Aside from the issue of when to close betting pools, the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission is debating a recommendation that racetracks made good on winning wagers that aren't merged into pools.
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
A controversial recommendation to halt wagering at zero minutes to post time at all racetracks was shelved by the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission Oct. 27 pending a public meeting at which the issue will be further vetted.
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
The harsh competitive environment in which Kentucky racing finds itself was on displayed in black and white Oct. 26 when a subcommittee of the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission considered applications from Thoroughbred racetracks that signal a drastic reduction in live racing dates for 2010.
Monday, October 26, 2009
Kentucky's horse racing and breeding industry plans to stand its ground in the wake of a proposal for a constitutional amendment on gaming some have characterized as a politically-motivated stall tactic.
Thursday, October 22, 2009
The owner of Ellis Park said Sept. 29 the struggling Kentucky racetrack will apply for racing dates in 2010, while the president of Turfway Park said the track would seek fewer racing dates next year.
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
Kentucky horsemen are hoping "light at the end of the tunnel" could help facilitate a contract for the upcoming Turfway Park meet.
Thursday, August 27, 2009
A reduction in stakes purses for its upcoming meet will allow Turfway Park to maintain overnight purses and racing days, but track officials are thinking ahead to 2010, when that probably won't be the case.
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
Ellis Park owner Ron Geary said June 24 it's too soon to say a commitment from the racing industry and legislators to fight for racetrack gaming will keep his track open beyond the 2009 season. Meanwhile, Turfway Park and the Kentucky Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association plan to sit down soon to devise a plan that could include reductions in purses and racing dates for future meets.
Thursday, June 25, 2009
SPECIAL REPORT: Horsemen who call Kentucky home year-round are taking a beating, and they predict even more owners and horses will leave the state. Whether there will be legislative relief any time soon, however, remains to be seen.
Thursday, February 12, 2009
A month after Turfway Park experienced eight catastrophic breakdowns during its 21-day holiday meet, state veterinarian Dr. Bryce Peckham and Turfway president Bob Elliston were on hand at a Feb. 10 Kentucky Horse Racing Commission meeting in Lexington to present commissioners a much more positive report.
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
Officials indicated Dec. 11 the push for equine safety and racing industry integrity is serious business, and they called on stakeholders to support the plan.
Friday, December 12, 2008
Churchill Downs Inc. is reviewing its membership in the National Thoroughbred Racing Association, racing industry officials said Dec. 9.
Tuesday, December 09, 2008
Following the Oct. 15 unveiling of the National Thoroughbred Racing Association's Safety and Integrity Alliance, four of the organization's principle figures were on hand to further explain their roles and the details of the equine health and safety reform plan, which will be implemented gradually over the next two years.
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
The strong winds that forced Turfway Park to cancel its program after two races Sept. 14 because of unsafe conditions did some damage to the facility, but operations are back to normal.
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
Turfway Park said Aug. 20 it has received horsemen's consent to distribute its racing signal for the upcoming fall under the auspices of the present exclusive agreement with TVG, thus ending any speculation of a standoff similar to those plaguing other tracks.
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
A cross-section of the racing industry addressed the New York Task Force on Retired Race Horses on the subject of synthetic surfaces at a one-day forum held July 29 at the Fasig-Tipton Sales Co. pavilion in Saratoga Springs, N.Y.
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
Officials at Keeneland and Turfway Park announced July 17 a new shoe policy banning the use of toe grabs. The policy is effective at both racetracks beginning Sept. 1.
Thursday, July 17, 2008
Ellis Park's owner said the western Kentucky racetrack won't hold its meet this summer, though horsemen want the Kentucky Horse Racing Authority to intervene. Could another track get the dates?
Thursday, July 03, 2008
Details on legislation to authorize casino gambling in Kentucky will have to wait for another day.
Tuesday, January 15, 2008
The year 2008 probably will bring some experimentation to Turfway Park, which has asked the Kentucky Horse Racing Authority for permission to switch from evening to daytime racing on Wednesdays and Thursdays during its three-month winter/spring meet.
Wednesday, December 12, 2007
Having the top two finishers in this year's Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (gr. I) entered in the Sept. 29 Kentucky Cup Classic (gr. II) has led to an increase in local and national coverage of the event.
Friday, September 28, 2007
Opening night, Sept. 5, will mark the two-year anniversary of the debut of Polytrack at Turfway Park, officials of which continue to collect data on a daily basis to learn more about the surface.
Tuesday, September 04, 2007
The advent of a potentially strong competitor in western Pennsylvania might have minimal impact on the upcoming meet at Turfway Park, but track president Bob Elliston said it won't go unnoticed as far as Kentucky Thoroughbred racing is concerned.
Tuesday, August 14, 2007
The May 22 Kentucky gubernatorial primary is expected to have implications for expanded gambling, an issue the state's horse industry fully expects to be addressed during the 2008 General Assembly session. But regardless of who is elected in November, the legislature may hold the cards.
Friday, May 18, 2007
The Kentucky Horse Racing Authority, using funds from the state equine drug council, hopes to hire an equine medical director.
Tuesday, February 20, 2007
Though the evidence may be largely anecdotal, it appears swings in temperature can impact Polytrack and its consistency.
