RACING RETURNS TO CHURCHILL DOWNS ON THURSDAY

By Darren Rogers —-

LOUISVILLE, Ky.– Racing returns to Churchill Downs on Thursday for the resumption of the September Meet.

Post time for each of the final nine days of the September Meet will be 12:45 p.m. (all times Eastern). Racing will take place Thursday through Sunday and Wednesday, Sept. 23 through Sunday, Sept. 27.

As it was during the Spring Meet (May 16-June 28) and Kentucky Derby Week (Sept. 1-5), racing at Churchill Downs with be run without fans and will be limited to essential personnel and participants because of COVID-19. Individual ticket holders who purchased tickets for September race dates through Churchill Downs or Ticketmaster.com will have their tickets refunded and will receive a credit applied to their original method of payment within the next 30-45 days.

Here’s the day-by-day schedule with national TV coverage and daily prize money offered:

· Thursday, Sept. 17: 9 races (12:45-4:53 p.m.), TV: FS2 (12:30-5:30 p.m.), $418,000

· Friday, Sept. 18: 10 races (12:45-5:26 p.m.), TV: FS2 (12:30-5:30 p.m.), $458,000

· Saturday, Sept. 19: 11 races (12:45-5:57 p.m.), TV: FS1 (12:30-4 p.m.), FS2 (4-6 p.m.), $494,000

· Sunday, Sept. 20: 10 races (12:45-5:26 p.m.), TV: FS1 (12:30-4 p.m.), FS2 (4-5:30 p.m.), $441,000

· Wednesday, Sept. 23: 9 races (12:45-4:53 p.m.), TV: FS2 (12:30-5 p.m.), $442,000

· Thursday, Sept. 24: 9 races (12:45-4:53 p.m.), TV: FS2 (12:30-5:30 p.m.), $421,000

· Friday, Sept. 25: 10 races (12:45-5:26 p.m.), TV: FS2 (12:30-5:30 p.m.), $523,000

· Saturday, Sept. 26: 11 races (12:45-5:57 p.m.), TV: FS1 (12:30-1:30 p.m.), FS2 (1:30-8:30 p.m.), $609,000

· Sunday, Sept. 27: 10 races (12:45-5:26 p.m.), TV: FS2 (12:30-6 p.m.), FS1 (6-7 p.m.), FS2 (7-8 p.m.), $458,000

A total of $4,264,000 in prize money is offered in the 89-race condition book over the nine days for a daily average of $473,778. Maiden special weight races have a $75,000 purse while allowance races range from $77,000 to $81,000.

The lone remaining stakes race in September is the $100,000 Ack Ack (Grade III) for 3-year-olds and up at one mile on Saturday, Sept. 26 – a race often used as a prep for the $1 million Breeders’ Cup Big Ass Fans Dirt Mile (GI) on Nov. 7 at Keeneland.

ABOUT CHURCHILL DOWNS RACETRACK

Churchill Downs Racetrack (“CDRT”), the world’s most legendary racetrack, has been the home of The Kentucky Derby, the longest continually held annual sporting event in the United States, since 1875. Located in Louisville, CDRT features a series of themed race days during Derby Week, including the Kentucky Oaks, and conducts Thoroughbred horse racing during three race meets in the Spring, September, and the Fall. CDRT is located on 175 acres and has a one-mile dirt track, a 7/8-mile turf track, a stabling area, and provides seating for approximately 60,000 guests. The saddling paddock and the stable area has barns sufficient to accommodate 1,400 horses and a 114-room dormitory for backstretch personnel. CDRT also has a year-round simulcast wagering facility. www.ChurchillDowns.com.