LOUISVILLE, Ky.--Racing is back at Churchill Downs, and Saturday, May 26, is opening day.

Churchill DownsThe program of the first day of the Spring Meet has an average field size of 11.3 horses for the action-packed 11-race program, which includes the return of champion Monomoy Girl in the featured fourth race, a conditioned allowance event at one-mile on the main track with a purse of $85,000.

“It’s been a long time coming but we are thrilled for Monomoy Girl to return to the races,” trainer Brad Cox said. “She’s been working great down at Keeneland since late March and we’re looking forward to this first step back.”

Owned by Michael Dubb, Monomoy Stables, The Elkstone Group and Bethlehem Stables, Monomoy Girl has been on the sidelines since September after dealing with a minor hamstring pull and a bout of colic.

Monomoy Girl capped her brilliant 3-year-old campaign with victories in the 2018 G1 Kentucky Oaks and G1 Breeders’ Cup Distaff.

She will be reunited with her regular jockey Florent Geroux for Saturday’s contest and starts from post No. 2.

Geroux has been aboard Monomoy Girl for her last three works at Keeneland including a swift five-furlong move in :59.40 last Saturday.

First post Saturday is 1 p.m. (all times Eastern), with Race 4 headed to the gate at 2:32 p.m.

 

IN ADDITION, Churchill has released a preliminary list of races that could be used for the extension of the “Road to the Kentucky Derby,” pending agreeable race placement by the host tracks.

The first race in the extended series, the $150,000, G3 Matt Winn on May 23 at Churchill Downs, will have Top 4 points, raised from the previously announced 10-4-2-1 to 50-20-10-5.

The 146th running of the 1 ¼-mile, G1 Kentucky Derby has been rescheduled for Saturday, Sept. 5.

The other two legs of horse racing's Triple Crown – the G1 Preakness and G1 Belmont – have yet to be rescheduled.

If those races are run before the Sept. 5 Kentucky Derby, points to the Top 4 finishers will be worth 150-60-30-15.

Additional races, along with their points, have been added to the Road to the Kentucky Derby.

Once the New York Racing Association finalizes their stakes schedules, eligible races could be added to the series:

In the East, the Haskell (100-40-20-10) and the Pegasus (20-8-4-2) at Monmouth Park have bee added, while in the Midwest additions include the Matt Winn (50-20-10-5), the Indiana Derby (20-8-4-2), the Blue Grass (100-40-20-10) and Ellis Park Derby (50-20-10-5), and in the West, the Santa Anita Derby (100-40-20-10), the Los Alamitos Derby (20-8-4-2) and Del Mar's Shared Belief (50-20-10-5).

All races are subject to change and events could be added or removed, and the point values for each race will be subject to readjustment based on their proximity to all Triple Crown races.

Adjustments also will be made to the European Road to the Kentucky Derby and Japan Road to the Kentucky Derby in the coming weeks.

For the Kentucky Oaks,* the additional races have also been added to the Road to the Kentucky Oaks.

Once the New York Racing Association finalizes their stakes schedules, eligible races could be added to the series, wgich includes, in the East, the Delaware Oaks (50-20-10-5) and the Monmouth Oaks (50-20-10-5), in the Midwest: the Dogwood (20-8-4-2);, the Indiana Oaks (20-8-4-2). the  Ashland (100-40-20-10) and Beaumont (20-8-4-2) and in the West, the Santa Anita Oaks (100-40-20-10).

 

MEANWHILE, on Long Island, The Belmont Park main track opened for training Tuesday morning, May 12, as horsemen continued preparations for a resumption of live racing at Belmont and the opening of the spring/summer meet, which is currently on delay due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

BelmontOutriders and gate crew, outfitted in face masks and gloves, were on hand as the main track opened from 5:30 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. to complement the dirt training track which has remained in use throughout the suspension of live racing on the NYRA circuit.

A number of safety initiatives have been implemented at the Elmont oval by NYRA's COVID-19 Preparedness and Response Plan Committee to ensure the safety of the essential staff that live and work on the Belmont backstretch.

The Committee is comprised of key NYRA staff members as well as representatives from the New York Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association (NYTHA), the Backstretch Employee Service Team (BEST), and the New York Race Track Chaplaincy of America (NYRTCA).

Golen said veteran trainer Rick Schosberg, a member of NYTHA's board of directors and the Chair of NYTHA's Aftercare Committee, has done a great job in communicating the protocols to his fellow horsemen that include daily temperature checks, mandatory facemasks, gloves and social distancing.

"Rick Schosberg has done an amazing job helping out with the backstretch workers and the aftercare program," said Golen. "Being a trainer he understands our struggle every day."

For more Belmont Park news, please visit https://www.nyra.com/belmont/news/.