2026 Kentucky Downs Ladies Turf Sprint Preview

Key Takeaways:

• Kentucky Downs opens its all-turf meet with a deep Grade 1 field, and the 6 ½-furlong distance should reward horses with both speed and enough stamina to carry it around the unique Kentucky racing course.
• Ag Bullet has dominated this race the last two years, but she’ll face plenty of legitimate competition, including several runners with recent stakes wins and proven Kentucky Downs form.
• Cloe has the right combination of tactical speed, course form, and current form to make her a serious threat at 10-1, especially if she handles the stretch-out to 6 ½ furlongs.
• Ag Bullet remains the horse to beat, with two straight wins in this race and a perfect five-for-five record at the distance making her tough to dismiss despite the short price.
• In Our Time could make things uncomfortable for Ag Bullet early, and her previous win over this course and distance gives her a strong chance to stay involved all the way at 6-1.

The rich, all-turf Kentucky Downs meet opens Saturday, August 29, and it opens with the only top-level race of the meet: the Grade 1 Kentucky Downs Ladies Turf Sprint. The race is also the only filly and mare turf sprint race in the country that is run at the Grade 1 level. A field of 12 was entered, and the spoils are rich: an $875,000 purse available to horses bred outside Kentucky, and a staggering $1.75 million purse for runners bred in the bluegrass. Nine of the 12 are eligible for the Kentucky-bred purse.

The marquee competitor is Ag Bullet. She has won the race the last two years and was last seen finishing a close second behind Reef Runner in the Jaipur (G1) on Belmont Stakes Day at Saratoga. Some of her toughest foes include Seitlos and Movin On Up, who are both turf sprint stakes winners at Saratoga this summer, as well as In Our Time, who won the Giant’s Causeway (G2) at Keeneland this spring.

The Kentucky Downs Ladies Turf Sprint only dates back to 2013 and first got a grade in 2018, but the race has had a meteoric rise since then. Aside from Ag Bullet, the race’s most notable winner is Got Stormy (2020), a three-time Grade 1 winner who beat the boys in the Fourstardave (G1) in both 2019 and 2021. Other notable winners include multiple graded stakes winners Lull (2017), Morticia (2019), and Royal Ascot winner Campanelle (2022).

Kentucky Downs Ladies Turf Sprint Information

• Race Date: Saturday, August 29
• Track: Kentucky Downs
• Post Time: 4:40 Central Daylight Time
• Distance: 6 ½ furlongs on the turf
• Age/Sex: three-year-olds and upward, fillies and mares
• Where to Watch: FanDuel TV
• Where to Bet: FanDuel Racing

2026 Kentucky Downs Ladies Turf Sprint Draw and Odds

This is the official field for the Ladies Turf Sprint, including post positions, trainers, jockeys, and morning-line odds.

Kentucky Downs Ladies Turf Sprint Prep Race Results

Well befitting this race’s first year as a Grade 1 event, all the horses are coming out of stakes races and seven of the 12 last raced in graded or group-level company.

The only horse coming out of a Grade 1 is Ag Bullet, who faced males in the Jaipur (G1) on June 6 and missed by half a length to Reef Runner. The Caress (G2) is the best-represented prep race for this: late-running 1 ¼-length winner Movin On Up, second-place Zeitlos, and third-place In Our Time all race here; Zeitlos has already come back and win the ungraded Smart and Fancy at Saratoga since then.

Vina Arana looked good winning the one-mile Nassau (G2) at Woodbine on July 19 and shortens up for this. Time to Dazzle chased on for second in the 6 ½-furlong Hendrie (G3) on the Tapeta at Woodbine on July 25, and Love Cervere will have to improve from a late-running ninth in the Intercontinental (G2) at Saratoga on June 4. The one overseas shipper comes out of a close call at the group level: Sayidah Dariyan missed by a neck to Flora of Bermuda in the Oak Tree (G3) at the Glorious Goodwood festival July 29.

Aside from Zeitlos, four others come out of ungraded stakes across the country. Both Cloe and Buttercream Babe come out of the Hummingbird, a turf sprint at Ellis on August 1. Cloe rallied from toward the rear to win by 2 ¾ lengths; Buttercream Babe has to bounce back after settling for fifth. Spirited Boss has freshened after closing for a close second behind Queen Maxima in the Mizdirection down the Santa Anita hill on May 16. Jody’s Pride was a troubled fifth in the Alma North on the Laurel dirt June 27 and switches back to the lawn.

