Damon Thayer

The Jockeys' Guild has reached an agreement with the Kentucky HBPA and the Kentucky Thoroughbred Association on a mount fee increase effective Nov. 29, which is opening day of the Turfway Park Holiday meet, the organization said in a release Wednesday. The mount fee schedule calls for a minimum fee of $125 at all Kentucky racetracks, including Churchill Downs, Keeneland, Ellis Park, Kentucky Downs and Turfway Park. This agreement also provides for $500 minimum fee in races with purses of $1 million or more. "On behalf of our members who...

Edited Press Release The key indicators to measure the success of a race meet were either up or maintained a lofty level at the FanDuel Meet at Kentucky Downs, which came to a close Wednesday. Purses paid out to horse owners were a record for the 12th straight year. Money wagered was another record, increasing 4.3%. Field sizes remained among the highest in the country with an average of 10.42 starters per race. "Kentucky Downs' ownership led by Ron Winchell and Marc Falcone continually pushes us to present racing in...

The Mint Event Center was officially launched Wednesday morning with a ribbon-cutting ceremony attended by local, regional and state civic leaders and officials, including business representatives from Kentucky and Tennessee, The Mint Gaming and Kentucky Downs said in a release. The Event Center is Simpson County's largest space for events and conventions, which is positioned as the area's newest location for weddings, parties, conferences, corporate meetings and live entertainment. The space can accommodate groups from 12 to 445 people. "All the economic development you see here is exactly an example...

Just before the Kentucky State Legislature was to adjourn Thursday evening, House Bill 551--legislation to legalize, regulate and tax sports betting in the Commonwealth of Kentucky that seemed a longshot as late as Thursday morning--passed the Kentucky State Senate by a vote of 25-12. Governor Andy Beshear was to sign the legislation, which required 23 votes in favor, into law Friday morning. "After years of urging lawmakers to legalize sports betting, we finally did it!" Beshear tweeted Thursday evening. "Today's result shows that hard work pays off. Kentuckians will soon...

Kentucky's state senate adopted a resolution by voice vote Mar. 29 that will "urge" the overseers of the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act (HISA) and elected federal politicians "to review the funding methodology of HISA and ensure that they provide uniform treatment to all states," according to a summary of the measure posted on the web page of the Kentucky General Assembly. Senators Damon Thayer and John Schickel sponsored the resolution, which was both introduced and passed on Wednesday. The resolution describes itself as a means of "expressing concerns regarding...

The Senate has passed House Bill 594, which will outlaw the unregulated and untaxed gaming machines known as "gray machines" in Kentucky. The bill passed in a 29-6 vote and now heads to Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear's desk. The Kentucky Equine Education Project (KEEP) released the following statement Tuesday. "KEEP applauds the Kentucky General Assembly for the passage of HB 594, legislation that will ban illegal gray machines. Getting this bill across the finish line was an incredible effort and KEEP is grateful to the legislators who supported the bill...

by Sara Gordon and Katie Petrunyak Many of the nearly 250 people attending the Kentucky Thoroughbred Farm Managers Club's (KTFMC) monthly meeting, held Tuesday evening at the Keeneland sales pavilion, were unfamiliar with the unregulated and untaxed gaming machines known as "gray machines." The risk these gray machines pose to historical horse racing (HHR) gaming and the state's horse racing industry as a whole were the main topic of the meeting that included a discussion and Q and A session of Central Kentucky legislators. In a panel moderated by the...

With Congress passing a short-term bill to fund the government for a matter of days, efforts to include in the full-year omnibus spending bill a legislative fix to the constitutional problems dogging the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act (HISA) is coming down to the crunch, Friday of next week the deadline to pass such a bill before the make-up of Congress changes shape next year. So, where does this all leave HISA? The answer resembles a puzzle box shaken onto the floor, with HISA offering limited direction as to how...

Through the conclusion of racing at Keeneland Sunday Oct. 15, more than $1.1 million has been returned to bettors since the introduction of penny breakage--rounding pari-mutuel winnings to the penny and not the dime--less than two months ago, according to a blog post from the Thoroughbred Idea Foundation (TIF). TIF was a vocal supporter and champion of the penny breakage provision, the first of its kind in North America as part of broader legislation designed to standardize pari-mutuel taxation. "The total is even higher than $1.1 million, that is just...

The Kentucky Equine Education Project (KEEP) announced that it will host a horse industry advocacy event at Midway University Tuesday, Sept. 6, from 5-7 p.m. Participants in Kentucky's signature horse industry are invited to attend to learn about legislative issues that can impact their equine business, how to engage in the legislative process, and how to best communicate with lawmakers. In addition to representatives from KEEP and the Kentucky Thoroughbred Association, speakers include Senate Majority Floor Leader Damon Thayer, Senate Minority Caucus Chair Reggie Thomas and Representative Matt Koch. Candidates...

By a vote of 33-1, the Kentucky State Senate has given their stamp of approval to Kentucky House Bill 607, which modernizes the taxation of pari-mutuel wagers and, in a major victory for horseplayers, eliminates the dime breakage than has been the standard for many years in favor of penny breakage. The change in the breakage will put more money into the pockets of horseplayers and is the first such measure to be introduced in the United States. The lone dissenting vote came from Republican Senator Whitney Westerfield. "For more...

House Bill 606, which would legalize sports betting in Kentucky, passed by a margin of 58 to 30 Friday in the Kentucky House and will now be sent to the Senate. The bill will also legalize fantasy sports and on-line poker. The revenue will be used to support the state pension fund. The bill was sponsored by Rep. Adam Koenig (R-Erlanger), a longtime supporter of sports betting in the Blue Grass State. Koening estimates that sports betting will generate at least $22.5 million in new state tax revenue each year....