Kentucky Downs Journal - August 29th, 2024
By Eric DeCoster (@ericdecoster_ on X)
Thursday, August 29th, 2024 - Day 1 of 7
The Lowdown
Welcome back to another year of the Kentucky Downs Journal. I’m very excited to be able to provide you all with some daily insight into what is becoming one of the elite meets on the racing calendar. This year is no exception, with elevated purses across the board, as well as a newly minted Grade 1 race on the calendar.
As many of you may know, I was diagnosed with Cancer over the summer and had to step away from my main industry roles for the time being while receiving treatment. One of the positives of this experience has been being able to spend more time in the form and again bringing you all these write-ups over the next two weeks, something I didn’t think would be possible when life was “normal”. This means I’ll be able to bring you some of my favorite recap segments from past journals like track biases, favorite success rates, and locations of last starts, as well as feature race previews, maiden and pace plays of the day, and my best bet on the card.
Today’s opening day card sets the table perfectly for what should be a thrilling meet. 11 races, full fields throughout, plenty of maiden races, and a high-pursed, restricted stakes with a graded stakes feel. Let’s dive into it.
Meet Preview
Jockeys
Tyler Gaffalione & Joel Rosario - These two riders have dominated the top two slots of the jockey;s standings for years and will look to do it once more in 2024. Both of them have extremely strong mounts for opening day and will ride the majority of the card. Gaffalione gets a big edge as the go-to rider for Brendan Walsh, the defending training title champion here and someone we’ll dive deeper into in a second.
Frankie Dettori - One aspect of this year’s Kentucky Downs meet that is unique from past years is the international flair, and that isn’t just limited to horses. Frankie Dettori is expected to ride all seven days of this year’s Kentucky Downs meet and should have some success given his familiarity with untraditional track configurations from his days in Europe. He only has five mounts on opening day, but a few of them seem live, and looking at the rest of the weekend’s overnights he should be even stronger as the meet rolls along.
Luan Machado - I’ve learned over the years that the top riders at Ellis Park tend to be very hit or miss over this track, but as you’ll learn below the “local” contingent have separated themselves as much watches at Kentucky Downs. Machado led the Ellis meet this year by earnings and finished second in wins, in big thanks to his blossoming connections to top outfits like Mark Casse and Brendan Walsh. Both of those trainers, in addition to many top trainers on the circuit, seem to be sticking by this guy at this high-pressure meet, which makes me think he could crack the top five of the jockey’s standings when all is said and done.
John Velazquez - If you know me well, you know Johnny V is my favorite jock of all time. However, Kentucky Downs and Johnny V do not seem to get along in the slightest. Over the past three seasons he’s just 2-for-44 at this track. He isn’t in town on day 1 of the meet but has a busy schedule on Saturday and Sunday, so it’ll be interesting to see if he can finally put it together in 2024.
Trainers
Brendan Walsh - Brendan Walsh has typically enjoyed Kentucky Downs and finished high up in the trainers standings, but in 2022 he put up an abysmal 1-for-22 record here. That’s why last year was a big surprise when he went 8-for-28 and dominated the trainer’s standings, with all of his runners seemingly firing throughout the meet. He is enjoying a tremendous summer that saw him tie for the top of the Ellis Park trainers standings and he is seeing a lot of that success come with two year olds. I’m very intrigued to see if he can string together back-to-back titles - he has the stock to do so.
Mike Maker & Wesley Ward - Before Brendan Walsh broke out last year, you could always count on this pair to lead the Kentucky Downs trainer’s standings. Maker has been the more consistent of the duo, usually finishing in the top 3 by wins throughout the meet, while Ward has fluctuated year-by-year but when the barn is hot, it’s VERY hot. They’ll both be plenty busy on a day-to-day basis here and there’s no such thing as a toss with these outfits.