Ellis Park Summer Showcase Weekend 2026: Complete Guide to All Seven Turf Stakes
Ellis Park closes out the week with the richest weekend of its 2026 meet. The Summer Showcase runs Saturday, August 1 through Sunday, August 2, sending seven turf stakes to the post for a combined $1.75 million, the marquee stop on the Henderson, Kentucky track's calendar before Ellis Park Derby Day arrives on August 9. First post both days is 11:50 AM CT. We walk through every field below, from Saturday's 2 year old debutantes to Sunday's five race stakes marathon.
Saturday, August 1: Hummingbird Stakes and Riverside Rush
Hummingbird Stakes (Listed), $250,000
The $250,000 Hummingbird presented by Sterling Industrial closes Saturday's 10 race card as Race 10 with a 4:12 PM CT post time. Donamire Farm's Big Trouble breaks from the rail for trainer Greg Foley off a gutsy half length win in the Clarksville Handicap at Horseshoe Indianapolis two weeks ago. The 5 year old daughter of Kantharos has banked $472,623 from 22 starts with Francisco Arrieta back aboard.
Saturday Flirt, runner up in the Very One Stakes for owner Fitriani Hay and trainer Wesley Ward, and Buttercream Babe, a recent third level allowance winner for Three Diamonds Farm who is cross entered in Sunday's Sunkissed, headline the challengers. Cloe, a Churchill Downs allowance winner for Lugamo Racing Stable and trainer Mike Maker, also drew into a competitive field of 12 sprinting 5 1/2 furlongs on turf.
| Post | Horse | Jockey | Trainer |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Big Trouble | Francisco Arrieta | Greg Foley |
| 2 | Me Governor | Adam Beschizza | Joe Sharp |
| 3 | Rojo Rita | Gerardo Corrales | Dallas Stewart |
| 4 | Saturday Flirt | Yedsit Hazlewood | Wesley Ward |
| 5 | Lovely Emma | Danny Sheehy | Peter Eurton |
| 6 | Shirley Ann | Amir Mendoza | Clarke Vesty |
| 7 | Satin Blue | Axel Concepcion | Joe Sharp |
| 8 | Cloe | Ben Curtis | Mike Maker |
| 9 | Dala | Jaime Torres | Eoin Harty |
| 10 | Buttercream Babe | Cristian Torres | Rusty Arnold II |
| 11 | Itzel | Edgar Morales | John Ennis |
| 12 | Lucy McGee | Mario Gutierrez | Vicki Oliver |
Riverside Rush Stakes, $200,000
The $200,000 Riverside Rush presented by Sterling Industrial runs as Race 9 at 3:42 PM CT and marks the first running of a new stakes for 2 year olds at 5 1/2 furlongs on turf. Hat Creek Racing's Fanshell Beach headlines an oversubscribed field of 15 after returning from a fifth place finish in the Norfolk Stakes (G2) at Royal Ascot. Trained by Wesley Ward, the filly won her April 26 debut at Churchill Downs by 5 1/4 lengths before crossing the Atlantic. Yedsit Hazlewood rides from post 12.
Hey Tuff Guy, an eye catching debut winner by 7 3/4 lengths before fading to fifth as the even money favorite in the Bashford Manor, gets his first try on turf for trainer Brian Lynch and jockey Mario Gutierrez from post 10. Fifteen 2 year olds went into the field, the most oversubscribed race of the weekend.
| Post | Horse | Jockey | Trainer |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tolstoy | Ben Curtis | Brendan Walsh |
| 2 | Fortune King | Santiago Gonzalez | Sergio Donjuan |
| 3 | Crack On | Danny Sheehy | Jim Corrigan |
| 4 | Admiral's Order | Luan Machado | Ben Colebrook |
| 5 | Colucci | Yuri Yuranga | Gregory Viands |
| 6 | Arctic Wolf | Martin Garcia | Jack Sisterson |
| 7 | Mr Gerson | Rafael Bejarano | David Jacobson |
| 8 | Good to Be King | Axel Concepcion | Rusty Arnold II |
| 9 | Sargent Bilko | Francisco Arrieta | Eddie Kenneally |
| 10 | Hey Tuff Guy | Mario Gutierrez | Brian Lynch |
| 11 | American Pope | Gerardo Corrales | Paul McEntee |
| 12 | Fanshell Beach | Yedsit Hazlewood | Wesley Ward |
| 13 | AE: Super Saiyajin | Santiago Gonzalez | Sergio Donjuan |
| 14 | AE: Red Sun | William Antongeorgi III | Hutch Holsapple |
| 15 | AE: Issachar | William Antongeorgi III | Tommy Vance |
Sunday, August 2: Five Stakes Worth $1.3 Million
Pucker Up Stakes (Listed), $250,000
Sunday's stakes action opens with the $250,000 Pucker Up in Race 6 at 2:12 PM CT, the race that starts the day's all stakes, all turf Late Pick 5 sequence. East Jabip, runner up in the Tepin Stakes for owners Blue Bird Stables, Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners and Ken Reimer, looks for a first stakes win for trainer Brian Lynch. Tyler Gaffalione, the 2025 Ellis Park riding champion, takes the mount from post 6 in a field of 8 three year old fillies going 1 1/8 miles.
