Churchill Downs Update: Downs After Dark: 'A Caribbean Night at the Races' Headlines Penultimate Week of Spring Meet

Jun 18, 2025

Churchill Downs rolls into the penultimate week of its Spring Meet with the final Downs After Dark celebration set for Saturday evening, featuring the colorful theme: “A Caribbean Night at the Races.”

The 11-race program begins at 6 p.m. (all times Eastern) and is headlined by the $300,000 Chicago Stakes (Grade II), scheduled as Race 9 at 10:11 p.m. Off the track, guests can enjoy a variety of Caribbean-inspired entertainment, including dance lessons with Cari’Fete Afro-Caribbean Dance Movement, palm readings under the Twin Spires, an airbrush station by Bluegrass Airbrush, and a beachside limbo contest. The night will close with a sunset send-off featuring fire dancers and stilt walkers.

Live music kicks off at 5 p.m. with Ben Bernhard, followed by DJ Brandon Lee spinning coastal country vibes beginning at 8 p.m. Guests are encouraged to wear bright colors, breezy fabrics, and bold accessories.

Tickets are available at www.churchilldowns.com.

The week of racing began Wednesday with a nine-race card that started at 12:45 p.m. The 20-cent Derby City 6 Jackpot has risen to a massive $810,513 for the sequence beginning in Race 4.

Wednesday’s sequence: (with field size as of 10 a.m.)

Race 4 (2:13 p.m.): Mcl 40000, 2yo f, 5 ½ F (nine runners)
Race 5 (2:45 p.m.): Msw, f&m, 1 1/16 M (T) (10 runners)
Race 6 (3:18 p.m.): Clm 20000n2L, 3&up, 6 F (nine runners)
Race 7 (3:50 p.m.): Alw 20000s, f&m, 6 F (seven runners)
Race 8 (4:22 p.m.): OC 100000n3x, f&m, 1 M (T) (six runners)
Race 9 (4:55 p.m.): Mcl 30000, 3&up, 5 ½ F (10 runners)
The Derby City 6 Jackpot tests bettors to correctly select all six winners, and if they have the only winning combination, they will take down the entire jackpot. If there are multiple winning combinations, 90 percent of the day’s pool is paid out with the other 10 percent going to the carryover. If there are no correct combinations, the entire day’s pool will be added to the jackpot.

Thursday’s Twilight Thursday card begins at 5 p.m. and includes $2 domestic beer, live music from Sweet Lady, and food trucks Bamba Eggrolls, Drakes, Romiro’s Mexican and Spinelli’s Pizza. The night doubles as Teacher Appreciation Night with discounted tickets for Millionaires’ Row available for all teachers by calling (502) 636-4450.

The racing program opens with the first of two five-furlong turf maiden special weights for 2-year-old fillies, with the second in Race 5. The evening concludes with a first-level turf allowance for fillies and mares, highlighted by the return of Jessamine Stakes (GII) third-place finisher Destino d’Oro in her 3-year-old debut.

Friday and Sunday’s programs begin at 12:45 p.m.

Friday’s nine-race card includes a maiden special weight for 2-year-olds on turf in Race 2, a first-level turf allowance in Race 6 and an over-subscribed field of 16 entered in an allowance optional claimer on turf in Race 8. The field includes stakes-placed 4-year-old Green Light and seven-time winner Johny’s Fireball.

Sunday’s card features a one-mile allowance optional claiming race in Race 6 that includes Eight Belles (GII) runner-up Impel and a first-level allowance in Race 8 led by Santa Ynez runner-up Artisma.

Horseplayers can take advantage of several promotions on www.twinspires.com, including triple rewards points on all wagers (excluding show bets) Wednesday through Friday. On Sunday, players can compete for a share of 2 million TwinSpires points in the Late Pick 5 Hit It and Split It promotion. Promotions are available to those who opt in. More information is available at https://www.twinspires.com/bet/offers.

DOWN THE STRETCH – Jockey Luis Saez is tentatively scheduled to return to action Thursday evening at Churchill Downs after riding 2-year-old filly Lennilu to a third-place finish in Wednesday’s Queen Mary Stakes (GII) at Royal Ascot. … Jockey Corey Lanerie needs four wins to tie and five to surpass Calvin Borel for the second all-time leading rider Churchill Downs history. Borel, who’s currently riding at Louisiana Downs, holds the No. 2 spot with 1,232 victories. Pat Day is the all-time record holder with 2,482 victories. … For more information about the Churchill Downs Spring Meet, visit www.churchilldowns.com.