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Upcoming Kentucky MSW Purses: KD $135K, CD, $125K, KEE $78K

Projected purse levels for maiden special weight (MSW) races on the Kentucky circuit in September and October will be $135,000 at Kentucky Downs, $125,000 at Churchill Downs, and $78,000 at Keeneland Race Course.

Those figures were revealed by representatives of those respective tracks Tuesday during a video meeting of the Kentucky Thoroughbred Development Fund (KTDF) advisory committee.

Ted Nicholson, Kentucky Downs' senior vice president and general manager, also said that his all-turf venue will also be raising non-stakes purses across the board by 8% from the amounts that were initially listed when the condition book for the September meet first came out in April.

Last year, Kentucky Downs carded $90,000 MSW races, but that money represented a 30% cut from 2019 because of lost-revenue circumstances related to the pandemic.

Bill Landes III, the chairman of the KTDF's advisory committee, who represents the Kentucky Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association (KTOB), asked fellow advisory committee member Rick Hiles, the president of the Kentucky Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association, if he was okay with such a high purse value for Kentucky Downs horses winning a first career race.

“Well, I've had some concerns about getting [MSW purses] up too high [because I'm] afraid that the legislators are going to step in,” Hiles said, alluding to the potential that elected officials might think that's too much KTDF money to be giving away.

Hiles added that he has relayed that sentiment to Nicholson in the past and will do so again when they discuss the issue in the near future. “But, you know, we just have to go with the flow I guess,” he said.

“Ted, be careful,” Landes cautioned Nicholson.

Ben Huffman, who serves as both the director of racing at Churchill Downs and as the racing secretary at Keeneland, provided the figures for those two tracks. He added that Churchill's MSW purse figure is the expected “range” of money for right now, pending the finalization of the condition book for the September meet.

In 2020, Churchill offered split MSW purse values in September–$97,000 during the rescheduled GI Kentucky Derby week, then $75,000 for the balance of the month. Those numbers were also skewed by pandemic conditions that affected the generation of purse money.

Keeneland carded $70,000 MSW races in October 2020 after losing the entire April meet to COVID-19 and instead running during July.

During the Aug. 3 meeting, the committee unanimously approved all of the tracks' requests for KTDF funding, which means a recommendation from the advisory committee to release the money will be forwarded to the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission, which votes on the actual disbursement at its next meeting.

The KTDF is funded by three-quarters of 1% of all money wagered on both live Thoroughbred races and historical horse race (HHR) gaming, plus 2% of all money wagered on Thoroughbred races via inter-track wagering and whole-card simulcasting.

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Kentucky Downs’ King Of The Turf Handicapping Challenge Expanded For 2021

Kentucky Downs' one-of-a-kind online handicapping tournament is getting super-sized: the 2021 King of the Turf Handicapping Challenge presented by Daily Racing Form will feature a trio of two-day handicapping contests spanning the all-grass meet's Sept. 5, 6, 8, 9, 11 and 12 dates.

Last year's inaugural event involved a pair of one-day contests with the cumulative winner, Andy Muhlada of Lawrenceburg, Ind., crowned the first National Turf Handicapping Champion. The separate online tournaments are live-money events, meaning that entrants use a real bankroll and get to keep whatever they might earn. All contest bets must be placed through the TVG, 4NJBets or Xpressbet ADW platforms.

“The philosophy at Kentucky Downs has been that if something works well, how can we make it even better?” said Kentucky Downs Vice President for Racing Ted Nicholson. “Those were the marching orders for our marketing team. The beauty of this format is the flexibility it provides for those who might face scheduling conflicts that prevent them from playing in one or two of the tournaments. But we also wanted to reward those who play all six days.

“With the ever-growing popularity of Kentucky Downs racing, with our big fields and low takeout, we believe the Turf Handicapping Challenge will be a big hit with simulcast players and NHC Tour members alike. We also wanted to award prizes to make it worth players' time and money. And as with last year, all the buy-in fees are returned to the players through either the prizes or their bankrolls.”

Seats at the National Horseplayers Championship (NHC) will be awarded to the top finishers in all three individual competitions, with seats for the Breeders' Cup Betting Challenge (BCBC) also up for grabs in the final two contests. The overall winner who participates in all three contests over the six dates will be crowned National Turf Handicapping Champion and earn additional prize money, along with the National Turf Handicapping Champion Trophy presented by BetMakers.

