Ron Winchell | Horse Racing Free Tips

Claiborne Acquires Breeding Rights to Met Mile Winner Silver State

Claiborne Farm has acquired the breeding rights to multiple graded stakes winner Silver State (Hard Spun–Supreme, by Empire Maker). He will stand at the Paris, Ky., farm upon his retirement from racing.

The 4-year-old son of Hard Spun has won seven of 13 career starts, hitting the board in 12 of those starts, and has made over $1.9 million. In 2021 alone, he is 4-1-1 from six starts and has made over $1.6 million.

“We are very excited to stand Silver State in 2022,” said Claiborne's Walker Hancock. “Danzig is one of the legends of Claiborne, and we anticipate his legacy continuing through his grandson, Silver State.”

Silver State is being pointed toward this year's GI Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile at Del Mar Nov. 6, after earning a “Win and You're In” berth by winning the GI Metropolitan H. this June. In the stallion-making Met Mile, he defeated three Grade I winners, including Knicks Go (Paynter), a four-time Grade I winner who has captured the Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile and GI Pegasus World Cup Invitational S.

The highlight of his career thus far is a six-race winning streak spanning 2020 and 2021, which included wins in the listed Fifth Season S. and Essex S. at Oaklawn Park, the GII Oaklawn H. and culminating in his signature Met Mile triumph at Belmont.

“He's a tremendous physical,” said trainer Steve Asmussen. “Everyone that's been around this horse is struck by his presence. He really must be seen to be believed.”

Ron Winchell of Winchell Thoroughbreds, who co-owns Silver State with Willis Horton Racing, added, “For any horse to win six races in a row, especially when those victories included races as well-regarded as the Oaklawn H. and Met Mile, is pretty incredible and puts him in a special category. Looking ahead to his stud career, we couldn't be more excited about Silver State finding a home at Claiborne. We're looking forward to supporting him with our mares and can't wait to see his offspring.”

A product of the vaunted Stonestreet Farm breeding program, Silver State is out of the Grade III-placed stakes-winning Empire Maker mare Supreme, and he hails from the family of GI Kentucky Derby winner Monarchos. He sold for $450,000 as a yearling at the 2018 Keeneland September sale.

An advertised stud fee will be announced at a later date.

The post Claiborne Acquires Breeding Rights to Met Mile Winner Silver State appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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‘Going To Have To Catch Her’: Echo Zulu Towers Over Frizette Field

Winchell Thoroughbreds and L and N Racing's Echo Zulu will pursue a validation of dominance amongst the juvenile filly division on the East Coast when attempting a second Grade 1 victory in Sunday's 72nd running of the Grade 1, $400,000 Frizette going a one-turn mile at Belmont Park.

The Frizette is a “Win And You're In” qualifying event offering an automatic entry into the Grade 1, $2 million Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies on November 5 at Del Mar.

Unbeaten in both lifetime starts, Echo Zulu, a daughter of leading first-crop sire Gun Runner, enters the Frizette off a wire-to-wire four-length win in the Grade 1 Spinaway going seven furlongs on Sept. 5 at Saratoga.

Echo Zulu registered a 92 Beyer Speed Figure on debut – one of the top-three highest recorded by a 2-year-old this year – when breaking her maiden going 5 ½ furlongs in July at Saratoga. Echo Zulu showed early speed in her maiden score and responded well when asked by Ricardo Santana, Jr., powering home to a 5 ½-length score.

A victory would provide Hall of Fame trainer Steve Asmussen with a fourth Frizette triumph, following scores with My Miss Aurelia [2011], Nickname [2015] and Wicked Whisper [2019].

Echo Zulu was acquired for $300,000 from the 2020 Keeneland September Yearling Sale, where she was consigned by Betz Thoroughbreds. She is out of the Menifee mare Letgomyecho, who also produced Grade 1-winner Echo Town and graded stakes winner J Boys Echo.

Like many of Asmussen's young horses, Echo Zulu was sent to El Primero Training Center in Laredo, Texas – owned by Asmussen's parents Keith and Marilyn Asmussen – prior to her racing career.

David Fiske, Winchell Thoroughbreds' racing and bloodstock advisor, noted the strong gate ability many horses that develop at El Primero acquire.

