Horse Racing Picks for Sat. Sept. 5, 2026 @ Kentucky Downs
Horse racing picks and best bets for Sat, Sep., 2026, at Kentucky Downs from Turtle Sports’ Lundin Line. Get expert analysis, free tips, and stakes-race insights to help you cash in on today’s card.
HORSE RACING
- Fink
It’s Saturday, which means we’re back at the track and ready to cash some tickets as we continue capping races in the Breeders’ Cup Challenge Series. Last week featured two coast-to-coast cards, and we delivered. At Saratoga, seven of 14 top picks won, producing nearly a 50% ROI. At Del Mar, the momentum continued with five of 10 top picks winning and an ROI north of 100%. Second picks didn’t have the same success, but the strong days continue to outweigh the bad ones.
Today we head to Franklin, KY, for the full card at Kentucky Downs. If you haven’t played this track before, it’s a European-style turf course with no dirt track, a right-hand bend, and multiple elevation changes, especially down the stretch. The card is usually held on opening weekend, but this year they moved opening weekend to last weekend and increased the minimum bet to $5 from the usual $2. Purses and wagering payouts have always been strong here, and they’re even bigger this year.
We’ll have 12 races on the day, including five stakes and two Breeders’ Cup “Win and You’re In” races. The BC action starts in race 6 with the $1.75 million Light and Wonder Kentucky Downs Turf Sprint, a Grade 2 turf sprint at six furlongs for 3-year-olds and up. The winner earns a spot in the Prevagen Turf Sprint at Del Mar on the final weekend in October. Originally, there were 14 entries including alternates, but three scratches leave us with 11 runners. Last year’s winner, Bear River, didn’t run well in the Breeders’ Cup, finishing 11th of 12, and has not won since.
The next race is the AGS Kentucky Turf Cup Invitational Stakes, another Grade 2, this one at 1 1/2 miles for 3-year-olds and up. The purse is $2 million, and the winner earns a berth in the Longines Turf at the Breeders’ Cup in October. We’ll have nine runners after one scratch. Last year’s winner, Ole Crazy Bone, did not run in the Breeders’ Cup and was sidelined for eight months after this race. Both of our cappers agree that the 6, Ethical Diamond, is the one to beat, while the Lundin Line has the 10, Fort George, as the top pick.
The weather will be hot, with highs in the upper 90s and partly cloudy skies, making it feel over 100 degrees at the track. The good news is that Kentucky Downs runs turf regardless of rain, so there’s no chance of a sloppy main track.
We’ll also have coverage of the other BC race today from Saratoga on our X page, so be sure to follow along and turn on notifications to stay in the money with us all day long.
Happy Saturday & National Tailgating Day! 🍻🚙🚙🏈
Need help picking winners? We've got you covered! Our (Always Free) Lundin Line's top picks and best bets are below. We use them to help narrow the field while putting our tickets together. The first post will be here soon, so don't be late -
It's time to get #InTheMoney! 💰💰💰
🏇Sat., Sept. 5, 2026 @ Kentucky Downs
First Post @ 10:25 ETD (8:25 PDT)
⭑Best Bet(s)
R6: 1.75M KY Downs Turf Sprint S. (G2T)/BC
R7: 2 Mil. KY Turf Cup (G2T)/BC
R8: 3 Mil. Nashville Derby Inv. S. (G2T)
R9: 1.5 Mil. KY Downs Ladies Turf S. (G2T)
R10: 1.5 Mil. Music City S. (G2T)
Ⓢtakes Race(s)
R1: 7-9-1-5
R2: 1-11-3-10
R3: 4-8-2-6
R4: 8-6-1-2
R5: 3-1-15(AE)-6-9
🏇R6: KY Downs Turf Sprint S.
LL: (14)-11-1-4-7
Fink: 4-1-(14)-9-11
Mr. W: 11-(14)-10-8-4
🏇R7: KY Turf Cup
LL: 10-8-6-3
Fink: 6-1-710
Mr. W: 6-8-10
R8Ⓢ: 3-6-12-10
R9Ⓢ: 2-4-7-8
R10Ⓢ: 1⭑-6-10-7
R11: 1-3-2-11
R12: (15)-1-10-12-9
🏇= Featured Race(s)
R10: Cy Fair (#1)
