Pucker Up S.

The 25-day meeting at Ellis Park in Henderson, Kentucky, will feature 18 added-money events worth record prize money of $3.7 million, officials from the track announced Thursday. The lone graded and richest event on the calendar is the GIII Pucker Up S., a nine-furlong contest on the turf for 3-year-old fillies for a purse of $400,000 (including $150,000 from the Kentucky Thoroughbred Development Fund). The Pucker Up is one of seven stakes across the $1.95-million Kentucky Downs Preview weekend Aug. 3 and 4. A pair of valuable races are programmed...

Large purses and four new stakes events will highlight the 2023 Ellis Park Racing & Gaming $3.075-million stakes calendar. The Ellis Park meet will open Friday, July 7 and run through Sunday, Aug. 27. The stakes program has been increased by $1.65 million since 2022 (all prize money includes funds distributed by the Kentucky Thoroughbred Development Fund and is pending approval from the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission). There are four new stakes events on the calendar, including the $300,000 GIII Pucker Up S., which was previously run at Arlington Park...

With continued challenges facing Churchill Downs' newly installed turf course, which has included the cancelling of a number of grass events, the Louisville track has announced the hiatus of both the $300,000 GII Secretariat S. and the $200,000 GIII Pucker Up S. Both were scheduled for Arlington Million Day next Saturday, Aug. 13, which is to be held at Churchill for the first time after the closing of Chicago's Arlington Park last year. Churchill is moving forward with plans to host the GI Arlington Million and the GI Beverly D....