Churchill Downs Stakes going on hiatus

Churchill has released the balance of the stakes schedule for Kentucky Derby week (Sept. 1-5) with the Grade 1 Churchill Downs being the most notable absentee from the traditional slate. Grade 1 races such as the Old Forester Turf Classic, the La Troienne, and the newly named Derby City (formerly Humana) Distaff will be run as usual on the Oaks and Derby undercards.

The seven-furlong Churchill Downs will go on hiatus for this year only. Officials worked with their counterparts at the New York Racing Association to accommodate each other in various categories within their revised schedules. The Grade 1 Forego will be run Aug. 29 at Saratoga.

:: To stay up to date, follow us on: Facebook | Instagram | Twitter

In all, 18 stakes worth $9.85 million will be run during Derby week. Other tweaks include the addition of the Pocahontas on the Sept. 3 card and the Iroquois on the Sept. 5 Derby card.

◗ Lovell Bush, who worked for more than 70 years in the mutuels department at Churchill, died Tuesday at age 91. During his tenure, Bush missed only two runnings of the Kentucky Derby, in 1951 and 1953, when in the Marines.

◗ Larry Westfall, a longtime owner of an equine transport business in Kentucky, died Monday in a car accident in Louisville. He was 78.