The Kentucky Wildcats are entering a new era in the 2024 season as Mark Pope returns to Lexington to take over the UK program.

With a full roster built from the transfer portal this offseason, Pope and his coaching staff are now looking to make a splash in the class of 2025 and land some elite high school talent to pair alongside transfers.

The Cats have long been the destination for top high-school talent, and as the new staff looks to keep that momentum going, they are looking to land a backcourt player after adding Malachi Moreno to the frontcourt.

Well, 5-star guard Mikel Brown Jr. has scheduled an official visit to Kentucky beginning September 27th, according to KSR’s Jacob Polacheck.

A 6-foot-3 and 165-pound point guard, Brown played for the Overtime Elite program in Atlanta this past season but will now play for DME Academy in Florida. He’s ranked as high as eighth overall in the 2025 class by 247 Sports.

While no official predictions have been logged for Brown, Jamie Shaw of On3 recently gave an early pick for Kentucky to be the ultimate landing spot. Shaw gave the prediction with a 25% confidence level.

Now, the confidence level is low, but this gives the BBN some hope, especially now that an official visit has been scheduled.

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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.

While Kentucky has long been renowned for its prowess at horse racing and roots music, the state’s most renowned industry just might be distillation. For well over a century, the Bluegrass State has excelled at the art of whiskey production, with roughly 2.7 million barrels of bourbon produced in 2022—and this October, the commonwealth is celebrating Kentucky’s whiskey scene with the first official Bourbon & Belonging.

Organized at the behest of non-profit organization Queer Kentucky, this event seeks to highlight the intersection of the Bluegrass State’s LGBTQ+ community and the surrounding bourbon scene, with a wealth of exciting events in store from October 2nd to 6th. While the week is packed full of informational sessions and workshops that highlight the art of distillation and mixology—Bourbon 101 lessons, distillery tours and cocktail classes, to name a few—guests can also look forward to exploring the state’s dining and performing arts scene with drag brunches and multi-course dinners.

While Kentucky’s largest municipality—the riverside city of Louisville—is hosting its fair share of events, it’s far from the only destination that’s joining in on the fun this October. There are eight sponsor destinations involved in Bourbon & Belonging, with sites ranging from Frankfort—a city that’s served as the commonwealth’s capital since 1792—to Bardstown, a historic settlement that’s known for hosting the annual Kentucky Bourbon Festival each September. For Frankfort visitors, downtown venue Mortimer Bibb’s Public House is kicking off the festivities with a drag show complete with specialty cocktails on the night of the 2nd, while hardcore Bardstown bourbon aficionados should be sure to sign up for October 5th’s VIP Tasting Experience, a prestigious event that offers an opportunity to sample nine bourbons sourced from some of Kentucky’s most lauded distilleries.

Meanwhile, Louisville is offering a particularly wide range of activities for guests to enjoy all throughout the week. For visitors wishing to support LGBTQ+-owned businesses, be sure to swing by The Myriad Hotel—a polished property that operates in a former disco ball factory—for a combined drag brunch and pool party to close out the week, while Le Moo Steakhouse has been a top spot for their drag brunches for years on end, with a lively performance scheduled for October 5th. For more lowkey events, visiting gastronomes should be sure to embark on October 3rd’s Pride Plates food tour for a deep dive on Louisville’s queer history paired with decadent soul food and cocktails, or make their way to the Frazier Kentucky History Museum for some added information about Kentucky’s lasting legacy of LGBTQ+ residents. And of course, some of the hottest gay bars in Louisville’s Highlands district—Big Bar and Chill Bar, to be precise—are certain to draw huge crowds all throughout the week as well.

While Kentucky may not be the first state that springs to mind when it comes to LGBTQ+ tourism, Bourbon & Belonging shines a spotlight on the rich queer culture that’s woven into the fabric of the Bluegrass State, providing an opportunity for both lifelong locals and newcomers to share a dram together. With the inaugural festival just a few months away, now is the perfect time to start crafting your perfect October itinerary, with no shortage of dazzling bars, restaurants and—of course—distilleries all coming together to form one truly unforgettable week.