Turfway Park facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Turfway Park

Location	Boone County, near Florence, Kentucky
Owned by	Churchill Downs, Inc.
Date opened	1959
Course type	Flat/Thoroughbred
Notable races	Jeff Ruby Steaks (G3) Bourbonette Oaks (G3)

Turfway Park is a famous horse racing track in the United States. It's located near Florence, Kentucky, not far from the Ohio River and the city of Cincinnati. At Turfway Park, you can watch live Thoroughbred horse races during two special times of the year: the Holiday season (December) and the Winter/Spring season (January to early April). You can also bet on races happening at other tracks all year round through something called simulcast wagering, which means watching and betting on races shown live from other places.

In 2016, Turfway Park was ranked as one of the top 11 Thoroughbred racetracks in North America by a group called the Horseplayers Association.

The Story of Turfway Park

Turfway Park first opened its doors in 1959. Back then, it was known as Latonia Race Course. The track is about 10 miles south of an older, famous track called Latonia Race Track. That original track was open from 1883 until 1939. The old Latonia track was home to a very important race called the Latonia Derby. This race was once as famous as the Kentucky Derby! The track in Florence changed its name to Turfway Park in 1986 when new owners took over.

In 2005, Turfway Park became the first track in North America to use a special racing surface called Polytrack. This surface is made of silica sand, wax, and different fibers. It also has a hidden drainage system that lets water drain away quickly. This means the track stays in great shape, even in bad weather, and is always officially called "fast." In 2020, the Polytrack was replaced with a similar new surface called Tapeta.

In 2019, Churchill Downs, Inc., which also owns the famous Kentucky Derby, bought Turfway Park. They plan to build a brand new facility there.

Important Races at Turfway Park

Turfway Park is home to some exciting races. One of the most well-known is the Jeff Ruby Steaks. This race started in 1972 and was first called the Spiral Stakes. The idea was that young 3-year-old horses would "spiral up" from this race to other big races like the Blue Grass Stakes and then to the Kentucky Derby.

The Jeff Ruby Steaks is a Graded stakes race, which means it's a very important competition for top horses. It was given Grade II status in 1988, but later changed to Grade III in 2011. The race has had different sponsors over the years, and in 2018, it was named the Jeff Ruby Steaks after a restaurant chain.

Turfway Park also used to host the Kentucky Cup Day of Champions. This event was like a warm-up for the Breeders' Cup World Championships, which are huge races. The Kentucky Cup series included several important races, but it was last held in 2011.

What the Track Looks Like

The racing track at Turfway Park is a one-mile oval shape. It has special sections called "chutes" that are a quarter-mile and 6½ furlongs long. The final straight part of the track, called the "stretch," is 970 feet long. Turfway Park does not have a grass course for racing.

The main building, called the grandstand, was taken down in 2020 to make room for the new facility. The property also has stables where about 1,000 horses can live.

TV Announcers

You might recognize some voices from Turfway Park!

• Mike Battaglia (1973–2016; he still works there as an associate vice president)
• Jimmy McNerney (2016–Present) is the current Track Announcer and Television Host.

Races Held at Turfway Park

Here are some of the stakes races that have been held at Turfway Park. An asterisk (*) means the race is still active.

Graded Races

These are the Graded events that were held at Turfway Park in 2019:

Grade III

• Jeff Ruby Steaks

Other Races

Winter/Spring Meet

Holiday Meet

• Holiday Inaugural Stakes
• My Charmer Stakes
• Prairie Bayou Stakes
• Gowell Stakes
• Holiday Cheer Stakes