Turfway opens meet with historically high purses thanks to historical horse racing

Tyler Picklesimer has seen how low Turfway Park can go. Now he’s seeing how high.

Picklesimer, now in his 10th year as racing secretary at Turfway, is as happy as anybody about how slots-like historical horse racing machines have dramatically altered the landscape at the northern Kentucky track.

“It’s pretty surreal when you think about it,” he said.

Four months of winter racing over a one-mile Tapeta track begins Wednesday at 5:55 p.m. Eastern with a purse structure that only a few years ago would have been unimaginable. Turfway, which was purchased in October 2019 by Churchill Downs Inc., now offers maiden-specials with $70,000 purses and allowances worth a few thousand dollars more. All purses include substantial bonuses for runners registered to the Kentucky Thoroughbred Development Fund.

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The $145 million renovation of Turfway, much of it dedicated to accommodating more than 1,500 historical horse racing machines, was mostly complete in early September. Work has continued in the interim on preparing for live racing, with new barns and backstretch upgrades among a host of welcome changes.

Picklesimer and his staff accepted 108 entries (including also-eligibles and exclusions) for the eight-race opener, a reflection of the track’s resurgent popularity. Aside from a filled stable area at Turfway and the Thoroughbred training center in Lexington, the Trackside training center in Louisville also will be open all winter for the first time in more than a decade.

“Entries should be good all winter,” Picklesimer said.

Turfway will race Wednesdays through Saturdays through the holiday meet, which ends Dec. 31, and through the first two months of a winter-spring meet, which runs through April 1. Wednesdays will be dropped in March. Turfway will race under the lights except on Saturdays, when racing will be held during the afternoon.

The first stakes comes Saturday with the $125,000 Holiday Inaugural for filly-mare sprinters. All stakes will carry a $125,000 minimum (including KTDF), with the Jeff Ruby Steaks on March 25 offering Kentucky Derby points.

Gerardo Corrales, who has dominated recent Turfway meets, has to be considered a 1-9 shot to repeat as leading jockey. Many of the top trainers who in a different era would have traveled elsewhere with everything are leaving behind sizable strings, including Wesley Ward, Mike Maker, Steve Asmussen, and Brad Cox.

The opening-night card is highlighted by a $74,000 first-level allowance (race 7) that drew a full lineup of 12 fillies and mares going 6 1/2 furlongs. Shannon, with Chris Landeros riding for Cox, figures as the favorite over Quaria Comet, Intrigue, and Boxing Day.

Seating with a racetrack view is quite limited with the recent renovation. The new building is only a couple stories high, and sightlines are not ideal for the race-caller or racing officials.

Retired race-caller Mike Battaglia remains the Turfway oddsmaker, and Kaitlin Free again will provide analysis and commentary via in-house television programming.

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