by Jennie Rees|08.15.2022|2:59pm ‘Field Of Dreams’: Ellis Park Derby Winner Steal Sunshine May Target Pennsylvania Derby Boston-raised, Florida-based trainer Bobby Dibona had never before raced a horse at Ellis Park. But he had a memorable day Sunday, winning the $200,000 RUNHAPPY Ellis Park Derby with Steal Sunshine. Dibona’s first Ellis Park starter actually was Tap’er Light, who finished third at 23-1 in the RUNHAPPY Ellis Park Debutante, one of five stakes […]
by Jennie Rees|08.11.2022|4:37pm ‘Just Devastating’: Amid Career Year, Ortiz’s Thoughts With His Eastern Kentucky In-Laws John Ortiz is having a career year, his more than $3.5 million in purse earnings ranking No. 20 in America. His eight victories (out of 29 starts) matches Hall of Famer Steve Asmussen for the most this summer at Ellis Park. He is running romping debut-winner Justa Warrior in the $125,000 RUNHAPPY Ellis Park Debutante […]
by Jennie Rees|08.09.202208.09.2022|3:38pm10:11pm Fifteen Percent Takeout: Churchill, Ellis Park Team For Two-Day, All-Stakes Pick 6 Ellis Park and Churchill Downs are partnering on a two-day, all-stakes wager this weekend that showcases the major racing at both tracks in the Commonwealth. The Bluegrass Pick 6 is a $1 wager with a low 15-percent takeout and mandatory payout. The bet starts with three stakes from Churchill Downs’ special Arlington Million card on […]
by Jennie Rees|08.08.2022|11:15am Ellis Park’s Turf Stakes Pick 4 Pays Record $85,939 When Sunday’s all-stakes Pick Four paid a track-record $85,939.92 for a 50-cent bet, you know it wasn’t business as usual at the RUNHAPPY Meet at Ellis Park. For a pair of young female jockeys, it was exceptional business as 26-year-old apprentice Gage Holmes won the $100,000 Centennial Distaff Turf Mile on Henrietta Topham and 27-year-old […]
by Jennie Rees|08.05.2022|11:57am Saturday Stakes Pays Tribute To Ellis Park’s ‘Rockstar In Stirrups’ If there was racing at Ellis Park, Cowboy was here. That’s how everybody knew him. No need to identify him by his first name, Robert. Or initials, R.A. And while there are a lot of Joneses, and while there might be a fair number of cowboys at the Pea Patch, there was just one Cowboy […]
by Jennie Rees|08.03.2022|3:24pm ‘Derby Talent,’ Sprinter’s Air Have Call Me Midnight Chasing New Niche In Ellis’ Turf Sprint Stakes Trainer Keith Desormeaux is hoping the proverb like father, like son holds true in the case of Call Me Midnight. Big hoof prints to fill, for sure. But the 3-year-old colt sired by two-time Breeders’ Cup Sprint winner Midnight Lute can take a step in that direction when Call Me Midnight takes on older horses […]
by Jennie Rees|08.02.202208.02.2022|3:07pm4:27pm Kentucky Downs: Three Stakes Purses Could Be Raised To $1 Million If Grade 1 Winner Starts The seven-day FanDuel Meet at Kentucky Downs could have up to six races worth $1 million for registered Kentucky-breds with purse incentives added to the $750,000 Kentucky Downs Ladies Turf (Grade 3), $600,000 Franklin-Simpson (G2) and $600,000 Mint Ladies Sprint (G3). Kentucky Downs will bump any of those purses to $1 million, including money from […]
by Jennie Rees|08.01.202208.01.2022|3:43pm5:46pm Shea Stuart Working To Make Most Of Three-Horse Stable At Ellis Park Trainer Shea Stuart, in his first full summer racing in Kentucky, has a three-horse stable. But two of those horses are scheduled to run in stakes this weekend at the RUNHAPPY Meet at Ellis Park in Henderson, Ky. Stuart plans to run Tut’s Revenge in either Saturday’s $70,000 R.A. Cowboy Jones Overnight Stakes at a […]
by Jennie Rees|07.20.202207.20.2022|11:13am11:14am Kentucky Downs Will Offer $250,000 Allowance Races For 2-Year-Old Keeneland September Grads There’s never a bad time to try to earn $150,000 with a young racehorse. So as trainers begin thinking about late-summer objectives for their 2-year-olds, Kentucky Downs offers a new option this year in collaboration with its horsemen and the Keeneland Association: A pair of $250,000 allowance races restricted to horses who went through the […]
by Jennie Rees|07.15.2022|10:38am Ellis Park Boosts Maiden, Allowance Purses By $10,000 Ellis Park has increased purses for registered Kentucky-breds by $10,000 for every maiden and allowance race for the remainder of the meet. Horses eligible for the Kentucky Thoroughbred Development Fund (KTDF) purse supplements now will compete for $60,000 in non-claiming maiden races, with allowance purses starting at $61,000. The increases come from the transfer of […]