Pat Kelsey Louisville contract: What to know about new basketball coach's salary, buyout
HORSE RACING

Churchill sets September Meet stakes schedule

Jonathan Lintner
@JonathanLintner

Churchill Downs’ second-ever September Meet, a 12-day session, will this fall be headlined by eight stakes races worth $925,000 — $50,000 less than a year ago.

Racing will be Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, Sept. 5-28. The meet features four stakes races on Saturday, Sept. 6, when the Grade II Pocahontas, Grade III Iroquois and Grade III Ack Ack Handicap will be run along with the Locust Grove.

The Open Mind is set for Sept. 13, the Grade III Dogwood on Sept. 20 and Grade III Jefferson as well as the Homecoming Classic on Sept. 27.

While Churchill Downs boosted the Pocahontas’ purse to $200,000-added, it reduced those of the Iroquois (now $100,000) and Homecoming Classic (now $125,000) by $50,000.

The Iroquois, for 2-year-old colts, marks the start of the 2015 Road to the Kentucky Derby standings and offers Breeders’ Cup “Win and You’re In” status to the $2 million Juvenile in November at Santa Anita. The Pocahontas, for 2-year-old fillies, does the same for the Road to the Kentucky Oaks standings and the $2 million Breeders’ Cup Juvenile fillies.

Opening Night on Friday, Sept. 5 and Friday, Sept. 19 are “Downs After Dark” cards — neither of which conflict with area college football games.

Jonathan Lintner can be reached at (502) 582-4199. Follow him on Twitter @JonathanLintner.