grade 1 winners.

In a release, Churchill said that the Stephen Foster and its supporting card have grown in popularity among both racing fans and horsemen. Handle on last year’s Stephen Foster card was $20.7 million, up over 10 percent compared to the 2024 card, Churchill said.

“Stephen Foster Day has grown tremendously over the last several years attracting some of the world’s best horses, and this purse boost helps solidify our closing weekend as a must-see premier racing event,” said Mike Anderson, the president of Churchill Downs Racetrack.

The Stephen Foster will now rank among the richest dirt races for older horses in the U.S., just behind the $7 million Breeders’ Cup Classic in early November and the $3 million Pegasus World Cup in late January at Gulfstream Park in Florida.

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The Stephen Foster is a Win and You’re In race for the Breeders’ Cup Classic, with the winner guaranteed a berth in the Classic. The $2 million purse includes $100,000 from the Kentucky Thoroughbred Development Fund which is only available to horses eligible for the KTDF.

The Stephen Foster will be televised live on NBCSN and Peacock as part of a two-hour broadcast on June 27 from 4:30-6:30 p.m.

Other stakes on the card include the Grade 2, $500,000 Fleur de Lis, the Grade 2, $500,00 Wise Dan, and the Grade 3, $275,000 Bango.

Just prior to the spring meet starting, Churchill raised the purses of 16 others stakes, including a $500,000 boost to the Turf Classic, which made the race worth $1.5 million. The purse increases were mainly targeted to races run during the track’s opening week, which featured the Kentucky Derby and Kentucky Oaks.

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