Turfway, Claiborne Farm debut ‘Make Your Mare' series

Turfway Park has partnered with legendary Claiborne Farm for an upcoming series of stakes races where fillies and mares will receive a future stallion credit to be used upon their retirement from racing.

The series, which has been dubbed the “Make Your Mare” series, consists of the $125,000 Holiday Inaugural Stakes on Dec. 2, the $125,000 My Charmer Stakes on Dec. 9, and the $125,000 Likely Exchange Stakes on Jan. 13.

The top three finishers in each race will receive “Claiborne Credit” on a scale of $10,000, $5,000, and $2,500, respectively. The funds may be applied against the stud fee of any Claiborne Farm stallion. The farm’s roster for the 2024 breeding season, which begins in February, consists of nine stallions, led by international stalwart War Front at $100,000, with fees down the scale to $7,500. The funds may be transferred with the horse upon an ownership change, and expire at the end of the 2025 breeding season.

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“We’re very excited to partner with Claiborne Farm for this series of three stakes races from Turfway Park,” Gary Palmisano, Jr., executive director of racing for track owner Churchill Downs, Incorporated, said in a release. “These races will not only give owners and trainers another chance to get their fillies and mares black-type placing, but an opportunity at credit towards a top stallion pairing when they retire. We know there are a lot of quality racing/broodmare prospects sold each November at the sales in Lexington, so this would be a great opportunity for some of the horses purchased to try and add to their résumés.”

Walker Hancock, president of his family’s Claiborne Farm, noted that the partnership benefits the stallions’ résumés, as well as the mare owners.

“We are pleased to partner with Turfway on their new ‘Make Your Mare’ series,” Hancock said. “This will provide owners the opportunity to breed to one of our top-class stallions at an earned discounted rate, while giving our stallions more black type mares to bolster their stud books.”

The upcoming season at Turfway Park begins Nov. 29.

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