Republican Kentucky Sen. Damon Thayer has prefiled legislation calling for a constitutional amendment to authorize racetrack video lottery terminals.
Yesterday
Ohio voters Nov. 3 approved casinos on the fifth try by gambling supporters in the past two decades, and Democratic Gov. Steve Beshear immediately issued a statement saying Kentucky must respond.
3 days ago
A rainy October in Kentucky led to much lower on-track business for the Keeneland fall meet, but good racing at the track helped the simulcast wagering, and the combined off-track and on-track betting increased.
Saturday, October 31, 2009
The Galt House Hotel in Louisville, Ky., has signed a three-year sponsorship agreement with Churchill Downs to be named the official host hotel of the track, the Kentucky Derby (gr. I), and the Kentucky Oaks (gr. I), it was announced in an Oct. 30 release.
Friday, October 30, 2009
Due to the ongoing investigation into equine piroplasmosis in the state of Texas, the Kentucky Department of Agriculture's state veterinarian's office has opted to require testing of all horses from Texas entering the state of Kentucky.
Friday, October 30, 2009
The Fasig-Tipton Kentucky fall yearling sale bucked the prevailing negative trends in the Thoroughbred marketplace to post increases of 9.1% in median price and 5.7% in gross revenue during its three-day run that ended Oct. 28 in Lexington.
Thursday, October 29, 2009
People listening closely to the announcements from the auction stand during the Fasig-Tipton Kentucky fall yearling sale heard something new during the auction's three-day run (Oct. 26-28) in Lexington. For the first time, Fasig-Tipton told prospective buyers when a horse's stem cells had been collected and stored.
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Scott County in Kentucky, along with Harrison, Owen, and Grant Counties will be hosting a Horse College on November 2, 9, 16, and 23 from 6:00 8:30 each evening.
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
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
Leonard Lavin's Florida-based Glen Hill Farm was a powerful buying force during the Fasig-Tipton Kentucky fall yearling sale's second session, which generated a median price that was up 25% from a year ago. The average price fell 4.4% while the gross revenue declined 12.3% Oct. 27 in Lexington.
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Ellis Park officials said Oct. 27 the racetrack will shut down after Nov. 8 and suspend simulcast operations until April 1, 2010. The move affects 75 full- and part- time employees at the Western Kentucky track.
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
The Kentucky Horse Racing Commission, on the advice of one of its committees, Oct. 27 approved 2010 racing dates for all three breeds, including a 25% cut in Thoroughbred racing.
Tuesday, October 27, 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 news wasn't all bad during the opening session of the Fasig-Tipton Kentucky fall yearling sale Oct. 26 in Lexington. The median price increased 20% from 2008 while the buy-back rate was down significantly. The results also included downturns of 11% in gross revenue and 6.4% in average price, but they weren't nearly as severe as those suffered by many other yearling auctions earlier in 2009.
Monday, October 26, 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
Churchill Downs and Kentucky horsemen have reached a three-year agreement that sets purse payments, establishes purse supplements and ends a legal dispute that began in the spring of 2008.
Saturday, October 24, 2009
Fasig-Tipton's Kentucky fall yearling sale isn't as fancy as the company's Saratoga and Kentucky July select auctions, but as a producer of Kentucky Derby Presented By Yum! Brand (gr. I) winners, it stands out. Big Brown, who captured the Run for the Roses in 2008, and Mine That Bird, who scored in the first leg of the Triple Crown this year, both are graduates of the October sale.
Friday, October 23, 2009
Lexington-based McMahon Bloodstock and Hidden Brook Farm in Paris are involved in a cooperative effort to bolster business for their individual companies during a time of economic challenges.
Friday, October 23, 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
Bruce Hundley, who co-bred champion Fly So Free and raised three other champions at his Saxony Farm near Versailles, Ky., died at a Lexington hospital Oct. 21. He was 67.
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
During a presentation to members of the horse industry at the Kentucky Horse Park Oct. 20, Kentucky Senate President David Williams and Sen. Damon Thayer, both Republicans, proposed constitutional amendments regarding the future of the state's horse industry.
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
Fasig-Tipton, which introduced its virtual catalog concept last year for its Kentucky November select mixed sale, has made a number of technical enhancements since then. The improvements can be seen in the virtual catalog for this year's edition of the November auction, which appears on the sale company's Web site: www.fasigtipton.com.
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
A Kentucky Thoroughbred breeder said Republican lawmakers plan to push for a constitutional amendment on racetrack gaming, but a spokesperson for the state's Senate leader said that's not the case.
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
Jockey Miguel Mena was sent to the University of Kentucky Medical Center in Lexington for precautionary X-rays after he was unseated from his mount at the start of Keeneland's first race Oct. 18.
Sunday, October 18, 2009
Warrior's Reward, who ran fifth as the favorite in the Perryville (gr. III) Oct. 17 at Keeneland in Central Kentucky, was tentatively scheduled to return to trainer Ian Wilkes' barn at Churchill Downs late Oct. 18.
Sunday, October 18, 2009
Robby Albarado, leading rider at the Keeneland fall meet with 10 victories, was off all of his mounts Oct. 18 after a spill in Oct. 17's sixth race.