“The horses that come out of Laredo tend to be pretty fast from the gate. We call it the Laredo leap,” Fiske said. “They'll come out and be a length or two in front of the rest. It's just a testament to what they do at Laredo. Steve's dad does a great job getting them to leave the gate. A lot of the Gun Runners get out of the gate well, but they aren't rocket ships out of there. But once they get going, they go for a long time.”

Fiske said Echo Zulu flaunted early ability, but her speed figures surprised her connections.

“We knew she was fast. I don't know that we thought she was 92 Beyer fast,” Fiske said. “This year, there have only been a couple of other 2-year-olds with bigger figures than her. She always had trained well, but fast in the morning is different than fast against competition.”

With a likely start in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies to follow the Frizette, Fiske expressed no concern with Echo Zulu stretching out to two turns in the future.

“There's a lot of speed at the bottom side of her pedigree with Echo Town,” Fiske said. “Hopefully there's some genetic influence that would enable her to go two turns.”

Fiske said Echo Zulu is likely to be on the lead Sunday when exiting post 6 under Santana, Jr.

“Someone's going to have to catch her,” Fiske said. “Change the track surface from Saratoga to Belmont and add another furlong, and who knows. But so far, she gives every indication that the mile shouldn't be a problem for her. As fast as she is, she should be able to hold the turns well. It should be easier for her.”

Trainer Chad Brown will saddle Klaravich Stables' Gerrymander, who will attempt to give leading sire Into Mischief his second straight offspring to win the Frizette after last year's winner Dayoutoftheoffice.

Following a distant second as the favorite to Velvet Sister on debut going 5 ½ furlongs on June 10 at Belmont Park, Gerrymander emerged off a 2 ½ month layoff to dazzle at 10-1 odds on August 29 at Saratoga going six furlongs. She broke sharply from the gate, dropped back a close fourth, and made a sweeping four-wide move approaching upper stretch to take the lead past the eighth pole and fended off late rallies from two foes to win by a half-length.

“I've always thought a lot of her. She was bet first out, and I had to totally restart with her and then she showed us what we thought of her in that last race at Saratoga,” said Brown, who teamed up with Klaravich to capture the 2017 Frizette with Separationofpowers. “That's what we thought very early on in the year with her and then she's come back and trained well. We brought her down here and the filly worked fabulous on the main track, so we'll give her a shot to step up. She's going to like a mile, we'll see if she likes the competition. That's the difference.”

Brown said Gerrymander has trained forwardly since her maiden score. Following a bullet half-mile in 48.31 seconds over Saratoga's Oklahoma training track on September 19, she travelled the same distance Sunday on the Belmont main track in 48.77 seconds.

“I like the way the horse is training but she's going to have to really step up,” Brown said. “This is a really strong race.”

Joel Rosario will pilot Gerrymander from post 8.

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Hall of Fame trainer Shug McGaughey will seek a sixth Frizette triumph when he saddles Magic Cap Stables' Frosty Brew.

The dark bay or brown daughter of second crop sire Frosted was a 1 ¾-length winner on debut going six furlongs on September 8 at Laurel Park.

“She ran a good race down there,” said McGaughey, whose Frizette coups include subsequent champions Personal Ensign [1986], Heavenly Prize [1993] and Storm Flag Flying [2002]. “She laid a little bit off of it and picked it up.”

McGaughey said Frosty Brew should have no issue stretching out to a mile.

“That ain't going to hurt her,” McGaughey said. “She'll lay where she needs to lay and hopefully, she'll finish. It's a tough spot for her.”

Hall of Fame jockey Javier Castellano will ride from the inside post.

The Elkstone Group's Jester Calls Nojoy is one of two entrants from the barn of Hall of Famer Todd Pletcher, who has won the Frizette three times.

The bay daughter of Maclean's Music was an impressive second-out graduate travelling seven furlongs over a good main track at Saratoga, leading at every point of call to draw away by 10 lengths.

Luis Saez was aboard for the outstanding triumph and will ride once more from post 7.

My Racehorse Stable and Spendthrift Farm's A Mo Reay will try to break her maiden at Grade 1 level for Pletcher. The daughter of Uncle Mo was a late-closing third last out, making up 11 lengths from ninth to round out the trifecta, just a half-length to fellow Frizette aspirant Gerrymander.

