August, 2023 | Horse Racing Free Tips

Churchill To Host 12 Stakes Worth $3.7 Million During September Meet

A dozen stakes cumulatively worth a record $3,775,000 will be offered during the 14-day September Meet at Churchill Downs, which runs Sept. 14-Oct. 1 (pending Kentucky Thoroughbred Development Fund final approval).

The meet will offer horsemen plenty of opportunities to prep for the Breeders' Cup World Championships at Santa Anita, led by the GII Lukas Classic for 3-year-olds and the GIII Ack Ack–a Breeders' Cup “Win and You're In” race for the Dirt Mile–Saturday, Sept. 30.

Additionally, the Road to the Kentucky Derby and Kentucky Oaks series will kick-off Saturday, Sept. 16 with the GIII Iroquois and GIII Pocahontas, respectively. Both races for 2-year-olds have been shortened by a half-furlong to the one turn, one-mile distance.

The condition book of scheduled races for the September Meet features 135 races and a record $15,133,000 in prize money for a daily average of $1,080,929. Maiden special weight races have a $120,000 purse while allowance races range from $127,000 to $141,000. All purses, including claiming races, include prize money from the Kentucky Thoroughbred Development Fund.

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Churchill Downs Shortens Iroquois, Pocahontas To One-Turn Mile Distance

The 11th annual September Meet, which runs for three weeks, will offer horsemen plenty of opportunities to prep for the Nov. 3-4 Breeders' Cup World Championships at Santa Anita, led by the $500,000 Lukas Classic (Grade 2) for 3-year-olds and up at 1 1/8 miles and the $400,000 Ack Ack (G3) for 3-year-olds and up at one mile – a Breeders' Cup “Win and You're In” race for the Dirt Mile – on Saturday, Sept. 30.

Additionally, the Road to the Kentucky Derby and Kentucky Oaks series will kick-off Saturday, Sept. 16 with the $300,000 Iroquois (G3) and $300,000 Pocahontas (G3), respectively. Both races for 2-year-olds have been shortened by a half-furlong to the one turn, one-mile distance.

The Ack Ack, boosted by $100,000, is one of six stakes events that received a purse increase. The Louisville Thoroughbred Society, Bourbon Trail, Harrods Creek and Dogwood were each increased by $25,000 to be valued at $300,000 apiece. The Seneca Overnight Stakes received a $15,000 bump to $175,000.

Additionally, the $200,000 Jefferson Cup for 3-year-olds at one mile on turf has returned to the September Meet stakes lineup following a three-year hiatus.

Tickets for the September Meet are on sale at https://www.churchilldowns.com/tickets/. Event highlights include:

· Twilight Thursdays featuring $2 select domestic beer, live music and food trucks (Thursdays, Sept. 14, Sept. 21 and Sept. 28).

· Road to the 150th Kentucky Derby and 150th Kentucky Oaks Kickoff (Saturday, Sept. 16)

· Stakes Room Brunch (Sundays, Sept. 17 and Sept. 24)

· Downs After Dark: Bourbon & Boots (Saturday, Sept. 23)

· Family Adventure Day (Sunday, Oct. 1)

Churchill Downs' 14-day meet will be staged over three weeks from Thursday, Sept. 14 through Sunday, Oct. 1 with racing on Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. Outside of the three Twilight Thursdays (5 p.m. ET) and the lone Downs After Dark on Sept. 23 (6 p.m. ET), the first race for all other race days will be 12:45 p.m. ET. Nine races are scheduled on Wednesdays, eight races are scheduled on Thursdays with 10-race programs on Fridays and Sundays. Eleven races will be showcased each Saturday.

The most lucrative day of the meet will be Road to the 150th Kentucky Derby and 150th Kentucky Oaks Kickoff on Saturday, Sept. 16 with prize money totaling $2.159 million. Five of the 11 races are stakes races.

