Nov. 27 marked the first day of entries for Turfway Park's highly anticipated 2024-25 racing season, which kicks off Dec. 4 with the Holiday Meet. First post for the nine-race card is set for 5:55 p.m. ET, attracting a total of 103 horses in the body, including full fields of 12 plus two also-eligibles in two maiden special weights (races 5 and 7) and the featured $82,000 first-level allowance contest in Race 8.
The Holiday Meet, running through Dec. 29, boasts record-setting purses, including maiden special weight races at $80,000 and allowances up to $86,000, fueled by support from the Kentucky Thoroughbred Development Fund. Owners, trainers, and jockeys will compete for more than $7 million in purses across the meet, averaging $467,793 per day.
Some of Kentucky's top jockeys have committed to winter racing at Turfway Park, including last season's leading riders Luan Machado, Gerardo Corrales, Abel Cedillo, and Adam Beschizza. Joining them is top apprentice rider Irving Moncada along with veteran rider Corey Lanerie, who will compete regularly at Turfway for the first time in years.
"It'll be great to stay home this winter," Lanerie said. "The racing at Turfway Park has been very competitive the last couple of seasons, the purses are great and I get to stay home with my family."
Lanerie is scheduled to begin riding at Turfway Dec. 11.
Big Pools, New Faces, and Competitive Racing
Horseplayers will enjoy lucrative wagering opportunities, including two daily Pick 5s (races 1-5 and 5-9) with a 15% takeout, two Pick 4s (races 2-5 and 6-9) with a 14% takeout, and the Single 6 Jackpot (races 4-9) at 15%.
Throughout the 2023 Holiday Meet, there were 10.1 starters per race giving horseplayers plenty of opportunities at full fields with big scores.
Top Trainers Remain in Kentucky for Winter Season
The Turfway Park backstretch remains bustling year-round, featuring top barns in North America like Steve Asmussen, Brad Cox, Cherie DeVaux, Mike Maker, and Brendan Walsh who will all be strong participants at the meet. They'll be joined by horses in the entry box from other top outfits such as Whit Beckman, Rodolphe Brisset, Doug Cowans, Kelsey Danner, Eric Foster, Eoin Harty, Bill Morey, and Will Walden along with local mainstays Susan Anderson, Michelle Bradford, Tim Girten, Jeff Greenhill, Matt Kordenbrock, Ron Tomlinson, and Ethan West.
The 2024 winter/spring Meet leading owners, Christina Estvanko and Margo Scott, are poised to defend their title, joined by trainer Richard Estvanko.
Stakes Calendar Headlined by Jeff Ruby Steaks Day, New Synthetic Championships
The stakes calendar showcases $4.9 million across 24 races, headlined by the $700,000 Jeff Ruby Steaks (G3) March 22, part of the Road to the Kentucky Derby series. Other marquee events include the debut of the Turfway Park Synthetic Championships Dec. 14, featuring four stakes worth a combined $1 million—the Prairie Bayou, Holiday Cheer, My Charmer, and Holiday Inaugural.
Nominations to the Synthetic Championships closed Nov. 26 and will be available in the coming days.
Race Day Information
Track announcer Tony Calo and racing analyst Kaitlin Free will guide fans through the action throughout the meet, which runs Wednesday through Saturday evenings, excluding Christmas Day. Daily first post will be 5:55 p.m. apart from New Years' Day (1 p.m.) and Jeff Ruby Steaks Day (12:45 p.m.).
Fans can watch and wager on all the action from Turfway Park on www.twinspires.com, the official wagering provider of Churchill Downs Incorporated.
FanDuel TV will feature live coverage of Turfway Park nightly along with on-site reports for several marquee days of the season.
For more details about racing and gaming from Turfway Park, visit www.turfway.com.
This press release has been edited for content and style by BloodHorse Staff.
