Churchill Downs to offer record 38 graded stakes races

Churchill Downs has unveiled an $11 million stakes schedule for its Spring and

Fall Meets in 2008 that includes 45 stakes events -- including a record 38

graded stakes races -- headed by the 134th renewals of the $2 million Kentucky

Derby (G1) and $500,000 Kentucky Oaks (G1).

The stakes schedule for the April 26-July 6 Spring Meet includes 31 stakes

races and total stakes purses of $8.1 million. The 52-day Spring Meet schedule

is highlighted by Kentucky Derby Day, which includes six stakes events and total

purses of $3.35 million; a Kentucky Oaks Day program that features six stakes

events with total purses of $1.35 million; and six stakes races with purses of

$1.75 million on the "Stephen Foster Super Saturday" program on June 14

that is headed

by the $750,000 Stephen Foster H. (G1).

The October 26-November 29 Fall Meet will feature 14 stakes events with total

purses of $2.9 million. The 134th running of the $500,000 Clark H. (G2) heads

the roster of stakes events for the 26-day autumn racing session under the

track's historic Twin Spires.

A record 38 Churchill Downs stakes races have received graded status by the

American Graded Stakes Committee, an increase of one graded race from 2007. The

latest race to achieve graded status is the $150,000 Commonwealth Turf S., which

will be run as a Grade 3 event during the Fall Meet.

The 2008 schedule will feature five Grade 1 races, 11 Grade 2 contests and 22

Grade 3 events. Twenty-six of 31 Spring Meet stakes races at Churchill Downs

will be graded events, while 12 of the Fall Meet's 14 stakes contests will be

graded races.

Along with graded status granted to the Commonwealth Turf, changes from 2007

in this year's stakes schedule include:

-- Two stakes -- the $100,000 Open Mind, which had been run in the Spring Meet,

and the $100,000 Very Subtle, a Fall Meet feature -- will go on hiatus and will

not be run in 2008;

-- Purse increases for the Alysheba (G3), which will see its value increase

from $100,000 to $150,000, and the Mrs. Revere (G2), which will see its value

boosted by $50,000 to $200,000;

-- Reduced purses for the $200,000 Firecracker S. (G2), a

$250,000 race in 2007; $100,000 Aegon Turf Sprint S. (G3), formerly a $150,000

event; the Aristides S. (G3), which will see its purse drop by $25,000 to

$125,000; and the $175,000 Northern Dancer S. (G3), which is

$25,000 lower than last year

-- The distance of the $150,000 Locust Grove H. (G3), for fillies and mares on

turf, has been reduced from 1 1/8 miles to one mile.

The Churchill Downs Fall Meet will again feature a pair of "Stars of

Tomorrow" racing programs devoted exclusively to races for two-year-olds and

each will feature a pair of stakes events. "Stars of Tomorrow I" on Saturday,

November 1, will be highlighted by the $150,000 Pocahontas S. (G3) for fillies

and the $150,000 Iroquois S. (G3), both of which will be run at one mile. "Stars

of Tomorrow II" will close out the meet on Saturday, November 29, and its

$250,000 co-features are the Golden Rod S. (G2) for fillies and the Kentucky

Jockey Club S. (G2). The distance of both races is 1 1/16 miles.

"Churchill Downs is proud to present a stakes schedule for 2008 that again

offers wonderful opportunities to compete against top-notch horses in every age

group and division," said Ben Huffman, racing secretary at Churchill Downs. "We

appreciate the efforts of our Churchill Downs-based horsemen and owners and

trainers from across North America to support our stakes programs in recent

years and we look forward to working with them again as they bring their

talented horses to race in stakes competition at the home of the Kentucky

Derby."