A Transatlantic Racing Alliance: Churchill Downs Partners with Ascot and Epsom

A collaboration between Churchill Downs, Ascot Racecourse, and the Jockey Club in Britain will provide a thrilling new avenue for international horse racing.

The initiative, unveiled shortly before the 150th Kentucky Derby, will allow horses participating at Churchill Downs during Derby week to potentially qualify for and receive travel assistance for esteemed races at the Royal Ascot meet and the Epsom Derby.

“This alliance will present owners and trainers with a singular chance to race on some of our most celebrated tracks during Kentucky Derby week and the other way around, with a possibility to vie in some of Europe’s most distinguished turf races,” remarked Gary Palmisano Jr., Executive Director of Racing at Churchill Downs Incorporated.

“We witness some of the finest turf horses from our nation compete in stakes races on the Kentucky Derby undercard annually, and this collaboration will furnish a fantastic prospect for their European counterparts to encounter Kentucky Derby week with some of their top horses as well.”

On May 5th, Derby Day, two races will act as direct qualifiers for the Royal Ascot meeting in the middle of June. The victor of the Old Forester Turf Classic (G1) will secure a position in either the Queen Anne Stakes (G1) or the Prince of Wales’s Stakes (G1), while the winner of the Twin Spires Turf Sprint (G2) will have the opportunity to run in the King’s Stand Stakes (G1).

For three-year-old racehorses aiming for esteemed U.S. competitions like the American Turf Stakes and the Edgewood Stakes, a profitable motivation exists to demonstrate their abilities at Epsom Downs Racecourse. The champions of the Kentucky Derby and Kentucky Oaks will now be granted automatic berths and travel allowances to vie for the celebrated Epsom Derby and Epsom Oaks, correspondingly.

Nick Smith, Head of Racing and External Relations at Ascot Racecourse, conveyed his excitement, remarking, “We are delighted to partner with Churchill Downs and the British Horseracing Authority on this exhilarating new initiative. In the previous year, we were privileged to welcome the Churchill contingent at Royal Ascot, exhibiting the Kentucky Derby trophy in anticipation of the 150th running of the globe’s most prestigious dirt race.”

This alliance represents a substantial step toward global cooperation within the realm of horse racing, establishing a course for additional transatlantic contests in the times ahead.