Three million-dollar stakes on Kentucky Downs schedule

Kentucky Downs will have three $1 million races for the first time in its 31-year history when the turf-only track in south-central Kentucky runs its 2021 meet in September.

The Grade 3 Turf Sprint and Grade 3 WinStar Mint Million join the track’s longtime signature event, the Grade 2 Calumet Turf Cup, as seven-figure races. They’ll all be part of a 16-race, $10 million stakes schedule at a six-day meet that runs Sept. 5-12.

Overnight purses at Kentucky Downs once again will be among the highest in North America, and as always, purses for all non-claiming/starter races will include substantial bonuses for horses registered to the Kentucky Thoroughbred Development Fund. All 16 stakes are worth at least $400,000, including the KTDF bonuses.

“Purses are the economic engine of the racing industry, and Kentucky Downs is proud to be a leader helping Kentucky stamp itself as the premier racing circuit in America,” Ron Winchell, who co-owns Kentucky Downs with Marc Falcone, said in a Tuesday press release. “We’re only six days, but winning one of our stakes – or even one of our overnight races – can make the entire year for an owner.”

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The WinStar Mint Million, formerly the Tourist Mile, will have the biggest purse of any one-mile turf race on the continent behind the $2 million Breeders’ Cup Mile.

The $600,000 Franklin-Simpson, a 6 1/2-furlong race for 3-year-olds and up, joins the Calumet Turf Cup, formerly the Kentucky Turf Cup, as a second Grade 2 at Kentucky Downs. The Franklin-Simpson is one of nine stakes to receive a purse hike from 2020.

Purses at Kentucky Downs are largely fueled by the slots-like historical horse racing machines available to customers year-round at its property just north of the Tennessee state border. The Kentucky General Assembly passed enabling legislation in February that resolved legal questions concerning the machines.