Kentucky Downs Ladies Turf Sprint Contenders

These are the contenders entered in the Ladies Turf Sprint:

1. Movin’ On Up: A last-out Grade 2 winner for sharp shipper trainer Saffie Joseph, Jr., Movin’ On Up is spotted logically enough here. However, the rail in a field of 12 could be ripe for chaos, and it’s usually better to be a little further outside in turf sprints at Kentucky Downs. It’s also good to have more speed than she has. She has been off the board in both starts so far at Kentucky Downs, as well; this race will be a tough task for her.
2. Love Cervere: She has freshened up since a late-running second in the Intercontinental (G2), run at 5 ½ furlongs at Saratoga this year. The extra distance should suit her well: her better form has come at six and 6 ½ furlongs, including a good second in an allowance race a year ago over this course and distance. Her late-running style could once again leave her vulnerable on the win end, but if she comes to Kentucky Downs as sharp as she was last year, she isn’t impossible to close for a minor award.
3. Zeitlos: After a year on the dirt, she has returned to the grass in her last two starts for trainer Steve Asmussen, and it has paid off; she was a good second in the Caress and then won the Smart and Fancy, her first victory in almost a year and a half. Both of her starts at Kentucky Downs are credible, a runner-up finish in an allowance at this distance in 2023 and then a belated fifth in this race last year. However, her late-running style could be her liability once again.
4. Ag Bullet: She’s the best female turf sprinter in the country, and with the possible exception of Bacio, one could argue she’s the best turf sprinter in the country, period. Though she does not need the lead to win, and can run a great race from a stalking or even midfield spot, her speed is her biggest weapon, and that has carried her to victory in the last two editions of this race. It remains to be seen whether she’ll set the pace or have to stalk this time – In Our Time is drawn outside her, and very fast early – but stretching out after a 5 ½-furlong race last out should have her pretty sharp as well, and jockey Florent Geroux knows how to win at the dueling grounds as well as anyone in the world.
5. Time to Dazzle: This Mark Casse trainee hasn’t won in almost a year, but has run some good races this year, including a close fourth to Reef Runner in the 1351 Turf Sprint (G2) at about 6 ½ furlongs in Riyadh in February as well as a runner-up finish in the Hendrie (G3) at the same distance on the Tapeta at Woodbine last out. Though she has yet to get all the way there in three starts at Kentucky Downs so far, she ran on for a credible fourth behind Ag Bullet in this race last year. However, the field is a deeper group this year, and she’ll need her absolute best to snag another share.
6. Jody’s Pride: She wasn’t bad when sixth in the License Fee at Aqueduct two back, and her last-out flop in the Alma North at Laurel is a toss for this both because it was on dirt and because she had trouble. The best thing she has going for her is her one previous race at Kentucky Downs – she rallied late for third in this race last year, finishing 1 ¼ lengths behind Ag Bullet. But, on a whole, this is a better quality field, so demand a price before sprinkling her in the exotics again.
7. Cloe: Mike Maker often targets the Kentucky Downs meet specifically – he doesn’t run roughshod over the meet like he used to, but he still does very well, and his six wins last year were more than any trainer except Brad Cox. Maker has an in-form runner in Cloe, a filly who checks a lot of boxes here. She has early speed but isn’t wedded to the lead, she has hit the board in both her starts at 6 ½ furlongs, and one of those starts was a runner-up finish behind eventual Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint winner Shisospicy in the Music City (G2) at Kentucky Downs last year. Despite being trained by Maker, she could sneak under the radar because she doesn’t have that big graded-stakes triumph, but she has plenty of upside to be worth a look.
8. Sayidah Dariyan: The one overseas shipper in the field, Sayidah Dariyan makes her first trip across the Atlantic. Horses with European class are often attractive in American turf races, and she has a decent amount of class: she was a Group 3 winner going six furlongs at York last year and was most recently a narrow second to Flora of Bermuda in the Oak Tree (G3) at Goodwood. Though Flora of Bermuda isn’t the top of the sprinting class – she’s been well held in her tries against proper Group 1 company – she’s still a solid Group 2 to 3 horse who dances a lot of dances, a perfectly credible form line to try this. She drew a solid middle post, and though she probably won’t be forward enough to take advantage of the usual speed-friendly track trend, she is interesting for a piece.
9. In Our Time: The “A”-stringer of the Saffie Joseph, Jr. entrants, In Our Time was beaten as the favorite after doing the dirty work on the pace in the Caress last out. But, a return to Kentucky Downs could be good for her – she has hit the board in both her tries over the course, including a victory last year in an allowance at this same distance and a graded-stakes third going a mile. She has 5 ½-furlong early speed, making her the only likely candidate to take it to Ag Bullet up front, but also showed three back that she can stalk and pounce to win as well. This is a class test, but if she brings her best form she intrigues, and she will be a square price.
10. Spirited Boss: This Jose D’Angelo trainee has found a home on the hill at Santa Anita. This is a different 6 ½ furlongs than the hill, but like that course, the 6 ½-furlong trip at Kentucky Downs also tends to be kinder to milers than turf-dash types, and Spirited Boss has that miler form. It’s a confidence-builder that Mike Smith ships over to stick with her. The one question is pace; she’s a late-running type when she sprints, and that running style is better suited by the hill than it is by the Kentucky Downs course.
11. Vina Arena: Speaking of milers? All three of Vina Arena’s victories, including her Grade 2 score at Woodbine last out, have come at a mile on the lawn. She has never cut back past seven furlongs, though the fact that this is a taxing 6 ½ furlong shouldn’t matter as much to her as to the five-furlong, 5 ½-furlong types. The issue is the running style; she is never particularly close to the pace, even when running at a mile. She did get a sizzling pace to close into when she won last out, but may not get enough this time to shake off the speed-friendliness of sprints at Kentucky Downs.
12. Buttercream Babe: A seasoned five-year-old, she has run four times at Kentucky Downs already, including a debut win and a stakes placing two weeks later, both going this distance in 2023. However, she hasn’t fared quite as well in her forays to Franklin in 2024 and 2025, suggesting that even some affinity for this course hasn’t kept her up with her foes as she has aged. She’ll need a serious reversal of form to be a factor here.