A Mo Reay will leave from post 2 under Jose Lezcano.

Rounding out the field are LLP Performance Horse's Jumeirah [post 5, Junior Alvarado], a stakes-placed daughter of Twirling Candy for trainer Carlos David; J.W. Singer's first-out maiden winner Magic Circle [post 9, Manny Franco]; James Chapman trained and co-owned Saucy Lady T [post 3, Dylan Davis], who finished third in all three graded stakes for juvenile fillies at Saratoga; and KEM Stable's Linda Rice-trained second out maiden winner Hot Fudge [post 4, Jose Ortiz].

The Frizette honors the multiple stakes-winner who is more aptly known for her stellar career as a broodmare. Campaigned by James Keene and subsequently owned by Herman Duryea, Frizette was responsible for producing multiple prominent broodmare lines including champion Myrtlewood, whose descendants include 1977 Triple Crown winner Seattle Slew, influential patriarch Mr. Prospector and 1942 Kentucky Oaks victress Miss Dogwood.

Other descendants of Frizette include 1986 Kentucky Derby winner Ferdinand and 1942 Champion 3-Year-Old Filly Vagrancy. The Frizette has also been a popular stopping point for subsequent winners of the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies, including Meadow Star [1990], Flanders [1994], Storm Song [1996], Storm Flag Flying [2002], Indian Blessing [2007], My Miss Aurelia [2011], and Jaywalk [2018].

The Frizette is slated as Race 9 on Sunday's 10-race card. First post is 1 p.m. Eastern.

Sunday's program also includes the Grade 2, $200,000 Pilgrim for juveniles going 1 1/16 miles over the turf and the Grade 3, $300,000 Fasig-Tipton Waya for fillies and mares travelling 1 3/8 miles over the turf.

America's Day at the Races will present daily coverage and analysis of the fall meet at Belmont Park on the networks of FOX Sports. For the complete broadcast schedule, visit https://www.nyra.com/belmont/racing/tv-schedule.

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Grade 1 Winner Echo Zulu’s $1.4 Million Half Sister Tops Keeneland September Sale’s Opening Session

A daughter of Triple Crown winner American Pharoah whose undefeated half-sister Echo Zulu captured Saratoga's Spinaway (G1) eight days ago, sold for $1.4 million to Northshore Bloodstock, agent, to top Monday's opening session of the Keeneland September Yearling Sale in Lexington, Ky.

During the first of two sessions of the prestigious Book 1 catalog, Keeneland sold 95 yearlings for a total of $38,172,000, for an average of $401,811 and a median of $325,000. Totals include six horses sold via online bidding for $2,605,000. Three horses brought seven figures.

In addition to the 95 sold, 61 yearlings failed to exceed their reserve price, 39.1% of the 156 through the ring (compared to 36.3% RNA's from the opening session in 2020). Combined with the 45 lots withdrawn, there were 106 yearlings from the 201 catalogued (52.7%) that did not sell.

Keeneland amped up the atmosphere in the Sales Pavilion to kick off the September Sale to create excitement and showcase the best of what the Bluegrass has to offer.

“The sale should be a fun environment,” Keeneland President and CEO Shannon Arvin said. “It is exciting that we are here, that we are all back together and that we have these phenomenal horses on offer in Book 1. We had complimentary cocktails being passed and brunch being served, a Bluegrass band playing 'My Old Kentucky Home' on the auction stage right before the sale started. We worked hard to create that environment, and we got a lot of positive feedback. Book 1 at Keeneland's September Sale is special, and it deserves to feel that way.”

“Trade was really strong today,” Keeneland Vice President of Sales Tony Lacy said. “There was confidence, and the money was spread out over more horses. The energy on the grounds was very strong. I have not seen the Sales Pavilion this full in a long time.”

Betz Thoroughbreds, agent, consigned Monday's top-priced yearling, who also is a half-sister to Grade 1 winner Echo Town and Grade 3 winner J Boys Echo. They are out of Grade 2 winner Letgomyecho, by Menifee.

Alan Quartucci of Northshore purchased the filly for owner Joe Allen and said she most likely will go to trainer Shug McGaughey.

