Smith, Velazquez top all-star roster at Runhappy Kentucky Downs meet

Virtually all of the top jockeys in North America will be part of the daily riding colony at Kentucky Downs, the turf-only track that will host a six-day meet Sept. 7-16.

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Mike Smith and John Velaquez are among the top jockeys who will ride at the Runnhappy Kentucky Downs meet following Kentucky Derby week at Churchill. They’ll be joined by the likes of Irad Ortiz Jr. and his brother Jose Ortiz and other riders who opted to miss Derby week and ride instead at Saratoga because of the highly restrictive coronavirus protocols in place. The Ortiz brothers, along with several others, will miss opening day to ride the final card at Saratoga.

Remarkably, nine of the top 10 jockeys in 2020 mount earnings are expected to ride the Kentucky Downs meet, with the others being Joel Rosario, Tyler Gaffalione, Ricardo Santana Jr., Flavien Prat, Javier Castellano, and Florent Geroux.

◗ The $115,000 Champions Day Marathon is the nominal feature Tuesday, but with a short field of six, it was slotted early on the card as race 4. Occupying the more traditional feature slot, race 8, is a deeper second-level turf allowance with a purse of $103,000, which includes $22,100 in bonuses from the Kentucky Thoroughbred Development Fund.

◗ A maiden-special race at the infrequently run Derby distance of 1 1/4 miles is part of the opening-day card Tuesday at Churchill. Seven 3-year-old colts and geldings comprise the field for race 2.