Three weeks after the conclusion of the 2025 Triple Crown, horse racing’s second half shifts into gear with a star-studded card at Churchill Downs June 28 headlined by the $1 million Stephen Foster Stakes.
Whereas the primary half of the horse racing calendar is all 3-year-olds on a regular basis on the trail to Louisville for the Kentucky Derby Offered by Woodford Reserve – adopted in fast succession by the Preakness Stakes and Belmont Stakes – the second half of the 12 months builds via the summer time and fall main into the Breeders’ Cup World Championships.
The royal assembly at Ascot offered many highlights and 4 Win and You’re In automated bids for the World Championships Oct. 31 and Nov. 1 at Del Mar, however make no mistake, the Stephen Foster card is what will get the Breeders’ Cup ball rolling stateside with six stakes races value a mixed $2.75 million.
This 12 months, much more than in years previous, Stephen Foster day encompasses a multitude of nice storylines with the 2024 Longines Kentucky Oaks winner and reigning Horse of the 12 months Thorpedo Anna working 4 races earlier than 2024 Kentucky Derby winner Mystik Dan. The primary occasion, the Stephen Foster, encompasses a rematch of the highest two finishers from the 2024 Kentucky Derby (Mystik Dan and Sierra Leone); two of this 12 months’s Derby starters will shift again to turf for the American Derby; and two of one of the best U.S. turf horses this century (Tepin and Clever Dan) have races named of their honor that drew terrific fields.
Going again via previous Kentucky Derbys, the final time I might discover that the highest two finishers from the Kentucky Derby confronted off once more as 4-year-olds was all the way in which again in 1992. Strike the Gold and Greatest Pal, the highest two from the 1991 Kentucky Derby, met as 4-year-olds within the Pimlico Particular Stakes Could 9, 1992 at Pimlico. Strike the Gold rallied from final to first to win by three-quarters of a size and halt a 12-race winless stretch that adopted the Derby, with Greatest Pal fading to fourth because the 3-5 favourite. That was 33 years in the past and I used to be about to graduate from highschool. Wow!
The Stephen Foster card boasts a compelling slate of races for bettors and followers alike, so let’s take a better have a look at a number of the highlights:
Race 7, $500,000 Fasig-Tipton Fleur de Lis Stakes, 1 1/8 miles, filth, 3:52 p.m. ET
The 1 1/8-mile Fleur de Lis Stakes is a Breeders’ Cup Problem Collection race that provides the winner an expenses-paid entry into the Longines Breeders’ Cup Distaff Nov. 1 at Del Mar. #3 Thorpedo Anna is the headliner in a five-horse area that additionally consists of the top-two finishers from the Shawnee Stakes Could 31 at Churchill Downs, #1 Royal Spa and #4 Gin Gin. Thorpedo Anna opened her 12 months with back-to-back stakes wins at Oaklawn Park however completed a disappointing seventh within the Fasig-Tipton La Troienne Stakes on the Longines Kentucky Oaks undercard Could 2. All eyes shall be on final 12 months’s Oaks and Distaff winner to see if she’s going to regain her elite kind.
Race 8, $250,000 Tepin Stakes, one mile, turf, 4:25 p.m. ET
A number of stakes winner #6 Vixen leads a area of eight 3-year-old fillies entered for the one-mile Tepin Stakes, named for the 2022 Corridor of Fame inductee who received the 2015 Breeders’ Cup Mile and 2016 Queen Anne Stakes at Royal Ascot amongst six Grade/Group 1 wins. 4 of the eight fillies enter off of wins, whereas #5 Lush Lips comes into the race after back-to-back seconds to rising star Nitrogen.
Race 9, $250,000 Kelly’s Touchdown Stakes, 6 ½ furlongs, filth, 4:58 p.m. ET
Dust sprinters take heart stage for the Kelly’s Touchdown Stakes with #3 Sales space driving a four-race stakes successful streak into the race for Corridor of Fame coach Steve Asmussen. Don’t sleep on California shipper #1 Dr. Venkman, a blazing-fast graded stakes winner by Ghostzapper with one of many nice names within the sport. You will be certain Dr. Venkman may have his proton pack concentrating on front-running Sales space within the Churchill stretch. Anyone name Invoice Murray …
Race 10, $500,000 Clever Dan Stakes, 1 1/16 miles, turf, 5:31 p.m. ET
This race honoring 2012 and 2013 Horse of the 12 months and fan favourite Clever Dan drew a area of 9 led by the highest 4 finishers of the Arlington Stakes Could 31 on the similar course and 1 1/16-mile distance: #4 Mercante, #7 Sensible Berti, #2 Lagynos, and #6 Occasion Element. That quartet was separated by 1 ¼ lengths on the Arlington Stakes end line and in addition should face the late rush of #8 Fort Washington, winner of the Dinner Get together Stakes by a size on the Preakness Stakes undercard, and proficient Southern California invader #3 Mi Hermano Ramon.
Race 11, $1 million Stephen Foster Stakes, 1 1/8 miles, filth, 6:03 p.m.
It hasn’t occurred in 33 years by my analysis that the Kentucky Derby top-two finishers confronted off in a rematch as 4-year-olds, so there shall be a bit of little bit of historical past made Saturday night time at Churchill ought to each #5 Mystik Dan and #4 Sierra Leone begin as anticipated. However this “Win and You’re In” race for the Longines Breeders’ Cup Basic race isn’t simply final 12 months’s Derby winner versus the runner-up (and subsequent champion 3-year-old male). The Stephen Foster additionally drew 2025 Dubai World Cup Sponsored by Emirates Airline winner #6 Hit Present and up to date Churchill Downs Stakes Offered by Ford winner #2 Mindframe. It’s merely a terrific horse race. Learn all about this 12 months’s area in America’s Greatest Racing’s Stephen Foster Cheat Sheet.
Race 12, $250,000 American Derby, 1 1/16 miles, turf, 6:32 p.m. ET
The American Derby seems to be like among the finest handicapping puzzles on the Stephen Foster card with 10 3-year-olds entered, together with Kentucky Derby runners #2 Flying Mohawk and #3 Tiztastic making the change from filth to turf, a number of Southern California stakes winner #8 Freedom’s Not Free transport in, and three extra stakes winners in a deep area to shut out the June 28 card at Churchill Downs. World Collection champion Jayson Werth is a co-owner of Flying Mohawk, who has two wins on the grass. Twinspires.com Louisiana Derby winner Tiztastic additionally will return to turf, a floor on which he’s 2-for-2 with a stakes win.
