Keeneland’s marathon September yearling sale highlighted by the sale of Beholder’s half brother for $3 million ended Sept. 25, with strength at the top and middle of the market and continued tepid demand for lower quality individuals.
Boosted by a broad-based international buying bench and the appeal of top-caliber sires Medaglia d’Oro, Tapit, and War Front, the marathon Keeneland September yearling sale had a solid opening Sept. 12.
If success on the racetrack transcends into success in the sales ring, Keeneland is well-poised to have a successful marathon September yearling sale that could end the downward spiral experienced by previous sales this year.
The Breeders' Cup World Championships at Keeneland last year fueled double-digit tourism growth in Lexington in 2015, VisitLEX said Feb. 17.
Keeneland's Rice Road training center was very quiet early the morning of Oct. 31 as only a few of the horses participating in the second day of the Breeders' Cup World Championships later were sent to that track.
Revenue, participation exceeding expectations
The Coalition for Horse Racing Integrity said Aug. 21 California's failure to adopt third-party administration of the race-day drug furosemide shows the pitfalls of state-by-state regulation.
Parts of the grounds at Keeneland in Lexington may look like mini construction sites right now, but if one takes a step back and looks at the whole picture, it's very clear: The place is getting bigger.
There's a good chance no races that are part of the Breeders' Cup World Championships will be simulcast to Hong Kong this year.
The recent announcement by Breeders' Cup to ban horses from being entered in the World Championships if their trainers are found to be in violation of its convicted trainers rule, effective 2015, could signal change.
Equibase Co. will offer separate handicapping tournaments on Friday, Oct. 31, and Saturday, Nov. 1, of the Breeders' Cup World Championships with $10,000 in total cash prizes.
Tom LaMarra interviews Breeders' Cup President Craig Fravel and COO Bob Elliston. The trio discuss record pre-entries including European contenders, what to expect at Keeneland next year, and a few possible wagering picks. watch video
Breeders' Cup Ltd. announced March 14 that its director of racing and nominations, Joshua Christian, will be on assignment in Europe for an extended recruitment effort between April and October this year.
As the Breeders' Cup World Championships approaches its 30th edition, some things have become standard from an operations perspective, while others continue to change. As questions are answered, new ones are asked.
The California Horse Racing Board put its stamp on the racing industry's plan for stabling Thoroughbreds in the immediate post-Betfair Hollywood Park era during its meeting Oct. 24.
Breeders' Cup was approved Sept. 19 to card a $150,000 stakes for Arabians on the first day of its World Championships, but not before the CHRB grilled the organization on its plan to shift all or part of the money to purses.
Jimmy Bell, Craig Bernick, Bob Elliston, Rachel Kukulewich join Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance board of directors.
The Board of Directors of the Kentucky Equine Education Project has added five new members.
Breeders' Cup is prepared to take a hit in pari-mutuel handle given the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast even though many wagering outlets were back in operation Nov. 2.
Gulfstream Park could make a serious bid to host a future Breeders' Cup World Championships, officials confirmed Nov. 2.
Bob Elliston, who took over as chief operating officer at Breeders' Cup earlier this year, said the organization is assessing its position and working to improve the overall experience the World Championships has to offer.
The Breeders' Cup announced today that its "Text to Donate" campaign has received a contribution of $10,000 from the New York Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association.
A flight carrying a contingent of Breeders' Cup horses from New York to California was rescheduled to 1 a.m. EDT Oct. 29 and was able to take off as Hurricane Sandy approached the Northeast, Breeders' Cup officials said.
Dirt Mile, Juvenile, and Sprint will shift in their race order on the Nov. 3 Breeders' Cup card while Friday's card remains the same.
In continuing support of a national program for retired racehorses, the Breeders' Cup announced Oct. 23 that it has created a Text to Donate campaign that will allow fans to contribute to the Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance.
Several industry groups, including 13 prominent breeding farms in Kentucky, have developed plans to provide funds beginning in 2013 to support the Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance.
