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
The Kentucky House Appropriations and Revenue Committee June 18 sent racetrack gaming legislation to the full House of Representatives for consideration.
Thursday, June 18, 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
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
The Kentucky Equine Education Project announced that it has given more than $516,000 to more than 700 horse-related organizations throughout Kentucky the last four years.
Tuesday, December 09, 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
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.
Tuesday, October 09, 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 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
The Klein Family Learning Center will open a special gift shop on the backside of Churchill Downs for Kentucky Derby Week to benefit track workers.
Tuesday, April 24, 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 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
In cooperation with the Kentucky Historical Society, the University of Kentucky Libraries' Louie B. Nunn Center for Oral History has initiated a project to document the history of Kentucky's horse industry.
Thursday, August 31, 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
The Kentucky Equine Education Project selected the winners of its new academic scholarships during a recent board meeting. Each winner will be awarded $1,000 toward their academic studies.
Monday, July 31, 2006
The Kentucky Equine Education Project has passed its 10,000 member mark this month. KEEP, the lobbying group representing all breeds of horses in the state, reached its goal in just a little over two years since it was formed in May 2004.
Thursday, July 06, 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
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
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
A compromise would add three or four locations to the eight racetracks that would offer casino gambling under legislation already introduced in the Kentucky House of Representatives.
Thursday, March 02, 2006
An organization representing county judge/executives throughout Kentucky has endorsed racetrack casino legislation offered by the Kentucky Equine Education Project and currently in the House Licensing and Occupations Committee.
Thursday, February 23, 2006
Legislation to authorize a constitutional amendment on casino gambling at Kentucky racetracks was introduced Feb. 16 by legislators in the House of Representatives and Senate.
Thursday, February 16, 2006
Two Democrats who received financial support from members of the state's horse industry were elected Feb. 14 to seats in the Kentucky Senate and House of Representatives, but officials indicated the result is just a small step on a long road to lining up supporters in the state capital.
Wednesday, February 15, 2006
The Kentucky Equine Education Project has given its support for legislation that would make it unlawful for anyone to represent both buyer and seller in a transaction involving horses without written permission of both parties.
Tuesday, January 31, 2006
The Kentucky Quarter Horse Racing Association and the Kentucky Paso Fino Horse Association have endorsed the Kentucky Equine Education Project's proposal for a constitutional amendment on racetrack casinos.
Thursday, January 19, 2006
Two Kentucky lawmakers have introduced legislation that would eliminate the sales tax on horses purchased in Kentucky.
Thursday, January 12, 2006
More than nine in 10 Kentucky voters (92 %) believe they should be given an opportunity to vote on a constitutional amendment allowing for casino gaming even if they are opposed to expanded gambling, according to the finding of a recent survey of 801 Kentucky voters conducted on behalf of KEEP˜the Kentucky Equine Education Project.
Thursday, January 05, 2006
The Kentucky Equine Education Project announced Nov. 29 that it has provided funding to 147 equine programs around the state in the past 10 months. To date, $100,343 has been reinvested in Kentucky's horse economy in 67 counties.
Tuesday, November 29, 2005