Monday, February 12, 2007
Alex Waldrop, former president of Churchill Downs, has been appointed president and chief executive officer of the National Thoroughbred Racing Association. In addition, Turfway Park president Bob Elliston was appointed the first executive chairman of the organization.
Wednesday, December 27, 2006
Expanded gambling in Kentucky isn't a front-burner topic right now, but it will be next year when the state holds elections for governor and other top posts, a racetrack official said Nov. 3 during the "Thoroughbred Industry Forum" at Churchill Downs on the eve of the Breeders' Cup World Championships.
Friday, November 03, 2006
Racing surface projects continued Aug. 24 at two Kentucky tracks, with a new mix of materials being placed on top of the Polytrack at Turfway Park, and construction crews laying the asphalt layer for the new Polytrack that will debut at Keeneland in October.
Thursday, August 24, 2006
The Polytrack surface at Turfway Park has held up well in the heat of the summer, but it will be modified before the next live meet begins Sept. 6 at the Northern Kentucky racetrack.
Tuesday, July 18, 2006
Turfway Park, currently closed for live racing but home to about 700 horses in training, sustained storm damaged the evening of May 25 but no humans or horses were injured.
Friday, May 26, 2006
Business is way up, and catastrophic injuries are way down. But Turfway Park officials aren't surprised their new Polytrack surface is a work in progress.
Monday, February 27, 2006
A second barn at Turfway Park has been quarantined because of equine herpesvirus, which was first discovered at the Northern Kentucky racetrack the week before Christmas.
Sunday, January 08, 2006
Large fields and an artificial racing surface are credited for a 17% increase in all-sources handle for the first three weeks of the Turfway Park meet.
Tuesday, December 20, 2005
Turfway Park will get a more accurate indication of how its synthetic Polytrack will play during four months of fall and winter racing that begins Nov. 27, opening day of the holiday meet.
Tuesday, November 22, 2005
Turfway Park president and CEO Bob Elliston spoke to members of the national turf media about Saturday's Kentucky Cup Day Festival.
Tuesday, September 13, 2005
More than 3 1/2 inches of rain had absolutely no impact on the new Polytrack at Turfway Park, which opens the evening of Sept. 7, but the impending change in race-day medication regulations for Thoroughbred racing in Kentucky is said to have put a dent in the opening-night entry box.
Monday, September 05, 2005
An Aug. 26 presentation on the status of the Kentucky lottery and a scholarship fund that derives money from it led to a call for more funding, even if it means legislators would have to approve expanded gambling to generate the revenue.
Friday, August 26, 2005
The first pari-mutuel race on the new Polytrack at Turfway Park isn't scheduled until the evening of Sept. 7, but trainers have showed they're anxious to try it out by entering enough horses for three exhibition events the morning of Aug. 24.
Tuesday, August 23, 2005
The Polytrack racing surface at Turfway Park was installed two weeks ahead of schedule, but the sighs of relief by track officials may be short-lived as the Sept. 7 meet opener approaches. This is new territory, and questions abound, not the least of which is how horsemen and the betting public will respond.
Thursday, August 04, 2005
Turfway Park president Bob Elliston said he expects the Kentucky racetrack's new Polytrack surface to be ready for horses to train on by mid-August, when trainers are expected to begin arriving for the fall meet that begins Sept. 7.
Wednesday, June 15, 2005
Turfway Park will be the first racetrack in North America to install a Polytrack surface on its main track, Turfway president Bob Elliston announced April 27 at a press conference at Keeneland.
Wednesday, April 27, 2005
Keeneland and Turfway Park plan a joint press conference April 27 at Keeneland to discuss installation of the Polytrack surface, now used on Keeneland's five-eighths-mile training track, at Turfway.
Monday, April 25, 2005
Churchill Downs is taking precautionary measures at its Trackside training facility in Louisville, Ky., after a Thoroughbred racehorse was diagnosed with strangles, a contagious bacterial disease.
Sunday, March 13, 2005
Fifth Third Bank, a Cincinnati, Ohio-based financial institution, will become the signature sponsor of two major stakes races on the Kentucky horse racing circuit.
Thursday, March 03, 2005
The Kentucky Equine Education Project officially approved plans for a marketing and education blitz for the Bluegrass state this year, and also hired a high-powered lobbying firm to help it achieve its legislative goals.
Wednesday, January 05, 2005
As two more winter Thoroughbred meets prepare to open, management is lining up commitments from jockeys in the wake of walkouts at Churchill Downs and Hoosier Park. Meanwhile, members of an insurance task force that will meet for the first time Nov. 22 hope to maintain focus and expedite recommendations.
Friday, November 19, 2004
Turfway Park president Bob Elliston has been elected to represent the independent Midwestern racetracks on the National Thoroughbred Racing Association board of directors.
Tuesday, May 18, 2004
Kentucky legislators have left open the possibility expanded gambling could be revisited in the future, but they claim greed and resistance by the horse racing and breeding industry put a casino bill on the shelf for the 2004 session. Industry officials disagree with that perspective.
Wednesday, March 10, 2004
Despite numerous cancellations because of weather or track conditions, Turfway Park has registered business gains during the winter/spring meet that extends through April 1. And with live racing set to resume March 10, it appears the racing surface finally has dried out after a washed-out weekend.
Wednesday, March 10, 2004
