Race Tracks > Turfway Park
Turfway Park Track Facts
- Address: 7500 Turfway Road Florence, KY 41042
- Phone: (859) 371-0200
- Website: www.turfway.com
- Track (synthetic): 1 mile oval
- Chute distances: Quarter-mile & 6½ furlong
- Stretch length: 970 feet
- Surface Composition: Tapeta, a synthetic surface consisting of a mixture of silica sand, wax, and fibers
Opened as Latonia Race Course in 1959, Turfway Park is the winter home for racing in Kentucky.
Turfway Park 2023 Stakes Schedule
| DATE | RACE | PURSE / RESTRICTIONS | DISTANCE |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sunday, Jan. 1 | The Holiday Cheer | $125,000 / 4YO & UP | 6 F |
| Saturday, Jan. 7 | The Turfway Prevue | $125,000 / 3YO | 6.5 F |
| Saturday, Jan. 14 | The Likely Exchange | $125,000 / F&M 4&UP | 1 M |
| Saturday, Jan. 21 | The Leonatus Stakes | $125,000 / 3YO | 1 M |
| Saturday, Jan. 28 | The Wishing Well | $125,000 / F&M 4&UP | 6.5 F |
| Saturday, Feb. 4 | The Forego | $125,000 / 4YO & UP | 6.5 F |
| Saturday, Feb. 11 | The Valdale | $125,000 / F 3YO | 6.5 F |
| Saturday, Feb. 18 | The Dust Commander | $125,000 / 4YO & UP | 1 1/16 M |
| Saturday, Feb. 25 | The Wintergreen | $125,000 / F&M 4&UP | 1 M |
| Saturday, March 4 | The Cincinnati Trophy | $150,000 / F 3YO | 1 M |
| The John Battaglia Memorial | $150,000 / 3YO | 1 1/16 M | |
| Saturday, March 11 | The Big Daddy | $125,000 / 4YO & UP | 6 F |
| Saturday, March 18 | The Queen | $125,000 / F&M 4&UP | 6 F |
| Saturday, March 25 | The Jeff Ruby Stakes (GIII) | $700,000 / 3YO | 1 1/8 M |
| The TwinSpires Ky Cup Classic (Listed) | $300,000 / 4YO & UP | 1 1/8 M | |
| The Bourbonette Oaks | $300,000 / F 3YO | 1 1/16 M | |
| The Rushaway | $250,000 / 3YO | 1 1/16 M | |
| The Animal Kingdom | $250,000 / 3YO | 6 F | |
| The Latonia | $250,000 / F&M 4&UP | 1 1/16 M | |
| Saturday, April 1 | The Serena's Song | $125,000 / 3YO | 6 F |
Turfway Park Racing and Track History
Opened as Latonia Race Course in 1959, Turfway Park is the winter home for racing in Kentucky. The original Latonia was 10 miles south of the current location and ran from 1883 to 1939 and was famous for hosting the Latonia Derby, a race that at one point rivaled the Kentucky Derby for prestige in the horse racing community. The track’s name was changed to to its current name in 1986.
The race track’s signature race is the Spiral: created by then-general manager John Battaglia with the idea that three-year-olds would “spiral” up from his track’s race to the Blue Grass at Keeneland then ultimately the Kentucky Derby. The track also hosted Kentucky Cup Day of Champions for many years until most of the races were moved to Kentucky Downs.
In order to race safely during the frigid winter months, the track was the first to install Polytrack in 2005: the synthetic surface was comprised of wax, fibers, and silica sand. In 2020, the original Polytrack surface was subsequently replaced with Tapeta, a newer synthetic surface mixture comprised of silica sand, wax and fibers.
One of the biggest races hosted at the track is the Grade III Jeff Ruby Steaks, which currently features as a qualifying race in the Road to the Kentucky Derby.
And though the track was mentioned as the setting for the 2005 movie Racing Stripes, no actual filming occurred at the Florence oval.