Kentucky

An Even Better Kentucky Downs Meet Awaits

Published

2 years ago

August 28, 2024

An Even Better Kentucky Downs Meet Awaits

The 2024 Kentucky Downs meet promises to be the track’s best yet. Flush with even more purse money than ever before thanks to historical horse racing legislation and the nearby Mint Gaming Hall, Kentucky Downs is on course to host the one of the most lucrative race meets in North American history.

WATCH: KENTUCKY DOWNS MEET PREVIEW

This year, a record $37 million in purses could be paid out over the seven-day all-turf meet. The Franklin, Ky., track will hold 19 stakes, nine of them graded, across the European-style turf course.

“My expectations are the same every year for this meet,” said Kentucky Downs vice president for racing Ted Nicholson. “You plan for 48-50 weeks out of the year and it happens, you blink, and it’s over. But we’re excited. The purses are even higher than the purses last year and we feel like we’re going to attract some bigger and better horses. We have some horses coming to compete from Europe.”

For the first time in the track’s 33 years of operation, Kentucky Downs will stage its first grade 1 event, the $1 million Franklin-Simpson Stakes (G1T) for 3-year-olds going 6 1/2 furlongs. The Franklin-Simpson is the sole grade 1 race in the country for sophomores sprinting on the turf. Although the race is not part of the Breeders’ Cup Challenge Series, Kentucky Downs will pay the entry fees for the winner should they compete in the Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint (G1T) at Del Mar this fall.

“We’re excited to put together a grade 1 race but we’re not resting on that,” Nicholson said. “We’re working very hard to make sure our grade 2s get elevated to grade 1 status after this year and some of the 3s could even get a double jump or single jump. We’re focusing on bettering all of our stakes for when the Graded Stakes Committee meets again in December.”

Two of those grade 2s, the lucrative Kentucky Turf Cup (G2T) and the Ainsworth Turf Sprint (G2T) serve as Breeders’ Cup Challenge Series qualifying races for the Breeders’ Cup Turf (G1T) and Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint, respectively. Both contests will take place Sept. 7 on a race card that is the second-richest in the country surpassed only by the Breeders’ Cup Championships. Race purses Sept. 7 are equivalent to $13 million.

While the Kentucky Downs races act as a platform for registered Kentucky-bred horses, with $15 million on the table in purses from the Kentucky Thoroughbred Development Fund for which horses bred out of state are ineligible, Nicholson said there will be an influx of European contenders arriving for this year’s meet.

Nicholson credited the hire of Martin Panza, co-director of racing operations at Kentucky Downs, for the heightened interest from Europe.

“(Panza) has really helped us attract the Europeans to come to our meet,” Nicholson said. “We’ve given them their own barn. It’s like an isolation barn for them. A lot of horses will come through from Churchill Downs where they’ve done their quarantine so it works out pretty well.”

Among the European horses scheduled to compete at Kentucky Downs include the Charlie Hills-trained pair of Ancient Rome , back to defend his title in the Mint Millions Stakes (G3T), and Khaadem , a two-time winner of the Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Stakes (G1) at Royal Ascot.

Kentucky Downs is a unique track in that it provides a country fair-like atmosphere for its guests. The relaxed, family-friendly environment buries the divide between horsemen, owners, and fans and makes for a memorable day at the races. Nicholson noted that management has made several capital improvements ahead of opening day, including a new pavilion behind the finish line, a suite available for purchase by the eighth pole, and a newly asphalted parking lot off Highway 31W.

A card of 11 races with an average field size of 11.5 kicks off opening day of the meet Aug. 29. The highlight of the card is the $500,000 Tapit Stakes, contested over one mile and 70 yards for horses aged 3 years and up who have not won a sweepstakes in 2024. Contenders for the Tapit include 2023 Pegasus World Cup Turf Invitational Stakes (G1T) winner Atone and the 1-2 finishers in last year’s race, Harlan Estate and English Bee .

First post is 12:25 pm CT.

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Kentucky

Social media companies pay $27 million to settle Kentucky school district’s lawsuit over social media harms, records show

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7 hours ago

May 29, 2026

Press Room

Social media companies pay million to settle Kentucky school district’s lawsuit over social media harms, records show

A Kentucky school district secured approximately $27 million in settlements from social media companies over claims they fueled a student mental‑health crisis, with Meta Platforms paying the largest amount at $9 million, according to records seen by Reuters on Friday that reveal the settlement’s financial terms for the first time.

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Kentucky

Every Kentucky State University player drafted by the Brooklyn Nets

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1 day ago

May 28, 2026

Press Room

Every Kentucky State University player drafted by the Brooklyn Nets

The Brooklyn Nets have developed their teams through a number of strategies over the decades, and their front office has put together considerable success through the NBA draft. Many of the franchise’s best players have joined the Nets either by being selected directly in the annual draft or through trades made on that day.

Moreover, it is not only the star players who have been acquired by the Nets through the draft. Several prominent alumni have been selected by the team each offseason during this annual event, with certain colleges being more prominently represented than others. An analysis of the players from different schools reveals that both prestigious programs and smaller institutions have contributed top talent to the Nets’ roster over the years.

So without further ado, let’s take a look at every player who has been drafted by the Nets out of Kentucky State University.

Gerald Cunningham – forward

Draft year and position: fifth round (first pick, 89th overall), 1977 NBA Draft

Seasons at Kentucky State University:

Seasons played with Nets: did not make the team

All stats and data courtesy of Basketball Reference.

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Milan Momcilovic withdraws from NBA Draft, will return to college

Published

2 days ago

May 27, 2026

Press Room

Milan Momcilovic withdraws from NBA Draft, will return to college

The best shooter in college basketball will, in fact, stay in college basketball — and Kentucky is ready to make its final push.

Iowa State star Milan Momcilovic has withdrawn from the 2026 NBA Draft and will play somewhere at his current level in 2026-27. That’s not expected to be back in Ames, as Cyclone coach T.J. Otzelberger made clear, saying that if the 6-8 forward doesn’t make the jump to the pros, “it’s important that he’s able to find a landing spot at a college that fits what he’s looking for.”

Could Lexington be that final destination? The perimeter sniper already said he’s got respect for the Wildcats and Mark Pope, watching his programs closely since his time at BYU when they competed against each other in the Big 12.

In his eyes, he could be the piece Kentucky was missing this past season in the program’s Round of 32 exit, led by Momcilovic’s 20 points and five rebounds in the Cyclones’ 82-63 victory in St. Louis.

“I think Kentucky would be a good fit,” Momcilovic told the Herald-Leader’s Ben Roberts last week at the NBA Draft Combine. “I obviously went against Pope at BYU his first year (in the Big 12), and I loved how his team played. I think we went 1-1 against them, but they killed us at their place, because they fly the ball up the court and shoot 3s. I really like the way they play.

“And obviously, Kentucky last year, he didn’t have enough shooters around him to really coach, I feel like, the way he wanted. But I think — if I were to choose Kentucky — that would be a good fit for me. I feel like I’d be a great player for him, and he’d be a good coach for me.”

Momcilovic averaged a career-high 16.9 points, 3.1 rebounds and 1.0 assists in 30.5 minutes per game while shooting 50.6 percent from the field, 48.7 percent from three and 87.8 percent at the line. He knocked down 260 3-pointers, good for 3.7 makes on 7.5 attempts per contest.

The former four-star recruit has been Kentucky’s dream portal target all offseason. Now, he’s officially a free agent, pulling out of the draft ahead of the withdrawal deadline.

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