Music City Stakes


The Music City Stakes is a Grade II American Thoroughbred horse race for three-tear-old fillies, over a distance of furlongs on the turf held annually in September at Kentucky Downs racetrack in Franklin, Kentucky during their short turf meeting. The event currently carries a purse of $2,000,000 which includes $1,000,000 from the Kentucky Thoroughbred Development Fund.

History

The race was inaugurated in 2020 with an attractive purse offered of $400,000. The event was won by the lightly raced West-Coast filly Lighthouse who started at the odds of 11/1 and won by lengths in a time of 1:14.99. After returning to California, Lighthouse had two more starts before beings sent to Australia where she was placed twice at Group 1 level before capturing the Group 1 Coolmore Classic.
In 2023 the event was upgraded to a Grade III.
With the influx of gaming revenue at Kentucky Downs the initial purse for the event has risen dramatically to nearly $500,000 offered by 2022.

Records

Speed record:
  • furlongs: 1:14.54 – Shisospicy
Margins:
  • 3 lengths – Shisospicy
Most wins by a jockey:
  • No jockey has won this race more than once.
Most wins by a trainer:
  • No trainer has won this race more than once.
Most wins by an owner:
  • No owner has won this race more than once.

Winners

YearWinnerJockeyTrainerOwnerDistanceTimePurseGradeRef
2025ShisospicyIrad Ortiz Jr.Jose D'AngeloMorplay Racing & Qatar Racing furlongs1:14.54$1,867,100II
2024Simply in FrontLuis SaezEddie KenneallyColebrook Farms furlongs1:16.01$1,767,200II
2023Secret MoneyTyler GaffalioneBrendan WalshFortune Farm, Robert G. Hahn & Matthew Hand furlongs1:15.14$996,570III
2022Freedom SpeaksJose LezcanoJeremiah EnglehartReitman Stables furlongs1:15.35$471,750Listed
2021Tobys HeartJoel RosarioBrian A. LynchGary Barber, Terry Hamilton & Brian A. Lynch furlongs1:14.75$487,950
2020LighthouseUmberto RispoliSimon CallaghanLNJ Foxwoods furlongs1:14.99$360,385