Churchill Downs

The Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance's Off to the Races online auction, which closed Feb. 10, raised $35,125. From Jan. 28 to Feb. 10 the public had the opportunity to bid on experience packages on 12 major race days in 2022 and 2023. Each experience package offered a unique itinerary of horse racing-related bucket list activities and tickets to the specified race day(s). In total, 23 donors contributed to the 12 experience packages offered in the TAA's Off to the Races auction: 1/ST, America's Best Racing, Anne's Washington Inn, Breeders' Cup Ltd.,...

A total of 103 fillies were nominated to the May 6 GI Longines Kentucky Oaks when the early nomination period ended last Saturday. The list of nominees to the $1.25-million Classic was led by last year's champion 2-year-old filly Echo Zulu (Gun Runner) and also included graded stakes winners Ain't Easy (Into Mischief), Dream Lith (Medaglia d'Oro), Hidden Connection (Connect), Juju's Map (Liam's Map), Nest (Curlin), Secret Oath (Arrogate), Shahama (Munnings), and Turnerloose (Nyquist). No fillies from the Bob Baffert barn were among the early nominations. Baffert, who is currently...

Early nominations for the May 6 GI Longines Kentucky Oaks are due by Saturday. Early nominations to the Kentucky Oaks cost $200. Fillies that are not nominated during the early phase may nominate from Feb. 20-April 16 with a $1,500 payment. A supplementary nomination of $25,000 may be made at the time of entry. Last year, 105 fillies were nominated during the early phase to the Oaks with five late nominations. In recent years, nominations to the $1-million GI Old Forester Bourbon Turf Classic ran concurrently with the Oaks. This...

A full 289 days after the running of the 2021 GI Kentucky Derby, the Churchill Downs stewards finally got around Monday to holding a closed-door hearing regarding the positive post-race test for Medina Spirit (Protonico). And while a decision may not be imminent, Clark Brewster, the lawyer representing trainer Bob Baffert, said he emerged from the hearing hopeful that his side will prevail. "Upon an honest and fair-minded review, Bob Baffert and Medina Spirit will be fully exonerated," Brewster wrote in a text. As has been the case with the...

The home of the Kentucky Derby will illuminate its iconic Twin Spires with an orange glow through Sunday night's game in honor of the underdog Cincinnati Bengals, its regional neighbors 92 miles to the northeast and a favorite NFL team for many people in the Louisville area. Sunday's Super Bowl against the Los Angeles Rams marks the Bengals' first championship appearance since 1989 and only the third in the franchise's history. They seek their first win. The Twin Spires have been the signature symbol of Churchill Downs and the Kentucky...

Bill Downes has been named track announcer at Emerald Downs for the Washington track's 2022 season which opens May 15. He replaces Tom Harris who recently stepped down. Downes served as Indiana Grand track announcer from 2013 to 2021, and before that called races at Ellis Park, Beulah Park, Presque Isle Downs, and River Downs. He also was back-up announcer at Churchill Downs. "I'm thrilled to come to Emerald Downs," Downes said. "Emerald is a track I've always held in high esteem. I was there once for a two-day handicapping...

Tired of the constant drumbeat of bad news, negativity and scandal? So am I. All the problems the sport is dealing with are not going to go away and they need to be dealt with and reported on. But I thought I'd give you and I a break in this week's edition of "The Week in Review." So here are some stories we can all feel good about. Schosberg Claims, Retires Twisted Tom In his role as the president of Take The Lead, a retirement program for Thoroughbreds based at...

Owner Brook Smith admits that his wager--a $10,000 Derby Future Wager bet on Tiz the Bomb (Hit It a Bomb) at 10-1--was not the smartest bet he's ever made. But that's not the point. The bet was meant to raise awareness for the Backside Learning Center at Churchill Downs and, who knows, perhaps make over $100,000 for an organization that is meeting the many needs of the track's backstretch workers. Smith, who operates the Rocket Ship Racing, LLC, stable, has been a longtime supporter of the backstretch center and helped...

Purses for maiden special weight (MSW) races are projected to trend upward this spring at both Keeneland Race Course and Churchill Downs. Track executives disclosed the pre-condition book figures during Tuesday's Kentucky Thoroughbred Development Fund (KTDF) advisory board meeting. "The MSWs for older horses are going to be $100,000. And the [MSW races for] 2-year-olds are going to be $80,000," said Keeneland's vice president of racing, Gatewood Bell. At Keeneland's 2021 spring meet, the comparable MSW purse levels were $79,000 and $60,000. Mike Ziegler, the senior vice president and general...

Have you lost all editorial accuracy in comparing the violations of trainers such as Jason Servis, Marcus Vitali, Wayne Potts, with Bob Baffert? Until Medina Spirit had the very unfortunate appearance of a skin disease requiring application of an ointment containing a one half strength variant of bethamethasone, Bob Baffert was a celebrated top trainer, who had become one of the faces of the sport. The sad oversight that led the vet to prescribe Otomax for Medina Spirit without noticing the presence of beta valerate, causing a minute overage positive...

Richard Duchossois, the businessman whose name was synonymous with Arlington Park, a track he bought in 1983, has passed away. He was 100. Duchossois was born in 1921 in Chicago and was a graduate of Washington and Lee University. He joined the Army in 1942 and became the commander of Company C of the 610th Tank Destroyer Battalion, which landed on Utah Beach in Normandy. He served in five European campaigns and later served as the military governor for the region of Eichstatt. He was released from active service in...

Lily Swan, a junior at Mercy Academy in Louisville, has been named the Grand Prize winner of the 36th annual Horsing Around With Art competition, presented by WinStar Farm. The Grand Prize is awarded to the artist whose work best captures the spirit of the Kentucky Derby. Swan's artwork, entitled 'The Bath,' shows Rock Your World receiving a bath after a workout over the Churchill Downs main track. This is the artist's first oil painting. Students from grades 1-12 in Louisville Metro public, private and parochial schools were eligible to...