“She looks like a real runner,” Quartucci said. “She has a fantastic pedigree that's still going forward every day. The filly who won in Saratoga (Echo Zulu) was amazing. (The yearling) was the whole package.”

Consigned by Mt. Brilliant Farm, a colt by Into Mischief from the family of North American champion and English and Irish highweight Islington (IRE) sold to Ron Winchell's Winchell Thoroughbreds for $1.35 million. He will be trained by Steve Asmussen.

“He's probably an Into Mischief who doesn't look like an Into Mischief,” Winchell said, “and I've had Into Mischiefs that look like Into Mischiefs and I can't seem to find the winner's circle with them, so I figured I would go a different direction. I knew he might be expensive.”

“He has always been outstanding,” said Mt. Brilliant owner Greg Goodman, who purchased the colt's dam, the Hard Spun mare Superioritycomplex (IRE), as a 3-year-old in England. “He's always done everything right. A calm horse, smart; we're really happy with him and we're really happy Mr. Winchell got him and that he's going to a good home.”

A filly by Uncle Mo out of the winning Forestry mare Nikki's Choice sold for $1.1 million to Don Adam's Courtlandt Farm.

Paramount Sales, agent, consigned the filly, who is from the family of Canadian champion Charlie Barley, Breeders' Cup Juvenile (G1) winner Success Express and Grade 1 winner Greenwood Lake.

“She's an April foal, but you can see that she's still a little high behind and see she's gonna develop still,” Courtlandt's Ernie Retamoza said. “A real athletic, type-y filly, young mare, fits our program to a T. Not sure where we'll send her, but we'll get her home and break her. She acts like she's gonna be the right type of filly that we're looking for. Had to stretch, obviously, to get her, but Mr. Adam looked at her this morning and loved her – we all loved her – and we felt like she was a filly worth stretching for.”

“She was a beauty,” Pat Costello of Paramount said. “She didn't put a foot wrong from the day she was here, and we could see with the way the vetting was going, everybody was on her. She deserved to bring the kind of money she brought because she's just stunning. She came from a client of ours and she was always nice, very much so. We were delighted with the price. It was a little bit more than we thought she would bring.”

During the session, Courtlandt acquired five yearlings for $2.6 million to lead buyers.

Three yearlings on Monday sold for $950,000 apiece.

M.V. Magnier paid the amount for a colt by Quality Road whose dam is a half-sister to champion Rushing Fall. Taylor Made Sales Agency, agent for WinStar Bred & Raised, consigned the colt, who is out of stakes winner Milam, by Street Sense.

“He is a lovely colt and he has done well his whole life,” Elliott Walden, WinStar's President, CEO and Racing Manager, said. “We are very proud of him and that Coolmore got him and wish him nothing but the best.”

Walden said he is confident in the market at this point of the yearling sales season.

“There are six race tracks with maiden races for over $100,000,” he said. “When I trained 15 years ago, we were running for $30,000. It is amazing. Purses have caught up and gives a person a chance to make money on the race track. I think that will translate all the way through. I don't know about you, but I have never seen so many people on Day 1 in there sitting down (in the Sales Pavilion).”

Taylor Made Sales Agency sold 14 yearlings for $5,782,000 to lead consignors during the session.

Donato Lanni, agent, spent $950,000 for a Medaglia d'Oro filly consigned by Claiborne Farm, agent. She is the first foal of the Distorted Humor mare Naples Princess, a full sister to stakes winner Banker's Buy, and from the family of champion Mitole and 2021 Grade 2 winner and Belmont (G1) runner-up Hot Rod Charlie.

Lanni bought the filly as agent for Michael Lund Petersen and Willow Grace Farm, owners of recent TVG Del Mar Debutante (G1) winner Grace Adler.

“She wasn't a hard one to find – she had everything,” Lanni said. “He's (Medaglia d'Oro) just a proven sire over and over. He's got good fillies, colts. (She has a) great female family. She's an athlete, she's classy and she's got pedigree. I hate to say it: She just checked all the boxes.”

Lanni said the market has “really been strong all year. There's a big appetite for really good horses out there and it's nice to see us get back to some kind of normalcy.”