Bill Thomason, who took over as president and chief executive officer at Keeneland Sept. 1, has been named to the National Thoroughbred Racing Association board of directors.
Gotham Stakes (gr. III) winner Hansen wrapped up his week at Turfway Park with a paddock appearance the evening of March 9, but his majority owner reaffirmed that the colt will run next in New York, not Kentucky.
In yet another sign of trouble for the Kentucky horse racing industry, Turfway Park said it will slash overnight purses 25% effective March 3 because of an overpayment coupled with lower pari-mutuel handle.
The ability to fill a greater number of higher-level races in December has led Turfway Park to trim some stakes toward the end of its 2012 winter/spring meet to meet the purse budget.
Turfway Park will end its experiment with Saturday night racing effective Jan. 14, when it switches to a 1:10 p.m. first post.
The National Thoroughbred Racing Association board of directors has approved an $8 million budget for 2012 and reaffirmed its commitment to move forward, even in the absence of several high-profile members.
Turfway Park will ask the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission for permission to lower the pari-mutuel takeout rate on Pick 4 wagers to 14% from 22% effective Jan. 1, 2012.
With only a slight modification from the original proposal approved previously by a committee, the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission Oct. 24 unanimously OK'd 2012 racing dates for the state's racetracks.
With Instant Racing off to a successful start at Kentucky Downs, other tracks in the Bluegrass state are making plans to usher in the form of electronic gaming.
Trainer Joe Woodard, second in the nation in victories this year, was ordered to remove his horses from Turfway Park after he scratched six horses entered Sept. 16 with about 30 minutes to post time for the first race.
The grade II Kentucky Cup Classic, which returns to Turfway Park in September after a one-year hiatus, will have a new distance and new name, track officials said Aug. 18.
A committee has approved use of $100,000 from the Kentucky Thoroughbred Development Fund for several Kentucky Cup races, but it remains to be seen whether the stakes series--at least part of it--will be run.
Efforts to restore the Kentucky Cup Day of Champions at Turfway Park in September are ongoing, but the return of the stakes program could hinge on sponsorships.
Horse racing needs to take a "major league" approach in order to increase economic opportunities and spur investment, National Thoroughbred Racing Association executive chairman Bob Elliston said May 4.
Officials wouldn't comment April 8 on growing rumors of an impending ownership change at Turfway Park in Kentucky, but they did say plans call for live racing to continue.
Turfway Park reported across-the-board increases in pari-mutuel handle for its 2011 winter/spring meet in the face of national figures that show total handle on United States racing is down 8.5% for the same period.
An effort by Kentucky horsemen to keep Turfway Park open for off-season training and stabling has failed, meaning the Northern Kentucky track will close its barn area in mid-April.
In yet another sign of the Kentucky horse industry's economic troubles, Turfway Park has told horsemen it plans to close its barn area in mid-April rather than remain open in the spring and summer as a training center.
Officials at Turfway Park, which at the end of 2010 completed five full years of racing on Polytrack, said the results have been largely positive, and there is no thought of returning to dirt.
Turfway Park, in an attempt to drive ontrack business, hopes to replicate its Friday night success by switching to an evening post time on Saturdays beginning Feb. 5.
Turfway Park, which raced four days a week instead of five during its holiday meet, reported an increase in average daily ontrack wagering but as expected a decrease in average daily all-sources pari-mutuel handle.
Faced with making a decision brought about by the battering of the Kentucky horse racing industry, Turfway Park has opted to cut some overnight purses in order to maintain a weekly stakes schedule.
For the first time in several years, horsemen and management at Turfway Park are at odds over terms of a contract that would be in effect for the holiday meet that begins Dec. 2 and runs through Dec. 31.
After two years of major cutbacks in live racing, Kentucky's Thoroughbred racetracks are hoping for some stability and are maintaining the status quo in their requests for 2011 dates.
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