A PURSE AND POTENTIAL CLASS WAR BETWEEN CHURCHILL DOWNS AND THE NYRA HAS BEGUN

Hallandale Beach, FL, May 22, 2026 — As all loyal racing fans know, not all Grade 1s are created equal.

The most obvious example would be any Grade 1 in any division is not as valuable or championship-defining as a Breeders;’ Cup victory would be. Of course, there’s a plethora of examples on a divisional level in the regular season, too.

I thought about this when I read a Churchill Downs press release this week indicating that the June 27 Stephen Frster will have its purse doubled to $2 million dollars.

With or without the purse enhancement, it still would be difficult to infer that the Stephen Foster is the prestigious equal of Saratoga/s historic Whitney Stakes. The promotional tagline for the enhanced Foster is being billed as the “Summer Showdown” for the country’s top older horses.

Churchill already has secured two hours of network coverage on NBCSN and live streaming on Peacock from 4:30 to 6:30 pm. The entire day, including seven stakes, will be televised on FanDuel TV.

What if this is only the first shot across Saratoga’s bow.? What if, say, like Tampa Bay Downs, Churchill decides to one day create a multi-divisional Summer Showdown Festival weekend?

The scheduling this year makes it possible to run in both events, as there are 42 days grace between the Foster and August 8 Whitney. Something like this is not impossible for a publicly traded company. Never mind what tracks may say; watch what they do.

That’s when purse differential will matter greatly. Tradition would take a serious hit here. And tradition still matters in this sport. Otherwise, why all the back-and-forth in recent years about the five weeks spacing of the Triple Crown series?

The trainers of Horse of the Year Sevigny, NTRA poll topping Dubai World Cup[ winner Magnitude, Pennsylvania Derby winner Baeza, Oaklawn Handicap winner White Abarrio m and Pegasus World Cup hero Skippylongstocking.

On balance, this seven-stakes program has little to no chance of our classing the Whitney Day programming. but look at the star jockeys that have made Kentucky their mid-season home. First came Tyler Gaffalione and all his leading riding titles, followed by Jose Ortiz who has dominated the Midwest after moving his tack. This year, Irad is scheduled o join the Louisville party.

Meanwhile, the Kentucky-New Tork purse has already begun:

NYRA announced today that purses will be increased in the open allowance category by a full 15 percent from $100,000 to $115,000. In addition, first-level optional-claiming events will be offered for $105,000 and second-level optional-claiming races will be offered for $108,000. 

Maiden special weight races will receive an 18 percent increase from $85,000 to $100,000, while New York-bred maiden special weights will enjoy a 25 percent boost from $80,000 to $100,000.

But handle figures for Foster Day paled in comparison to the Whitney Day program. All-sources wagering for last year’s Stephen Foster Day was an event record $20.7 million, up $1.9 million or 10% from the 2024 Stephen Foster card that handled $18.8 million. by comparison, last year’s Whitney Day program was $49.6 million.

In addition to the two-hour broadcast on NBCSN and Peacock, FanDuel TV will televise the entire Stephen Foster Day program, which features seven stakes events on the 12-race program that begins at 12:45 p.m.