Churchill Downs Update: Owen Almighty Looks to Build Breeders' Cup Case in Ack Ack; Euro/Mideast Road to the Kentucky Derby Begins Saturday

Sep 25, 2026

Flying Dutchmen’s Owen Almighty will attempt to strengthen his case for a possible start in the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile (Grade I) when he meets an accomplished group of older horses in Saturday’s $400,000 Ack Ack Stakes (GIII) at Churchill Downs.

Trained by Brian Lynch, Owen Almighty is the 7-2 third choice on the morning line and will break from post No. 3 under Francisco Arrieta. The 4-year-old son of Speightstown has won four of 14 starts and finished first or second in each of his four starts at a mile.

“He’s doing really well,” assistant trainer Nic Lynch said. “He’s trained well since Ellis and we’re really happy with how he’s coming into the race.”

Owen Almighty enters the Ack Ack following a 1 ¼-length victory in the Aug. 9 R.A. “Cowboy” Jones Stakes at Ellis Park.  One start earlier, Owen Almighty rallied to finish second to fellow Ack Ack entrant Nu What’s New in the June 28 Hanshin (GIII) at Churchill Downs.

“It’s an interesting race because this is a one-turn mile, while the Breeders’ Cup at Keeneland would be around two turns,” Lynch said. “It’s a different configuration but we think he handles both.”

KAS Stables’ multiple graded stakes winner Bishops Bay was installed as the 9-5 morning-line favorite in the Ack Ack. Trained by Brad Cox, Bishops Bay has won 10 of 17 starts and earned more than $2.6 million. The 6-year-old enters the Ack Ack following a neck victory over Chunk of Gold in the Philip H. Iselin (GIII) after missing by a nose to East Avenue in the Salvator Mile (GIII).

“Bishops Bay and Nu What’s New are both very good horses, and East Avenue is accomplished, too,” Lynch said. “It’s a very competitive race but we think Owen belongs with them.”

The Ack Ack will go as Race 9 with a post time of 4:58 p.m. (all times Eastern). First post for the 11-race program is 12:45 p.m.

The complete lineup for the Ack Ack from the rail out (with jockey, trainer and morning line odds):

Macho Music (Jareth Loveberry, Rohan Crichton, 20-1)
Arrowthegreat (Brian Hernandez Jr., Dan Blacker, 15-1)
Owen Almighty (Arrieta, Lynch, 7-2)
Bishops Bay (Tyler Gaffalione, Brad Cox, 9-5)
Prince of Power (TBA, Jacobson, 30-1)
Coal Battle (Juan Vargas, Lonnie Briley, 8-1)
East Avenue (Cristian Torres, Brendan Walsh, 4-1)
Nu What’s New (Luis Saez, Jimmy DiVito, 3-1)
EURO/MIDEAST ROAD TO THE KENTUCKY DERBY BEGINS SATURDAY – The official Euro/Mideast Road to the Kentucky Derby presented by Woodford Reserve will begin Saturday with a pair of one-mile grass races for 2-year-olds in England and Ireland.

Saturday’s $156,500 Tattersalls Online Royal Lodge (Group 2) at Newmarket and $134,500 Churchill Tyres Beresford Stakes (G2) at Curragh launch a four-race Fall lineup that also includes the Oct. 4 Qatar Prix Jean-Luc Lagardère (G1) over seven furlongs on turf at ParisLongchamp and Doncaster’s Oct. 24 William Hill Futurity Trophy (G1) at one mile on grass. The top five finishing positions in each Fall race will be awarded points on a scale of 10-5-3-2-1.

The complete schedule for the Euro/Mideast Road to the Kentucky Derby, which will conclude with the UAE Derby (G2) at Dubai’s Meydan Racecourse on March 27, is being finalized and will be released in the coming weeks.

The Road to the Kentucky Derby, which debuted in 2013, annually awards a sliding scale of points to the top five finishing positions in select qualifying races. At the conclusion of the series, the leaderboard will determine the preference list for entries into the 20-horse Kentucky Derby – the 1 ¼-mile classic for 3-year-old Thoroughbreds annually held on the first Saturday in May at historic Churchill Downs in Louisville, Ky.

The 153rd running of the $5 million Kentucky Derby presented by Woodford Reserve (GI) is scheduled for Saturday, May 1.

Up to three spots in the starting gate may be reserved for international participants. In addition to the primary Road to the Kentucky Derby series, there are two separate series that carve out potential spots for international horses from Japan, Europe and the United Arab Emirates. The stand-alone Euro/Mideast Road to the Kentucky Derby series can produce up to two invitations to the top point-earners, while the Japan Road to the Kentucky Derby can yield one runner.

At least 20 horses have entered the “Run for the Roses” in 25 of the last 28 years.

Burning Up (GB), trained by Karl Burke, and First Law (IRE), from the barn of Charlie Appleby, are co-favorites at 5-2 on the morning line in the Royal Lodge, which has an 8:55 a.m. post time (all time Eastern) as Newmarket’s second race. The Aidan O’Brien-trained duo of Noble Exhibit (GB) and Shakespeare (GB) headline a field of six 2-year-olds in the Beresford, which goes as Saturday fourth race at Curragh at 10:10 a.m.

DOWN THE STRETCH – There were no winning tickets in Thursday’s 20-cent Derby City 6 Jackpot, which led to a carryover of $162,013 for Friday’s sequence. There will be a mandatory payout on Sunday’s closing day program. … Jockey Irad Ortiz Jr. continued preparing for his return from injury Friday morning and worked several horses for trainer Brad Cox. Ortiz has been sidelined since injuring his left ankle Aug. 8 at Saratoga. Ortiz said he hopes to return for the Keeneland Fall Meet, which opens next Friday, Oct. 2. … Jockey Ben Curtis has named Frank Bernis as his new agent. Bernis also represents jockey Brian Hernandez Jr. Curtis was previously represented by Ron Faucheux. … Trainer Eddie Kenneally reported 2-year-old debut winner Endrush has been sold privately and is now trained by Bob Baffert. … “Inside Churchill Downs” returns Friday at 6 p.m. on ESPN 680/105.7. The show will preview the Saturday stakes trio at Churchill Downs. Those outside the Louisville area can listen live at www.ESPNLouisville.com. … Guests traveling to Churchill Downs this weekend should expect heavier traffic due to multiple events in the area, including the four-day Bourbon and Beyond music festival at the Kentucky Exposition Center and Friday’s annual St. X and Trinity high school football game (8 p.m.) and Saturday’s University of Louisville and Wake Forest football game (12 p.m.) at L&N Federal Credit Union Stadium, and are encouraged to use I-264 and Southern Parkway or Taylor Boulevard to access the track’s frontside parking lots.