Kentucky Downs is a

Thoroughbred The Thoroughbred is a horse breed best known for its use in horse racing. Although the word ''thoroughbred'' is sometimes used to refer to any breed of purebred horse, it technically refers only to the Thoroughbred breed. Thoroughbreds are ...

horse racing Horse racing is an equestrian performance sport, typically involving two or more horses ridden by jockeys (or sometimes driven without riders) over a set distance for competition. It is one of the most ancient of all sports, as its basic pr ...

track located on the border between

Kentucky Kentucky ( , ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper South. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north; West Virginia and Virginia ...

and

Tennessee Tennessee ( , ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. Tennessee is the List of U.S. states and territories by area, 36th-largest by ...

, in the city of

Franklin, Kentucky Franklin is a home rule-class city in and the county seat of Simpson County, Kentucky, United States. The county is located on the south central border of the state, and its population was 10,176 at the 2020 census. Kentucky Downs, formerly ...

, just off

Interstate 65 Interstate 65 (I-65) is a major north–south Interstate Highway in the central United States. As with most primary Interstates ending in 5, it is a major crosscountry, north–south route, connecting between the Great Lakes and the Gul ...

. It is unique among

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

tracks in that it is a European-style course—its surface is all turf (grass) instead of dirt, and it is not oval in shape. In 2009, the Horseplayers Association of North America introduced a rating system for 65

racetracks in

North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and th ...

. In the top ten, Kentucky Downs was ranked #2.

History and information

The track was built in 1990 as Dueling Grounds Race Course. The name came from the history of the Sandford Duncan farm, on whose property the track was located. The farm, which was located in a slight corner of what is otherwise a perfectly straight Kentucky-Tennessee border, was the site of numerous

duel A duel is an arranged engagement in combat between two people, with matched weapons, in accordance with agreed-upon rules. During the 17th and 18th centuries (and earlier), duels were mostly single combats fought with swords (the rapier and ...

s in the 1800s, because dueling was illegal in Tennessee but not in Kentucky.

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 ...

took part in a duel on the site. Dueling ended in 1827. The track conducted only

steeplechase Steeplechase may refer to: * Steeplechase (horse racing), a type of horse race in which participants are required to jump over obstacles * Steeplechase (athletics), an event in athletics that derives its name from the steeplechase in horse racing ...

races in its first year, but removed the fences and switched to flat racing in 1992. The first meet featured the Dueling Grounds International, whose $750,000 purse remains the richest in American steeplechase history. The track underwent a tumultuous series of financial misfortunes, changes in ownership, and legal battles, some of which caused the track to miss its 1997 meet. It also saw use as a concert site and a bingo hall. In 1997, the track was purchased at auction by Turfway Park,

Churchill Downs Churchill Downs is a horse racing complex located on Central Avenue in south Louisville, Kentucky, United States, famed for hosting the annual Kentucky Derby. It officially opened in 1875 and was named for Samuel Churchill, whose family was p ...

and other investors. Turfway took over day-to-day management of the facility, having some of its existing staff do double duty at the new track. The name was changed to Kentucky Downs in an effort to remove the stigma attached to the Dueling Grounds brand under its previous mismanagement.

Steeplechase Steeplechase may refer to: * Steeplechase (horse racing), a type of horse race in which participants are required to jump over obstacles * Steeplechase (athletics), an event in athletics that derives its name from the steeplechase in horse racing ...

racing returned in 2000 with a

Grade Grade most commonly refers to: * Grade (education), a measurement of a student's performance * Grade, the number of the year a student has reached in a given educational stage * Grade (slope), the steepness of a slope Grade or grading may also ref ...

