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
Pierre Bellocq, the internationally celebrated artist better known as "Peb," was joined by officials from Keeneland and Daily Racing Form Oct. 15 to announce the donation of nearly a half-century of his humorous caricatures and equine cartoons to the Keeneland Library.
Thursday, October 15, 2009
Keeneland president Nick Nicholson Oct. 7 announced that Jay Blanton has been named the company's director of communications and marketing.
Wednesday, October 07, 2009
Keeneland has made changes to its parking system and traffic flow for the fall meet that begins Oct. 9.
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
Keeneland and Fasig-Tipton have made changes to their November sales schedules to better accommodate horsemen attending the Breeders' Cup World Championships at Santa Anita Park Nov. 6 and 7. Keeneland's November breeding stock sale will begin Tuesday, November 10, at 10 a.m. (EST) and run through Sunday, November 22. Fasig-Tipton will conduct its select mixed sale on Tuesday, November 10, starting at 5 p.m. (EST).
Thursday, September 03, 2009
Kentucky Gov. Steve Beshear announced Aug. 26 that deputy chief of staff Vince Gabbert will leave the administration in October to join venerable racetrack and sales company, Keeneland.
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
Keeneland's long time director of communications, Jim Williams, announced Aug. 18 that he plans to retire after more than 38 years with the company. He will step down in December.
Tuesday, August 18, 2009
Keeneland has reduced its sales commission on horses that fail to meet their reserves to 2.5%. The rate will be in effect for this year's September yearling and November breeding stock sales and the 2010 January horses of all ages sale.
Wednesday, July 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
Kentucky racetrack operators said May 20 the state's horseracing and breeding industries have reached a critical juncture, and without legislative assistance in the form of on-track gaming, the damage could be irreparable.
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
As Kentucky's equine industry awaits word on whether Gov. Steve Beshear will call a special legislative session that could have racetrack gaming on the agenda, representatives of the state's racetracks and horsemen's groups will hold a press conference May 20 to discuss the state of the horse business. Meanwhile, Ohio horseracing interests plan a statehouse rally May 19 to lobby for legislative relief.
Monday, May 18, 2009
The Lexington track attracted near-record crowds but the all-sources handle still fell 19.5%. The on-track handle fared a bit better.
Friday, April 24, 2009
The Association of Racing Commissioners International will celebrate its 75th anniversary when its four-day conference on racing and wagering integrity kicks off April 20 at the Lexington Hilton Downtown Hotel and Conference Center.
Friday, April 17, 2009
At a press conference April 17 at Keeneland, the National Thoroughbred Racing Association announced that the Lexington racetrack has been fully accredited by the NTRA Safety and Integrity Alliance following a complete review of all racing operations at the facility. Keeneland is the second track to be so designated by the Alliance. Churchill Downs was accredited last week.
Friday, April 17, 2009
Keeneland officials announced March 31 that, for the first time, wagering on the track's upcoming spring race meeting will be available on all major North American betting platforms.
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Keeneland has announced that post time for the first race will be 1:05 p.m. (ET) during its April 3-24 spring meet. Post time has previously been 1:10 p.m.
Thursday, March 26, 2009
Keeneland will offer fans a general admission season pass at an introductory price of $10 for its spring race meeting, to be held April 3-24.
Thursday, March 05, 2009
Keeneland is the nation's top racetrack, according to the Horseplayers Association of North America. The bettors' advocacy group has introduced this year a rating system for 65 Thoroughbred racetracks in the United States and Canada.
Thursday, February 12, 2009
Revised legislation to authorize video lottery terminals at Kentucky racetracks unanimously passed out of a House of Representatives committee Feb. 12, but its sponsor is unsure the measure will be voted on by the full House during the current General Assembly session.
Thursday, February 12, 2009
Legislation to authorize video lottery terminals at Kentucky racetracks will be amended in several key areas, one of which is a substantial increase in the licensing fee racetracks would pay for VLT licenses.
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
Democratic Kentucky Rep. Greg Stumbo was sworn in Jan. 7 as the state's speaker of the House, giving some in the Thoroughbred industry hope that alternative gaming may soon exist in the Bluegrass State.
Thursday, January 08, 2009
Kentucky horse racing and breeding industries are losing ground to other states, and if immediate action is not taken to stem the tide, the state could find itself in jeopardy of losing one of its signature industries, according to a 70-plus-page document released Dec. 15 by the Governor's Task Force on the Future of Horse Racing.
Monday, December 15, 2008
In spite of a struggling economy, the generosity of Thoroughbred industry members and others was not lacking at the third annual Tubby's Klubhouse fundraiser Nov. 7. Hosted by Ro Parra's Millennium Farms near Lexington, the event raised more than $220,000 via items sold at a live auction, individual donations, and a matching grant from Parra's Family Foundation.
Monday, November 10, 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
InCompass Solutions announced Oct. 10 hat it had launched the Jockey Health Information System, a database that will store jockeys' updated medical histories and make it possible for emergency medical personnel at racetracks to instantly access that information in the event of injury.
