Kentucky Downs increases purses for seven-day meet

The purse of the Kentucky Cup at Kentucky Downs has been raised to $1.7 million for 2023, while four other stakes at the European style course in south central Kentucky have been upped to $1 million from $750,000.

The four new million-dollar races all are for 3-year-olds; The Music City for fillies at 6 1/2 furlongs, the Gun Runner for 3-year-olds at a mile, and the Dueling Grounds Derby and Dueling Grounds Oaks, both at 1 5/16 miles.

With the latest purse increases, the seven-day Kentucky Downs meet, which runs between Aug. 31 and Sept. 7, has nine stakes worth at least $1 million. The one-mile Mint Millions has a $2 million purse.

The races are heavily subsidized by the Kentucky Thoroughbred Development Fund, and horses not bred in Kentucky aren’t eligible for that portion of the purse. The KTDF provides $1 million of the Mint Millions purse as well as $400,000 for the Kentucky Turf Cup. The unsubsidized purses for the new $1 million races are $600,000.

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