Construction on the new Paddock at Churchill Downs continues. As was the case during the Spring Meet, a temporary saddling paddock adjacent to the First Turn Grandstand will be utilized for the remainder of the year.

2023 CHURCHILL DOWNS SEPTEMBER MEET STAKES SCHEDULE

Date	Running	Grade	Purse	Race	Conditions	Distance	Surface
Saturday, Sept. 16	39^th	III	$400,000	Locust Grove	3&up, f&m	1 1/16 M	Dirt
Saturday, Sept. 16	42^nd	III	$300,000	Iroquois	2yo	1 M	Dirt
Saturday, Sept. 16	55^th	III	$300,000	Pocahontas	2yo f	1 M	Dirt
Saturday, Sept. 16	14^th	Listed	$300,000	Open Mind	3&up, f&m	6 F	Dirt
Saturday, Sept. 16	3^rd		$300,000	Louisville Thoroughbred Society	3&up	6 F	Dirt
Saturday, Sept. 23	48^th	III	$300,000	Dogwood	3yo f	7 F	Dirt
Saturday, Sept. 23	3^rd		$300,000	Bourbon Trail	3yo	1 3/16 M	Dirt
Saturday, Sept. 23	3^rd		$300,000	Harrods Creek	3yo	7 F	Dirt
Saturday, Sept. 23	3^rd		$175,000	Seneca Overnight Stakes	3yo f	1 1/16 M	Dirt
Saturday, Sept. 30	10^th	II	$500,000	Lukas Classic	3&up	1 1/8 M	Dirt
Saturday, Sept. 30	31^st	III	$400,000	Ack Ack	3&up	1 M	Dirt
Saturday, Sept. 30	43^rd		$200,000	Jefferson Cup	3yo	1 M	Turf

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Horseshoe Indianapolis Adjusts Post Times, Racing Days Due To Excessive Heat Predictions

Due to excessive heat predictions and warnings for Central Indiana this week, Horseshoe Indianapolis is adjusting post times for Wednesday, Aug. 23 and moving Thursday, Aug. 24 to Monday, Aug. 28.

Post time for Wednesday, Aug. 23 will move up to 10 a.m. to avoid the hottest times of the day. The final race of the day will have an estimated post time of 2:30 p.m. Scratch time for Wednesday's racing program will be 12 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 22.

The racing program for Thursday, Aug. 24 will be moved to Monday, Aug. 28. First post for the Monday program will begin at 2:30 p.m.

“Safety for our equine athletes and all the individuals who work outdoors during our racing program always comes first at Horseshoe Indianapolis,” said Eric Halstrom, Vice President and General Manager of Racing. “After reviewing weather predictions for this week that includes excessive heat warnings, we want to be proactive and get the necessary changes in place. We wanted to avoid any cancellations of racing days as our horsemen work hard to get their horses ready to race and a cancellation directly impacts their business operations. We feel by moving post times and racing dates, it should be a better environment for everyone involved.”

Live racing will still be held Tuesday, Aug. 22 at 2:30 p.m. as planned.

The 21^st season of live Thoroughbred and Quarter Horse racing extends through Friday, Nov. 17. Live racing is held Tuesday through Thursday with Saturday racing added in during the summer months. First post Tuesday and Wednesday is 2:30 p.m. Thursday and select Friday racing begins at 2:10 p.m. The Summer Saturday Racing Series includes two more all-Quarter Horse dates Sept. 2, and Oct. 7 beginning at 10:45 a.m. For more information on live racing at Horseshoe Indianapolis, visit www.caesars.com/horseshoe-indianapolis.

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NYRA To Honor Funny Cide At Saratoga On New York Showcase Day Aug. 27

The New York Racing Association, Inc. (NYRA) will pay tribute to Funny Cide, one of the most successful and popular New York-breds of all time, on New York Showcase Day, Sunday, August 27, at Saratoga Race Course.

