The first of 5 Kentucky Downs cards will get under way at 1:25 p.m. Central with high temperatures to reach the low 70s, low humidity, a steady breeze, and intermittent cloud cover. Obviously there are no weather concerns as was the case last weekend when the scheduled opener was postponed from Saturday to today. The green and lush turf course is rated "good."

A lot of important racing will take place here over the next few days, as the compacted schedule means racing will be held 4 of the next 5 days (Wed, Thurs, Sat, Sun), with Sept. 14 the fifth and last date. Ten of the 12 stakes will be run during this opening span, and as everyone knows by now, there is some serious $$ being given away in the MSW and alw. ranks, too. Four of the stakes will be run today as races 6-9, and we'll have recaps and replays available on www.drf.com once they've been run.

The new Jockey7 wager starts with race 4 (and is listed as race 11 on DRF Bets and other wagering accounts). For full details, this link on the track website is helpful: https://www.kentuckydowns.com/racing/wagering/jockey7-wagering-rules

Here are the early scratches for the 10-race opener: R1-(all AEs); R2-(5, 7, 15, 16); R3-(4); R4-(9, 13, 14, 15); R5-(1, 8, 14, 16); R6-(3, 6, 7, 9, 12, 13, 15, 16); R7-(all AEs); R9-(all AEs); R10-(12, 14, 15, 16).