Kentucky horsemen expected backlash from Churchill Downs' decision to charge the maximum takeout rates allowed by state law, but they hope positives follow from increased purses that improve the racing product.
Turfway Park expects much warmer temperatures the week of Feb. 16 that will allow proper maintenance of its Polytrack surface and a return to live racing Feb. 21.
The Kentucky Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association said Jan. 22 that efforts to keep Turfway Park open as a training center when live racing isn't held are progressing.
The Kentucky Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association and Turfway Park are working together to determine whether there is enough interest in having the racetrack stay open for summer stabling and training.
National Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association affiliates in Kentucky, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia have announced results of elections for their boards of directors.
Kentucky horsemen are losing patience with a new policy that requires regulatory veterinarians to administer furosemide on race day after mistakes have led to horses being scratched on consectutive race days at Churchill.
The schedule shifts September racing dates from Turfway Park in Northern Kentucky to Churchill in Louisville. February will offer just four race dates in the state, at Turfway Park.
That Turfway Park is struggling to fill live racing programs for its 16-day meet is no surprise to horsemen, who believe a "perfect storm" developed in September.
The Kentucky HBPA said Aug. 31 it is "frustrated and extremely disappointed" with the decision by Kentucky Gov. Steve Beshear to override a vote by a legislative committee that found new equine medical rules deficient.
A Kentucky legislative subcommittee, in a surprise vote, found regulations governing equine medication "deficient" Aug. 27, just one week before they are scheduled to take effect.
The Kentucky Horse Racing Commission, by a 7-5 vote with one abstention June 13, approved an administrative regulation that would ban the use of furosemide on race day in graded and listed stakes over a three-year period.
The Kentucky Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association has requested Gov. Steve Beshear not to sign any request to implement on an emergency basis a ban on race-day use of furosemide.
Representatives of Kentucky's horse industry said a strong endorsement of a constitutional amendment on expanded gambling by the Kentucky Chamber of Commerce Feb. 9 indicates broad support for a statewide vote on the issue.
Instant Racing at Kentucky Downs produced more than $19.52 million in wagers in its first three months of operation, according to figures from the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission.
Amid the uncertainty of reception in the marketplace and a lingering legal challenge, Kentucky Downs officially christened expanded pari-mutuel wagering via Instant Racing machines during an evening reception Aug. 30.
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.
It appears Kentucky Downs will be the first racetrack in the state to apply to the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission for an Instant Racing license.
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.
The Kentucky HBPA has sent a letter to the chairman of the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission in support of senior state steward John Veitch
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.
A positive day for horse racing at Turfway Park couldn't hide the fact the track's product, and the Kentucky horse racing and breeding industry in general, are suffering.
The Kentucky Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association is teaming up with Turfway Park Oct. 2 for an interactive fan appreciation day designed to emphasize the importance of Thoroughbred racing to Kentucky.
Kentucky Horse Racing Commission officials acknowledged concerns about aspects of the proposed out-of-competition testing of racehorses and pledged Aug. 25 to consider the input before the regulations are approved.
The annual controversy over advertising on jockeys' pants at the Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (gr. I) resurfaced May 11 during two meetings of the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission.
Rick Hiles has been elected to a second term as president of the Kentucky Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association.
The Kentucky Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association said Nov. 23 the results of its 2009 election have been certified by a public accountant.
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.
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.
Kentucky horsemen are hoping "light at the end of the tunnel" could help facilitate a contract for the upcoming Turfway Park meet.
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.
Wagering on the Churchill Downs spring meet may again be restricted to customers of certain betting outlets, although negotiations appear to be ongoing to include some that are on the outside looking in.
After going a month with no fatalities, Turfway Park in Northern Kentucky was the site of five catastrophic injuries during an eight-day period in February, according to state veterinarian Dr. Bryce Peckham.
Turfway Park is having a tough time making up for programs canceled because of the weather during the current winter/spring meet.
The Kentucky Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association is circulating a petition asking the General Assembly to support legislation to authorize video lottery terminals at racetracks in the state.
Churchill Downs, for the second time, has cut purses for its fall meet. Among the casualties is the grade II Clark Handicap scheduled for Nov. 28.
Churchill Downs' 52-day spring meet closed July 6 with steep declines in handle and purses, likely results of a well-publicized clash between track officials and horsemen over wagering revenue.
Negotiations between Ellis Park and the Kentucky Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association continued July 5 in an effort to resolve a dispute that led the western Kentucky racing to shut down the day before its summer meet was to begin.
Ellis Park's owner said the western Kentucky racetrack won't hold its meet this summer, though horsemen want the Kentucky Horse Racing Authority to intervene. Could another track get the dates?
Kentucky horseracing interests are sponsoring a June 16 poker tournament to raise money for the Backside Lifestyle Drug and Alcohol Abuse Program at Churchill Downs.
In a flurry of responses filed recently in federal court, Kentucky horsemen claim Churchill Downs Inc. owes purse funds upwards to $3 million in unpaid fees from wagering revenues, and have asked a judge to force the racetrack company to pay out funds lost from a 20% purse cut.
The head of a Kentucky horsemen's association said his group withheld approval for the Churchill Downs signal to go out to a pair of offshore rebate shops for the undercards of the Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (gr. I) and Kentucky Oaks (gr. I), and is aggravated that the track is blaming horsemen for a decline in handle on the two programs.
Because of the dispute over simulcast fees and revenue, Calder Race Course will not offer wagering on the May 2 Kentucky Oaks (gr. I) and May 3 Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (gr. I), as well as all other races on the two programs.
Horsemen at odds with TrackNet Media Group over advance deposit wagering revenue sharing plans are suggesting a plan that would allow all ADWs to carry programs of both the May 2 Kentucky Oaks (gr. I) and May 3 Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (gr. I).
Horsemen at odds with TrackNet Media Group over advance deposit wagering revenue sharing plans are proposing an arrangement that would allow all ADWs to carry programs of both the May 2 Kentucky Oaks (gr. I) and May 3 Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (gr. I).
Consider this chilling scenario: Customers of several advance deposit wagering companies - and possibly some large off-shore rebate shops - won't be able to place wagers on the Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (gr. I) through those entities.
The year 2008 probably will bring some experimentation to Turfway Park, which has asked the Kentucky Horse Racing Authority for permission to switch from evening to daytime racing on Wednesdays and Thursdays during its three-month winter/spring meet.
Indiana Downs is weighing its options in the wake of a decision by Churchill Downs Inc. to pull its racing signals from an Indiana Downs-owned off-track wagering parlor.
Board members of the Kentucky Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association did not discuss complaints from trainers regarding an Oaks/Derby ticket provision agreement between the Kentucky HBPA and Churchill Downs at their May 15 meeting as originally planned. Instead, the Kentucky HBPA will conduct an independent investigation into the matter.
In what they said is an effort to promote unity, officials with the National Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association have rescinded a resolution that banned the Kentucky HBPA president from serving in an official capacity with the organization.
Rick Hiles, who served two terms as president of the Kentucky Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association in the 1990s, has been voted president by the new board of the Kentucky HBPA.