Sunday, October 18, 2009
John Gasper has been named general manager of Dr. Tom Simon's Vinery and will oversee day-to-day operations.
Friday, October 16, 2009
Total handle through the five days of racing at Keeneland is up 9.83%, the Lexington racetrack announced Oct. 16.
Friday, October 16, 2009
Tropical Storm will stand the 2010 breeding season at Alfred H. Nuckols Jr.'s Hurstland Farm it was announced Oct. 15.
Thursday, October 15, 2009
Keeneland was named the winner of the 2009 Simulcast Award Oct. 14 during the 17th annual International Simulcasting Conference in Saratoga Springs, N.Y. Keeneland also won the award, which honors the horse racing industry's best simulcast production, in 2003 and 2008. Keeneland's latest award was for its coverage of the Vinery Madison Stakes (gr. I) from April.
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
The Kentucky Derby Challenge Stakes at Kempton in Great Britain, inaugurated in 2009 to award a Europe-based horse a berth in the Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (gr. I), won't be held next year. But officials said it could return.
Friday, October 09, 2009
Fasig-Tipton has cataloged 972 horses for its Kentucky fall yearling sale, which will be held Oct. 26-28 in Lexington. The total is down 10.8% from last year's total of 1,090.
Monday, October 05, 2009
Keeneland announced Oct. 5 that 4,702 horses have been cataloged for its November breeding stock sale, a decline of 17.6% from the record 5,709 cataloged for the Lexington sale in 2008.
Monday, October 05, 2009
Jockeys that won leading rider titles at Turfway Park over the past 50 years will return to the Northern Kentucky track Oct. 8 when it ends its 50th anniversary meet.
Monday, October 05, 2009
Multiple grade I-winning millionaire and Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (gr. I) second-place finisher Pioneerof the Nile will stand for $20,000 when he enters stud at Dr. Tom Simon's Vinery near Lexington in 2010.
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
Kentucky Downs concluded what became a three-day meet with declines in total pari-mutuel handle.
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
Keeneland has made changes to its parking system and traffic flow for the fall meet that begins Oct. 9.
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
Consecutive days of heavy rain led Kentucky Downs, which offers only turf racing, to cancel its six-race program Sept. 26.
Saturday, September 26, 2009
The Keeneland September yearling sale continued Sept. 25 with decreases in all major indices, though some participants see a shrouded silver lining: bargains for those with some cash and an increase in the value of yearlings in a couple of years.
Friday, September 25, 2009
An Unbridled's Song colt brought $185,000 to top the ninth session of the struggling Keeneland September yearling sale. While the number of horses sold Sept. 23 in Lexington rose 5.6% from a year ago, the gross revenue declined 26.2%. The average price dropped 30.1%, and the median price plunged 40%. The buy-back rate fell from 24.6% in 2008 to 19.3% this year.
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
David Hayden has a message for his fellow commercial breeders: "Change or die." The ability to be flexible during hard times, he said last week at the Keeneland September yearling sale in Lexington, is the key to survival. And Hayden, who plans to keep raising horses for many years to come, has looked at everything from production costs to where he will market his yearlings in an effort to remain profitable and avoid drowning in a sea of red ink.
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
From the very beginning of the Keeneland September yearling sale in Lexington, it was apparent that there would be a major correction in the market for young horses as key business figures suffered significant setbacks. Here are comments from auction participants during the first week of the sale.
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
Lane's End Farm general manager and prominent Republican Bill Farish said the Kentucky horse industry "will continue to hold our elected officials accountable, and we will not stop working until our state government gets out of the way and allows us to have the tools necessary to compete."
Monday, September 21, 2009
In a brief ceremony Sept. 18, representatives of Castleton Lyons presented a check for $29,400 to the Permanently Disabled Jockeys Fund.
Friday, September 18, 2009
The Kentucky Derby Museum, heavily damaged by floodwaters in Louisville, Ky., Aug. 4, will be closed through the end of the year.
Thursday, September 17, 2009
Kentucky Senate President David Williams has continued a war of words with leading Democrats over the politics surrounding proposed racetrack gaming in Kentucky. But Williams, a Republican, has also apparently drawn the ire of Kentucky's top GOP leader.
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
The first session of Keeneland's marathon September yearling sale concluded Sept. 14 with major declines in gross, average, and median prices.
Monday, September 14, 2009
Here is a list of horses that consignors and buyers think could be standouts Sept. 15 during the second session of the Keeneland September yearling sale in Lexington.
Monday, September 14, 2009
Hoosier Park Racing & Casino has announced purse increase that has put purses about 20% higher than they were when its meet began July 30. Thus far, the Indiana track has paid about $30,000 more a day than Turfway Park in neighboring Kentucky.
Monday, September 14, 2009
Gus Koch, the manager of the Hancock family's historic Claiborne Farm near Paris, Ky., will retire at the end of the Keeneland September yearling sale. He was named the Farm Manager of the Year by the Kentucky Thoroughbred Farm Managers Club in 2004, and he is a past president of the organization.
Monday, September 14, 2009
