Top 5 Kentucky Downs List
- Bruno@Racingwithbruno
- Aug 27
- 4 min read
Alright, listen up my degenerate turf-loving band of brothers, ‘cause it’s that time of year again — Kentucky Downs, baby. Now if you ain’t familiar, this place ain’t no regular racetrack — no sir, it’s more like a damn equine obstacle course. You got sweeping turns, sudden hills, confusing ass angles — it’s like Mario Kart for million-dollar thoroughbreds. Just watching a replay’ll give your eyeballs vertigo.
So before you start throwin’ down your rent money on a 5-horse turf sprint, lemme hit y’all with the Top 5 Things to Look For at Kentucky Downs — from someone who’s seen more bad beats than a busted poker game at your in-laws.
1. The Ortiz Bros:
Now up at Saratoga? I give credit where credit’s due — Them boys are more dialed in than a conspiracy theorist with a Wi-Fi connection. I mean, hell, you could put one of 'em on a mule with asthma and he'd still find a way to hit the board.
These two ain’t just jockeys and when they ride on the same circuit, together — they’re like freakin’ horse whisperers with GPS in their eyeballs. They know where to be, when to move, who’s fading, who’s firing — it’s like they’ve unlocked some cheat code the rest of us ain’t got access to. You watch 'em in the stretch and it’s like, "Oh, there he goes again, threading the needle like he's late for church." or watch the field part like Moses hisself recreating the parting of the Red Sea.
Two nice double digit prices at Toga on Wednesday.
And sure, yes at Saratoga, they basically run the show — they’re the cool kids at the turf party, everybody else is just hopin' for leftovers. But even when they’re not in their home turf stronghold? When they’re split up, one down in Kentucky, the other still up north? well, it gets a bit cloudier, the sun doesn't split the clouds so easily.
At toga they are like two turf cyborgs just downloading race data in real time. So yeah, if you see Irad or Jose on a mount and you're thinkin’ about goin’ against them? at toga? You need your GPS calibrated. You better have a damn good reason — and a stiff drink ready when it blows up in your face.
At Kentucky Downs, its a different story, the compass on their GPS amy not always point north.
You can’t sneeze without hittin’ one of their mounts at Toga where they win more than a 1/3 of the races combined. But down in Kentucky? Different ballgame. One stays in New York, the other comes South — it’s like a visitation schedule. They’re still damn good — ain’t sayin’ otherwise —they're great, but they win on skill, not by controlling the whole damn room. So don’t just blindly bet 'em ‘cause they’re named Ortiz.
2. What Happens at Toga… Stays There
Let me say this real clear: Hot at Saratoga don’t mean squat at Kentucky Downs. Just ask George Weaver — lit up NYRA like a slot machine last year, came down here and couldn’t buy a winner. Meanwhile, Mike Maker? Dude might as well have a cot set up in the winner’s circle. This is his turf playground. And don’t sleep on them Hawthorne shippers — yeah, I’m talkin’ Rivelli, Block, DiVito — names you probably scoffed at while losing bets at Churchill. They come here ready to go. So if someone tells you “so-and-so is hot at Toga,” tell ‘em: this ain’t Kansas, Dorothy.
3. “Where’s the Workouts?” — They Don’t Exist, Earl.
Every damn year there’s one guy in the group chat goin’, “I don’t see any works at Kentucky Downs, what gives?” Buddy… there are no works at Kentucky Downs. There never were. Horses come in from Keeneland, Churchill, Del Mar, Saratoga — like a damn turf United Nations. If you’re starin’ at the past performances lookin’ for a local breeze, you’re wastin’ your time. Lucky for y’all, we put together the only comprehensive workout report worth a damn for this meet. We got the gallops, the shippers, the whole damn parade. Add Brendan Walsh, Jose Sharp and others.
4. Splits Lie — Watch with Your Eyeballs
Now I know you time nerds out there love your fractions. But I’m here to tell ya: at Kentucky Downs? Splits are a connundrum. Between the hills, the rails bein’ all over the place, and whatever GPS they’re usin’ to clock these things, the times make zero sense. Don’t get caught gawkin’ at fake fast quarters and fast quarters make final times. You gotta watch the race. I know, I know — that’s hard. But time ain't worth spit here. Let your eyes do the work. Time is an illusion at Kentucky Downs, much like sobriety after Race 8, for some.
5. Big Purses Make People Do Dumb Things
These purses are insane. Like, college-tuition-meets-down-payment-on-a-house insane. So naturally, connections start gettin’ wild ideas. They’ll throw a dirt horse on turf, stretch a sprinter two turns, enter their cousin’s pony just to get a check. You’ll see horses that shouldn’t even be there. If something looks fishy, it probably is. Just ask yourself, “Why is this horse here?” and the answer nine times outta ten is: the money made ‘em do it.
So here’s the deal: everybody’s a shipper, so in a weird way, it’s a level playing field. You need to rely on your notes, replays, and workout info — and luckily, we’ve got all that covered. Watch for smart, sneaky jocks like Tyler Gaffalione— folks forget about him ‘cause Prat and Jose eat up the headlines, especially when Chad Brown shows up. But don’t get tunnel vision. Dig deeper.
This ain’t a beauty pageant, it’s a turf war on a bumpy-ass battlefield.
So saddle up, do your homework, trust your gut, and let’s go get paid at Kentucky Downs.