Back in 1994, Turfway Park introduced the Kentucky Cup Day of Champions, a multi-stakes card that complemented its existing spring stakes program. Classic winners such as Tabasco Cat and Silver Charm highlighted some early runnings before the races eventually fell out of favor when overshadowed by richer stakes around the country.
Thirty years later, Turfway, flush with purse funds from gaming, is launching another lucrative day of racing—this time focused on stakes over its synthetic Tapeta surface. Four $250,000 stakes are part of the Dec. 14 nighttime card—the Turfway Park Synthetic Championships. Three of the four stakes at the Northern Kentucky track drew overflow fields—the Holiday Cheer, Prairie Bayou, and Holiday Inaugural—and the other, the My Charmer, landed a deep field of 11.
The races were previously contested for $125,000 apiece and spread over multiple weekends.
Gary Palmisano, vice president of racing for Churchill Downs Inc., which owns and operates Turfway, said he is impressed by the quality on Saturday besides the field size.
"A couple of these races are close to becoming grade 3s, so we were really focused on recruiting quality horses," he said.
He believes the card should benefit from its placement during a relatively quiet time of year within the sports calendar, noting there was only one college football game Saturday due to the usual break between conference championships and bowl season.
Saturday's only domestic graded stakes race is the Los Alamitos Futurity (G2) at Los Alamitos Race Course.
"So we really wanted to put a flag in the ground on this particular weekend, thinking we have the undivided attention of the public," Palmisano said. "And we feel like this could really lead to a successful event both this weekend and for many years to come."
C R K Stable's 2023 Shoemaker Mile (G1T) winner, Exaulted, and Steve Moger's 2023 Santa Anita Handicap (G1) winner, Stilleto Boy, both unplaced in four starts apiece in 2024, race in the Prairie Bayou at 1 1/16 miles. Gold Square's Howard Wolowitz, who defeated a soft field for the top stakes level in the Franklin-Simpson Stakes (G1T) at Kentucky Downs, competes in the Holiday Cheer at six furlongs. He was most recently ninth in the Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint (G1T).
Some jockeys who do not regularly ride at Turfway during the winter, such as Luis Saez, Emisael Jaramillo, Florent Geroux, and Sofia Vives, are in action Saturday at Turfway.
Trainers sending horses to Kentucky for the card include Christophe Clement, Kevin Attard, and Robert Tiller.
Vives rides Frank Di Giulio Jr.'s reigning Canadian champion sprinter Patches O'Houlihan, who starts outside Woodbine for the first time in the Holiday Cheer after going 11-for-14 in Canada for Tiller.
Woodbine, like Turfway, has a Tapeta surface, and with Woodbine's season nearing a conclusion, about a half dozen who raced there are headed to Turfway.
The My Charmer and Holiday Inaugural, two races for fillies and mares, offer the top 1-2-3 finishers credits toward future stallion fees at Claiborne Farm through a "Make Your Mare" partnership.
Tommy Town Thoroughbreds' Ghostly Gal, who edged Resolute Racing's Dana's Beauty in last month's Claiming Crown Tiara at Churchill Downs, faces her again in the 1 1/16-mile My Charmer.
Moyglare Stud Farm's Love Appeals and OXO Equine's Upper Case are the likely favorites in the Holiday Inaugural.