A colt from the first crop of Triple Crown winner Justify who is a half-brother to multiple Grade 2 winner Pretty N Cool sold for $950,000 to Hideyuki Mori of Japan. Consigned by Baccari Bloodstock, agent, he is out of the Rockport Harbor mare Stayclassysandiego and from the family of Grade 1 winner Sean Avery.

Seven horses in Tuesday's RNA Reoffer
Seven horses who did not meet their reserves during Monday's session have been entered in the RNA Reoffer, a new program at this year's September Sale that will begin immediately following the final hip of Tuesday's second session. They are:

Hip 6 – Into Mischief-Indian Rush colt consigned by Paramount Sales, agent;
Hip 70 – First Samurai-Miss Singhsix (IRE) filly consigned by Mill Ridge Sales, agent;
Hip 72 – Justify-Mo Chuisle filly consigned by Taylor Made Sales Agency, agent;
Hip 111 – More Than Ready-Polish a Diamond colt consigned by Four Star Sales, agent for Westbury Stables;
Hip 179 – American Pharoah-Sweater Weather colt consigned by Taylor Made Sales Agency, agent;
Hip 195 – Uncle Mo-Terrific Treasure filly consigned by Mill Ridge Sales, agent; and
Hip 197 – Nyquist-Thank You Marylou colt consigned by Ramsey Farm, agent.

“The RNA Reoffer is a mechanism for free trade,” Lacy said. “It has been well received. We have some people who feel that the market didn't treat them the way they expected. This program allows them to come back (with the horse) and maybe have a better reception tomorrow. This gives people a safeguard.”

To participate in the RNA Reoffer, sellers were required to inform the Sales office in writing no later than 30 minutes following the sale of the final hip of today's session.

A reserve must be placed and approved on reoffered horses, and must be within 15 percent above or below the initial hammer price. (Click here for information about the RNA Reoffer.)

The second session of the September Sale starts tomorrow at 1 p.m. ET. TVG2 will have live coverage of the session from 1-7:30 p.m. The entire sale is streamed live at Keeneland.com.

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Kentucky Downs Reports Record Wagering Of Over $74 Million, Up 24 Percent Over 2020 Meet

Led by a record-smashing $20,849,967 wagered on Saturday's showcase program, the FanDuel Meet at Kentucky Downs completed North America's most lucrative six-date run with betting totaling $74,088,532.

The previous records were the $17,437,731 on the corresponding Saturday as part of the $59,828,441 total bet last year. That's an increase of 24 percent.

“Once again, the two groups that make horse racing possible — horse owners and horseplayers — responded enthusiastically to our meet and racing product,” said Ron Winchell, Kentucky Downs' co-owner and co-managing partner. “We are grateful for everyone's participation and pleased that Kentucky Downs is a much-anticipated and embraced spot on the racing calendar.”

Reflecting a 37 percent increase over last year's record, purses paid out to horse owners totaled $15,974,800, not counting the $1,000 going to horses who finished sixth through last in every non-stakes race. That actually is about $700,000 more than was originally offered in the condition book, the increase coming from splitting some maiden races and running two divisions of the TVG Stakes that both maintained the $400,000 purse.

Of the total purses, $5,870,340 came from the Kentucky Thoroughbred Development Fund (KTDF) supplements for horses born in the state and sired by Kentucky stallions. However, the base purses for which horses compete regardless of birthplace have risen to where Kentucky Downs' stakes still are hard to top outside the Breeders' Cup.

By way of example, the Argentine-bred Imperador captured the $1 million Calumet Turf Cup, for which the base purse was $550,000 and the Irish-bred The Lir Jet took the $600,000, Grade 2 Franklin-Simpson, with a $300,000 base purse. In addition, German-bred Dalika finished second in the Grade 3 Calumet Bourbon Ladies Turf, the Chilean-bred Lagertha came in third in the Grade 3 Calumet Bourbon Ladies Turf and British-bred La Lune was second in her U.S. debut in Sunday's Kentucky Downs Ladies Marathon.

“Kentucky-bred horses remain the benchmark and the generous KTDF program shows that it literally pays to be a Kentucky-bred,” said Ted Nicholson, Kentucky Downs' Vice President for Racing. “That said, our goal is to serve as a mini all-turf Breeders' Cup and to stamp ourselves as truly an international launching pad to the Breeders' Cup World Championships. We took a big step in that direction this year.”

