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Churchill Downs unveils record stakes schedule worth $11.3 million Churchill Downs will stage 47 stakes, 37 of them graded events, worth a record $11.3 million in 2007, track officials announced Friday. This marks the first time in the history of the Louisville, Kentucky, oval that the stakes schedule for the Spring and Fall Meets will surpass $11 million. The 52-day Spring Meet, slated for April 28 through July 8, will feature 32 stakes, 26 of them at the graded level. The meet's three marquee days will likewise offer record total stakes purses -- the Kentucky Derby (G1) program on May 5, now totaling $3.35 million for six graded stakes; the May 4 Kentucky Oaks (G1) card, adding up to $1.35 million for six stakes contests; and the final six-stakes extravaganza, "Stephen Foster Super Saturday" on June 16, worth $1.8 million. As ever, the focal point is Kentucky Derby Day, the richest single day of racing at Churchill Downs. The 133rd "Run for the Roses" carries a $2 million prize, and purses have been boosted for each of the five graded stakes on the undercard. The Woodford Reserve Turf Classic (G1) has received a $100,000 increase, raising its purse to $500,000. The day's other stakes were enriched by $50,000 each -- the $300,000 Humana Distaff H. (G1), the $250,000 Churchill Downs S. (G2), the $150,000 Churchill Downs Distaff Turf Mile S. (G3) and the $150,000 La Troienne S. (G3). On the eve of the Kentucky Derby, the $500,000 Kentucky Oaks anchors the card. The supporting stakes on Oaks Day are the $300,000 Louisville Breeders' Cup S. (G2); the $100,000 Alysheba S. (G3), newly elevated to graded status this year; and three events whose purses have been raised by $50,000 and are now worth $150,000 each -- the Crown Royal American Turf (G3), Aegon Turf Sprint (G3) and Edgewood S. The undercard for the $750,000 Stephen Foster H. (G1) has five graded stakes -- the $300,000 Fleur de Lis H. (G2), the $200,000 Jefferson Cup (G2), the $200,000 Regret S. (G3), the $200,000 Northern Dancer Breeders' Cup S. (G3) and the $150,000 Mint Julep S. (G3), with the latter race receiving a $50,000 purse increase. The Spring Meet stakes schedule has several other notable changes. The $100,000 Derby Trial S. on opening day has been shortened from one mile to 7 1/2 furlongs, while the $150,000 Louisville H. (G3) has been lengthened from a grassy 1 3/8 miles to 1 1/2 miles. The $100,000 Winning Colors S. (G3) on May 28 has been accorded graded status for the first time. In addition, three graded races that had previously been run as handicaps will be contested under allowance conditions -- the Louisville Breeders' Cup on Oaks Day, the Churchill Downs on Derby Day and the $150,000 Aristides Breeders' Cup S. (G3) on June 2. Closing weekend features the $150,000 Bashford Manor S. (G3) and $100,000 Debutante S. (G3) on July 7, and the $150,000 Locust Grove H. (G3) on July 8. The 21-day Fall Meet, which runs from October 27 through November 24, will serve as the venue for 15 stakes, 11 of them graded. Several major contests will take place on Thanksgiving weekend, beginning with the $300,000 Falls City H. (G2) on "Turkey Day," November 22. The richest prize, the $500,000 Clark H. (G2) on the day after Thanksgiving, has been downgraded after just one year of ranking as a Grade 1. Joining the Clark as a co-feature on the November 23 card is the $200,000 River City H. (G3), a 1 1/8-mile turf stakes that has been pushed back on the calendar and given a $50,000 purse hike in hopes of transforming it into a major end-of-season event. "The River City Handicap has the potential to be a very important year-end race for older turf horses, and one that should attract international competitors in any year," Churchill Racing Secretary Ben Huffman said. "The race has a strong roster of winners in recent years that includes Grade 1 winners America Alive, Hard Buck (Brz) and Brahms, and its increased purse and new Thanksgiving weekend date should make it more attractive to Breeders' Cup horses, rising young turf stars and foreign contenders that are looking for a strong racing option late in the year." Bookending the meet are two "Stars of Tomorrow" programs exclusively for two-year-olds. Stars of Tomorrow I, scheduled for opening weekend on October 28, features the Iroquois S. (G3) and Pocahontas S. (G3), each worth $150,000. Stars of Tomorrow II closes the meet on November 24 with the Kentucky Jockey Club S. (G2) and Golden Rod S. (G2), each with a $250,000 prize. The four juvenile stakes have each received $50,000 purse increases. Also $50,000 richer is the November 3 Chilukki S. (G2), now worth $200,000. Two stakes races will have smaller purses this year, the November 4 Cherokee Run S. and Very Subtle S., which have been reduced from $200,000 to $100,000 apiece. Last year, both had been staged on the weekend when Churchill hosted the 2006 Breeders' Cup, and those races had received supplemental funds from the Breeders' Cup. The final significant alteration is the renaming of the Pent Up Kiss, a $100,000 distaff turf sprint on November 18, to the Mariah's Storm, a tribute to the multiple Grade 2-winning dam of top stallion Giant's Causeway. Mariah's Storm captured eight stakes during her career, including the 1995 Falls City H. (G3), and her story was the inspiration for the motion picture Dreamer.
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