“The 2020 Kentucky Downs Turf Handicapping Challenge proved to be a massive success,” said tournament director Brian Skirka, who also is Monmouth Park's director of marketing. “We look to build off that success this season with three, two-day contests encapsulating the entire Kentucky Downs meet. The uniqueness of all-turf cards combined with full fields, great betting opportunities, and the chance to become the National Turf Handicapping Champion make these contests a can't-miss for contest players across the country. I look forward to being part of the contest team yet again and thank Kentucky Downs for the opportunity.”

Based on conservative estimates, a projected minimum of 13 qualifying seats and prize packages (hotel and airfare up to $400) to the 2022 National Horseplayers Championship and three seats with the $10,000 buy-in to the Breeders' Cup Betting Challenge at Del Mar will be awarded. The exact numbers of automatic qualifiers to the NHC and BCBC buy-ins depend on entries, with more than $100,000 in cash projected to be paid out.

Muhlada says he plans to defend his title.

“The format looks intriguing and intense,” he said. “Seems fitting that this unique track and meet is hosting such a challenging tournament series. I am excited to participate!”

Half of the buy-in amounts for the three stand-alone tournaments goes to the entrant's live bankroll and the other half goes toward the prizes, including cash payments to the top 10 finishers in each contest. Players must wager on a minimum of five races each day, with no maximum. All contests are based on Kentucky Downs racing that day. Also new this year: doubles join the betting menu in addition to straight and exacta wagering.

Here's a quick look at the three contests (with projected prizes based on 175 entries per contest):

Sunday Sept. 5 and Monday Sept. 6: $600 buy-in, $30 minimum bet per race. Projected prizes: four NHC prize packs, $10,000 to the winner down to $800 for 10th.

Wednesday Sept. 8 and Thursday Sept. 9: $800 buy-in, $40 minimum bet per race. Projected prizes: One BCBC seat and $10,000 buy-in, four NHC seats and prize packs, $12,000 to the winner down to $1,000 for 10th.

Saturday Sept. 11 and Sunday Sept. 12: $1,200 buy-in, $60 minimum bet per race. Projected prizes: Two BCBC seats and $10,000 buy-in, five NHC prize packs, $18,000 to winner down to $1,500 for 10th.

The National Turf Handicapping Champion is the player with the highest aggregate six-day bankroll once scores are combined from the three individual contests. Based on 175 entries for each contest, the Turf Handicapping Champ will receive $25,000 in addition to prizes earned during the three tournaments.

“This is a unique tournament series with reasonable entry fees and great prizes for each individual tournament,” said Scott Coles, a Chicago futures trader who in 2019 became the youngest NHC champion at age 34. “If you play them all, you can win your entries into the major championships, pick up a lot of NHC Tour points and be crowned King of the Turf all in the same week. Get involved!”

For more information or to sign up, contact Brian Skirka at bskirka@monmouthpark.com.

Low-priced feeder contests will be available each week on www.horsetourneys.com, providing the opportunity to win fees-paid entry to all three contests. Click here for information about Sunday's Horsetourneys.com first feeder contest.

Click here for complete rules

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Kentucky To European Horsemen: We Want You

It's easy to see why so many top American stables have made a point of circling the Kentucky Downs meet on their calendars. It mainly comes down to the money. During the unique European-style six-day meet, $10 million alone will be paid out in stakes purses, there are three $1 million races, maiden races go for $125,000 and the purses for allowance races range from $135,000 to $145,000. This year, Chad Brown will be there and so will Wesley Ward, Brad Cox, Bill Mott, Steve Asmussen and many other top stables.

Yet, the story of Kentucky Downs and its purses, among the best in the world, has apparently not traveled across the Atlantic Ocean. From Europe, there has been little to no participation at the annual meet that runs through the early part of September.

“We're the track they've never heard of,” said Kentucky Downs Director of Racing Rick Hammerle.

It's something Kentucky Downs management is hoping to change.

The Kentucky Downs team has decided to make a concerted effort to attract European horsemen, which includes a post COVID-19 trip in 2022 to meet top trainers in person. In the meantime, they're doing everything they can to get their story out, and they have a long list of talking points. It starts with the purses.

