Officials at Churchill Downs have released stakes schedules for their September and fall meetings, with combined purse money of more than $3.2 million on offer.
The storied Louisville oval will play host to a September meeting for the fourth year, and the opening Saturday of the stand will feature the GIII Iroquois S. and GII Pocahontas S. for 2-year-old colts and fillies, respectively. Each event, contested at 1 1/16 miles around two turns, offers points in the “Road to the Kentucky Derby” and “Road to the Kentucky Oaks” series and is also part of the Breeders' Cup Challenge “Win and You're In” series. The GIII Locust Grove S. and GIII Ack Ack S. are the other graded stakes on the September calendar, while the Oct. 1 Lukas Classic, a listed stakes test, is intended to serve as a prep for the GI Breeders' Cup Classic.
The fall meeting kicks off with the “Stars of Tomorrow I” program, comprised of races restricted to 2-year-olds and including the Rags to Riches and Street Sense overnight stakes. Those two events serve as one-mile preps for the GII Kentucky Jockey Club S. (2yo males) and GII Golden Rod S. (2yo fillies) to be held Saturday, Nov. 26. The winners of those races will earn automatic nominations to the GI Kentucky Derby/Triple Crown and the GI Kentucky Oaks. The meet closes with the “Stars of Tomorrow II” program Sunday, Nov. 27.
As part of an always-popular program over the Thanksgiving holiday, the GI Clark H. is the only top-level test on the September/Fall ledger. The other graded events on that weekend include the GII Falls City H. and GIII River City H. (Nov. 24); and the GIII Mrs. Revere S. (Nov. 25).
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