Rain could delay opening day

Kentucky Downs can rightfully claim a unique spot in American racing. To the delight of its many proponents, the turf-only track in southcentral Kentucky will kick off another five-day meet Saturday – weather permitting.

The remnants of Hurricane Harvey were hurtling toward the track Thursday, with as much as five inches of rain projected for Friday. Forecasts were calling for a clearing by Saturday afternoon, but Kentucky Downs officials were unsure if the turf would be in suitable condition to go ahead with the 10-race opener.

Track spokesman C.J. Johnsen said a decision whether to proceed with the Saturday card would be announced Friday at 5 p.m. Central. A contingency plan is set, Johnsen said, although details will not be made public prior to the announcement.

Regardless, five 10-race programs are planned by the time the meet ends Sept. 14. A makeup for Saturday, if needed, won’t be Sunday or Monday, when Ellis Park is concluding its summer meet with back-toback cards. The makeup date will be worked around the three other racing dates: Sept. 7, 9, and 10.

When racing begins, it will be with all the familiar elements in place: low takeout, monstrous purses, and big fields, all conducted amid a charming

county-fair atmosphere and with the use of an undulating, European-style, irregularly shaped course with a 1 5/16mile circumference. First post daily is 1:25 p.m. Central.

“With everything it offers, everybody looks forward to Kentucky Downs,” said trainer Brad Cox, who has three entries Saturday.

The Saturday feature is the $400,000 Tourist Mile, renamed for the 2016 Breeders’ Cup Mile winner after formerly being known as the More Than Ready Mile. Carded as the eighth race, it drew a field of nine older horses, none of whom figures as a standout. Shining Copper could be the favorite, but given he has been sidelined more than a year, that role might fall to Irish Strait.

Based at the Fair Hill training center in Maryland with Graham Motion, Irish Strait came to peak form in two races this summer at Monmouth Park, winning the Grade 3 Red Bank before finishing second to Money Multiplier in the Grade 2 Monmouth.

Shining Copper, meanwhile, has been cranking back up at the Trackside training center in Louisville after spending months in rehabilitation at owner Ken Ramsey’s farm near Lexington, Ky. The 7-year-old gelding is back with trainer Mike Maker after spending a year with Chad Brown.

“We had him on the underwater treadmill and got him back to jogging,” said Ramsey, the leading owner each of the last four years (2013-16) at Kentucky Downs. “He looks great and is training extremely well. The flat mile ought to be just right for him.”

One of the fringe players is Western Reserve, who was claimed for $62,500 in June by the Turf Stable Racing of Rusty Jones. The 5-year-old gelding nearly recouped the entire investment by winning a $100,000 stakes at Indiana Grand in his only start for new trainer Kent Sweezey.

“We’re treating it as if we’re running Saturday,” said Sweezey, referencing the dicey weather forecast. “I really feel he can handle any type of ground. He couldn’t be coming into the race any better.”

Hootenanny also could figure into the Tourist mix. Winner of the 2014 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf, the 5-year-old horse is “stretching back out to his best distance,” said Wesley Ward, who has won or tied for the Kentucky Downs training title three times (2008-10-14).

The Tourist Mile is one of four straight stakes on the card, along with the $150,000 One Dreamer (race 6), the $350,000 Juvenile Fillies (race 7), and the $350,000 Juvenile (race 9). All of the stakes are part of the new Jockey7 Wager, which will encompass the last seven races each day.

The Saturday card also includes three allowances (races 3, 4, 5) worth $140,000 to $145,000, and two maidenspecial events (races 2, 10) worth $130,000. Purses for all nonclaiming/starter races include substantial bonuses restricted to horses eligible to the Kentucky Thoroughbred Development Fund. Stables from New York, Florida, Canada, and other faraway destinations will join those from Kentucky and the Midwest.

With Saratoga and Del Mar coming to an end, jockeys from both coasts will travel to Kentucky Downs at some point during the brief meet. Aside from opening day, Jose Ortiz and Florent Geroux will be among those to ride for the duration. Geroux was the leading rider at both the 2015 and 2016 meets.

Kentucky Downs, which straddles the Kentucky-Tennessee border, is situated on a land rich with history. The most recent chapter began in 1990, when Dueling Grounds opened as a steeplechase track. The current owners, a partnership led by Corey Johnsen, took over in 2007, and four years later they installed the Instant Racing machines that have afforded such a lucrative purse structure. Its combination of alluring factors has made Kentucky Downs the No. 1-ranked track in each of the last three years by the Horseplayers Association of North America.