This website uses cookies so we can provide you with the best user experience possible. Cookie information is stored in your browser and performs functions such as recognising you when you return to our website and helping our team to understand which sections of the website you find most interesting and useful. You can adjust your preferences below.
- Home
- Cardinal Stakes Winner Earns Spot in $1M American Turf on Derby Day
Winner of Chelmsford City Racecourse’s Cardinal Stakes to Receive Automatic Entry to $1 Million Grade 1 American Turf on Kentucky Derby Day
Chelmsford City Racecourse is proud to announce an unprecedented opportunity for the winner of the 2025 Cardinal Stakes. The victor of the UK’s most valuable Conditions race will receive an immediate free entry (valued at $9,300) into the prestigious $1 million Grade 1 American Turf at Churchill Downs on Kentucky Derby Day.
Scheduled for Thursday, April 3, 2025, the £100,000 Cardinal Stakes is a highly anticipated contest for three-year-olds run over one mile, boasting a prize fund of £51,540 for the winning owner. The race also offers prize money up to sixth place, a refund on entry fees if declared, and financial support for international runners, ensuring a high-calibre field.
The American Turf, a 1 1/16-mile grass race for three-year-olds, was recently elevated to Grade 1 status by the American Graded Stakes Committee and received a purse boost from $600,000 to $1 million for 2025. Staged annually on the Kentucky Derby undercard, it is an increasingly important contest in the U.S. racing calendar, attracting top-tier turf performers from around the world.
The Cardinal Stakes represents a significant pathway to the global stage, with its winner gaining an invaluable opportunity to compete at Churchill Downs – home of the legendary Kentucky Derby. The 2025 Churchill Downs Spring Meet, running from April 26 to June 29, features a record 50 stakes races worth $26,175,000, with the American Turf standing out as one of four races to receive a purse increase this year.
Neil Graham, Racing Director at Chelmsford City Racecourse, commented: “Chelmsford City Racecourse is delighted to be able to offer the winner of the Cardinal Stakes free entry into the $1,000,000 Grade 1 American Turf. This is an exciting opportunity for the winner of the Cardinal Stakes to be eligible to run in such a valuable race on Kentucky Derby Day.”
The European Road to the Kentucky Derby has been rebranded as the Euro/Mideast Road to the Kentucky Derby. The April 5 UAE Derby (G2) has been removed from America’s primary Road to the Kentucky Derby and will now conclude this newly rebranded stand-alone series that will carve out two Kentucky Derby invitations to the top point earners. Additionally, the Cardinal Condition Stakes at Chelmsford City has been removed from the series and, instead, the winner will receive an automatic berth in the starting gate for the American Turf Stakes (G2T) on the Kentucky Derby undercard.
“We have been working closely with our partners at Churchill Downs since the race’s inception in 2019, so it’s great to be collaborating on something new which will hopefully see an increased participation from our runners in Kentucky.” Mr Graham added.
This exciting new initiative underscores Chelmsford City Racecourse’s commitment to fostering international competition and providing British runners with a direct route to one of America’s most prestigious racing festivals.
Entries for the Cardinal Stakes close on Friday, March 28, 2025.
