Kentucky Downs Maidens to Again Race for $170K, a Level That Even HBPA Rep Acknowledges is 'Ridiculously' High

04/01/2025 04:12 PM

Purse levels for maiden special weight (MSW) races at the seven-day Kentucky Downs meet in August and September are once again projected to be $170,000, the same level as last season.

Although that number isn't going up in 2025, it's still by far the biggest money outlay for maidens at any North American racetrack, because Kentucky Downs boasts the highest overall purse structure on the continent.

At Tuesday's meeting of the Kentucky Thoroughbred Development Fund (KTDF) advisory committee, some board members-as they have in past years-cautioned against the risks of maintaining such a high level, lest Kentucky politicians get the notion that too much money is being used to fund purses that are out of whack with those at boutique meets in other jurisdictions.

The KTDF is funded by three-quarters of 1% of all money wagered in the state on both live Thoroughbred races and historical horse race gaming, plus 1% of all money wagered on Thoroughbred races via inter-track wagering and whole-card simulcasting. That money, along with funding from each track, goes to pay purses in the state.

Ted Nicholson, the vice president of racing at Kentucky Downs, noted that given the available money, “We could go higher, but…”

The remainder of Nicholson's comment was lost in cross-talk, as a number of KTDF board members chimed in at once to debate the issue.

Rick Hiles, a board member of the Kentucky Horsemen's Benevolent & Protective Association, who represents that organization on the KTDF board, summed up the Kentucky Downs purse issue this way:

“I've argued for years about [not] getting these purses up ridiculously at that level because the legislators have tried to come in and take some of this money back. And you get it to a point that [it's] ridiculous what you're giving away, like $170,000 for maidens, and then the legislators are going to reach in one of these days and say, 'You know what? You guys have got too much money. You're doing too much. Give it to us.'”

Braxton Lynch, who represents the Kentucky Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders association on the KTDF board, has long advocated for boosting purses of allowance races with KTDF funding. She made that same suggestion again on Tuesday.

“But the allowance races are $200,000,” Nicholson responded, citing another Kentucky Downs purse figure that dwarfs money paid out elsewhere in North America.

In the span of a decade, Kentucky Downs has nearly doubled its MSW purses, which stood at $80,000 or $90,000 (based on the age of horses) in 2014.

In the post-pandemic years, Kentucky Downs MSW purses have been $135,000 in 2021, $150,000 in 2022 and 2023, and $170,000 in 2024.

Nicholson said that for the 2025 meet, Kentucky Downs will feature new private suites and new paving stones in the paddock to replace grass that gets chewed up by heavy foot traffic.

In addition, the turf-only track known for its huge fields is endeavoring to upgrade its simulcast presentation.

“We're developing new camera locations. We're going to have a drone. We're going to have a cable-cam that's going to run the length of the stretch,” Nicholson said.

“We're completely remodeling our simulcast center, and we're also creating a 10,000 square-foot sports book,” Nicholson added.

Nicholson also said Kentucky Downs will be hiring a racetrack surfaces consultant “to take a look at any way we can improve our turf course.”

During the Apr. 1 meeting, the KTDF advisory board approved the funding request that the Kentucky Downs purse projections were based on. The Kentucky Horse Racing and Gaming Corporation still has to vote on final approval of that allotment at a subsequent meeting.

The post Kentucky Downs Maidens to Again Race for $170K, a Level That Even HBPA Rep Acknowledges is ‘Ridiculously’ High appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.