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Left At The Gate: Kentucky Downs Race Called ‘No Contest’

The fifth race on Monday's opening-day program at Kentucky Downs in Franklin, Ky., was declared “no contest” by stewards after the starting gate opened before the final two horses in the 12-horse field were loaded.

Mechanicville, the No. 6 horse, and No. 12 Catman were standing behind the gate for the one-mile maiden special weight race when the stalls opened. Several other runners in the field were unprepared for the start.

Daily Racing Form reported that the incident was described by track spokesperson Jennie Rees as a result of “mechanical” failure rather than human error by starter Scott Jordan.

Royal Prince, the betting favorite at the close of betting, was first across the finish for trainer Brad Cox and jockey Shaun Bridgmohan, but after a lengthy inquiry the announcement was made that the race would not count.

All wagers were refunded.

According to Daily Racing Form, Kentucky Downs issued the following statement: “Owners of 12 horses in today's 5th to receive $5,000 from purse account; every jockey $500 after apparent gate malfunction forced race to be declared No Contest. Track working on opportunity for horses to run back at meet if connections choose.”

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Trainer Mike Maker Enters ‘Only’ Ten On Opening Day At Kentucky Downs

Trainer Mike Maker told his barn crew to enjoy an easy day Monday when the RUNHAPPY Meet at Kentucky Downs kicks off its six-date run featuring exclusively grass racing.

“I said to the guys at the barn, 'You guys can have a light opening day and then after that we'll pick it up a little bit,” Maker, Kentucky Downs' all-time winningest trainer, said cheerfully. “We entered nine the first day, and we have 15 to 20 every other day.”

Entries for opening day were taken Wednesday with 154 horses making the program: 127 in the body for the 11-race card and another 27 needing defections in order to get in off the also-eligible list. Post time for the first race is 12:10 p.m. Central.

Maker actually wound up having 10 entries Monday, with three needing scratches to run. Among those he entered are Parlor and Hembree in the $750,000 Tourist Mile, the last of four stakes on the WinStar Farm Day card. The capacity field of 12 also includes 2019 winner Snapper Sinclair and Grade 1 winner Next Shares.

Maker claimed Parlor for $80,000 last November at the Fair Grounds for owners Michael Hui, Hooties Racing and WSS Racing. Hui also owns Zulu Alpha. After two races, Maker added blinkers to Parlor, and the 6-year-old gelding responded with four strong efforts, including third by a total of a half-length to multiple graded-stakes winner Factor This in Churchill Downs' Grade 2 Wise Dan and a nose defeat in Keeneland's Grade 1 Maker's Mark Mile won by 2019 Preakness winner War of Will.

“When we claimed him, he had a little bit of a throat issue that we worked on,” Maker said of Parlor. “That seems to be corrected. I'd like to think that's the basis for his improvement. The blinkers were more or less to get him involved a little early.”

The Tourist Mile will be Parlor's fifth year to run at Kentucky Downs, having finished second by a neck (Kentucky Downs Juvenile), second by three-quarters of a length (Dueling Grounds Derby), third (Old Friends, now known as the Tapit Stakes) and ninth in last year's Tourist Mile.

Three Diamonds Farm's Hembree was claimed 2 1/2 years ago for $50,000 and is one of Maker's many claims to become graded-stakes winners on turf. He was fourth in last year's Tourist Mile after winning a Kentucky Downs allowance race in 2018. Hembree most recently was third behind Tourist contender Spectacular Gem in Ellis Park's $100,000 Kentucky Downs Preview Tourist Mile.

Maker has the intriguing Indy Tourist in the $500,000 More Than Ready Juvenile. The other stakes Monday are the $500,000 The Mint Juvenile Fillies and the $300,000 One Dreamer for fillies and mares who haven't won a stakes in 2020.

“We had high hopes on him,” Maker said of Indy Tourist, adding of a 12-length defeat in Indy Tourist's debut, “We ran him at Churchill Downs first time and he stood in the gate, lost all chance and then came back and won by like 16 at Indiana.” Not to nitpick, but it was 15 3/4 lengths on turf at the More Than Ready Juvenile's mile distance.

