'My Old Kentucky Home'

When “My Old Kentucky Home” plays at the track, who doesn’t get a little choked up? It’s tradition, its nostalgia, it’s pure Kentucky. The man behind that iconic song, Stephen Foster, never saw a horse race at Churchill Downs, but his legacy gallops on in the form of the Grade I Stephen Foster Stakes. It’s one of summer’s most prestigious dirt routes for thoroughbreds. What began in 1982 as a humble handicap has grown into a million-dollar ticket to the Breeders’ Cup Classic.

This Saturday, Churchill Downs plays host to the 44th running of the race, and the field is nothing short of stacked.

Let’s talk horses: Sierra Leone, the powerful closer trained by Chad Brown, comes in as a morning-line favorite, but only just. Hot on his heels are Mystik Dan, fresh off a prep win and still glowing from his 2024 Kentucky Derby glory. And my pick for the win. Then there’s Mindframe, Todd Pletcher’s rising star with tactical versatility. As well as Hit Show, who proved his grit in Dubai, and First Mission, trained by Brad Cox and quietly peaking at the right time.

Need a bit of drama? Ashcroft, a 30-1 longshot trained by a legend, could cause a ruckus if the pace falls apart.

The Stephen Foster isn’t just a race, it’s a statement. It says summer at Churchill is just as thrilling as spring. It says heritage matters. And it’s a nod to a man who wrote the soundtrack of the South without ever knowing he’d inspire one of its greatest sporting traditions.

So when the bugle blows and the gates fly open, think of Stephen Foster, and maybe hum a bar or two. After all, you don’t have to be a Kentuckian to feel it in your bones.