Democratic Gov. Ted Strickland signed a directive July 13 instructing the director of the Ohio Lottery to immediately begin taking steps to implement video lottery terminals at the seven racetracks in Ohio. But questions remain as to how the racing and breeding industry will benefit.
Monday, July 13, 2009
Four horsemen's and breeders' organizations in Indiana said June 16 they will, over a three-year period, give racetracks a share of their revenue from slot machines to help stabilize the tracks.
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
The Kentucky Horse Racing Commission announced March 27 the Kentucky Breeders' Incentive Fund will distribute more than $18.7 million in awards for 2008.
Friday, March 27, 2009
The Ontario Racing Commission March 25 approved $47.1 million Canadian for the 2009 Horse Improvement Program, which funds stakes, breed development, and equine research for Thoroughbred and Standardbred racing.
Friday, March 27, 2009
Saying five of the state's seven racetracks will close without assistance from the legislature, the Ohio State Racing Commission March 19 released a draft plan for 14,000 video lottery terminals that would be located at tracks.
Thursday, March 19, 2009
The New York Thoroughbred Breeders, disturbed by a delay in a plan for thousands of video lottery terminals at Aqueduct, called the situation "inexplicable" and said Gov. David Paterson should put the project on "war footing."
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
For the first time, Washington-breds and British Columbia-breds will compete against each other in the BC Cup at Hastings Racecourse and the Washington Cup at Emerald Downs. Three races at each track have been opened to include horses bred in Washington and British Columbia, Canada.
Wednesday, March 04, 2009
Marble Cliff, the Ohio-bred turned Kentucky-bred stripped of stakes wins in 2008 after a racing commission investigation, finally got his first "official" victory--in West Virginia.
Sunday, March 01, 2009
Ohio is among the weakest when it comes to Thoroughbred purses, but it's about to have the strongest rules governing registration of state-bred horses.
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
The 2009 Thoroughbred Political Action Committee Stallion Season Auction held by the New York Thoroughbred Breeders is under way and wraps up at 8 p.m. EST Feb. 12.
Thursday, February 12, 2009
Horsemen from all parts of Colorado rallied at the state capitol Jan. 20 to support efforts by the horse industry to pass legislation designed to revitalize the economics of the industry in Colorado through advance deposit wagering and Instant Racing.
Friday, January 23, 2009
A Kentucky lawmaker is preparing racing-related legislation with a primary goal of funding the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission, equine drug testing, and supplements for purses and stakes at the state's racetracks.
Saturday, January 03, 2009
Ohio Thoroughbred breeders would be licensed by the state for a fee each year and face serious penalties -- including a suspension of up to 10 years -- should they violate rules governing registration of state-bred horses under regulations proposed by the Ohio State Racing Commission.
Friday, December 19, 2008
The Governor's Task Force on Racing in Kentucky is close to preparing and releasing a report pinpointing problems and offering recommendations that ultimately will require a lot of money -- something in short supply given an ongoing budget crunch.
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
The Kentucky Horse Racing Commission voted Oct. 27 to recommend revised regulations designed to protect non-race breeds that participate in the multi-breed incentive fund authorized by the state legislature.
Monday, October 27, 2008
The Indiana Horse Racing Commission approved a plan Aug. 14 that calls for significant increases to purses offered through the Thoroughbred Breed Development program at the upcoming Hoosier Park meet.
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
The "Smarty slots" in Pennsylvania have been jingling for more than a year. In Kentucky, where the racing industry views Pennsylvania as a major threat, casino legislation broke from the gate in a tangle yet again this year.
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
The year 2008 has brought another purse increase to Philadelphia Park Casino & Racetrack, but the Pennsylvania track and other tracks in the Mid-Atlantic region are expected to continue competing for horses as the year progresses.
Tuesday, January 01, 2008
The Kentucky Breeders Incentive Program, which began offering financial awards for various breeds of horses in 2006, is poised to increase by 20%--to about $18 million or $19 million--next year.
Monday, September 10, 2007
Deductions for a new breed development program and statewide workers' compensation have led Mountaineer Race Track & Gaming Resort to cut purses 20% across the board beginning July 10. The West Virginia track has thousands of video lottery terminals that produce purse revenue and this fall will begin operating table games.
Sunday, July 08, 2007
A new report by the New York Senate Committee on Racing, Gaming, and Wagering lists the top 10 problems in horse racing in the state and solutions for them.
Wednesday, April 04, 2007
More than $12 million will be awarded to Thoroughbred breeders through the Kentucky Breeders' Incentive Fund.
Wednesday, February 21, 2007
Discontinuation of the New Jersey Futurity, which dates to 1946, is symptomatic of problems in the state's racing and breeding industry.
Monday, February 19, 2007
Kentucky tracks would get a tax break for one major racing event per year under legislation introduced in the state General Assembly.
Wednesday, February 14, 2007
Major change is coming for Texas racing in 2007, with a decrease of more than a half-million dollars in funds for the Thoroughbred accredited Texas-bred program and almost three months without Thoroughbred racing.
