Next year's calendar for Kentucky's five-track Thoroughbred circuit won't look much different than this season. But the Kentucky Horse Racing and Gaming Corporation (KHRGC) on Tuesday resolved a dates-application conflict by assigning the Saturday after Labor Day in 2027 to Churchill Downs, with Kentucky Downs likely to be awarded that date in 2028.The Saturday after Labor Day is a coveted national race date from a simulcast handle perspective, because traditionally the New York Racing Association (NYRA) takes a break after Saratoga Race Course closes.Although NYRA's full '27 schedule is not yet set, NYRA usually waits until the following week to commence its fall meet at Belmont Park.Without any competition from New York that Saturday, conditions are ripe for increased betting on whichever track is racing in Kentucky.During last month's KHRGC race dates committee meeting, it emerged that both Churchill Downs and Kentucky Downs wanted to race that afternoon (Sept. 11) in 2027.Churchill raced on that Saturday (Sept. 12) this year. But Ted Nicholson, the vice president of racing at Kentucky Downs, said during the Sept. 29 committee meeting that, “for the last 10 years, we've always had that day. Last year we bet $25 million that day, and this year [Churchill] bet $11 million.”When the entire slate of '27 race dates came up for a vote during the Oct. 27 KHRGC meeting, the board didn't read the race dates into the record. Nor did KHRGC members discuss the conflicting applications that Churchill Downs and Kentucky Downs had submitted.But after the unanimous voice vote approving the '27 dates, Jamie Eads, the KHRGC's president and chief executive officer, suggested the problem got smoothed over behind the scenes.“I'm sure most people in this room are aware that the 2027 race dates presented a bit of a challenge for us,” Eads said.Eads thanked stakeholders for working out a solution, noting that as part of the apparent compromise, “in 2028 we anticipate Kentucky Downs running the Saturday after Labor Day.”According to a copy of the calendar emailed by a KHRGC staffer after the meeting, the '27 season in Kentucky will look similar to this year's template, except for Keeneland Race Course not hosting the Breeders' Cup.Turfway Park will race Jan. 1-Mar. 27.Keeneland's spring meet spans Apr. 2-23.Churchill Downs races Apr. 24-July 4.Ellis Park runs July 9-Aug. 22.Kentucky Downs races Aug. 26, 28, 29 and Sept. 2, 4, 5, 8.Churchill Downs has Sept. 9-26.Keeneland's fall meet is Oct. 1-23.Churchill Downs races Oct. 24-Nov. 28.Turfway goes Dec. 1-30.The post Familiar Template for ’27 Kentucky Race Dates appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.