Grade 1-winning runner will boost three Ky. Downs stakes to $1 million

Kentucky Downs officials announced Tuesday that three more stakes at its upcoming meet will offer purses of as much as $1 million if a Grade 1 or Group 1 winner is a starter in those races.

Three races at the seven-day meet next month at the turf-only track in south-central Kentucky already are worth $1 million, including substantial bonuses from the Kentucky Thoroughbred Development Fund.

The Grade 3 Kentucky Downs Ladies Turf, Grade 2 Franklin-Simpson, and Grade 3 Mint Ladies Sprint all will be upgraded to offer $1-million purses with a Grade 1 winner in the field. The breakdown on those races would be $550,000 in association purses and $450,000 for Kentucky-breds registered to the KTDF.

Without a Grade 1 winner, those total purses will remain at $750,000 for the Ladies Turf, $600,000 for the Franklin-Simpson, and $600,000 for the Ladies Sprint.

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Already announced as $1 million races are the Grade 2 Kentucky Turf Cup, Grade 2 Turf Sprint, and Grade 2 Mint Million, all with those identical purse splits of $550,000 and $450,000.

Kentucky Downs runs Sept. 1, 3, 4, 8, 10, 11, and 14.

The potential increases were created in agreements with the Kentucky Horsemen’s Benevolent and Protective Association and the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission's KTDF advisory committee.