Churchill weekend turf stakes to stay on grass
Churchill Downs will conduct its planned closing weekend turf stakes on the grass course, but those will be the only races run on the turf this week, and the first since racing and training on the course were suspended several weeks ago.
The busy Saturday program at Churchill Downs includes three turf stakes, highlighted by the Grade 2, $350,000 Wise Dan for older runners. The card also includes the $200,000 American Derby and $200,000 Tepin for 3-year-olds. The following day, Churchill has scheduled the $160,000 Anchorage Overnight Stakes for fillies and mares on the turf.
According to a release sent by the track on Sunday, the first two carded stakes events will be conducted in lane 2, 12 feet from the inside rail. The next two stakes events will be run on lane 1.
Churchill Downs tore out its old turf course following the 2021 spring-summer meeting, and installed a new Bermuda-hybrid grass course, which debuted at this meet, which opened on April 30. Churchill Downs announced on June 11 that it was immediately suspending turf racing and training, a schedule change that followed complaints by horsemen about loose footing and unusually large divots over the course. The pause was intended to allow the new course to continue to develop a more-robust root system without stress.