Nashville Derby

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This article is about a thoroughbred horse race. For the roller derby league based in Nashville, see Nashville Roller Derby.
Nashville Derby
Grade III race
LocationKentucky Downs
Franklin, Kentucky, United States
Inaugurated2014
Race typeThoroughbred – Flat racing
WebsiteKentucky Downs
Race information
Distance1+5⁄16 miles
SurfaceTurf
TrackLeft-handed
QualificationThree-year-olds
Weight123 lbs
Purse$2,500,000 (since 2024)

The Nashville Derby (formerly known as the Dueling Grounds Derby) is a Grade III American Thoroughbred horse race for three years olds, over a distance of one and five-sixteenths miles on the turf held annually in late August or early September at Kentucky Downs racetrack in Franklin, Kentucky during their short turf meeting.

With a purse of $2.5 million for its 2024 running—including $1 million for Kentucky-bred runners—the Nashville Derby is the richest race to be run at Kentucky Downs, as well as the second richest turf race in the United States behind the Breeders' Cup Turf.[1]

History[edit]

The original name of the event, the Dueling Grounds Derby, reflected the former name of Kentucky Downs. The track formerly known as Dueling Grounds Race Course is located very close to the Kentucky-Tennessee border, where numerous duels were held in the 1800s. With the introduction of Instant Racing in 2011, the influx of revenue enabled the administration of the track to add new events.[2]

The inaugural running of the race was on September 6, 2014, the opening day of the five-day meeting at Kentucky Downs. A field of eight entrants lined up and the event was won by the James Lawrence II trained My Afleet who started at 8/1 defeating the favorite Medal Count who earlier in the year finish third in the Belmont Stakes by a nose in a time of 2:14.10.[3] Later, My Afleet continued his career as a steeplechaser winning an event as a ten-year-old in 2021 at Willowdale in Pennsylvania and setting a new track record for the three-mile timber course.[4]

With the influx of gaming revenue at Kentucky Downs the purse for the event has risen dramatically to nearly $750,000 offered by 2020.[5]

From 2016 until 2019 the event was sponsored by the Lexington, Kentucky based Exacta Systems. Big Ass Fans, also based in Lexington, sponsored the event in 2021 and 2022.[6]

In 2022 the event was upgraded by the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association to a Grade III[7] and was to be held on September 4, but was moved to the next day, Labor Day.[8]

In April 2024 Kentucky Downs announced that the Dueling Grounds Derby would be renamed as the Nashville Derby. Kentucky Downs co-manager Ron Winchell said that the name change reflected the track's close proximity to Nashville, Tennessee. The positioning of the Nashville Derby at the end of August, Winchell added, was designed to attract American and European horses, as well as fit between major three-year-old turf stakes run in Kentucky and New York.[1]

Records[edit]

Speed record:

  • 1+5⁄16 miles: 2:06.76 – Moon Over Miami (2020)

Margins:

  • 6+1⁄4 length – Oscar Nominated (2016)

Most wins by an owner:

  • No owner has won the event more than once

Most wins by a jockey:

  • No jockey has won the event more than once

Most wins by a trainer:

Winners[edit]

