Kentucky Downs 🏇🏾// Sat., Aug. 30, 2025

Happy Saturday & National Beach Day! 🏖️🏝️⛱️

Today is a significant day in the horse racing world as we approach the Breeders' Cup at Del Mar, which starts on October 31st and concludes on November 1st. This event is the richest weekend in horse racing in America, attracting the top horses, jockeys, trainers, and owners from around the globe.

Across three tracks nationwide, we have six races today where the winners will earn their spots in the starting gate at the Breeders' Cup. We will provide coverage on X for the other two tracks, but with it being opening weekend, we've decided to showcase a full card from Kentucky Downs in Franklin, KY. If you are unfamiliar with this track, we’ve included more information below and highly recommend watching all the races today, as they differ significantly from what most race fans are accustomed to.

Today's card consists of 12 total races, including five stakes races and one "Win and You're In" race for the Breeders' Cup. The featured event is the ninth race, the $2 million Grade 2 Mint Kentucky Turf Sprint Stakes. This race is a six-furlong sprint on turf, and it’s worth noting that all races at this track are run on turf for three-year-olds and older.

While this may not be the largest purse of the day, it is the featured race because the winning connections earn a spot in the Prevagen Turf Sprint during Breeders' Cup weekend. The total purses distributed today at Kentucky Downs will be nearly $12 million, with stake races totaling $10.5 million! There are substantial rewards up for grabs throughout the day, resulting in significant betting pools for those looking to cash some tickets.

The weather today is beautiful, with highs in the mid-80s and mostly sunny skies. The turf is firm to start the day, and we are excited to place bets on the races while enjoying college football.

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Kentucky Downs, located in Franklin, Kentucky, is a unique thoroughbred racetrack best known for its European-style turf course. Originally opened in 1990 as Dueling Grounds, the track was built on the site of historic dueling fields from the 1800s. In 1997, it was renamed Kentucky Downs and has since developed a reputation for its distinctive all-turf racing and short, high-quality meets that attract elite horses, jockeys, and trainers. The track’s racing festival has grown in prestige, offering some of the richest purses in American turf racing, thanks in part to revenue from historical horse racing machines, making Kentucky Downs a major force in modern U.S. racing despite its relatively short history.

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Need help picking winners? We've got you covered! Our (Always Free) Lundin Line's top picks and best bets are below. We use them to help narrow the field while putting our tickets together. The first post will be here soon, so don't be late -

It's time to get #InTheMoney! 💰💰💰

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Kentucky Downs 🏇🏾 // Sat., Aug. 30th, 2025

First Post @ 11:25 CDT / 9:25 (PDT)

R1: 10-3-6-11

R2: 2-11-12-4

R3: 6⭑-4-5-10

R4: 12-8-16(AE)-13(AE)-2

R5: 15(AE)-16(AE)-1-14(AE)-12

R6: 3-12-7-10

R7: 4-7-3-5

R8: 6-11-1-2

🏇R9:

Mr. Fink: 7-11-6-2

Mr. W: 2-7-8-11

R10: 2⭑-12-11-5

R11: 2-11-9-10

R12: 3-15(AE)-11-5-8

🏇 = Featured Race(s)

⭑Best Bet(s)

R3: Ready to Jam (#6)

R10: Test Score (#2)

Ⓢtakes Races:

R7: 1 Mil. Bowling Green Gold Cup Inv. S.

R8: 2 Mil. Never Say Die Ladies Turf Sprint (G2T)

🏇R9: 2 Mil. Mint KY Turf Sprint S. (G2T)/BC

R10: 3.5 Mil DK Horse Nashville Derby Inv. (G3T)

R11: 2 Mil. Resolute Racing Ladies Turf S. (G3T)

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Photo from our friends at National Day Calendar

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/ As always, please forgive any typos and grammatical errors