The Maker arsenal includes the defending champ in the $1 million, Grade 3 Calumet Farm Kentucky Turf Cup in Zulu Alpha. The 1 1/2-mile Turf Cup heads the five-stakes extravaganza on the Sept. 12 Calumet Farm Day at Kentucky Downs. Zulu Alpha kick-started his 2020 season by taking Gulfstream Park's Grade 1, $1 million Pegasus World Cup Turf. His only defeat in four starts this year was a fast-flying second while losing the Grade 2 Kitten's Joy Pan American to stablemate Bemma's Boy by a neck.

“He's breathing fire, ready to roll,” Maker said of Zulu Alpha.

Maker entered Tiger Blood, a $62,500 claim by Parlor's ownership group, in Friday's Grade 2, $250,000 Twin Spires Turf Sprint at Churchill Downs but said he is likely to scratch to run in Kentucky Downs' $750,000, Grade 3 RUNHAPPY Turf Sprint on Sept. 12, a race whose winner gets a fees-paid spot in the $1 million Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint Nov. 7 at Keeneland.

“He's an old classy horse,” he said. “He hasn't won for us yet, but maybe this will be the one.”

Skychai Racing's Jolting Joe, who finished second in his racing debut last year at Kentucky Downs behind Keeneland's Grade 2 Toyota Blue Grass winner Art Collector, is being pointed for the Sept. 10 $750,000 Gun Runner Dueling Grounds Derby, Maker said. The New York-bred Joltin Joe reeled off four seconds (including to Tampa Bay Derby winner and Arkansas Derby runner-up King Guillermo) before earning his first victory in a $100,000 New York Stallion Series Stakes at Saratoga in his last start.

Maker's 55 career wins tops Kentucky Downs' all-time standings, with Wesley Ward second at 32. Maker's $7,394,565 in purse earnings dwarfs Ward's $3,448,575, which also ranks second all-time.

However, Maker's run of four straight Kentucky Downs training titles, with a combined 33 victories, ended last year when he won only three races. The title, at four wins, was shared by Joe Sharp, Ian Wilkes and Ward. But Maker also had a track-record 14 seconds which helped him easily win the money title with purse earnings of $1,435,771, almost double Rusty Arnold's next-best $791,094.

“Like I told everybody, second-place finishes at Kentucky Downs are like winning at other tracks.… Titles are nice. You always like to win if you can,” Maker said, adding with a laugh. “But like I said, if I had to pick between the two, I'd prefer to have the money title.”

Maker has more starts — 301 — than any trainer in Kentucky Downs history dating to when he went 0 for 5 in 2003, according to equineline.com statistics. If Maker runs a lot of horses, he's also said in the past, “You should see all the horses that didn't get in,” referencing Kentucky Downs' tendency to get more entries for a race than the maximum 12 that can start. This meet, Maker estimates that he will enter “75 to 80” horses, or about a third of his stable.

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Mike Smith, Irad Ortiz To Ride At Kentucky Downs For The First Time In 2020

Kentucky Downs' deep jockey colony is getting even deeper for the six-date run of all-grass racing that offers among the richest purses in the world.

The RUNHAPPY Meet at Kentucky Downs kicks off on Labor Day, Sept. 7 and continues on Sept. 9, 10, 12, 13 and 16.

Kentucky Downs leads North America in average field size, and this meet figures to lead 2020 in the number of world-class jockeys riding those horses. The track will be the laser focus of American racing after Saratoga and Del Mar close on Labor Day, with New York's Belmont Park not opening until Sept. 18 and California's Santa Anita Park opening Sept. 19. Averaging $2 million a day in purses, Kentucky Downs is luring the most accomplished riders from New York and California along with the already deep Kentucky colony.

Nine of America's top 10 riders by 2020 purse earnings will be at Kentucky Downs (in order of purse ranking): Irad Ortiz, Joel Rosario, Tyler Gaffalione, Luis Saez, Ricardo Santana, Flavien Prat, Jose Ortiz, Javier Castellano and Florent Geroux. The top seven riders in victories at Saratoga heading into Thursday's racing are all confirmed for at least part of the meet.

