Ellis Park and Kentucky Downs announced Friday that the former will host four $100,000 ($75,000 base purse plus $25,000 KTDF) stakes events on the grass this summer funded by the latter. Kentucky Downs Preview Day will take place at Ellis Aug. 5, and will feature the Kentucky Downs Preview Turf Cup for 3-year-olds and up as a stepping stone to the GI Calumet Farm Kentucky Turf Cup; the Kentucky Downs Preview Ladies Turf for three-and-up females prepping for the GIII Kentucky Downs Ladies Turf; the Kentucky Downs Preview Turf Sprint for speedsters with an eye towards the GIII Kentucky Downs Turf Sprint; and the Kentucky Downs Preview Turf Mile as a prep for the Tourist Mile.
“This is going to really fill a void in turf stakes in Kentucky for the summer,” said Ellis Park president and majority owner Ron Geary. “We are thrilled to be able to present what will be one of the Midwest's top days of summer racing. Horses targeting Kentucky Downs stakes can stay home and prep with us without the demands of shipping out of the region. We strive to keep up our overnight purses for the owners and trainers who support our race meet and Kentucky racing on a daily basis. So given the ability to add four $100,000 stakes is huge and further entrenches us as the Midwest's summer racing leader.”
Ken Ramsey, perennially the leading owner at Kentucky Downs with his wife Sarah, added, “I don't know of any other track in the United States–or as far as that, the world–that would help another track out like [Kentucky Downs] helps out. I'm just overwhelmed that they would do that, that they would use some of the money they got from historical horse racing to help the industry out.”
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