Ellis Park's Audubon Oaks has been renewed and added to the lineup on the Road to the Sept. 4 GI Kentucky Oaks. The $100,000 race for 3-year-old fillies joins the Ellis Park Derby, which is a qualifying race to this year's GI Kentucky Derby. Both stakes races are scheduled for Aug. 9. Ellis Park's 98th annual meet will run from July 2 through Aug. 30.
The seven-furlong Audubon Oaks, back on the Ellis Park stakes schedule after an 11-year hiatus, will offer a total of 17 points (10-4-2-1) for the top four finishers toward making the Sept. 4 Kentucky Oaks' 14-filly field. This year's Ellis Park Derby winner will receive 50 points in addition to the runner-up (20), third place (10) and fourth (5).
“We decided to bring the Audubon Oaks back off the shelf this year and being on the Kentucky Oaks schedule is a great way to welcome it back,” said Ellis Park general manager Jeff Inman. “We assume we will get horses trying to secure a spot in the Derby or Oaks, in addition we think our stakes are also positioned perfectly for horses who already have qualified but could benefit from a tune-up four weeks out. Trainers can stay put in Kentucky from now through the Derby and beyond, with the Breeders' Cup being at Keeneland this year. We're an easy ship from Churchill Downs, Keeneland and the state's training centers. With one of the best racing surfaces in the country, Ellis Park offers a convenient way to get in that final prep without the stress of significant travel.”
The 2020 Ellis Park stakes schedule includes: Ellis Park Turf S. July 5; Good Lord S. July 26; Aug. 2 (all on turf)–Kentucky Downs Preview Ladies Sprint; Kentucky Downs Preview Turf Cup; Kentucky Downs Preview Ladies Turf; Kentucky Downs Preview Turf Sprint; Kentucky Downs Preview Tourist Mile; Aug. 9–Ellis Park Derby; Audubon Oaks; Ellis Park Juvenile; Ellis Park Debutante.
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