Turfway Park Racing and Gaming’s Holiday Meet returns Wednesday, Dec. 3 through Saturday, Dec. 27, headlined by the second annual Synthetic Championships on Saturday, Dec. 13, with four stakes contests worth a combined $1 million.
The meet will also feature record $100,000 maiden special weight purses and allowances worth up to $106,000.
Along with the four races on Synthetic Championship night, the Holiday Meet stakes schedule also includes three new stakes events: the $125,000 Boone County Stakes on Saturday, Dec. 6; the $125,000 Florence Stakes on Saturday, Dec. 20; and the Last Hurrah on Saturday, Dec. 27.
Like last year, the Synthetic Championships will include the $250,000 Holiday Cheer, the $250,000 Holiday Inaugural presented by Claiborne Farm, the $250,000 My Charmer presented by Claiborne Farm and the $250,000 Prairie Bayou (Listed).
In addition to the $1.375 million stakes schedule, connections will be competing for more than $600,000 in daily purses (excluding extras and substitute races), featuring maiden special weights worth $100,000 and allowance races ranging from $101,000 to $106,000. All overnight purse money includes contributions from the Kentucky Thoroughbred Development Fund.
The jockey colony will once again feature a deep cast of returning riders such as Gavin Ashton, Carlos Barbosa, Adam Beschizza, AbelCedillo, Vincent Cheminaud, Fernando De La Cruz, Sophie Doyle, Corey Lanerie, Luan Machado, John McKee, Irving Moncada, PerryOuzts, Joe Ramos, Walter Rodriguez, Evin Roman and Gabriel Saez. New arrivals this season include Victor Carrasco, Mario Gutierrez, Julien Leparoux, Dylan Machado and Danny Sheehy.
Six-time Turfway Park leading rider Gerardo Corrales, who’s been sidelined with an arm injury since late May, is expected to be back in the saddle by the time the season begins, according to agent Cliff Collier.
The backstretch at Turfway Park is at capacity with outfits such as Steve Asmussen, Whit Beckman, Rodolphe Brisset, Mark Casse, Brad Cox, Kelsey Danner, Cherie DeVaux, Brian Lynch, Mike Maker, Michael McCarthy, Larry Rivelli, Joe Sharp, Mike Stidham, Will Walden, Brendan Walsh and Wesley Ward – all of whom rank among the Top 100 in North American earnings this year.
They will be joined by local mainstays such as Chip Brownfield III, Chris Davis, Tom Drury Jr., Richard Estvanko, Eric Foster, Tim Girten, Eoin Harty, Ethan West and Karyn Wittek.
Live racing at the Holiday Meet will take place nightly on a Wednesday-Saturday schedule with the Winter/Spring Meet to follow on Thursday, Jan. 1.
The complete Holiday Meet condition book will be available online Monday.
Holiday Meet stakes schedule is below:
For the latest information about racing and gaming from Turfway Park, visit www.turfway.com.
Turfway Park Racing and Gaming