Horse racing on the Kentucky horse racing circuit shifts to Churchill Downs on Thursday with the first of three Twilight Thursday programs at 5 p.m. (all times Eastern) as the famed Louisville racetrack opens its 14th annual September Meet for an action-packed 14-date run through Sunday, Sept. 27.
Thursday's eight-race opener lured 76 entries for an average of 9.5 horses per race. A field of nine 3-year-olds and up at one mile was entered for the featured seventh race, a $134,000 allowance/optional claiming ($80,000 claiming tag) event at one mile. Wathnan Racing's 4-year-old Into Mischief colt Hypnus, who last ran fifth in the $1 million Godolphin Mile (G2) on the Dubai World Cup undercard, makes his United States homecoming against 2024 Kentucky Jockey Club (G2) winner First Resort, who is seeking a return to his best form.
The card also includes a $127,000 first-level allowance for 2-year-old fillies at six furlongs (Race 3) and two $120,000 maiden special weight for 2-year-olds at six furlongs (Races 4 and 6).
Horsemen will compete for $15.2 million (all purses include prize money from the Kentucky Thoroughbred Development Fund) offered in vice president of racing Ben Huffman's September Meet condition book, which features 135 races including an 11-race stakes schedule cumulatively worth $3.6 million.
Average daily purses are $1,085,000, and the average race is worth $112,562. Maiden special weight races have a $120,000 purse while allowance races range from $127,000 to $141,000.
Five stakes races, including two important fixtures for juveniles that could produce starters in this year's Breeders' Cup and next spring's Kentucky Derby presented by Woodford Reserve and the Longines Kentucky Oaks, will be showcased Saturday, Sept. 12, afternoon. Total prize money for the 11-race program is a hefty $2.237 million – the most lucrative day of the boutique three-week stanza.
The $300,000 Iroquois (G3) kicks off the Road to the 153rd Kentucky Derby series, while the $300,000 Pocahontas (G3) starts the Road to the 153rd Kentucky Oaks. Additionally, both races are part of the Breeders' Cup Dirt Dozen Bonus Series program that awards a tiered bonus bankroll which can be utilized towards pre-entry and entry fees at the Breeders' Cup for horses that finish first, second or third.
This year's Breeders' Cup World Championships will be held in Kentucky on Oct. 30-31, just 72 miles east of Churchill Downs at Keeneland.
A total of 25 juveniles are nominated to the Iroquois, and another 19 fillies are eligible for the Pocahontas – both contested around a one-turn mile – but the most anticipated race of the day is expected to be a showdown between two of the nation's top fillies and mares in the $400,000 Fasig-Tipton Locust Grove (G2). Eclipse Award champions Nitrogen, last year's Champion 3-Year-Old Filly, and Splendora, the 2025 Champion Sprint Female Horse, are expected to headline what could be a memorable faceoff in the 1 1/16-mile race when entries are taken Tuesday morning.
D.J. Stable LLC's 4-year-old filly Nitrogen, trained by Mark Casse, finished second to 2025 Kentucky Derby winner Sovereignty against males in the prestigious $1 million Whitney (G1) at Saratoga after a 12 ¾ runaway romp against her own sex in the $500,000 Ogden Phipps (G1) – both at Saratoga.
Splendora, the 5-year-old mare owned by Boyd Racing LLC and By Talla Racing LLC and trained by Hall of Famer Bob Baffert, has won four of her five starts this year, including the $300,000 Beholder Mile (G1), $300,000 Shawnee (G2) and $500,000 Molly Pitcher (G2).
Saturday's stakes-laden program also includes the $300,000 Louisville Thoroughbred Society (Listed), an open sprint for 3-year-olds and up at 6 ½ furlongs – won last year by eventual Breeders' Cup Sprint champion Bentornato – and the $300,000 Open Mind (Listed) for female sprinters at six furlongs.
Other marquee events during the September Meet include a nighttime stakes tripleheader under the lights on Saturday, Sept. 19: the $300,000 Dogwood presented by Resolute Racing (G3) for 3-year-old fillies at seven furlongs; $300,000 Harrods Creek for 3-year-olds at seven furlongs; and $200,000 Seneca Overnight Stakes for 3-year-old fillies at 1 1/16 miles.
Closing weekend is anchored by the $500,000 Lukas Classic (G2) for 3-year-olds and up at 1 1/8 miles on Saturday, Sept. 26, and honors the legendary late Hall of Fame trainer D. Wayne Lukas. The Lukas Classic – the most lucrative race of the September Meet – serves as a prep for the $7 million Longines Breeders' Cup Classic five weeks in advance of the Halloween spectacular in Lexington.
Also run on Sept. 26 is the $400,000 Ack Ack (G3) for 3-year-olds and up at one mile and the $300,000 Bourbon Flight for 3-year-olds, which has been reduced to 1 1/16 miles.
This story was originally published by Paulick Report on Sep 4, 2026, where it first appeared in the News section. Add Paulick Report as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