II event, as well as traditional flat racing. The track went back to flat racing only the following year, but resumed steeplechases again in 2008. Kentucky Downs hosts a limited live racing meet each year. The 2008 meet features the ''Kentucky Cup Turf Festival'' (run one week after the Kentucky Cup race card at Turfway Park) and featuring the Grade 3 Kentucky Cup Turf. During the rest of the year, the track functions basically as an off-track

parimutuel betting Parimutuel betting or pool betting is a betting system in which all bets of a particular type are placed together in a pool; taxes and the "house-take" or "vigorish" are deducted, and payoff odds are calculated by sharing the pool among all winnin ...

site, offering simulcast wagering on most of the country's top tracks. It draws patrons largely from the nearby

Nashville, Tennessee Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the seat of Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the most populous city in the state, 21st most-populous city in the U.S., and ...

market, centered approximately 40 miles (64 km) to the south, where the only other legal gambling options are the Tennessee Lottery and riverboat

casino A casino is a facility for certain types of gambling. Casinos are often built near or combined with hotels, resorts, restaurants, retail shopping, cruise ships, and other tourist attractions. Some casinos are also known for hosting live enterta ...

s more than two hours away. With legislation to allow casino gaming at racetracks being a topic of frequent political debate in Kentucky (particularly in the 2007 gubernatorial campaign), Kentucky Downs stands to benefit as the closest casino to metro

Nashville Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the seat of Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the most populous city in the state, 21st most-populous city in the U.S., and th ...

, should casinos become legalized. In March 2007, a partnership led by investors Corey Johnsen and Ray Reid agreed to purchase 85% interest in the track. Johnsen had been president of

Lone Star Park Lone Star Park is a horse racing track and entertainment destination located mile north of Interstate 30 on Belt Line Road in Grand Prairie, Texas. Lone Star Park has two live racing seasons every year; the spring Thoroughbred season generally ...

and Reid runs a private investment and banking firm. The new partnership will be managed by Reid and Johnsen. Churchill Downs, Turfway Park and the other minority investors retain a 5% share in the track. The transaction was completed on August 6, 2007. On September 1, 2011, Kentucky Downs introduced

Instant Racing Instant Racing, known generically as historical race wagering, is an electronic gambling system that allows players to bet on replays of Horse racing, horse races or Dog racing, dog races that have already been run. Some Instant Racing terminals re ...

, a hybrid between

slot machine A slot machine (American English), fruit machine (British English) or poker machine (Australian English and New Zealand English) is a gambling machine that creates a game of chance for its customers. Slot machines are also known pejoratively a ...

s and parimutuel wagering, where bettors play at a terminal using historical racing data and video. A request by the

Family Foundation of Kentucky Family (from la, familia) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its members and of society. Ideall ...

to halt the use of the games, which the foundation argued were illegal slot machines, was denied by the state appeals court on October 7, 2011. The 2012 live racing meet was held on September 8, 10, 12, 15 and 19. Racing was also scheduled on September 17, but was cancelled due to heavy rain and soft track. Owner Corey Johnsen indicated in September 2012 that he intended to file for eight racing dates for 2013 (three in late April and five in September).

Stakes events

The following important events held at Kentucky Downs. Grade II *

Kentucky Turf Cup The Kentucky Turf Cup is a Grade II 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 racetrack in Franklin, Kentucky during their short turf meeting. ...

* Kentucky Downs Turf Sprint Stakes Grade III * Dueling Grounds Derby * Franklin-Simpson Stakes * Kentucky Downs Ladies Sprint Stakes * Kentucky Downs Ladies Turf Stakes * Kentucky Downs Ladies Marathon Stakes * Mint Million Listed * Dueling Grounds Oaks * Kentucky Downs Juvenile Sprint * Kentucky Downs Juvenile Fillies * Kentucky Downs Juvenile Mile * Music City Stakes * One Dreamer Stakes * Tapit Stakes

Physical attributes

The Kentucky Downs turf course is in length, with three turns. The first turn is a sharp left-handed turn to the backstretch. Approximately 7 furlongs to the finish line, the course turns right. It then gradually turns left into the homestretch. Kentucky Downs is one of two tracks in North America to feature a right turn – the other location is the downhill turf course at

Santa Anita Park Santa Anita Park is a Thoroughbred racetrack in Arcadia, California, United States. It offers some of the prominent horse racing events in the United States during early fall, winter and in spring. The track is home to numerous prestigious races ...

TV personalities

* Jon Lies (2007–present) * Rick Lee (2000–present)

References

External links

Kentucky Downs official site
{{coord, 36.6415, -86.5623, type:landmark_region:US-KY, display=title * Horse racing venues in Kentucky Buildings and structures in Simpson County, Kentucky Tourist attractions in Simpson County, Kentucky 1990 establishments in Kentucky Franklin, Kentucky