Horse owners flocked to Franklin to watch their horses run and to be part of Kentucky Downs' unique atmosphere. This year the track added the air-conditioned VIP Chalet.

“This is our first time here,” said horse owner Dr. Joel Politi. “It's very different than going to any other racetrack. I've been to racetracks in Europe a bunch. I wouldn't say it's a European feel exactly, but it does have a sense of that. You can actually see the races better live than I thought you'd be able to. It's just a small-track atmosphere that's obviously very boutique-y and something very charming.”

Nelson's Green Brier Tennessee Whiskey was among the many new sponsors at the meet.

“We're really excited to be a part of the meet, specifically the Music City with Nelson's Green Brier,” said Brian Peters, state manager for Nelson's Green Brier Tennessee Whiskey. “This is our first year with this type of activation. It's really unique for our company, in fact. We're really excited about the developing partnership. Everything has been absolutely fantastic. It's been a perfect day at the races. It's been a perfect day as far as the weather is concerned, a lot of friendly people. We're excited to continue the partnership going forward.”

Except for some rain on opening day, the meet enjoyed spectacular weather. That included Saturday, when NBC was on hand for the first time to televise live the two Breeders' Cup Challenge Series stakes, with Imperador earning a fees-paid spot in the $4 million Breeders' Cup Longines Turf (G1) and Gear Jockey the same in the $1 million Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint (G1).

“Anyone who saw the packed hotels and restaurants in and around Franklin know that Kentucky Downs is an economic engine for the region,” said Marc Falcone, co-owner and co-managing partner with Winchell. “This is fueled by the success of our historical horse racing operation at The Mint Gaming Hall. The Kentucky legislators and leadership in both the state House and Senate are among the meet's unsung heroes who back in February protected this innovative parimutuel technology. It's truly a win-win-win for those communities, the state's agribusiness and tourism and the horsemen. A significant portion of the money earned by horse owners this past week will go right into buying horses at Keeneland's yearling sale. That helps everyone.”

The most significant renovation to the turf course — with the heavily-traveled five-eighths of a mile around the far turn dug up and replaced with uniform material and smoothed out before being replaced with sod — was well-received. So was the new system of temporary rails, where a rail into and around the far turn and into the stretch was taken down after the second and fourth days of racing to allow for a fresh expanse of turf.

“I thought taking the rail down three times was the best thing I've ever seen,” said trainer Rusty Arnold, whose three wins including the FanDuel Turf Sprint with Gear Jockey, owned by Calumet Farm's Brad Kelley, a Bowling Green native who grew up in Franklin and who previously owned Kentucky Downs. “That two days on a fresh track every time was great. The crowds were good. The atmosphere was good. It was good racing, had the strongest jock colony in the country. Horses came from everywhere. It was just a great week.

“We got a guitar (signed by Reba McEntire as the trophy for the Turf Sprint) for Mr. Kelley. I've got two bottles of whiskey I like. Everything was good the whole time. It was great. A lot of new ideas. A lot of fun down here. Their new chalet is fabulous.”

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Joel Rosario clinched his first Kentucky Downs riding title on the second day of the meet, when he won five races for the second straight day. He went on to win seven more, including four on the final card to extend his track record total to 17. The previous record was the 12 won by Rafael Bejarano in 2004, matched by Florent Geroux in 2015 and 2016 and by Rosario on the fourth day of the meet.

Rosario rode 53 horses for a 32 percent strike rate. His mounts earned just shy of $3 million, at $2,952,097. Tyler Gaffalione, the 2020 meet leader, finished second with eight wins.

Rosario's big meet reflected agent Ron Anderson's decision to ride at Kentucky Downs instead of the final two days of the Saratoga meet.

“Ron is the one who is making the decision for everything, so thanks to him for all we've done,” Rosario said. “We really had a fantastic meet. I'm very blessed. Thanks to all the people who have supported us, the trainers, owners and everybody involved. We're really very excited for the meet. This was the first time we stayed here for the whole meet. We really had a lot of chances with horses, and been lucky and winning.”

