Following the June demise of expanded gambling in the legislature, representatives of Kentucky's horse industry vowed to take a more aggressive role in statehouse campaigns. The industry's involvement in a special state Senate election in eastern Kentucky Aug. 25 is proving the threat wasn't hollow.
Sunday, August 23, 2009
With Ellis Park considering closing its doors, the Kentucky Equine Education Project is organizing a "Forever Ellis!" rally Aug. 22 at the racetrack as a way for horse industry enthusiasts to show their support for the nearly 90-year-old facility and the entire equine industry in the state.
Thursday, August 13, 2009
After debate of nearly four hours June 19, the Kentucky House of Representatives approved a bill permitting video lottery terminals at racetracks. The vote was 52 in favor, 45 opposed with two abstentions.
Friday, June 19, 2009
Nearly a thousand people traveled to Kentucky's state capitol in Frankfort June 17 to rally for a cause they have stood behind for years: to boost the horse racing industry by way of expanded casino gaming.
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
As a special session of the Kentucky legislature convened to consider several issues, including legalization of video lottery terminals at racetracks, the Kentucky Equine Education Project released results of a poll showing 61% of registered voters favored alternative gaming at tracks.
Monday, June 15, 2009
The Kentucky Equine Education Project is organizing a rally June 17 in the Capitol Rotunda to drum up support for legislation that would financially assist the horse industry.
Thursday, June 11, 2009
Jockey Calvin Borel, who has been in the spotlight over the last five weeks as a result of victories in the Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (gr. I) and BlackBerry Preakness Stakes (gr. I), is assisting in the effort to obtain video lottery terminals at racetracks in Kentucky.
Monday, June 08, 2009
Democratic Kentucky Gov. Steve Beshear announced June 4 that racetrack gaming would be included in the special legislative session that will focus on the state budget.
Thursday, June 04, 2009
Richard Shapiro, former chairman of the California Horse Racing Board, has been hired as a consultant by the newly-formed California Horse Racing Alliance. Craig Fravel, the alliance's president and the executive vice-president of the Del Mar Thoroughbred Club, confirmed the hiring of Shapiro shortly after the group's formation in recent weeks.
Friday, February 20, 2009
The chairman of the Kentucky Equine Education Project said Feb. 18 he expects gaming-related legislation benefitting the Kentucky horse industry to pass -- but he's not sure when.
Thursday, February 19, 2009
Veteran horseman John Quentin Thornbury died Sept. 8 in Lexington at 87. A Kentucky native, he owned Sunnyside Farm near Paris, Ky., with Dr. Robert Copelan.
Thursday, September 11, 2008
The bipartisan Joint Subcommittee on Horse Farming, which meets periodically when the Kentucky General Assembly isn't in session, has made strides in educating lawmakers on the importance and scope of Kentucky's horse industry. And the challenges for the industry won't go away.
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
The TRA and KEEP have weighed in on the announced closure of Ellis Park in western Kentucky. They blame lack of a long-term, industry strategy on advance deposit wagering, and inability to compete with other states, respectively.
Thursday, July 03, 2008
At its June board meeting, the Kentucky Equine Education Project elected three new board members: Dr. Gary Knapp, Wayne Lyster III, and Andre Regard.
Friday, June 27, 2008
The Ohio horse industry has officially launched the Ohio Equine Industry Coalition, which is designed to find solutions to what it calls an "economic crisis" for the industry.
Monday, April 07, 2008
The chairman of the Kentucky Equine Education Project said the organization is "disappointed" not only in the failure of legislation calling for a constitutional amendment on casino gambling, but also with the way the measure was handled from the beginning of this year's General Assembly session.
Friday, March 28, 2008
After a Kentucky constitutional amendment calling for nine casino licenses passed out of committee Feb. 27, it was unclear whether the horse industry would continue to support the legislation. But indications lawmakers and Gov. Steve Beshear would look out for the industry led the Kentucky Equine Education Project to support the bill.
Friday, February 29, 2008
A Kentucky casino proposal continues to sit on Capitol Hill in Frankfort, as a bill for a constitutional amendment failed to pass out of committee Feb. 26.
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
In an attempt to recruit people to support the proposed constitutional amendment for expanded gaming, the Kentucky Equine Education Project urged its members to attend a Feb. 26 committee meeting hearing for the bill, as well as a horse trailer caravan "rally" the same day in Frankfort.
Saturday, February 23, 2008
A legislative subcommittee studying expanded gambling in Kentucky has recommended a revised constitutional amendment that reduces the number of casinos permitted in the state to nine, requires local approval of some sort for all casinos, and removes dedicated percentages for gaming revenue.
Tuesday, February 19, 2008
To continue dialogue on why Kentucky needs expanded gaming, and to further educate the General Assembly on the matter, Kentucky Equine Education Project executive director Patrick Neely recently gave a presentation during a special legislative subcommittee meeting in Frankfort, the state capital.
Wednesday, January 23, 2008
Details on legislation to authorize casino gambling in Kentucky will have to wait for another day.
Tuesday, January 15, 2008
Many horse industry figures were in the spirit of giving during the Kentucky Equine Education Project's stallion season auction, billed with the tag line, "No Time to Hold Your Horses." The auction was held for the first time since 2004 to benefit causes supported by the organization.
Tuesday, December 11, 2007
The Ohio horse industry, in an effort to make its voice heard around the Buckeye State, has formed a coalition similar to the Kentucky Equine Education Project, a horse industry advocacy group in Kentucky.