“We already had one of the most talented riding colonies in the world, but this year it's going to be absolutely incredible,” said Ted Nicholson, Kentucky Downs' senior vice president and general manager. “It's not only our lucrative purses, but because we have averaged about 11 horses a race in recent years, there are lots of opportunities for riders instead of just a handful of jockeys dominating. At $2 million in average daily purses, you don't even have to win for coming here to be a profitable venture. Plus, jockeys tell me just how much fun it is to ride this course as a change of pace from always turning left around an oval.”

Among the top riders participating at Kentucky Downs for the first time will be Hall of Famer Mike Smith, two-time defending Eclipse Award-winning jockey Irad Ortiz, rising California star Umberto Rispoli and Joe Talamo, who relocated from California to Kentucky this year. In addition, Hall of Famers John Velazquez and Castellano, who between them have ridden only a handful of races at Kentucky Downs, will ride the entire meet after coming to Kentucky for Churchill Downs' rescheduled Derby Week.

After Saratoga's summer meet ends Labor Day, Irad Ortiz, two-time Kentucky Downs defending riding champion Jose Ortiz and Rosario will ride the remaining five days. Jose Ortiz, who will be riding for the fourth year at Kentucky Downs, said during last year's meet that he's been urging his brother Irad to fit Kentucky Downs into his annual circuit.

“He really wants to go,” said Jose Ortiz, who said Irad missed last year's meet because of a suspension for a riding infraction. “He said he'd like to ride the track. I was telling him how it is: Uphill, downhill, long stretch.”

Smith, who will ride at Kentucky Downs for the first time in his Hall of Fame career, is coming in for the Sept. 12 showcase Calumet Farm Day card to ride turf sprint standout Jolie Olimpica in the $500,000, Grade 3 Real Solution Ladies Sprint for trainer Richard Mandella, who likewise is running horses at America's most unique race meet for the first time.

Smith could ride additional days as his business dictates. Nominations to all Kentucky Downs' stakes closed Wednesday, Aug. 26.

“I'm excited about getting the opportunity to ride there,” said Smith, whose only prior visit to Kentucky Downs came in 2018 to sign posters commemorating his Triple Crown victory aboard Justify. “I've never ridden there. I love going over to Europe to ride, and the course at Kentucky Downs is so much of a European racetrack. I thought it was a beautiful track. It was my first time to see it in person and not just on TV. I thought I was back in Ireland or something.”

Rispoli, a two-time champion in his native Italy, started riding full-time in California this year after being based in Hong Kong. He's battling Flavien Prat for leading rider at this Del Mar meet. Prat, Del Mar's reigning summer titlist along with earning Santa Anita's winter-spring crown, will start riding at Kentucky Downs Sept. 9, with Rispoli at the track at least Sept. 12 and 13, their agents said.

Velazquez' only prior experience at Kentucky Downs was a pair of off-the-board finishes in 2018. His new agent, Ron Anderson, plans to change that.

“I'm anticipating winning some races with him — and Joel,” said Anderson, also the agent for Rosario, who rode three of five days at Kentucky Downs last year. “They've got to be on the right horse. If they're not, it's my fault.

“I think I've got action for both riders.”

Castellano rode at Kentucky Downs for the first time last year to great effect, with two wins and two seconds in five starts. “I'm looking forward to it,” he said of riding all six days this year.

As soon as the New York Racing Association announced the delayed start to Belmont's fall meet, Kiaran McLaughlin got to work securing business for Kentucky Downs. McLaughlin left his long-time training career in April to become the agent for Saez. The jockey rode two days at Kentucky Downs in 2018, including winning Dueling Ground Derby with Channel Cat, and one day last year. He'll be riding the final five days this year.

“It just made too much sense to go,” McLaughlin said. “It's an opportunity to ride for some very nice purses, and we're not missing anything at Belmont.”

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Kentucky Downs Staging Pair Of Online Handicapping Tournaments During 2020 Meet

America's most unique racetrack is staging a one-of-a-kind online handicapping tournament twosome during the RUNHAPPY Meet at Kentucky Downs.