Year Winner Jockey Trainer Owner Distance Time Purse Grade Ref
2023 Anglophile Declan Cannon Brian A. Lynch LFG Racing 1+5⁄16 miles 2:08.93 $998,000 III [9]
2022 Kitodan Gerardo Corrales Eric N. Foster Foster Family Racing, Douglas E. Miller & William J. Wargel 1+5⁄16 miles 2:15.41 $750,000 III [10]
2021 Accredit Martin Garcia Pavel Matejka Bob Grayson Jr. & Pavel Matejka 1+5⁄16 miles 2:10.94 $732,375 Listed [11]
2020 Moon Over Miami Javier Castellano William I. Mott Summer Wind Equine 1+5⁄16 miles 2:06.76 $707,625 Listed [5]
2019 Social Paranoia Jose L. Ortiz Todd A. Pletcher The Elkstone Group 1+5⁄16 miles 2:08.50 $600,000 Listed [12]
2018 Channel Cat Luis Saez Todd A. Pletcher Calumet Farm 1+5⁄16 miles 2:15.51 $398,000 Listed [13]
2017 Big Bend Drayden Van Dyke Thomas Proctor Union Rags Racing 1+5⁄16 miles 2:11.57 $350,000 Listed [14]
2016 Oscar Nominated Florent Geroux Michael J. Maker Kenneth L. and Sarah K. Ramsey 1+5⁄16 miles 2:11.45 $346,710 [15]
2015 Closing Bell Jose Lezcano William I. Mott WinStar Farm 1+5⁄16 miles 2:17.60 $299,300 [16]
2014 My Afleet Leandro Goncalves James L. Lawrence II Jeffrey S. Amling & Merriefield Farm 1+5⁄16 miles 2:14.10 $230,417 [17]

Legend:
  Turf

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b "Kentucky Downs to Stage $2.5M Nashville Derby". The Blood-Horse. April 24, 2024. Retrieved April 24, 2024.
  2. ^ LaMarra, Tom (September 6, 2014). "Medal Count Returns to Turf at Kentucky Downs Colt one of 10 entered in Dueling Grounds Derby on opening day program Sept. 6". BloodHorse.com. Retrieved July 22, 2022.
  3. ^ BloodHorse Staff (September 6, 2014). "My Afleet Tops Medal Count at Kentucky Downs Afleet Alex gelding noses out Belmont Stakes show horse in stakes debut Sept. 6". BloodHorse.com. Retrieved July 22, 2022.
  4. ^ "Willowbrook Steeplechase: Maiden Special Weight – (race 6)". Equibase. May 8, 2021. Retrieved July 22, 2022. Three Miles On The Timber
  5. ^ a b "2020 Gun Runner Dueling Grounds Derby Listed – (race 9)". Equibase. September 10, 2020. Retrieved July 21, 2022.
  6. ^ "Big Ass Fans Dueling Grounds Derby (Gr. 3)". Equibase. 2022. Retrieved September 6, 2022.
  7. ^ Schweigardt, Andrew (2022). "TOBA Announces U.S. Graded and Listed Stakes for February 2022 – January 2023". Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association. Retrieved July 22, 2022.
  8. ^ "Kentucky Downs to Run Sept. 4 Card on Monday The final races of the Sept. 3 card have yet to be rescheduled". Bloodhorse.com. Kentucky Downs – Edited Press Release. September 4, 2022. Retrieved September 6, 2022.
  9. ^ "2023 National Thoroughbred League Dueling Grounds Derby Grade 3 – (race 11)". Equibase. September 3, 2023. Retrieved September 4, 2023.
  10. ^ "2022 Big Ass Fans Dueling Grounds Derby Grade 3 – (race 10)". Equibase. September 5, 2022. Retrieved September 6, 2022.
  11. ^ "2021 Big Ass Fans Dueling Grounds Derby Listed – (race 10)". Equibase. September 5, 2021. Retrieved July 21, 2022.
  12. ^ "2019 Exacta Systems Dueling Grounds Derby Listed – (race 9)". Equibase. September 8, 2019. Retrieved July 20, 2022.
  13. ^ "2018 Exacta Systems Dueling Grounds Derby Listed – (race 9)". Equibase. September 12, 2018. Retrieved July 20, 2022.
  14. ^ "2017 Exacta Systems Dueling Grounds Derby Listed – (race 9)". Equibase. September 10, 2017. Retrieved July 20, 2022.
  15. ^ "2016 Exacta Systems Dueling Grounds Derby Black Type – (race 9)". Equibase. September 11, 2016. Retrieved July 20, 2022.
  16. ^ "2015 Dueling Grounds Derby Black Type – (race 7)". Equibase. September 14, 2015. Retrieved July 20, 2022.
  17. ^ "2014 Dueling Grounds Derby Black Type – (race 9)". Equibase. September 6, 2014. Retrieved July 20, 2022.
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