Kentucky Downs
| Location |
Franklin, Kentucky; near Portland, Tennessee |
|---|---|
| Owned by | Corey Johnsen & Ray Reid |
| Date opened | April 22, 1990 |
| Race type | Thoroughbred |
| Course type | Turf |
| Notable races |
Flat racing: Kentucky Cup Turf Dash Stakes Kentucky Cup Ladies Turf Stakes Kentucky Cup Turf Stakes (Grade III) Franklin-Simpson Stakes Steeplechase racing: Belle Meade Plantation Stakes |
| Official website | |
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 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 Thoroughbred racetracks in North America. Of the top Ten, Kentucky Downs was ranked #2.
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 duels in the 1800s, because dueling was illegal in Tennessee but not in Kentucky. Sam Houston took part in a duel on the site. Dueling ended in 1827. The track conducted only steeplechase 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 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 racing returned in 2000 with a Grade 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.
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