David Owens/Equi-Photo
Clare Skies Ahead, trained by Flint Stites, comes off a victory going 1 3/8 miles in a Monmouth Park turf race.
They’re all new, and they’re all pretty good. Three $75,000 stakes are on the Saturday undercard at Kentucky Downs leading into the annual showcase race, the Kentucky Turf Cup, and each looks like a race worth renewing in future years at the turf-only track in Franklin, Ky.
Two of those races are for 2-year-olds, essentially filling a spot on the Kentucky racing calendar once occupied by Kentucky Cup events at Turfway Park, while the other is a pseudo-counterpart to the Turf Cup for fillies and mares.
Here is a rundown of those supporting events: