Today’s Thoroughbred Horse Racing News – September 10, 2025

The midweek North American thoroughbred horse racing action features live cards from several prominent tracks, including Kentucky Downs, Canterbury Park, Presque Isle Downs, and Colonial Downs. Today’s report covers highlights from each track’s featured races, the notable horses to watch on today’s programs, and an overview of upcoming major stakes in North America as the fall season approaches.

Feature Races and Results

Kentucky Downs

• The spacious turf course at Kentucky Downs hosts an eight-race card highlighted by a competitive second race in which National Charter turned heads with a strong finishing kick to capture the allowance feature, giving trainer Rusty Arnold another meet win.
• The local Kentucky prep races continue to produce promising juveniles. All eyes were on trainer Rusty Arnold’s runners, who have been consistent performers through the early September meet.

Canterbury Park

• Canterbury Park in Minnesota staged a strong evening card, where allowance and maiden special weight contests provided the spotlight. Several two-year-olds delivered encouraging debuts, though no stakes races were on the schedule.
• Jockey competition remained intense, with leading riders jockeying for seasonal title points as the meet draws towards its conclusion.

Presque Isle Downs

• At Presque Isle Downs, the Wednesday card featured full fields and competitive allowance-level racing over the Tapeta surface. Local handicappers focused on a well-matched sixth race, with several top contenders engaged in a thrilling stretch duel.
• The highlight was a sharp front-running victory by Lucky Falcon in the day’s feature, impressing bettors and solidifying his form for possible stakes placement later this month.

Colonial Downs

• The late summer meet at Colonial Downs delivered high-quality turf racing, with a ten-race card that included a prime allowance sprint. Baytown Stevie captured the fourth race with a determined late rally under leading rider Javier Contreras.
• With the meet nearing its end, trainers and owners took aim at final purse opportunities ahead of the fall season.

Stars to Watch

• National Charter (Kentucky Downs):
  This improving three-year-old, handled by Rusty Arnold, has now established himself as a consistent runner on turf with his powerful closing win today, marking him as a horse to watch in upcoming stakes company.
• Lucky Falcon (Presque Isle Downs):
  After today’s impressive front-running score, Lucky Falcon appears poised to step up to higher-level competition, and connections have hinted at a possible stakes start during the autumn racing season.
• Baytown Stevie (Colonial Downs):
  The progressive gelding’s tenacity in closing out wins this summer has earned him a reputation among mid-Atlantic turf runners; today’s finish adds to his credentials for future top-level allowance or minor stakes appearances.

Upcoming Major Races

• No graded stakes are scheduled at North American tracks today, with the next wave of major events set to arrive over the weekend at Woodbine, where Breeders’ Cup “Win and You’re In” races such as the Rogers Woodbine Mile, bet365 Summer Stakes, and Johnnie Walker Natalma Stakes headline a blockbuster Saturday.
• Churchill Downs and Belmont at Aqueduct are preparing for opening-weekend stakes action, including early Kentucky Derby and Oaks points races such as the Iroquois Stakes and Pocahontas Stakes, which kick off the qualifying road for the classics.
• Saratoga and other top tracks complete their fall stakes lineup in September, with attention shifting to the Woodward, Beldame, and Joe Hirsch Turf Classic late in the month.