Kentucky Downs kicks off its seven-day all-turf meet Aug. 28 with the $500,000 Tapit Stakes, which is among the races during the meet that will be able to accommodate 14 starters as a result of a new starting gate at the Franklin, Ky., oval.
First post for the 11-race opening card is 12:25 p.m. CT, with the Tapit carded as the 10th race with a 5:31 p.m. scheduled start. The meet runs Aug. 28, 30, and 31 and Sept. 4, 6, 7, and 10.
Although the new starting gate will allow 14 starters, the extra two stalls will be used only in stakes at certain distances because of the course's unusual configuration.
"We have to be really cognizant of being too tight to a turn," Ted Nicholson, Kentucky Downs' vice president of racing, said. "So for sprint races we won't use the 13 and 14 stalls, because then you immediately go down a hill. We're trying to be really conscientious of safety."
The Tapit purse includes $250,000 from the Kentucky Thoroughbred Development Fund for horses foaled in the commonwealth and sired by a Kentucky stallion. Fifteen of the 16 entries, including two also-eligibles, are Kentucky-bred and run for the full purse in the one-mile-and-70-yard turf test restricted to horses that have not won a stakes in 2025.
The Tapit is sponsored by Keeneland Sales, which during the meet is sponsoring two $250,000 allowance races for Keeneland sale graduates.
Included in the field is 2024 Tapit runner-up Nineeleventurbo, who placed in grade 2 stakes in both 2024 and 2023 for Hall of Fame trainer Neil Drysdale. In his only start this year, Nineeleventurbo was third in Del Mar's July 19 restricted Wickerr Stakes.
Record-setting trainer Steve Asmussen, who tied with Brendan Walsh and Joe Sharp as the leading trainers at the 2024 meet with six wins apiece, is sending out Lagynos, the co-fourth choice on the morning line at 8-1, and the accomplished dirt horse Track Phantom.
Lagynos won his career debut at Kentucky Downs in 2023 and has been a solid performer in turf stakes since, including winning last fall's Commonwealth Turf Stakes (G3T) at Churchill Downs. Track Phantom, a graded stakes winner on dirt and fourth as the beaten favorite for last year's Louisiana Derby (G2), makes his turf debut in the Tapit.
Another Hall of Famer, New York-based Shug McGaughey, entered the duo of grade 1-placed Ohana Honor and Sherlock's Jewel.
Irish-bred Mountain Bear, a 4-year-old who is making his first start as a gelding in the Tapit, was second in the 2023 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf (G1T) and third in the Coolmore Turf Mile Stakes (G1T) at Keeneland last year for Mrs. John Magnier, Michael Tabor, and Derrick Smith. Sold at the 2024 Tattersalls Autumn Horses in Training Sale for 330,000 guineas (US$449,923), the No Nay Never gelding is now trained by Wesley Ward for David Gruskos, Ken Sentel, and Resolution Road Stables. Mountain Bear is making his third start of the year after finishing fifth with a rough trip in the Kelso Stakes (G3T) July 5 at Saratoga Race Course.
Multitask, who descends from the female family of champions Essential Quality and Folklore, is making his stakes debut off two turf allowance victories. Florida-based Steal Sunshine is an accomplished dirt horse who last time out was second by a neck in his first turf start in 28 races.
All-time Kentucky Downs-leading trainer Mike Maker will be represented in the Tapit by $40,000 claim Paros, who has won eight of 20 career starts.
Cameo Performance, trained by Walsh, was eighth in last year's 1 5/16-mile Nashville Derby Invitational (G3T) and has subsequently been racing at shorter distances. Quatrocento makes his stakes debut after an allowance win and a second at Ellis Park; California-based Astronomer seeks his first win in two years but has multiple graded stakes placings. Also entered are Tapit Shoes, a gelded son of Tapit for whom the stakes is named, and Nelson Avenue.
The also-eligibles are Noises Off and Prince of Power.
Kentucky Downs, Thursday, August 28, 2025, Race 10Entries: Keeneland Sales Tapit S.
PP Horse Jockey Wgt Trainer M/L 1 1Paros (KY) Joel Rosario 122 Michael J. Maker 8/1 2 2Tapit Shoes (KY) Mario Gutierrez 122 Ed Moger, Jr. 20/1 3 3Nineeleventurbo (KY) Florent Geroux 122 Neil D. Drysdale 12/1 4 4Sherlock's Jewel (KY) Luan Machado 122 Claude R. McGaughey III 30/1 5 5Mountain Bear (IRE) Victor Espinoza 122 Wesley A. Ward 5/1 6 6Multitask (KY) Vincent Cheminaud 122 Eoin G. Harty 20/1 7 7Cameo Performance (KY) Tyler Gaffalione 124 Brendan P. Walsh 9/2 8 8Ohana Honor (KY) Brian Joseph Hernandez, Jr. 122 Claude R. McGaughey III 6/1 9 9Quatrocento (KY) Julien R. Leparoux 122 Fausto Gutierrez 10/1 10 10Astronomer (KY) Antonio Fresu 122 Simon Callaghan 8/1 11 11Track Phantom (KY) Erik Asmussen 122 Steven M. Asmussen 30/1 12 12Nelson Avenue (KY) Lanfranco Dettori 122 Jorge R. Abreu 15/1 13 13Steal Sunshine (KY) Luis Saez 122 Bobby S. Dibona 20/1 14 14Lagynos (KY) Jose L. Ortiz 126 Steven M. Asmussen 8/1 15 15Noises Off (KY) Cristian A. Torres 122 Paulo H. Lobo 15/1 16 16Prince of Power (KY) Javier Padron-Barcenas 122 Jesus Esquivel 20/1
