Kentucky Downs offers $1 million bonus for three-race turf sprint sweep

Kentucky Downs officials announced Friday that the winner of the Sept. 7 Kentucky Downs Turf Sprint will receive a $1 million bonus if the horse proceeds to sweep the Oct. 5 Woodford at Keeneland and the Nov. 2 Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint at Santa Anita.

The offer comes on the heels of the Grade 3, $700,000 Kentucky Downs Turf Sprint having been listed as the first-ever Breeders’ Cup Win and You’re In event at the turf-only track in south-central Kentucky.

Kentucky Downs general manager Ted Nicholson said the inclusion of the Grade 2, $200,000 Woodford in the bonus offer “emphasizes and promotes Kentucky racing overall” and that the bonus concept was the idea of Ron Winchell, who in March purchased the track in partnership with Marc Falcone.

The Jaipur Stakes, won by World of Trouble on the June 8 Belmont Stakes undercard, is the only other Win and You’re In event in North America toward the BC Turf Sprint, although five other overseas races (four in Europe and one in Japan) carry that designation.

Purses at the five-day Kentucky Downs meet are projected to average about $2 million per card. The dates are Aug. 31 and Sept. 5, 7, 8, 12.