Kentucky Downs has two racing days left, with Wednesday closing day at the Franklin, Ky. racetrack (Photo credit: Kentucky Downs).
The horseplayer friendly Kentucky Downs wraps up its six-day meeting on Wednesday before racing in the Bluegrass State shifts to Churchill Downs on Thursday.
Rain wiped out the Sunday card at Kentucky Downs and it was rescheduled for Tuesday, an 11-race card that gets underway at 12:15 CT.
Despite being in the middle of a pandemic and no fans are allowed to attend, the Franklin, Kentucky racetrack offered up 16 stakes races with a total of $12 million in purses over the six days.
For horseplayers betting on horse racing the track offers some of the most competitive takeout rates in the industry.
The takeout at Kentucky Downs on win, place and show wagering is 16%, among the lowest in the country, with its exacta takeout 18.25% and the Pick 4 and Pick 5 pools at 14%. The remaining types of wagers (double, trifecta, superfecta, Super High-5) have a 19%takeout. Kentucky Downs’ overall blended takeout is the industry leader.
Tuesday’s card is highlighted by a trio of rich stakes— the $500,000 TVG for fillies and mares, three year-old and upward at 1 5/16 miles, the $400,000 Music City for three-year-old fillies at 6 1/2 furlongs, and the $400,000 Untapable for two-year-old fillies at 6 1/2 furlongs.
The closing day feature on Wednesday is the $500,000 Nevada State Bank Franklin-Simpson (G3), for three-year-olds at 6 1/2 furlongs.
Mrs. Sippy Looks Tough in TVG
Tuesday’s TVG drew a field of six led by the Graham Motion trained Mrs. Sippy, the even money favorite. The mare came back off a nine-month layoff in the Waya (G3) at Saratoga on Aug. 8 and was beaten just a neck by My Sister Nat.
The inaugural running of the Untapable drew a wide open field of lightly raced fillies, only two of which have run in stakes company. Becca’s Bouquet (20-1) was second in the Texas Thoroughbred Futurity at Lone Star. Kewpie Doll (20-1) was third in her debut in the Colleen at Monmouth Park, then broke her maiden at Laurel Park in a race taken off the turf.
The Wesley Ward trained Red Ghost is the 3-1 morning line favorite. She broke her maiden in her debut at Saratoga in a race washed off the grass by 8 ½ lengths.
The Music City is also a new race to the meeting. It drew a full field of 12 along with four also-eligibles. The Ward trained KImari is the 3-1 morning line favorite. The well traveled filly has made two trips to Royal Ascot, running second in the Queen Mary Stakes (G2) last June in a 25-horse field and second this year in a 16-horse field in the Commonwealth Cup (G1).
Franklin Square Closes Out Meet
Wednesday’s Franklin-Simpson drew a dozen along with four also-eligibles. Kimari is the 5-2 morning line favorite but is reportedly more likely to run on Tuesday in the Music City.
That would likely leave Turned Aside (3-1) as the betting favorite. The Linda Rice trained won the Quick Call (G3) at Saratoga in his last outing on July 24.
The closing day card will include four starter-allowance races carrying $100,000 purses that will serve as automatic qualifying races for the Claiming Crown at Gulfstream Park which will be run in December.
