The Kentucky Turf Cup is a

Grade II In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Irel ...

American Thoroughbred horse race for three years olds and older, over a distance of miles on the turf held annually in September at

Kentucky Downs Kentucky Downs is a Thoroughbred horse racing track located on the border between Kentucky and Tennessee, in the city of Franklin, Kentucky, just off Interstate 65. It is unique among American tracks in that it is a European-style course—its su ...

racetrack in Franklin, Kentucky during their short turf meeting.

History

The event was inaugurated on 22 April 1990 as the Sam Houston Stakes on the first ever meeting at the new track then known as the Duelling Grounds Racecourse. The race was in honor of

Sam Houston Samuel Houston (, ; March 2, 1793 – July 26, 1863) was an American general and statesman who played an important role in the Texas Revolution. He served as the first and third president of the Republic of Texas and was one of the first two i ...

who took part in a duel on the site of where the racetrack is located near the border of Kentucky and Tennessee. The following year the event was renamed to the Sam Houston Handicap, and conditions were changed to a handicap. In 1996 and 1997 the event was not held due to the track being shut down and in bankruptcy proceedings. When the track reopened in 1998 the race was renamed the Kentucky Cup Turf Handicap as part of the Kentucky Cup Turf Festival. In 2001 the event was classified as Grade III. In 2019, the purse was increased to $1,000,000. In 2021 the event was upgraded by the

Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association {{short description, Organization for Thoroughbred racehorse owners and breeders The American Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association (TOBA) based in Lexington, Kentucky is a trade organization for Thoroughbred racehorse owners and breeders. ...

to a

. For the 2021 running Kentucky Downs renamed the event to The Calumet Turf Cup which is sponsored by

Calumet Farm Calumet Farm is a Thoroughbred breeding and training farm established in 1924 in Lexington, Kentucky, United States by William Monroe Wright, founding owner of the Calumet Baking Powder Company. Calumet is located in the heart of the Bluegras ...

. The winner of the event, Imperador set a new track record for the distance of 2:25.70.

Records

;Speed record * miles: 2:25.70 – Imperador (2021) (new course record) ;Margins * lengths – Silverfoot (2005) ;Most wins * 2 – Rochester (2002, 2003) * 2 – Da Big Hoss (2015, 2016) * 2 – Arklow (2018, 2020) ;Most wins by an owner * 2 – Augustin Stable (2002, 2003) * 2 – Robert E. Courtney Jr. (2011, 2012) * 2 – Skychia Racing (2015, 2016) * 2 – Donegal Racing, Joseph Bulger & Peter Coneway (2018, 2020) ;Most wins by a

jockey A jockey is someone who rides horses in horse racing or steeplechase racing, primarily as a profession. The word also applies to camel riders in camel racing. The word "jockey" originated from England and was used to describe the individual ...

* 4 –

Florent Geroux Florent Geroux (born July 16, 1986) is a jockey who has earned over 1,700 wins in American thoroughbred horse racing, including the 2017 Breeders' Cup Classic on Gun Runner, two Breeders' Cup Distaff wins with Monomoy Girl, and the 2021 Kentucky ...

(2014, 2016, 2018, 2020) ;Most wins by a trainer * 5 –

Michael J. Maker Michael J. Maker (born February 7, 1969) is an American trainer of Thoroughbred racehorses. The son of a trainer, he learned the business from his father then set up his own public stable in 1991. In 1993 he went to work as an assistant to U.S. ...

(2015, 2016, 2017, 2019, 2022)

Winners

''Notes:''
† In the 2003 running, Art Variety was first past the post but was disqualified for interference in the straight and placed third. Rochester was declared the winner.

References

{{reflist, 2 Kentucky Downs Graded stakes races in the United States Grade 2 stakes races in the United States Horse races in Kentucky Turf races in the United States Open middle distance horse races Recurring events established in 1990 Horse racing in Kentucky

History

Records

Winners

See also

References