| Post | Horse | Jockey | Trainer |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dreaming of Alys | Francisco Arrieta | Phil D'Amato |
| 2 | Turner's Charm | Ben Curtis | Brendan Walsh |
| 3 | One Sweet Girl | Jaime Torres | Carlos David |
| 4 | How About Now | Axel Concepcion | Rusty Arnold II |
| 5 | Bohemian | Umberto Rispoli | Joe Sharp |
| 6 | East Jabip | Tyler Gaffalione | Brian Lynch |
| 7 | Embrace Time | Florent Geroux | Brad Cox |
| 8 | Infinite Sky | Luan Machado | Brad Cox |
Water Tower Stakes, $250,000
The $250,000 Water Tower follows in Race 7 at 2:45 PM CT over the same 1 1/8 mile turf trip, open to 3 year olds. Gary Barber's Blackmail, winner of the Woodhaven Stakes in April at Aqueduct and runner up in the Pennine Ridge (G3) at Saratoga in June, looks for a second career stakes win for trainer Mark Casse and jockey Francisco Arrieta from post 2. Street Beast, winner of last year's Kentucky Downs Juvenile Mile, is cross entered here and in the same weekend's Secretariat Stakes (G2) at Colonial Downs, while Black Hornet, winner of the Black Gold Stakes for Calumet Farm, and Brave Force, third in the American Derby, round out a field of nine.
| Post | Horse | Jockey | Trainer |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Fancy Sailor | Brian Hernandez Jr. | Brian Lynch |
| 2 | Blackmail | Francisco Arrieta | Mark Casse |
| 3 | Aguila Negra | Amir Mendoza | Deivys Salvador |
| 4 | Knick's Honor | Wesley Ho | Lynn Rarick |
| 5 | Street Beast | Luan Machado | Ben Colebrook |
| 6 | Brave Force | Vincent Cheminaud | Jack Sisterson |
| 7 | Royal Causeway | Cristian Torres | Dallas Stewart |
| 8 | Black Hornet | Tyler Gaffalione | Brendan Walsh |
| 9 | Swerve | James Graham | Keith Desormeaux |
Tri-State Turf Sprint Stakes (Listed), $250,000
Race 8's $250,000 Tri-State Turf Sprint goes to post at 3:12 PM CT over 5 1/2 furlongs. Donamire Farm's Grade 1 winner Troubleshooting, who used last year's Dade Park Dash at Ellis Park as a springboard to the Franklin Simpson (G1) at Kentucky Downs, breaks from the outside post 11 for trainer Greg Foley and jockey Tyler Gaffalione. Joe Shiesty, closing in on $1 million in career earnings after a win in this year's Big Daddy Stakes, breaks from post 3 for trainer Eric Foster and jockey Fernando De La Cruz.
| Post | Horse | Jockey | Trainer |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Let My People Go | Florent Geroux | Mike Maker |
| 2 | My Own | Francisco Arrieta | Eric Foster |
| 3 | Joe Shiesty | Fernando De La Cruz | Eric Foster |
| 4 | Cinister Cix | Edgar Morales | Shane Sands |
| 5 | Mondogetsbuckets | Umberto Rispoli | Chris Block |
| 6 | Jet Sweep Joe | Gerardo Corrales | Paul McEntee |
| 7 | Its Bourbon Thirty | Luan Machado | Jerry O'Dwyer |
| 8 | Eakly | Abel Cedillo | Donnie K Von Hemel |
| 9 | Golden Afternoon | Jaime Torres | Nick Vaccarezza |
| 10 | Nothing Better | Yedsit Hazlewood | Jorge Duarte Jr. |
| 11 | Troubleshooting | Tyler Gaffalione | Greg Foley |
| 12 | Okiro | Joe Bravo | Jose Garoffalo |
Sunkissed Stakes (Listed), $250,000
The $250,000 Sunkissed presented by Sterling Industrial runs Race 9 at 3:42 PM CT over one mile on turf. C R K Stable's five time stakes winner Medoro heads an oversubscribed field of 14 for trainer Peter Eurton off a third place finish in the Jenny Wiley (G1) at Keeneland, with Umberto Rispoli riding from post 7. In the Stars, winner of the Indiana General Assembly Distaff Handicap, and Vive Veuve, a five time winner for Carl R. Moore Management, add depth to a deep distaff turf field.