A new record will be set this year with $14,903,000 in purse money, which averages out to $2,483,833 a day. It must be noted that, due to funds provided by the Kentucky Thoroughbred Development Fund (KTDF), only Kentucky-breds run for the full listed purse. But even absent that contribution to the purse, the pots are still huge. Generally, about 50 to 60% of the total purse is available to all horses.

“It's kind of surprising that more European horses haven't come over for the Kentucky Downs meet,” said Fergus Galvin, the U.S. racing advisor for Qatar racing, which has been a big supporter of Kentucky Downs. “Quite a bit of the money is tied in with the KTDF money that is built into the purses, but, leave that aside, and the purses are still tremendous, especially when you compare them to what these horse might be running for in Europe. They have races for every category and at every distance, for sprinters, for milers, for route horses. There are a lot of opportunities.”

Hammerle hopes European stables will focus in not on a single race or two but the entire meet. It would make perfect sense for a stable to bring over six or seven horses.

“There are a lot of reasons why people put horses on a plane,” he said. “It's not always for the Breeders' Cup or for a certain race for a certain caliber of horse. It would be great to have Breeders' Cup horses, but there is a whole caliber underneath. You can think of this as something like the Dubai Carnival. Those horses run for a lot of money and not all of them are horses you'll see back on the World Cup card. Historically, people in Europe don't think of a race meet as something to point towards. We'd like to change that.”

There have been a number of horses to win at Kentucky Downs that have started their careers in Europe before moving into U.S. stables. Many of them would not have been considered top-tier horses overseas, but, like many Europeans horse before them, have found that the competition in U.S. grass races is not as strong as it is in England, Ireland and France. Kentucky Downs has also been held back by the graded stakes committee's slow response to its ascendancy. Even with those purses, there are no Grade I races at the meet and only six of the 16 stakes are graded.

Galvin said you wouldn't necessarily need to bring a star over to come away with a lucrative stakes win.

“You wouldn't have to bring over the cream of the crop to be very competitive down there,” he said. “Obviously, the best turf horses in the world are normally based in Europe. So there is a great opportunity for maybe a second-tier type horse to be competitive in any type of race.”

For those who have the ability to perform in the Breeders' Cup, Kentucky Downs also make sense. They can make just one trip to the U.S., run at Kentucky Downs, maybe at Keeneland in the following weeks, and then go to the Breeders' Cup. That will be a particularly attractive option in 2022 when the Breeders' Cup will be just up the road at Keeneland.

It's usually fairly warm and dry in southern Kentucky in September, so Kentucky Downs may also present an opportunity for European horses that like the firm going, something that is often not available overseas at that time of the year. The layout of the track is another factor that should help European shippers. With its undulations, sweeping turns and long stretch, Kentucky Downs is the closest thing the U.S. has to a typical European race course.

Hammerle understands that there won't be an influx of horses overnight, but he's confident that once a handful come over the word will start to get out and others will follow.

“If we start with one or two coming over and a few people experiencing it, they are going to go back and share their experience with people,” he said. “That can only help us. Maybe in five years or so we can be lucky enough to have, say,10 shippers on a card. If they come over, I can't imagine they'll regret it. Not with the money we have for our purses.”

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Kentucky Downs Tickets Now Available

Reserved seating for the elite six-day all-turf meeting at Kentucky Downs in September is now available on the track's website. Kentucky Downs will be back to full capacity for live racing at the meet, which runs Sept. 5, 6, 8, 9, 11 and 12, with its most upscale option yet for reserved seating and dining and the return of free general admission.

New to the track's accomodations will be the VIP Chalet, a glass-enclosed, air-conditioned facility with an outdoor terrace providing a spectacular view of the race course and located just yards from the rail. The expansive structure will feature more amenities, high-end cuisine, open bar and betting windows.

The popular Finish Line Pavilion once again will be expanded. The venue will have enhanced food options, dedicated cash bar and betting windows.

COVID-19 safety restrictions limited the 2020 meet to horsemen and their guests. For 2021, free general admission will be back in front of the Mint Gaming Hall and with tailgating at the top of the stretch.

Ticket pricing is tiered according to the day of the week and will be sold in tables of eight only.

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