The Red Mile has announced its 2026 Grand Circuit racing schedule, featuring six premier afternoons of championship harness racing on Thursday, Oct. 1 through Saturday, Oct. 3, and Thursday, Oct. 8 through Saturday, Oct. 10. 

First post for all six Grand Circuit programs is 1 p.m. 

The schedule is highlighted by the 134th Kentucky Futurity, which will be contested on Saturday, Oct. 3.

The updated schedule places the Kentucky Futurity one week earlier than in previous years, creating an exciting opening weekend of Grand Circuit racing while positioning Lexington as the center of the Standardbred industry during one of its busiest times of the year.

"We're excited about this year's Grand Circuit schedule," said Joe Costa, President and CEO of The Red Mile. "A tremendous amount of thought went into building this schedule. When you're coordinating races of this caliber, there are a lot of moving parts, and we worked closely with our horsemen and industry partners to create a schedule that serves the best interests of the horses, the participants and our fans. We believe moving the Kentucky Futurity to the opening weekend creates an outstanding showcase for one of our sport's most historic races while making Lexington an even more exciting destination during Grand Circuit season. We look forward to welcoming the industry and racing fans from across North America to The Red Mile this October."

The Grand Circuit meet once again coincides with the Lexington Selected Yearling Sale, bringing together the sport's leading owners, breeders, trainers, drivers and racing fans from across North America for more than a week of world-class racing and horse sales.

Beyond the championship racing, fans can expect enhanced entertainment, hospitality and special events throughout both Grand Circuit weekends as The Red Mile continues to build on the momentum surrounding one of harness racing's most prestigious meets. Additional details regarding hospitality, promotions and special programming will be announced in the coming weeks.

The 2026 live harness racing season at The Red Mile is set to kick off on Sunday, July 26 with a 5:05 p.m. post time. Racing will continue through Saturday, Oct. 10 and will follow a Sunday through Wednesday schedule with a post time of 5:05 p.m. on Sundays and a 1 p.m. post on Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays.

The 2026 Grand Circuit stakes schedule for The Red Mile is listed below.

Thursday, Oct. 1

• Bluegrass Stakes – Two-Year-Old Colt Trot
• Bluegrass Stakes – Two-Year-Old Filly Pace

Friday, Oct. 2

• Bluegrass Stakes – Two-Year-Old Colt Pace
• Bluegrass Stakes – Two-Year-Old Filly Trot

Saturday, Oct. 3

• 134th Kentucky Futurity
• Kentucky Filly Futurity
• Kentucky Futurity & Kentucky Filly Futurity Consolations
• Bluegrass Stakes – Three-Year-Old Colt Pace
• Bluegrass Stakes – Three-Year-Old Filly Pace

Thursday, Oct. 8

• International Stallion Stakes – Two-Year-Old Colt Trot
• International Stallion Stakes – Two-Year-Old Filly Pace

Friday, Oct. 9

• International Stallion Stakes – Two-Year-Old Colt Pace
• International Stallion Stakes – Two-Year-Old Filly Trot

Saturday, Oct. 10

• The Tattersalls Pace
• Glen Garnsey Memorial
• Allerage Open Trot
• Allerage Open Pace
• Bluegrass Stakes – Three-Year-Old Colt Trot
• Bluegrass Stakes – Three-Year-Old Filly Trot

(The Red Mile; photo of 2025 Kentucky Futurity champion Emoticon Legacy)