Rosario went 0 for 19 at Kentucky Downs, including 0 for 14 in 2019, until last year, when he went 3 for 14.

“It's beautiful here,” he said. “I like it how it is, like a country fair.”

Brendan Walsh pulled into a tie with Mike Maker and Steve Asmussen for leading trainer with his final starter as Family Way gave Walsh his fourth win of the meet in the $500,000 Kentucky Downs Ladies Marathon. Walsh won three races Saturday — including the Grade 2 Irish Thoroughbred Marketing Franklin-Simpson to pull into the hunt.

“I didn't even know, so that's nice,” Walsh said. “I think that's the first time I've won any trainer's title. I love this place. The last few years have been very good to me. We always look forward to it. It's something different, and it's just growing. I was trying to tell somebody the other day, you come here seven, eight years ago and there was like two trailers here. That's not that long ago. It's developed so much.

“People you talk to, they love to come here. Big fields, the betting handle is unbelievable here. You have to have the right horse. It's great. It's something different. I think that's what makes its uniqueness. And if the horse handles it, they'll be very well-rewarded.”

Maker, the track's all-time win leader, earned a piece of his record sixth training title. He also had 10 seconds and 10 thirds while his horses ran out $1,065,892 to lead the money standings.

Asmussen earned a share of his first Kentucky Downs training title. His four wins included Snapper Sinclair taking a division of the $400,000 TVG Stakes for his record third stakes victory at the track.

Godolphin finished with four victories for its first Kentucky Downs' owner crown, including winning the $1 million WinStar Mint Million with Pixelate and the $500,000 Exacta Systems Dueling Grounds Oaks with Adventuring.

“It's a great atmosphere down here,” said Jimmy Bell, president and racing manager of Godolphin's North America operation. “Everybody really enjoys making the trip down here. This could be 'horses for courses' a little bit. Everybody comes in with great expectations but not all find the going to their liking. But it makes it interesting for racing: the undulations, the turns, the rising ground coming down the stretch.

“We've had four fantastic wins here from all different kinds of ways.”

Wagering at Kentucky Downs' 2021 meet

Day Date (races) handle

Sunday Sept. 5 (11) $10,762,322
Monday Sept. 6 (11) $10,186,247
Wednesday Sept. 8 (10) $7,965,161
Thursday Sept. 9 (11) $10,425,558
Saturday Sept.11 (11) $20,849,967
Sunday Sept.12 (11) $13,899,277

Wagering at Kentucky Downs 2020 meet

Monday Sept. 7 (10) $7,877,475
Wednesday Sept. 9 (10) $7,090,577
Thursday Sept. 10 (10) $8,983,982
Saturday Sept. 12 (11) $17,437,773
Tuesday Sept. 15 (11) $8,950,973
Wednesday Sept. 16 (10) $9,487,705

Total betting on Kentucky Downs' live racing since 2011

Year (dates) all-sources total
2021 (6) $74,088,532
2020 (6) $59,828,444
2019 (5) $41,239,699
2018 (5) $36,421,721
2017 (5) $30,246,888
2016 (5) $22,540,764
2015 (5) $16,887,134
2014 (5) $15,880,755
2013 (5) $12,814,891
2012 (5) $7,570,731
2011 (4) $3,596,3540)

Evolution of purses at Kentucky Downs since advent of Historical Horse Racing
Note: 2011 is the last year that purses weren't enhanced by HHR

Total purses since 2011

Year (days) total purses races avg per race

2021 (6) $15,974,800 63 $253,568
2020 (6) $11,668,473 62 $188,201
2019 (5) $11,520,380 50 $230,407
2018 (5) $10,273,630 50 $205,472
2017 (5) $8,625,396 50 $172,508
2016 (5) $7,923,476 50 $158,470
2015 (5) $6,609,355 48 $137,694
2014 (5) $4,875,772 50 $97,515
2013 (5) $4,150,687 50 $83,013
2012 (5) $2,086,650 43 $48,526
2011 (4) $769,810 30 $25,660

Average number of starters per race since 2011
2021: 10.24
2020: 9.98
2019: 11.26
2018: 11.04
2017: 10.44
2016: 10.96
2015: 10.60
2014: 10.20
2013: 9.90
2012: 9.57
2011: 8.76

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