Friday, September 29, 2006
The cap on the amount of money available for breeders' awards in New York would be hiked under legislation proposed by the head of the Senate Racing Committee.
Monday, May 01, 2006
Breeders of Kentucky-bred horses that win races either in state or anywhere in the United States can begin receiving Kentucky Thoroughbred Breeders' Incentive Fund awards at the close of 2006, according to regulations proposed by the Kentucky Horse Racing Authority.
Monday, December 19, 2005
A Kentucky Horse Racing Authority subcommittee has recommended a Thoroughbred breed incentive program that would have national and in-state components. The proposal caps awards at $10,000 per race and offers no incentives for claiming races.
Tuesday, November 08, 2005
A revenue-sharing deal for video lottery terminals at Aqueduct would give horsemen 7.5% of gross gaming revenue for the first three years, and breeders 1.25% for the first five years, once the devices are operating.
Thursday, November 03, 2005
The latest condition book at Mountaineer Race Track and Gaming Resort reflects a 20% reduction in purses primarily brought about by the shift of some video lottery terminal revenue to the state to fix its workers' compensation system.
Tuesday, July 19, 2005
Thoroughbred interests in West Virginia are hopeful lawmakers will correct action that took revenue for a proposed breed development program at Mountaineer Race Track and Gaming Resort and shifted half of it to an incentive program for racing Greyhounds.
Tuesday, July 12, 2005
The board of directors of the Kentucky Equine Education Project has opted to endorse an in-state Thoroughbred breed development program that could eventually offer awards to horses that race out of state or in other countries.
Wednesday, July 06, 2005
The Kentucky Thoroughbred Farm Managers' Club debated the pros and cons of the Kentucky Thoroughbred Breeders' Incentive Fund June 7 and plans to have its recommendations ready for review by July 1.
Wednesday, June 08, 2005
The finish of a $12,500 claiming race at River Downs in Ohio might have put breeder Ken Ayres in the record books--if such records are kept.
Tuesday, May 31, 2005
The parameters of the proposed Kentucky Thoroughbred Breeders Incentive Program will again be discussed June 7 at the Kentucky Thoroughbred Farm Managers' Club meeting in Lexington.
Friday, May 27, 2005
The University of Kentucky has launched an initiative designed to ensure its programs are responsive to the needs of the horse industry in the state.
Tuesday, May 24, 2005
Thoroughbred organizations in Kentucky have scheduled a town hall meeting May 18 to discuss implementation of the new Kentucky Thoroughbred Breeders' Incentive Fund, revenue for which will begin to accrue July 1.
Thursday, April 28, 2005
The New York State Thoroughbred Breeding and Development Fund has changed the procedure for verifying New York-bred status.
Friday, March 18, 2005
As the 2005 Kentucky General Assembly session nears an end, the horse industry finds itself with a few important benefits--and a sense that it could show a lot of muscle in future legislative endeavors.
Tuesday, March 15, 2005
A tax modernization plan that includes breed development provisions was approved by the Kentucky House and Senate March 8 and now goes to Gov. Ernie Fletcher for his signature.
Wednesday, March 09, 2005
A proposal to create breeders' incentive funds and a modification of the tax on yearlings and 2-year-olds was slated for passage March 8 as part Kentucky Gov. Ernie Fletcher's tax modernization and budget package.
Monday, March 07, 2005
Proposals to create breed development programs and modify a tax on the sale of yearlings and 2-year-olds remained intact when the Kentucky House of Representatives approved Gov. Ernie Fletcher's tax modernization plan Feb. 18.
Monday, February 21, 2005
The Kentucky Equine Education Project, which has said it strongly supports provisions in Gov. Ernie Fletcher's tax modernization plan that would in part create breed development programs, will have representatives at a Feb. 10 hearing before the House Appropriations and Revenue Committee.
Wednesday, February 09, 2005
A tax modernization plan unveiled by Kentucky Gov. Ernie Fletcher during his "state of the commonwealth" address Tuesday night includes provisions for breed development programs for the horse industry.
Tuesday, February 01, 2005
Language that would authorize two breed development funds and eliminate a tax on the sale of yearlings and 2-year-olds in Kentucky has been delivered to Republican Gov. Ernie Fletcher for possible inclusion in a tax modernization plan that could be unveiled in early February.
Friday, January 21, 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
The Kentucky Equine Education Project has fashioned a short list of legislative initiatives that includes tax breaks and a breed development program but not racetrack gaming--at least not yet.
Tuesday, January 04, 2005
As the Kentucky breeding industry continues to suggest it's under siege from competition in other states, legislation that would shift millions of dollars in existing tax revenue into a Thoroughbred breed development program looms a good possibility for 2005.
Wednesday, November 10, 2004
The protection of and growth in Kentucky's Thoroughbred breeding and racing program was the focal point of the University of Louisville's "State of the Industry" seminar Nov. 2.
Tuesday, November 02, 2004