Tuesday, December 11, 2007
The Kentucky Equine Education Project will hold a stallion season auction Dec. 7 to raise funds to support promotion of the horse industry as well as legislative endeavors in 2008 and beyond.
Tuesday, October 09, 2007
The Kentucky Equine Education Project will hold a stallion season auction Dec. 7 to raise funds to support promotion of the horse industry as well as legislative endeavors.
Tuesday, October 09, 2007
Kentucky legislators said tax relief for the horse industry and dedicated funding for the Kentucky Horse Racing Authority will be prominent issues when the state General Assembly convenes in 2008.
Thursday, September 20, 2007
While the Kentucky Equine Education Project continues to lobby for legislation that would remove the sales tax on equine feed and supplies in Kentucky, a decision is pending in regard to whether the organization will again push for casino gambling at racetracks in 2008.
Friday, August 24, 2007
The officers and board of directors of Thoroughbred Charities of America have selected Bill Casner as recipient of the TCA Charity Leadership Award to be presented at the 18th annual TCA Stallion Season and Art Auction Nov. 30 at Keeneland.
Tuesday, August 07, 2007
Trainer Monty Roberts will be the guest speaker at a reception to introduce this year's recipients of scholarships from The Race for Education, the Kentucky Equine Education Program, and the Kentucky Horse Council. The reception will be held at 6:30 p.m. July 14 at Victorian Square in Lexington.
Tuesday, July 10, 2007
By Tom LaMarra - Gaming in West Virginia and other states has kept racetracks open, put money in horsemen's pockets, and encouraged breed development. Whether it has done anything to spark long-term interest in and stability for horse racing is dubious at best.
Tuesday, July 10, 2007
The Kentucky Equine Education Project's board of directors announced June 25 its endorsement of the Steve Beshear-Daniel Mongiardo ticket in the 2007 Kentucky gubernatorial campaign.
Monday, June 25, 2007
By Ray Paulick - Racing has enough problems without a grandstanding politician using his position to wage a personal war with a state regulator.
Tuesday, May 15, 2007
More than $12 million will be awarded to Thoroughbred breeders through the Kentucky Breeders' Incentive Fund.
Wednesday, February 21, 2007
The Kentucky Equine Education Project is pushing legislation that would remove the sales tax on equine feed and supplies in the state.
Monday, February 19, 2007
Kentucky Democratic gubernatorial candidate Steve Beshear said Jan. 16 he supports a plan for casino gambling that could generate hundreds of millions in tax revenue to help fund education and road construction.
Tuesday, January 16, 2007
The Kentucky Equine Education Project (KEEP) announced Jan. 8 that it provided funding to 167 equine programs in 69 counties during 2006 totaling $135,682.
Monday, January 08, 2007
The Kentucky Equine Education Project has named Patrick Neely as its new executive director.
Wednesday, January 03, 2007
In an unprecedented move, the Kentucky League of Cities bestowed its annual "Big Hitter for Kentucky Cities" award on a pair of recipients: Rep. Rob Wilkey of Scottsville and Sen. Damon Thayer of Georgetown.
Monday, October 09, 2006
Tax relief for the horse industry, not racetrack gaming, will be the focus of the Kentucky Equine Education Project during the 2007 General Assembly session, according to the chairman of the organization.
Thursday, October 05, 2006
An educational public Kentucky Equine Education Project meeting is scheduled for 6 p.m. EST Sept. 21 at Piney Point Stables near Leitchfield, Ky.
Thursday, September 14, 2006
Richard W. Wilcke has been named the director of the University of Louisville Equine Industry Program. Wilcke, a faculty member since 1995, succeeds Robert Lawrence, who recently retired after 18 years as head of the program.
Thursday, September 07, 2006
As the investigation continued into the crash of Comair Flight 5191 in Lexington, Ky., two more individuals connected with the Thoroughbred industry have been identified as victims of the crash.
Wednesday, August 30, 2006
In a state that derives an important part of its identity from horses, it's surprising the number of horses that reside in Kentucky isn't known. In a collaborative effort, the University of Kentucky Cooperative Extension Service, the University of Kentucky Equine Initiative, the Kentucky Horse Council, and the Kentucky Equine Education Project plan to change that this fall with a statewide count of Kentucky's horse population.
Tuesday, August 29, 2006
Jim Navolio, who played a key role in the building of the Kentucky Equine Education Project, will retire as executive director of the grassroots organization effective Sept. 1.
Thursday, June 15, 2006
The Kentucky Equine Education Project (KEEP) and its public relations agency, Preston-Osborne, have been presented a Silver Anvil Award for their work to establish a breeder incentive fund.
Wednesday, June 14, 2006
Shaking off defeat of the casino bill in the recent legislative session, the Kentucky Equine Education Project showed a fresh outlook for the remainder of 2006 in a public meeting May 9 at the Kentucky Horse Park.
Wednesday, May 10, 2006
The Kentucky Equine Education Project (KEEP) board of directors has announced an annual $1,000 scholarship program for five in-state undergraduate students working toward a career in the equine industry.
Wednesday, April 19, 2006
Preston-Osborne has been selected as a finalist for the Public Relations Society of America's Silver Anvil Award.
Friday, March 31, 2006
A Kentucky House committee approved legislation March 15 to authorize a constitutional amendment on casino gambling, but the substitute measure--believed to have little or no chance of passage in the full House--makes no mention of racetracks or dedicated revenue for state programs, the lynchpins of legislation proposed by the Kentucky Equine Education Project.
Wednesday, March 15, 2006
