Kentucky Downs Racing: Big Purses & Top Horse Picks

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00:00We head over to Kentucky Downs.

00:07There is huge money up for grabs.

00:09Alexa, when I look through the past performances, it doesn't

00:12even seem real to see the purses of all these races.

00:15The maiden races run for like $170,000 purses.

00:19There's $200,000 allowance races and all of the stakes races

00:23that we're going to talk about in the next few minutes have

00:25a $2 million purse.

00:28So if you're a turf horse of any quality right now, you're

00:34running at Kentucky Downs because there's just huge money up

00:36for grabs.

00:38Yeah.

00:38I mean, this is it.

00:39People are shipping horses from other countries to come try

00:42to get get some of this juicy purse money this weekend.

00:46So the first race of those six big stakes races is the it's

00:51race six on the card and it's grade three ladies marathon

00:54going a mile and five sixteenths on the turf.

00:56Turf's the only surface at Kentucky Downs for three-year-olds

01:00and the number six Varagara is my favorite in here going

01:02to be three and a half to one, you know horses really do

01:05have a love-hate relationship with Kentucky Downs and she

01:07loves it.

01:08She's run over the course twice and won both times including

01:11the dueling grounds Oaks in 2022 and this race last year.

01:15So, you know since then they've increased the purse from

01:17900,000 to 2 million and her trainer Grand Motion said this

01:22race is the reason why they have not retired her to be a

01:25group mayor.

01:25She's coming back to try to defend it and bring home that

01:29money. But aside from her the number two chop shop is also

01:32of note.

01:33She'll be the favorite and has had has hit the board every

01:36race for her last eight starts.

01:38She's also run over Kentucky Downs surface once when she

01:40was two years old and did win that race giving her a shot

01:43at the Breeders Cup Juvenile Fillies Championships in 2022.

01:47What makes this style of turf course at Kentucky so unique

01:51is that it's a deep kind of tiring turf course Alexa.

01:54They call it undulating.

01:56What was your nickname for it?

01:57Like a kidney?

01:58It's shaped like a kidney.

01:59Here we go, right?

02:00So it is one of those courses that certain horses like it

02:04and they really like it and other horses don't and then

02:07they just don't fire at all.

02:09We move to race number seven.

02:10It's the grade to Music City six and a half furlongs on the

02:13turf course.

02:14This race feels like you might be able to have five or six

02:18horses around five to one.

02:20It's such an evenly matched group.

02:21There's going to be a bunch of horses all in that price range.

02:24The one that will take the most money is probably the nine

02:26pounds, but the horse we're looking at is the one I actually

02:29like most.

02:29That's the eight buttercream babe.

02:31She faced the boys in her last start.

02:33She was third and she was only beaten a half length in a

02:36really good effort where she might have had a sneaky trouble

02:38trip that day.

02:39So buttercream babe for me.

02:41There's not a lot of speed in this race.

02:43Maybe the three time to dazzle is a horse.

02:45You can upgrade a little bit.

02:47I'll hand the baton to you Alexa for race number eight.

02:50Yeah, race eight is the grade three million stakes going

02:53a mile on the turf for three-year-olds.

02:55Typically horses really only run about once a month, but the

02:58purses here at Kentucky Downs are so big that there are a few

03:01trainers who are have their horses run last week and they're

03:04bringing them back this weekend to compete again before the

03:07end of this short meet.

03:08There are three of those in here.

03:10The number three Irish aces the number four cash equity and

03:13the number 11 Goliad.

03:15It's a tall ask for sure.

03:16But out of those three, I do like Goliad the best for having

03:21some repeat success.

03:22He won last week by getting the lead and wiring the field.

03:25He has the fastest early speed again today.

03:27So even though it's a tougher competition, I do think he

03:30should be able to get that spot.

03:31He likes number 10 ancient Rome will be the tepid favorite

03:35in here.

03:35His career is in Europe, but his trainer ships him over to

03:38the US to target this meet and so far it's been successful

03:41plan as he is the defending champion in this race race.

03:45Number nine is the grade one Franklin Simpson.

03:48Someone in here is going to be a grade one winner after

03:50Saturday.

03:51It's a really unproven group some horses that are on my

03:55radar.

03:55You big band there you Big Bang Theory fans are going to

03:58be very excited because Howard Wolowitz is actually my top

04:01selection and a horse who was completely buried down on

04:04the inside.

04:04He had traffic trouble to deal with.

04:06I think he fits really well would not be shocked to see

04:09them get aggressive there.

04:10I had this race or my personal top selection stack 10 8 4 I

04:15expect to see yellow card show an improved effort a little

04:18bit of trouble last time out and please advise.

04:20I think fits very well in here.

04:22Alexa race number 10 set us up for the Turf Cup.

04:26Yep, the grade 2 Turf Cup.

04:28This one is a Breeders Cup win in your in challenge race.

04:31So whoever wins this race gets their paid way to the World

04:35Championships in November.

04:36It's going to be a fast pace and it's going to be set by

04:38number four get smoking, which is exactly what happened

04:41last year get smoking wire the feel and one and I think

04:45he just might be able to do it again for his one last year.

04:48He got the entry in a Breeders Cup and then very unfortunately

04:52injured his manhood a couple of days before the World

04:54Championships and could not compete.

04:56So, you know, he's back and looking for a second chance

04:59second shot at the Breeders Cup.

05:01He'll be at 12 to 1 odds or more.

05:03The favor will be number two integration who's going to

05:06take the opposite approach to get smoking and put up a late

05:09rally one other long shot to note is number 720 port who

05:13barely lost to get smoking last hour.

05:18Yeah.

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