The Kentucky Downs Turf Handicapping Challenge presented by Daily Racing Form, America's only tournament using exclusively grass racing, will award multiple seats at the 2021 National Horseplayers Championship (NHC) and the 2020 Breeders' Cup Betting Challenge (BCBC) during stand-alone tournaments on Sunday Sept. 13 and Wednesday Sept. 16. The twist is that the player with the highest aggregate two-day total will be crowned the National Turf Handicapping Champion, receiving additional prize money and a BCBC spot, worth $10,000.

The separate online tournaments are live-money events, meaning that entrants use a real bankroll and get to keep whatever they might earn. The competition will be based on Kentucky Downs' all-grass cards, with the Sept. 13 contest also offering the option to play turf races from New Jersey's Monmouth Park. Betting in the tournaments will be conducted through Xpressbet, TVG and 4NJBets online-wagering platforms.

The Sept. 13 tournament has a $1,000 buy-in, with $500 comprising the player's bankroll and the other $500 going to the prize pool. The buy-in is $600 for the Sept. 16 tournament, with $300 going to the prize pool and $300 for the contestant's bankroll. Players must compete in both tournaments to be eligible to earn the distinction of being National Turf Handicapping Champion.

Both contests require entrants to bet a minimum of $50 (win, place, show and/or exacta) on a minimum of 10 races on Sept. 13 and six on Sept. 16. Complete rules will be available soon on kentuckydowns.com. Monmouth Park marketing director Brian Skirka is the tournament director. Players must pre-register with Skirka by emailing bskirka@monmouthpark.com or by calling 732-571-6595.

“We were looking at an online tournament even before we had to make the tough decision to go spectatorless at our live meet because of the COVID surge,” said Ted Nicholson, Kentucky Downs' senior vice president and general manager. “Our betting product has become so popular across the country that we wanted to let as many people as possible participate, and we wanted to come up with prizes to make it worth their investment in time and money.

“Horseplayers' enthusiasm for our American-best large fields and low takeout has led to a 244-percent increase in wagering on Kentucky Downs since 2015. This is one way of showing our appreciation. We are the nation's turf-racing capital and we want to showcase that by having a National Turf Handicapping Champion.”

Regular tournament player Adam Aiken, who coincidentally is moving from Springfield, Mass., to Nashville in early September, makes a point to bet Kentucky Downs' elite meet and was thrilled to hear about the track's tournaments. He applauds the idea of a two-day overall champion.

“That's an interesting format, kind of a unique and different format that isn't around anywhere else,” Aiken said, adding with a laugh, “It obviously gets you to want to play the second one. You have three chances in a way” to win the big prizes.

Aiken said he'll be firing away on his mobile device to try to be anointed Turf Champion.

“I'll be playing wherever I am,” he said. “I was in a tournament where I finished fourth and 13th and I was at a wedding…. I love turf racing. I love turf sprints. I always play Kentucky Downs. The big fields and low takeout are just the ticket for serious handicappers.”

Based on 100 entries in the Sept. 13 tournament, the total prize pool will be $50,000, including four NHC prize packs (including flight reimbursement up to $400 and hotel) and one BCBC berth. The top five finishers will split $5,000, with $2,500 to the winner and an estimated $2,956 toward the cash awarded to the National Turf Champ. The top 10 finishers also receive a free spot in the Sept. 16 contest.

Prize money paid to the Turf Champ will increase along with the number of entries. At 150 entries, five NHC prize packs and two BCBC berths will be awarded.

Based on 80 entries in the Sept. 16 contest, the total prize pool will be $24,000, with the top three finishers earning an NHC prize pack and splitting $3,000, including $1,500 to the winner, with remaining cash going to the champ. Additional seats could be awarded based on final participation.

“I'm honored that Ted reached out to me to assist with putting on this unique tournament,” Skirka said. “Kentucky Downs is known for some of the biggest fields and best turf racing around, and I'm excited to help make this first-of-its-kind contest a success. From my experience, I think players will really gravitate to a tournament featuring such wide-open, competitive and high-class racing.”

Players must be an NHC Tour member prior to the start of the contest to be eligible for NHC seats.

Horsetourneys.com will stage online feeder tournaments, providing low-priced ways to win spots into both contests.

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