Turfway Park, Saturday, December 14, 2024, Race 4Entries: My Charmer S. Presented by Claiborne Farm
PP Horse Jockey Wgt Trainer M/L 1 1Breezing Along (KY) Evin A. Roman 118 Anna M. Meah 30/1 2 2Forever Dixie (KY) Luan Machado 121 Mark E. Casse 7/2 3 3Catmint (KY) Fernando De La Cruz 121 Rick Hiles 30/1 4 4Dana's Beauty (KY) Luis Saez 125 Michael J. Maker 2/1 5 5Everland (KY) Abel Cedillo 122 Eric N. Foster 6/1 6 6Cozee Rags (KY) Albin Jimenez 118 Brian D. Michael 15/1 7 7Ghostly Gal (KY) Vincent Cheminaud 121 Wayne M. Catalano 3/1 8 8Take a Stand (KY) Luis Contreras 121 Victoria H. Oliver 6/1 9 9Smokin Hot Blonde (KY) Edgar Morales 118 James A. Kelley 50/1 10 10Here's the Spider (OH) Florent Geroux 122 Edward Fernandez 30/1 11 11Canisy (KY) Corey J. Lanerie 125 Arnaud Delacour 20/1
Turfway Park, Saturday, December 14, 2024, Race 5Entries: Holiday Inaugural S. Presented by Claiborne Farm
PP Horse Jockey Wgt Trainer M/L 1 1Miss Arlington (KY) Corey J. Lanerie 124 Brian Williamson 20/1 2 2Beauty of the Sea (FL) Fernando De La Cruz 124 Joseph F. Orseno 10/1 3 3Baby No Worries (KY) Abel Cedillo 120 Tim Girten 30/1 4 4Sunday Shoes (KY) Gerardo Corrales 124 Wesley A. Ward 6/1 5 5Upper Case (KY) Evin A. Roman 124 Paulo H. Lobo 3/1 6 6Nice as Pie (KY) Luis Saez 122 Kelsey Danner 7/2 7 7A Game (ON) Fraser Aebly 124 Josie Carroll 15/1 8 8B G Warrior (KY) Florent Geroux 124 Rodolphe Brisset 10/1 9 9Bling (KY) Luis Contreras 120 Victoria H. Oliver 15/1 10 10Awesome Treat (KY) Sophie Doyle 124 Justin Wojczynski 20/1 11 11Love Appeals (KY) Vincent Cheminaud 124 Christophe Clement 4/1 12 12Love to Shop (KY) Luan Machado 120 Kevin Attard 15/1 13 13Laura's Charm (KY) Alex Achard 120 Lacy Pierce 30/1 14 14Night Kiss (KY) Santo Sanjur 120 Tomas Medina 30/1
Turfway Park, Saturday, December 14, 2024, Race 6Entries: Prairie Bayou S.
PP Horse Jockey Wgt Trainer M/L 1 1Hush of a Storm (NY) Luan Machado 125 Brad H. Cox 8/1 2 2Exaulted (KY) Abel Cedillo 121 Peter Eurton 10/1 3 3Money Supply (KY) Adam Beschizza 125 Joe Sharp 6/1 4 4Hidden Stash (KY) Luis Contreras 121 Victoria H. Oliver 30/1 5 5Stilleto Boy (KY) Albin Jimenez 121 Ed Moger, Jr. 30/1 6 6Dresden Row (KY) Martin Garcia 122 Lorne Richards 9/2 7 7Wadsworth (KY) Florent Geroux 121 Brad H. Cox 3/1 8 8Noises Off (KY) Evin A. Roman 121 Paulo H. Lobo 12/1 9 9Paros (KY) Luis Saez 123 Michael J. Maker 4/1 10 10Wonderful Justice (GB) Emisael Jaramillo 121 Joe Sharp 8/1 11 11Big Blue Line (MD) Joseph D. Ramos 121 William Walden 20/1 12 12Midnight West (KY) Alberto Burgos 121 Tomas Medina 30/1 13 13Tremor (IN) Fernando De La Cruz 118 Michelle L. Elliott 30/1 14 14Prince of Power (KY) Santo Sanjur 118 Jesus Esquivel 30/1
Turfway Park, Saturday, December 14, 2024, Race 7Entries: Holiday Cheer S.
PP Horse Jockey Wgt Trainer M/L 1 1Howard Wolowitz (KY) Emisael Jaramillo 122 Jose Francisco D'Angelo 5/2 2 2Mo Stash (KY) Luan Machado 120 Victoria H. Oliver 12/1 3 3Run Carson (KY) Luis Saez 122 Kelsey Danner 9/2 4 4Demolition Duke (KY) Edgar Morales 120 Brendan P. Walsh 15/1 5 5Night Time (KY) Christopher A. Emigh 124 Brittany A. Vanden Berg 30/1 6 6Senbei (NY) Vincent Cheminaud 124 Christophe Clement 10/1 7 7Manny Wah (KY) Corey J. Lanerie 120 John Ennis 20/1 8 8One Timer (KY) E. T. Baird 120 Larry Rivelli 6/1 9 9Field Day (KY) Alberto Burgos 120 Randy L. Klopp 30/1 10 10Dream Shake (KY) Abel Cedillo 124 Peter Eurton 15/1 11 11Dude N Colorado (GB) Fernando De La Cruz 120 Michael J. Maker 20/1 12 12Patches O'Houlihan (ON) Sofia Vives 124 Robert P. Tiller 3/1 13 13Let's Go Mark (KY) Adam Beschizza 118 John Ennis 30/1 14 14Shefflin (KY) Gerardo Corrales 120 William E. Morey 20/1
