2026 Ack Ack Stakes
The Ack Ack Stakes is one of the major closing weekend races of the Churchill Downs September Meet. The 2026 edition is scheduled for September 26 at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky.
Churchill Downs lists the Grade 3 race with a $400,000 purse for horses age three and older. It is contested at one mile on dirt.
Race facts
- Date: September 26, 2026
- Track: Churchill Downs
- Grade: Grade 3
- Purse: $400,000
- Distance: One mile
- Surface: Dirt
- Eligibility: Horses age three and older
Why the Ack Ack matters
The Ack Ack gives established older horses and improving runners a late September test at a demanding one mile distance. Its position on the calendar also makes it useful for evaluating horses moving toward major autumn dirt races.
The race shares the September 26 program with the Lukas Classic, the centerpiece of the Churchill Downs September Meet. The Lukas Classic is a major prep for the Breeders’ Cup Classic, while the Ack Ack offers a separate one mile option for horses whose strengths are better suited to a shorter dirt race.
Churchill Downs closing weekend
The September Meet concludes with an important group of stakes. In addition to the Ack Ack and Lukas Classic, the September 26 program includes the Bourbon Flight for three year olds. Together, those races provide a final major set of local opportunities before the autumn championship season accelerates.
Fans following the wider schedule can explore the OTB Bet Major Races center and the complete Breeders’ Cup guide.
2026 field and updates
OTB Bet will update this guide when the official 2026 field is confirmed. Until then, prospective runners will not be presented as confirmed entrants.
Featured image credit: TEDD LiGGETT, Wikimedia Commons, Creative Commons Attribution Share Alike 4.0.