Friday, October 10, 2008
Keeneland, whose fall meet begins Oct. 3, is launching a "PolyCapping" online database to provide more information for handicappers.
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
In response to the horse industry's cries for more effective ways of regulating racehorse medications, Kentucky Horse Racing Commission chairman Robert Beck reported the possibility of the state obtaining its own laboratory facility.
Wednesday, September 03, 2008
Keeneland and HOK Sports held an open forum the evening of Aug. 25 to discuss the association's "master plan" initiative that was announced last month. Between 100 and 150 local citizens attended the meeting.
Monday, August 25, 2008
Keeneland will donate copies of Anna Morgan Ford's book, "Beyond the Track: Retraining the Thoroughbred from Racehorse to Riding Horse," to nonprofit organizations around the country that have the mission to find adoptive homes for retired Thoroughbreds. These organizations will in turn provide free copies of the manual to individuals who adopt a Thoroughbred from their group.
Tuesday, August 12, 2008
Keeneland announced Aug. 7 that it has contracted with HOK Sport, a global sports architecture firm, to develop a master plan for the current and future use of its facility.
Thursday, August 07, 2008
The Thoroughbred Horsemen's Group, which advocates a new economic model for pari-mutuel wagering and has been engaged in high-profile battles in the racing industry, isn't going away anytime soon, its president said July 18.
Friday, July 18, 2008
The American Horse Council has released "Getting Involved in the 2008 Elections," a federal election guide for the horse industry.
Friday, July 11, 2008
Though the United States presidential election will get the biggest headlines as November approaches, horse industry representatives were told June 17 they should pay attention to -- and get involved in -- congressional races around the country.
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
Keeneland reported an average on-track attendance increase of 6.2% but a 5% drop in total handle from all sources based on preliminary figures following the conclusion of the 16-day meet April 25.
Friday, April 25, 2008
An agreement signed March 10 will enable horsemen from Kentucky and Mexico to share knowledge and resources and set up commercial and technical exchanges to improve both equine industries.
Tuesday, March 11, 2008
Keeneland Association and the New York Racing Association are collaborating on a project to preserve NYRA's film and video archives, which span more than 100 years of racing.
Thursday, November 29, 2007
Keeneland Association and Fasig-Tipton Co. officials jointly announced Nov. 15 that the policy regarding exogenous anabolic steroids will be implemented for weanlings and yearlings beginning with their 2008 sales.
Friday, November 16, 2007
The first Kentucky-related documentary funded by a $2.25 million endowment to Kentucky Educational Television was announced at an Oct. 18 ceremony at Keeneland. The documentary, called "Thoroughbred," is slated to premier nationwide by March 2010.
Thursday, October 18, 2007
TVG will provide extensive live television coverage of Keeneland's fall race meeting, including live trackside broadcasts every Friday, Saturday, and Sunday during the first three weekends of the 17-day meet.
Wednesday, October 03, 2007
Keeneland closed its 2007 spring season on Friday with record total wagering exceeding $158 million for the 15-day race meet held April 6 -27, but on-track attendance declined following a record-breaking season in 2006.
Friday, April 27, 2007
James G. "Jimmy" Bell was elected to Keeneland's Board of Directors at the corporation's semi-annual meeting April 18. He is the president of Darley USA and the son of John A. Bell III, a longtime Keeneland board member who died in February.
Wednesday, April 18, 2007
Prospective investors in the multi-billion dollar Thoroughbred industry can now get a "leg up" with the launch of The Racing Game, a re-branded partnership of the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association, Keeneland Association and Blood-Horse Publications.
Tuesday, April 03, 2007
Proposed Kentucky legislation that sparked controversy in the Thoroughbred auction community was tabled Feb. 14 after a compromise was reached between the bill's backers and several entities related to the commonwealth's signature industry.
Wednesday, February 14, 2007
Fasig-Tipton and Keeneland have formed a committee that includes veterinarians and breeders to develop a policy that will involve testing for the inappropriate use of anabolic steroids at their Kentucky sales.
Saturday, January 20, 2007
Keeneland officials announced Jan. 9 that Ed Blaser, Jr., has been named director of security.
Tuesday, January 09, 2007
Keeneland reported record attendance and a 12.3% increase in total wagering at the 17-day fall race meeting that ended Oct. 28, its first with a new Polytrack surface.
Saturday, October 28, 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
Total wagering at the just concluded 15-day Keeneland spring meeting of $143,459,422 set an all-time record, the track reported May 2.
Tuesday, May 02, 2006
The Keeneland Association board of directors gave its approval to install a synthetic surface known as Polytrack on the main racetrack during an April 19 meeting. Construction is scheduled to begin in May and the track will be ready for racing when the fall meet opens Oct. 6.
Wednesday, April 19, 2006
Wagering on Saturday's 10-race Toyota Blue Grass Stakes (gr. I) program totaled an all-time Keeneland record $18,306,844. It topped by almost $1 million the previous record of $17,347,623 set during last year's Blue Grass program.
Monday, April 17, 2006