Funny Cide, who died earlier this summer due to complications from colic, earned more than $3.5 million during his six-year racing career, including a history-making victory in the 2003 Kentucky Derby when he became the first New York-bred to win the “Run for the Roses” and was later named the 2003 Eclipse Award winner for Champion 3-Year-Old Colt.

Funny Cide gained a large-scale national and even international following after his ownership group, Saratoga Springs-based Sackatoga Stable, traveled to the Kentucky Derby in a yellow school bus, a nod to the everyday fan, that continued throughout the 2003 Triple Crown series. Following his Derby win, Funny Cide would go on to complete two-thirds of the Triple Crown with a victory in the Preakness before coming up short in the Belmont Stakes.

“Few of us will ever forget Funny Cide's remarkable 2003 season, which helped shine a light on the growing success of the New York-bred program,” said NYRA President & CEO Dave O'Rourke. “NYRA is honored to celebrate his life and career on this most appropriate of days: New York Showcase Day at Saratoga.”

Funny Cide's remains will be buried at Saratoga during a brief ceremony starting at 11 a.m. inside Gate C and just a short distance from the horse path. Saratoga Race Course will be the final resting place for the two-time New York-bred Horse of the Year, allowing his passionate fan base to pay their respects in an area accessible to the public.

“Funny Cide was instrumental in helping to elevate the New York-bred program to national prominence and was a fan favorite wherever he ran,” said Najja Thompson, executive director of New York Thoroughbred Breeders, Inc. “His connection to the city of Saratoga Springs extends beyond being foaled locally at McMahon of Saratoga Thoroughbreds and campaigned by Sackatoga Stable. Residents of the city and racing fans understand the great impact he made on our sport. It is an honor to have him recognized on New York Showcase Day and for visitors to Saratoga Race Course to be able to pay their respects to him going forward.”

Funny Cide's connections, Sackatoga Managing Partner Jack Knowlton, trainer Barclay Tagg, assistant trainer Robin Smullen and Hall of Fame jockey Jose Santos, will be on hand to sign an array of memorabilia, including Funny Cide posters and bobbleheads, from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at the Jockey Silks Porch. Suggested donations will benefit the Backstretch Employee Service Team (BEST) and the New York Race Track Chaplaincy, a pair of non-profit organizations dedicated to the care and well-being of members of NYRA's backstretch community.

Later in the afternoon, following the annual running of the Funny Cide presented by Rood and Riddle Equine Hospital, NYRA will present a video compilation of his career, including his signature Grade 1 wins in the Kentucky Derby, Preakness Stakes and 2004 Jockey Club Gold Cup at Belmont Park. Funny Cide retired in 2007 and resided at Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington, KY, until the time of his passing in mid-July.

“Sackatoga Stable is most appreciative of NYRA's recognition of the impact Funny Cide has had on and off the track throughout his storied career,” said Knowlton. “We are particularly proud of the impact he has had on the New York-bred program in its growth since his 2003 Kentucky Derby victory. Always a fan favorite, it is particularly fitting that Funny Cide's remains will be buried at Saratoga Race Course in a place where fans can remember the 'Gutsy Gelding.'”

New York Showcase Day will highlight the continued success of the New York-bred program with six stakes for state-breds worth a combined $1.25 million. The card will include the $250,000 Albany, a nine-furlong test for sophomores and five $200,000 stakes, including the Fleet Indian for sophomore fillies; the West Point Handicap presented by Trustco Bank for 3-year-olds and up; the Yaddo Handicap for fillies and mares 3-years-old and up; and a pair of sprints at six furlongs in the Funny Cide, presented by Rood and Riddle Equine Hospital, for 2-year-olds; and the Seeking the Ante for juvenile fillies.

Highlighted by the 154th edition of the Grade 1, $1.25 million Travers on August 26, the 2023 summer meet at historic Saratoga Race Course continues through Monday, September 4.

Racing is conducted five days a week, Wednesdays through Sundays, apart from the final week, when the meet will conclude on Labor Day.

For more information about Saratoga Race Course visit NYRA.com.

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