Juvenile stakes showcased as September meet opens

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Four years ago, it was raw and unshaped. Now, the September meet at Churchill Downs has found a rhythm and purpose as a meet of intrigue and importance.

An 11-day stand that includes eight stakes and a bolstered purse structure begins Friday under the twin spires, and unlike in 2013 – the first year Churchill assumed dates long held by Turfway Park – it’s a meet standing on its own after initially trying to find its legs like a newborn foal.

“Every September gets a little better than the previous one,” said Churchill racing secretary Ben Huffman.

Huffman estimated a perday purse average of about $445,000 for the meet, which runs through Oct. 1. That’s a solid number that doesn’t quite match what is paid out here at the spring and fall meets, but is far superior to what had been offered at Turfway. Maiden special weight races are worth $51,000, and allowances start at $53,000 (both categories including Kentucky-bred bonuses).

The stakes program begins Saturday with critical races for 2-year-olds. Both the Grade 2 Pocahontas and Grade 3 Iroquois not only are Win and You’re In events toward the Breeders’ Cup, but they’re the first points races (10-4-2-1) toward the 2018 Kentucky Oaks and Derby.

“When we started running this meet four years ago, we shifted things around with our stakes from the spring and fall so that we didn’t have to start off with brand-new races,” said Huffman. “We’re really happy with the way the Pocahontas and Iroquois have evolved into key races.”

In conjunction with an improved summer meet at Ellis Park and the ever-popular boutique meet at Kentucky Downs, the September meet at Churchill has become a major factor in keeping top horsemen in the state for eight months a year, from the Keeneland spring meet in April through the Churchill fall meet, which ends in late November.

“The Churchill barn area never emptied out at all this summer,” said Huffman, who also serves as racing secretary at Keeneland. “Some of our bigger trainers went to Saratoga, but we had horses come in behind the ones that left. We’ve even had to put horses in the receiving and stakes barns. There’s just a good vibe in Kentucky right now with all these great meets. They all go hand in hand.”

An 11-race Saturday card also includes a pair of stakes for fillies and mares, the Locust Grove and Open Mind. The Dogwood is the highlight of the lone Downs After Dark card on Sept. 23, and a trio of stakes – the Lukas Classic, Ack Ack, and Jefferson Cup – round out the schedule on Sept. 30.

The 10-race Friday opener is anchored by competitive backto-back allowances (races 8 and 9) that typify the brand of racing fans can expect over the next 2 1/2 weeks here. Average field size could threaten the meetrecord of 8.54 horses here last September, and the familiar contingents of world-class jockeys and trainers will be prominent from start to finish.

After the opening threeday weekend, Thursdays will be added in a pair of four-day weeks. First post daily is 12:45 p.m. Eastern except for the two Thursday cards (5 p.m.) and Saturday, Sept. 23 (6 p.m.).

Following the post-Hurricane Irma rain that enveloped this region through midweek, sunny skies and highs in the mid-80s were expected by Friday and through the weekend.