Sweezey returns to KY roots with full-time Churchill Downs division

Monday’s Churchill Downs media notes by publicist Kevin Kerstein (Coady Media photo of Kent Sweezey)

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (Monday, May 25, 2026) – For trainer Kent Sweezey, being based at Churchill Downs represents more than a career opportunity. It’s a return to the Kentucky racing circuit where his passion for the sport first began.

Sweezey, who has a 14-horse division stabled at Churchill Downs, grew up in Central Kentucky and was introduced to racing through his family’s longtime involvement in the Thoroughbred industry. His father, Wayne, managed and was a partner at Darby Dan Farm for many years, and Sweezey spent much of his childhood around the barn area learning the business from the ground up. Following Wayne’s departure at Darby Dan, he and Kent’s mother, Cathy, operated Timber Town Farm, which housed some of racing’s best broodmares. 

“I was very lucky to be around some of the best horses in this sport through my parent’s connection with Darby Dan and Timber Town,” Sweezey said. “This is where I was first introduced to Mandy Pope and she trusted my parents with her phenomenal broodmare band that included some of racing’s greats like Plum Pretty, Havre de Grace and Songbird.”

A Lexington native, Sweezey attended Trinity High School in Louisville before studying at University of Kentucky.

After getting his start in Kentucky, Sweezey expanded his experience by working with several respected trainers across the country. Early in his career, he worked in Florida with trainer Christophe Clement before later spending time in California with Eoin Harty. He eventually returned to work as an assistant for trainer Jimmy Jerkens, where he was part of the team behind several top-level runners.

Sweezey went out on his own in 2017 and has continued to build a stable that competes throughout the year primarily in Kentucky and Florida. In addition to his Churchill Downs division, Sweezey also maintains horses at Palm Meadows in South Florida.

Several recently purchased 2-year-olds are among the horses currently in Sweezey’s Churchill Downs barn as he builds toward the future.

“We’ve got a nice group of young horses right now and we’re excited to see how they develop,” Sweezey said. “Churchill Downs is a great place to grow a stable because of the level of racing and the opportunities that are here.”

Sweezey said returning to Kentucky full time has been especially meaningful because of the familiarity that comes with competing close to home.

“Kentucky racing has always meant a lot to me and it’s rewarding to be able to build our operation here at Churchill,” Sweezey said. 

Sweezey is well represented over the next week at Churchill Downs including Starry Night’s My Favorite Bird in the $275,000 Audubon Stakes on Stephen Foster Preview Day.

SPECIAL ALL-TURF, ALL-STAKES PICK 4 OFFERED ON SATURDAY’S STEPHEN FOSTER PREVIEW DAY – Churchill Downs will offer a special all-turf, all-stakes Pick 4 on Saturday’s Stephen Foster Preview Day that includes the $275,000 Arlington (Grade III), $275,000 Old Forester Mint Julep (GIII), $275,000 Regret (GIII) and $275,000 Audubon (Listed).

          Saturday’s 11-race program gets underway at 12:45 p.m. (all times Eastern) with the all-turf Pick 4 beginning in Race 5 at 2:47 p.m. 

          The sequence:

• Race 5 (2:47 p.m.), $275,000 Audubon Stakes (Listed), 3yo, 1 1/8 M (T) (10 entries)
• Race 7 (3:53 p.m.), $275,000 Old Forester Mint Julep (GIII), f&m, 4&up, 1 1/16 M (T) (nine entries)
• Race 9 (4:56 p.m.), $275,000 Regret (GIII), 3yo f, 1 1/8 M (T) (nine entries)
• Race 11 (5:59 p.m.), $275,000 Arlington (GIII), 3yo, 1 1/16 M (T) (11 entries)

The special wager is a 50-cent base denomination and has a 22% takeout.

Stephen Foster Preview Day was inaugurated in 2020 to provide horses a local prep for the blockbuster June 27 Stephen Foster Day at Churchill Downs. Overall, Saturday’s card features seven stakes races worth $1.975 million in purses, led by the $300,000 Blame (GIII), a local prep for the $2 million Stephen Foster (GI).

For more information, visit www.churchilldowns.com. 

DOWN THE STRETCH – The Derby City 6 Jackpot was hit Sunday for $311,767 by a retail player on TwinSpires.com. The jackpot will start over for Monday’s nine-race card, which began at 12:45 p.m. Monday’s program also included a $54,587 carryover in the $1 Super Hi 5 for Race 2 and $69,208 carryover in the $1 Jackpot 8 in Race 9. … Several members of the Churchill Downs riding colony were at Lone Star Park on Monday to ride in six stakes events on the program. Among the riders out of town were Julien Leparoux, Irad Ortiz Jr., Jose Ortiz, Luis Saez and Cristian Torres. … Following dark days Tuesday and Wednesday, Churchill Downs returns with a four-day week beginning with Twilight Thursday. The eight-race card has a first post of 5 p.m. and the festivities include $2 domestic draft beer, live music from Ben Bernhard and local food trucks Crave Street, Drake’s, Red Top Hotdogs, Soul Fire Company and Spinelli’s Pizza. For more information and to purchase tickets, visit www.churchilldowns.com.