SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. (AP) — Churchill Downs Incorporated and the New York Racing Association on Monday announced a six-race championship series over a span of five months that includes the Kentucky Derby and Belmont Stakes and a $5 million prize pool, set to begin next year.
The first and third legs of the Triple Crown are scheduled next year for the traditional five weeks apart between May 1 and June 5. A spokesperson for the Maryland Jockey Club said a date for the Preakness next year has not yet been announced and declined comment on the championship series of races in Kentucky and New York.
There has been some speculation about the Preakness moving back to three weeks after the Derby from two in an effort to convince owners and trainers to enter their horses in the race in Baltimore. Golden Tempo became the third Derby winner in five years not to take part.
This championship series includes the Matt Winn Stakes at Churchill Downs in Louisville in July and the Jim Dandy and the Travers Stakes at Saratoga Race Course later in the summer. It's scheduled to also have a championship race at Churchill Downs in September ahead of the Breeders' Cup in the fall, which in 2027 is set to take place at Belmont Park on Long Island.
“This series is designed to showcase the sport’s best 3-year-olds across a season-long championship, elevating our biggest events and creating the next generation of fans,” NYRA president CEO David O’Rourke said in a statement.
NBC is set to broadcast the races at Churchill Downs and Fox the ones in New York.
“By connecting these premier events through one championship, we’re creating a season-long storyline that benefits the future of thoroughbred racing,” Churchill Downs Inc. CEO Bill Carstanjen said.
AP horse racing: https://apnews.com/hub/horse-racing
FILE - Fans watch as Golden Tempo (19) ridden by Jose L. Ortiz wins the 152nd running of the Kentucky Derby horse race at Churchill Downs, May 2, 2026, in Louisville, Ky. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel, File)
An Israeli was fatally shot in an attack in the West Bank, and the Israeli military said Sunday it killed an alleged attacker who attempted to ram his vehicle into troops also in the occupied territory.
Meanwhile, Egypt, Jordan and Kuwait condemned Iranian-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen after they fired a ballistic missile at the Saudi capital on Saturday.
Here is the latest news from the Middle East on Saturday. Full coverage is available here.
A 30-year-old man was killed in a shooting attack in the northern West Bank on Sunday morning, hours before the Yom Kippur holiday, which is widely considered the holiest day in the Jewish calendar. The Israeli military said the attacker opened fire from a vehicle and then fled on foot. The man was evacuated to a hospital but died of his wounds, police said.
The military also said it killed a Palestinian man who attempted to carry out a ramming attack on soldiers at an intersection near Jenin, less than an hour later. The military said it was searching for another man who was in the car.
Prior to the attack, Israeli troops carried out a large counterterrorism operation in the northern West Bank town of Al-Mughayyir. Palestinian officials said at least 28 people were detained. Tensions have surged in the West Bank and extremist Israeli settler attacks against Palestinians have increased exponentially, emboldened by right-wing, ultra-nationalist politicians in Israel's government.
Egypt, Jordan and Kuwait said the Houthi attack on Riyadh was a threat to regional security and stability and a violation of international law. The nations in separate statements said their governments stand with Saudi Arabia in support of its sovereignty and protection of its civilians.
The Muslim World League also condemned the attack on civilians and civilian infrastructure as a violation of “all religious values as well as international and humanitarian laws and norms.”
It was the first time the Saudi capital has been targeted since the escalation in fighting with the Iran-backed rebels opened a new front in the Iran war. Saudi Arabia said the attack was intercepted. Some residents in Riyadh heard an explosion, and later some saw a plume of smoke near the airport. There were no reports of casualties or damage.
Six French nationals in Iraq suspected of being members of the extremist Islamic State group have stood trial, Iraqi judicial and security officials told The Associated Press.
The officials, who said it could take several proceedings before a verdict is issued, spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak with the media.
The six are among 47 French nationals held in Iraq who were part of thousands of people with suspected links to the IS, and who were repatriated from neighboring Syria early this year.
— By Qassim Abdul-Zahra in Baghdad.
This report will be updated throughout the day as new developments emerge.
Palestinian farmers carry containers of milk from their livestock across a trench dug by the Israeli army in a road leading to the West Bank hamlet of Khirbet Ras al-Ahmar, southeast of Tubas, on their way to sell it Saturday, Sept. 19, 2026. (AP Photo/Majdi Mohammed)
A Palestinian farmer carries containers of milk from their livestock across a trench dug by the Israeli army in a road leading to the West Bank hamlet of Khirbet Ras al-Ahmar, southeast of Tubas, on their way to sell it Saturday, Sept. 19, 2026. (AP Photo/Majdi Mohammed)