Kentucky Downs Ladies Turf Sprint: 3 Best Bets

These are the three best bets in the 2026 Kentucky Downs Ladies Turf Sprint:

1. Cloe (10-1)

An up-and-comer in the turf sprint division, Cloe has won two straight for a barn that always targets the Kentucky Downs meet as something special. Cloe’s 10: 4-2-2 record shows that once she gets in form, she tends to stay there. Her speed should be sharp enough to get in a good spot on the stretch out from 5 ½ furlongs in her last two starts to 6 ½ furlongs in this race, but her versatility means that even if Ag Bullet outsprints her to the lead, she stays engaged and hungry to win a horse race.

The biggest question is whether she can seal the deal at 6 ½ furlongs, as all her victories have come going five or 5 ½ furlongs. But, in her two starts at the distance, she ran a credible third down the hill at Santa Anita and a clear second last year at Kentucky Downs in the Music City (G2) behind Shisospicy, who marked herself as far better than the average sophomore filly turf sprinter when she beat all ages and all comers in the Breeders’ Cup that fall. It’s a quality form, and with even sharper form heading into Kentucky Downs this year, Cloe has a lot to like as an upset special.

2. Ag Bullet (8-5)

She has already won this race twice, and she looms as the horse to beat as she tries to win it for the third time in a row. She takes a similar route to the race that she took last year: face males in the Jaipur (G1), freshen up, come back at Kentucky Downs. Though she was defeated narrowly in the Jaipur last out, as opposed to her win in 2025 – it was still a good effort, and unlike last year, the Jaipur was her first start off the lay, not her second. She has been a regular on the work tab through July and August and should be prepared for this.

As effectively as she can shorten up to five or 5 ½ furlongs, she is a 6 ½-furlong specialist: she has never lost in five starts at the distance, including her two outings at Kentucky Downs. Her early speed is the ultimate asset sprinting over this course. And, though she loses jockey John Velazquez to Travers Stakes day at Saratoga, she gets a more than able replacement in Florent Geroux, a rider who does much of his best work at Kentucky Downs.

3. In Our Time (6-1)

If anyone beats Ag Bullet to the front in this race, In Our Time is the most likely candidate. She has been sharpened up with a series of 5 ½-furlong races leading into this start, and she was on or close to the lead in all three of those outings. However, she has no trouble stretching out: she won an allowance over this course and distance last year and also has some good form at the mile, running second in the one-mile De La Rose at Saratoga last year and third in the Kentucky Downs Ladies Turf (G3) at the distance as well.

The biggest question is jockey Micah Husbands, who will ride Kentucky Downs for the first time ever in this race. (Her usual rider, Flavien Prat, is also at the Spa for Travers Day.) However, trainer Saffie Joseph, Jr. has been trusting Husbands with a lot of mounts this year, including in some major spots. If he gets the kind of speed that In Our Time customarily shows, she’ll be a factor from flag fall to that’s all.

Kentucky Downs Ladies Turf Sprint FAQ

Q: When and where is the Kentucky Downs Ladies Turf Sprint?

A: The Kentucky Downs Ladies Turf Sprint is scheduled for Saturday, August 29, 2026, at 4:40 Central Daylight Time. It is the seventh of 11 races on Saturday’s card at Kentucky Downs in Franklin, Kentucky.

Q: Which trainer has the most wins in the Kentucky Downs Ladies Turf Sprint?

A: Two trainers have won the Kentucky Downs Ladies Turf Sprint three times, Wesley Ward and Mark Casse. Casse’s most recent win came in 2020 with Got Stormy, and he can take the record for himself this year if Time to Dazzle wins the race.

Q: Who is the favorite for the Kentucky Downs Ladies Turf Sprint?

A: Ag Bullet is the 8-5 morning-line favorite for the Kentucky Downs Ladies Turf Sprint. She is likely to hold as a well-defined favorite at post time: not only does she hold her own in Grade 1 company against males, she has won this race the last two years, and has therefore already proven that she can take her game to Kentucky Downs.

Q: Who is the best Kentucky Downs Ladies Turf Sprint jockey?

A: A marquee rider at Kentucky Downs for much of his career, Florent Geroux leads all riders with three victories in this race: with Mississippi Delta in 2016, Ruby Notion in 2018, and Bay Storm in 2023. He can extend his record if he wins with Ag Bullet this year.

Q: Who won the Kentucky Downs Ladies Turf Sprint in 2025?

A: Ag Bullet won the 2025 edition of the race for trainer Richard Baltas and jockey Luis Saez. Baltas brings Ag Bullet back to try and win the race for the third year in a row. However, Florent Geroux will take the ride; Saez is riding at Saratoga for Travers Day.

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