Horse Racing: Cup Headlines Kentucky Downs Stakes Odds

The Kentucky Turf Cup is the feature race on the card this Saturday and Kentucky Downs Stakes odds are available. Headlining betting markets is Gufo, who is the early voting horse odds in -110 favorite to win the Breeders’ Cup qualifying contest. We’re excited to see who wins the feature and it’s an open contest with Arklow and Temple entered.

Gufo Stands Out

We always eagerly await the Kentucky Turf Cup when the Kentucky Downs Stakes schedule is released and we’re not disappointed.

It’s a quality field for the feature race and Gufo should prove tough to beat for trainer Christophe Clement.

The 5-year-old comes off a win in the Grade I Sword Dancer at Saratoga and he has been around the best turf stayers for a long time.

His only poor run came in the Breeders’ Cup, but we’re prepared to forgive that effort and stick with the Kentucky Downs Stakes Turf Cup favorite.

Clement was thrilled with his win in the Sword Dancer and it bodes well for a winning run this weekend.

“He’s been a very good horse these past three years. Unfortunately, in his last race, sometimes he has a tendency to drop too far out of it,” Clement told Blood Horse.

“I took the blinkers off because he trained so forwardly earlier on in the year. As the year went on, he became lazier and lazier. Today, he had a great trip. He was never that far back, and he was traveling well. When Joel (Rosario) asked him, he exploded in the stretch. I’m delighted.”

He should be tough to beat and he’s the worthy favorite.

Arklow to Lay Down Challenge

Despite being an 8-year-old, Arklow still has upside and he could cause a minor upset in the big race.

The well-tried son of Arch comes off a second placing in the Bowling Green Stakes at Saratoga, which is a solid form guide.

His most recent win came in Louisville over a year ago, but we’re keeping the faith and including him in selections.

The Brad Cox-trained runner won the 2020 Kentucky Turf Cup and that has been reflected in horse betting markets at +400. It’s a fair price for a runner of his class and it wasn’t long ago when he won the Joe Hirsch Turf Classic.

He’s a class act at his best and Gufo will know he’s there throughout the race.

Temple Closing In

Bettors shouldn’t rule out Temple, who finished third in the United Nations behind Adhamo and that’s another solid form guide at the Kentucky Downs stakes odds.

The 6-year-old son of Temple City won the Mac Diarmida at Gulfstream Park earlier this year and a repeat of that performance should see him run Gufo and Arklow close.

He’s rarely too far away from the prize and he hasn’t finished worse than fourth from his last eight starts, so bettors get a consistent type in the Kentucky Downs Turf Cup.

Kentucky Downs Stakes odds and bookmakers have him at +750 to win and those odds are worth taking on an each-way basis.