The Challenge: Kentucky Downs Hosts Two Series Races

It's safe to say that the two horses that earn Breeders' Cup Challenge Win and You're In berths in North America this weekend will be well-tested.

Ensuring that safe bet are the full fields that await the two North American stops on the Challenge schedule Sept. 10 at Kentucky Downs. In a field limited to 12 starters, 15 horses have been entered in the $1 million FanDuel Turf Sprint Stakes (G2T), a six-furlong test that awards a fees-paid slot in the Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint (G1T) starting gate; while 13 horses have been entered (again 12 starters maximum) in the $1 million Kentucky Turf Cup Stakes (G2T), which matches the 1 1/2-mile distance of its corresponding race, the Longines Turf (G1T).

In the FanDuel Turf Sprint, Arrest Me Red is the 9-5 morning-line favorite off a runner-up finish in the Jaipur Stakes (G1T) in June at Belmont Park and his clear victory in the Twin Spires Turf Sprint Stakes Presented by Sysco (G2T) in May at Churchill Downs. Arrest Me Red races for Lael Stables and is trained by Wesley Ward.

A FanDuel Turf Sprint winner has not yet captured the Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint. Last year's winner, Gear Jockey, finished sixth in the Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint, contested at five furlongs on the Del Mar course.

While Gufo  is the 7-5 morning-line favorite in Saturday's Kentucky Turf Cup off his Aug. 27 victory in the Resorts World Casino Sword Dancer Stakes (G1T) on the inner turf at Saratoga Race Course, Arklow may prove to be the crowd favorite as he tries to win this race for the third time since 2018. Arklow followed his 2018 victory in this race with a fourth-place finish in the Breeders' Cup Turf, his best finish to date in three tries at that race.

Owned by Donegal Racing and Joseph Bulger and trained by Brad Cox, the connections are looking forward to another Kentucky Downs try after finishing second in this race last year. The 8-year-old son of Arch enters off a runner-up finish to Rockemperor in the Bowling Green Stakes (G2T) July 31 at Saratoga.

"He likes it, and when a horse likes it you take advantage of it because there are a lot of horses that do not like it," Cox said. "He is a horse that does relish Kentucky Downs. We'll see how it goes."

Donegal Racing's Jerry Crawford calls this race his horse's Breeders' Cup. 

"He could not be doing any better," Crawford said. "His first race off a lengthy layoff; we gave him a long layoff on purpose. He was dead sound when we turned him out, and he was dead sound when we brought him back and he's dead sound today. So we're pretty excited about that at age 8. His comeback race at Saratoga, he could not have run any better. Irad Ortiz Jr. would be the first to tell you that it was a race we should have won. So we're coming to Kentucky Downs with a lot of confidence."