The Grade 2, $2 million FanDuel TV Kentucky Turf Cup Stakes is one of six stakes races with a $2 million purse Saturday at Kentucky Downs on one of the richest days of turf racing in North America.
Each week a panel of media members, horseplayers, and Breeders’ Cup World Championships officials release a poll tabulating their votes ranking the top contenders for the 2024 Longines Breeders’ Cup Classic. The results are a weekly rating of the top 10 horses in contention and are determined by each voter ranking their top 10 horses with points assigned on a descending 10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 basis.
Saturday’s Grade 2 Ainsworth Turf Sprint Stakes at Kentucky Downs hasn’t yet achieved Grade 1 status, but that may be coming. With its rich purse of $2 million (including $1 million from the Kentucky Thoroughbred Development Fund), the grass dash over three-quarters of a mile has drawn a stellar field for its 2024 renewal.
The fields for the 14 races that comprise the Breeders’ Cup World Championships really begin to come into focus in summer and fall. This regular feature will offer a snapshot profile of one of the previous weekend’s standout stars, usually a Breeders’ Cup “Win and You’re In” Challenge Series winner, and whether I’m buying or selling their chances to win Nov. 1-2 at Del Mar.
After an exciting Labor Day weekend of racing across the country, New York racing takes a breather for a weekend prior to the opening of the Belmont at the Big A meeting.
