A marathon race week approaches at Oak Grove Racing, Gaming & Hotel this Monday through Wednesday (June 22-24) with Kentucky Sire Stakes (KYSS) finals for four-year-olds as well as the start of KYSS series for two- and three-year-olds, which will be contested under a new and exciting format.
Monday's card features four $150,000 USD KYSS finals for four-year-olds and the opening round of KYSS action for pacing two-year-olds within the 15-race card. Oak Grove will host "Tuesday at the Trots" the following day (June 23) with 16 trotting events scheduled before wrapping the week on Wednesday, June 24 with a program featuring the opening round of KYSS for pacing three-year-olds. First-race post time each day will be 1:10 p.m. (CDT).
For 2026, the two- and three-year-old KYSS series at Oak Grove will be conducted in tiered events. Each series for two- and three-year-olds will have three events total with the top performers eligible to race for increased purses through the series. Following the $40,000 USD opening preliminary this week, the top finishers (i.e. the first- through fourth-place finishers) will be eligible to race in the second event — the week of July 6 — for a $60,000 USD purse while the remaining participants and any other new entrants to the series can compete in divisions for $40,000 USD. The top eight money earners across the two events will then be eligible to compete in an $80,000 USD event on closing week — the week of July 13 — while the remaining participants can enter into a $50,000 USD race. Any eligible horses that skip the first two events of the KYSS series will have the potential to race in Kentucky-bred maiden races for a $30,000 USD purse if at least six horses enter and at the discretion of the race secretary. Every race through this tiered series will also have post positions determined by an open draw.
Ahead of the cavalcade of Kentucky-bred races this upcoming week, Oak Grove is also revamping the wagering menu. The 15-race card on Monday will feature three $1 Pick 4s with sequences starting in Race 1, Race 5 and Race 12. The 20-cent Pick 5 has been moved later in the card to start in Race 9, and all multi-race wagers at Oak Grove feature a takeout of just 15 percent. The Tuesday at the Trots card features a similar menu with $1 Pick 4s starting in Race 1, Race 5 and Race 13 and the 20-cent Pick 5 starting in Race 9.
The opening round of KYSS for two- and three-year-olds helps to bring the curtain down on the 2026 meeting at Oak Grove, which has 10 race days remaining. Monday's card features nearly $1 million USD in purses with 107 horses in competition while the "Tuesday at the Trots" program has over $600,000 USD in purses on offer with 116 horses entered. Oak Grove hosts live harness racing on Monday, June 29 and Tuesday, June 30 before the next round of KYSS gets underway with another three-day race week starting on Monday, July 6.
(Oak Grove)