| Post | Horse | Jockey | Trainer |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bourbon Memory | Ben Curtis | Brendan Walsh |
| 2 | Stylish Sue | Jaime Torres | Joe Sharp |
| 3 | Buttercream Babe | Yedsit Hazlewood | Rusty Arnold II |
| 4 | Chilled | Mario Gutierrez | Vicki Oliver |
| 5 | Vive Veuve | Brian Hernandez Jr. | Joe Sharp |
| 6 | Smiling Ellie | Francisco Arrieta | Mark Casse |
| 7 | Medoro | Umberto Rispoli | Peter Eurton |
| 8 | Wind Flower | Cristian Torres | Bill Mott |
| 9 | Sanctify | William Antongeorgi III | Hutch Holsapple |
| 10 | Love You Anyway | Axel Concepcion | Rusty Arnold II |
| 11 | Rosell | Junior Alvarado | Bill Mott |
| 12 | In the Stars | Edgar Morales | Rusty Arnold II |
| 13 | AE: Salty Senorita | Rafael Bejarano | Mike Maker |
| 14 | AE: Icona | Tyler Gaffalione | Brendan Walsh |
Green River Island Stakes (Listed), $300,000
Sunday's card closes with the weekend's richest race, the $300,000 Green River Island in Race 10 at 4:12 PM CT over 1 1/16 miles on turf. Klein Racing's Brilliant Berti, a seven time winner with more than $2.4 million in earnings, tries to end a winless skid for trainer Cherie DeVaux and jockey Brian Hernandez Jr. from post 2. The multiple graded stakes winner captured last year's Wise Dan (G2) at Churchill Downs and the 2024 Bryan Station (G3) at Keeneland.
Carl Pollard's millionaire Mercante, cross entered in Saturday's Arlington Million (G1) at Colonial Downs, Saint George's speedy six time winner Quatrocento, and Carl R. Moore Management's recent allowance winner Lambeth headline an oversubscribed field of 15, the deepest field of the weekend.
| Post | Horse | Jockey | Trainer |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sumood | Ben Curtis | Brendan Walsh |
| 2 | Brilliant Berti | Brian Hernandez Jr. | Cherie DeVaux |
| 3 | Johny's Rendezvous | Jaime Torres | Phil Bauer |
| 4 | Quatrocento | Mario Gutierrez | Fausto Gutierrez |
| 5 | Lambeth | Umberto Rispoli | Joe Sharp |
| 6 | Native Runner | Cristian Torres | Rusty Arnold II |
| 7 | Tapit Shoes | Luan Machado | Ed Moger Jr. |
| 8 | Vote No | Axel Concepcion | Kelsey Danner |
| 9 | Flying Mohawk | Francisco Arrieta | Whit Beckman |
| 10 | Money Supply | Yedsit Hazlewood | Joe Sharp |
| 11 | Giocoso | James Graham | Keith Desormeaux |
| 12 | Mercante | Florent Geroux | Brian Knippenberg |
| 13 | AE: Herchee | Edgar Morales | Hellen Pitts-Blasi |
| 14 | AE: Smokey Mandate | Danny Sheehy | Mike Maker |
| 15 | AE: Clever Mischief | Tyler Gaffalione | Brendan Walsh |
Betting Angles for the Summer Showcase
With five of the weekend's seven fields at 12 or more starters, the Showcase rewards spreading tickets rather than leaning on a single favorite. Fanshell Beach's Royal Ascot form makes her the one horse we would isolate on top in the Riverside Rush, since none of her 2 year old rivals have faced that level of competition.
In the Sunkissed, Medoro's California and Fair Grounds form stacks up well against a homegrown Kentucky contingent, and her class edge should carry even from an unfavorable post. The Green River Island looks the most competitive puzzle of the weekend with three legitimate speed types in Quatrocento, Lambeth and Flying Mohawk, plus Mercante's Arlington Million class dropping into a slightly softer spot. We like using all three speed types underneath a fit Brilliant Berti.
Ready to Bet Ellis Park's Summer Showcase
Seven stakes, $1.75 million in purses and two theme filled race days give Ellis Park its best weekend of the summer before the Ellis Park Derby closes out the meet on August 9. Get positions and updated odds before first post at 11:50 AM CT both days.
Bet online at app.mywinners.com, on the MyWinners: Racing & Sports app on iOS or Android, or go here to find your nearest MyWinners or Winners venue in CT.
Frequently Asked Questions
The Summer Showcase runs Saturday, August 1 and Sunday, August 2, 2026, at Ellis Park in Henderson, Kentucky, with first post at 11:50 AM CT on both days.
Seven turf stakes worth a combined $1.75 million go to post across the two days, headlined by the $300,000 Green River Island.
The $300,000 Green River Island Stakes (Listed) is the richest race of the Summer Showcase, run over 1 1/16 miles on turf as the finale of Sunday's card.
Millionaire Mercante is cross entered in both Saturday's Arlington Million (G1) at Colonial Downs and Sunday's Green River Island at Ellis Park, while Street Beast is cross entered between the Water Tower at Ellis Park and the Secretariat Stakes (G2) at Colonial Downs.
You can bet online at app.mywinners.com, through the MyWinners: Racing and Sports app on iOS and Android, or in person at a MyWinners or Winners venue in Connecticut.
Photo: Rennett Stowe, licensed under CC BY 2.0.
