Purses boosted for six of the meet's 19 stakes
Six of the 19 stakes at the Keeneland fall meet will have purse increases over last year. Keeneland released the stakes schedule Wednesday for the 17-day meet, which runs Oct. 7-29.
With total stakes purses exceeding $5 million for the first time, the fall meet at the Lexington, Ky., track will be highlighted as usual by "FallStars Weekend," the opening three-day weekend packed with races designed as preps for the Oct. 29 Breeders' Cup championships. Three of the meet's four Grade 1 races will be run opening weekend.
The six stakes with purse hikes include the $300,000 Thoroughbred Club of America Stakes, up from $125,000; the $200,000 Perryville Stakes, up from $100,000; and the $300,000 Lexus Raven Run, up from $200,000. One race, the $400,000 WinStar Galaxy on turf, had its purse cut by $100,000 and was also shortened from 1 3/8 miles to a mile. The net change in purse value for the stakes schedule is a $375,000 increase.
The Grade 3 Perryville, an Oct. 14 race that already has been targeted by trainer Ron Ellis as the comeback spot for last year's 2-year-old champion, Declan's Moon, is graded for the first time. Other changes at the meet include Juddmonte Farms assuming the sponsorship of the Grade 1 Spinster Stakes on Oct. 9, and the Storm Cat Stakes being renamed the Bryan Station Stakes.
Thirteen of the 19 stakes are graded, and 11 will be run on grass.
2005 stakes schedule
| DATE | EVENT | CONDITIONS | DISTANCE | PURSE |
| Fri.,Oct. 7 | Darley Alcibiades (G2) | 2YO F | 1 1/16 miles | $400,000 |
| Fri.,Oct. 7 | Sycamore Breeders' Cup (G3) | 3YO & Up | 1 1/2 miles (T) | 150,000 |
| Sat.,Oct. 8 | Shadwell Turf Mile (G1) | 3YO & Up | 1 mile (T) | 600,000 |
| Sat.,Oct. 8 | Lane's End Breeders' Futurity (G1) | 2YO | 1 1/16 miles | 500,000 |
| Sat.,Oct. 8 | Phoenix Breeders' Cup (G3) | 3YO & Up | 6 furlongs | 250,000 |
| Sun.,Oct. 9 | Juddmonte Spinster (G1) | F&M, 3YO & Up | 1 1/8 miles | 500,000 |
| Sun.,Oct. 9 | WinStar Galaxy (G2) | F&M, 3YO & Up | 1 mile (T) | 400,000 |
| Sun.,Oct. 9 | Woodford County | 3YO & Up | 5 1/2 furlongs (T) | 100,000 |
| Thur.,Oct. 13 | Bryan Station | 3YO | 1 mile (T) | 150,000 |
| Fri.,Oct. 14 | Perryville (G3) | 3YO | 7 furlongs, 184 ft. | 200,000 |
| Sat.,Oct. 15 | Qn. Elizabeth II Challenge Cup (G1) | 3YO F | 1 1/8 miles (T) | 500,000 |
| Sun.,Oct. 16 | Thoroughbred Club of America (G3) | F&M, 3YO & Up | 6 furlongs | 300,000 |
| Thur.,Oct. 20 | Buffalo Trace Franklin County | F&M, 3YO & Up | 5 1/2 furlongs | 100,000 |
| Fri.,Oct. 21 | Valley View (G3) | 3YO F | 1 1/16 miles (T) | 125,000 |
| Sat.,Oct. 22 | Lexus Raven Run (G2) | 3YO F | 7 furlongs | 300,000 |
| Sun.,Oct 23 | Rood and Riddle Dowager | F&M, 3YO & Up | 1 1/2 miles (T) | 150,000 |
| Thur.,Oct. 27 | Jessamine County | 2YO F | 1 1/16 miles (T) | 100,000 |
| Fri.,Oct. 28 | Bourbon County | 2YO | 1 1/16 miles (T) | 100,000 |
| Sat.,Oct. 29 | Fayette Stakes (G3) | 3YO & Up | 1 1/8 miles | 150,000 |