Racing in Kentucky shifts from Lexington to Louisville Oct. 26 as Churchill Downs opens its 26-day fall meeting with an 11-race "Stars of Tomorrow I" program, exclusively for 2-year-olds.
The card drew 125 entries, including also-eligibles, for an average of 11.4 entrants per race. Churchill will race Wednesday through Sunday until Nov. 30.
The opening-day card features the first two of 16 fall-meet stakes with a pair of $200,000 events—the Street Sense Stakes (G3) and Rags to Riches Stakes. Both were carded at 1 1/16 miles on the dirt and are part of the Road to the Kentucky Derby and Kentucky Oaks series, respectively, awarding points to the top five finishers on a 10-5-3-2-1 scale. Both stakes drew seven entrants.
The Street Sense was lengthened from a one-turn mile to 1 1/16 miles in 2020 and it has been gaining importance since. It picked up graded status in 2022, and that year's winner, Two Phil's , ran second in the 2023 Kentucky Derby (G1). The 2024 Street Sense was even better as it featured the maiden victory of Sovereignty, who hinted at his tremendous potential with an eye-catching, 5-length, last-to-first Street Sense victory.
Sovereignty has won the Kentucky Derby, Belmont (G1), Jim Dandy (G2), and Travers (G1) stakes. The second- and third-place finishers in last year's Street Sense—Tiztastic and Sandman—also played prominent roles this year. Sandman won the Arkansas Derby (G1) while Tiztastic won the Louisiana Derby (G2), and both ran in the Kentucky Derby. Street Sense fifth-place finisher Bracket Buster was runner-up to Sovereignty in the Travers and won the Oklahoma Derby (G3) next out.
Sovereignty's trainer Bill Mott is not in this year's Street Sense, but his son Riley Mott trains Pin Oak Stud's Incredibolt, perhaps the best-looking of the four entrants coming off maiden wins. The son of Bolt d'Oro won a maiden special weight by 2 lengths going a one-turn mile in 1:36.29 Sept. 28 at Churchill.
The three inside-drawn colts have the experience edge of having faced winners. OXO Equine's Vost, by Instagrand , drew the rail. The William Walden trainee was a wide, stalking third in the Iroquois Stakes (G3) when beaten 5 lengths by Spice Runner last out at Churchill
Shadwell Stables' homebred Ganaas, by War Front , is undefeated in two starts and makes his stakes debut. He exits a strong win in a Sept. 12 allowance race going 6 furlongs at Churchill. Trained by Andrew McKeever, Ganaas dueled between horses early and drew away to win by 5 1/4 lengths in 1:10.37.
Four G Racing, Gregg Day, Steve Crain, and Magdalena Racing's Universe, by Global Campaign , exits a distant third-place finish behind Napoleon Solo in the Champagne Stakes (G1) at Saratoga Race Course. Trainer Kenny McPeek removes the blinkers from Universe and despite being beaten 7 1/4 lengths in the Champagne, Universe stacks up well on numbers as the Champagne was one of the fastest juvenile races (a mile in 1:34.57) run so far this year.
Churchill Downs, Sunday, October 26, 2025, Race 10Entries: Street Sense S. (G3)
PP Horse Jockey Wgt Trainer M/L 1 Vost (KY) Luis Saez 122 William Walden - 2 Ganaas (KY) Edgar Morales 122 Andrew McKeever - 3 Universe (KY) Jose L. Ortiz 122 Kenneth G. McPeek - 4 Very Connected (KY) Emmanuel Esquivel 122 Kenneth G. McPeek - 5 Bricklin (KY) Tyler Gaffalione 122 Rodolphe Brisset - 6 I Did I Did (KY) Irad Ortiz, Jr. 122 Michael J. Maker - 7 Incredibolt (KY) Jaime A. Torres 122 Riley Mott -
Cox Brings Life of Joy For Rags to Riches
The listed Rag to Riches also was a key a race in 2024 as the winner, Godolphin's Good Cheer, took top honors in this year's Kentucky Oaks (G1). Trainer Brad Cox is back this year with Will Stroud's Life of Joy, a 14 3/4-length debut winner Oct. 2 at Horseshoe Indianapolis. Good Cheer also broke her maiden at Horseshoe but she also won an allowance race at Churchill prior to her Rags to Riches win.
Life of Joy, by Gun Runner , debuted going a mile and she was seventh of eight early before launching a sustained rally that saw her distance her opposition in the lane. Irad Ortiz Jr. takes over from Fernando De La Cruz on the likely favorite.
The field also includes the third- and fourth-place finishers from the Alcibiades Stakes (G1) at Keeneland—Edwin C. Anthony's The Grumpy Rabbit, by Not This Time , and WSD Stable's Go to Girl, by Knicks Go .
Schuylerville Stakes winner Kingsolver, an Omaha Beach filly owned by a partnership led by Storyteller Racing, looks to stretch out to two turns in her fifth career start for trainer Rodolphe Brisset. However Brisset did cross-enter her in the 6-furlong Myrtlewood Stakes Oct. 24 at Keeneland.
Churchill Downs, Sunday, October 26, 2025, Race 8Entries: Rags to Riches S.
PP Horse Jockey Wgt Trainer M/L 1 Kingsolver (KY) Florent Geroux 122 Rodolphe Brisset - 2 Tearin'up My Heart (KY) Edgar Morales 122 Genaro Garcia - 3 Americathegreat (KY) Tyler Gaffalione 122 Mark E. Casse - 4 Life of Joy (KY) Irad Ortiz, Jr. 122 Brad H. Cox - 5 The Grumpy Rabbit (KY) Jose L. Ortiz 122 Kenneth G. McPeek - 6 Josie Joe (KY) Luis Saez 122 Riley Mott - 7 Go to Girl (KY) Emmanuel Esquivel 122 Kenneth G. McPeek -
