Star-studded Fall racing season on tap at Churchill Downs

Sep 07, 2018 Vance Hanson/Brisnet.com

The Fall racing season at Churchill Downs will be more star-studded than usual as the track will play host to the Breeders' Cup World Championships on November 2-3. Churchill last hosted the Breeders' Cup in 2011.

As is customary, the Fall meet at Churchill is divided into two sessions. There will be 11 days of racing from September 14 -- 30 and, following the Fall meet at Keeneland, racing at Churchill will resume on October 30 and finish on November 25. There will be 21 days of action at the second session.

After a three-day weekend to begin the September portion, racing will be held on a Thursday through Sunday basis for the remainder of the meet. Post time will generally be 12:45 p.m. (EDT) except for Twilight Thursday cards, which begin at 5 p.m., and a Downs After Dark program on Saturday, September 29, which starts at 6 p.m.

Racing will be held on a Wednesday through Sunday basis in November with a general post time of 1 p.m. (ET). There will be early post times on Breeders' Cup Friday (12:30 p.m.), Breeders' Cup Saturday (10:45 a.m.), and Thanksgiving (11:30 a.m.).

Two Saturday cards in September will feature Breeders' Cup preps. The first, on September 15, includes the $150,000 Iroquois (G3) and $200,000 Pocahontas (G2). Not only are they 'Win & You're In' Breeders' Cup Challenge races for the Juvenile (G1) and Juvenile Fillies (G1), respectively, but also the first point-earning opportunities in the 2019 Road to the Kentucky Derby and Road to the Kentucky Oaks series.

The Downs After Dark card on September 29 includes the $200,000 Lukas Classic (G3), a prep for the Breeders' Cup Classic (G1). Two-time Dubai Golden Shaheen (G1) winner Mind Your Biscuits is among those expected to aim for the 1 1/8-mile test.

The second portion of the Fall meet begins on Sunday, October 30, with Stars of Tomorrow I, a card devoted exclusively to two-year-old races. The Stars of Tomorrow II card will take place on Saturday, November 24.

The 14 Breeders' Cup events will be spread out over two days as usual, but for the first time the juvenile races will be featured exclusively on the Friday card. A new edition is the $1 million Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint, which will be run a 5 1/2 furlongs, a distance not previously used on the Matt Winn Turf Course. Saturday's $1 million Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint (G1) will also be run at 5 1/2 furlongs.

Beyond the Breeders' Cup, the customary November centerpiece will again be the six graded stakes run Thanksgiving week. Fillies and mares will star on the holiday itself in the $200,000 Falls City H. (G2) and $100,000 Cardinal H. (G3) on turf. Black Friday, November 23, features the $500,000 Clark H. (G1) and $200,000 Mrs. Revere (G2) for three-year-old turf fillies.

The Stars of Tomorrow II card includes the $200,000 Kentucky Jockey Club (G2) and $200,000 Golden Rod (G2) for fillies. Like their corresponding Breeders' Cup events on November 2, the Kentucky Jockey Club and Golden Rod are part of the Road to the Kentucky Derby and Road to the Kentucky Oaks series.

Last season, Monomoy Girl emerged from Churchill's fall stakes program to win the Kentucky Oaks (G1) and other top-level races. What future stars will shine underneath the Twin Spires this Fall? Tune in and find out.

(Coady Photography)