Keeneland

To our loyal horsemen, partners, employees and fans, On behalf of Keeneland and the broader Kentucky equine community, we are reaching out to you today to ask for your help. Historical horse racing (HHR) fuels Kentucky's signature horse industry, strengthens purse money for racing, provides valuable jobs and generates millions in tax revenue to benefit investments across the Commonwealth. A recent Kentucky Supreme Court ruling has put the future of historical horse racing, and therefore the health of Kentucky's equine industry, in jeopardy, causing Keeneland and Red Mile to temporarily...

In this continuing series, we take a look ahead at US-bred and/or conceived runners entered for the upcoming weekend at the tracks on the Japan Racing Association circuit, with a focus on pedigree and/or performance in the sales ring. Here are the horses of interest for this weekend running at Tokyo and Chukyo Racecourses. The latter plays host to Sunday's G3 Silk Road S., which has drawn a typically full field of 18 turf sprinters, led by American-bred Group 1 winner Mozu Superflare (Speightstown) and the hard-knocking Shivaji (First Samurai):...

There are few people in racing more qualified to speak on the health of the sport than Lane's End's Bill Farish. In addition to running the historic farm, Farish is on the board of the Breeders' Cup, chairman of the Horse PAC and serves on the Board of Trustees of the Keeneland Association, the Grayson-Jockey Club Research Foundation and the University of Kentucky's Gluck Equine Research Foundation. Wednesday, Farish joined the TDN Writers' Room presented by Keeneland, calling in as the Green Group Guest of the Week to explain why...

Two days after Keeneland Association and Red Mile announced they would be shutting their joint historical horse racing (HHR) venture at the Lexington harness racino while imploring the Kentucky legislature to provide "more clarity" regarding the disputed legal status of HHR, Vince Gabbert, Keeneland's vice president and chief operating officer, was called upon during the Jan. 26 Kentucky Thoroughbred Development Fund (KTDF) teleconference to explain why that decision was made in the absence of any formal order from state officials to cease HHR, which is ongoing at other licensed locations...

by Elisabeth Jensen and Doug Cauthen We believe and assume that most people reading this letter know that Historical Horse Racing (HHR) has been in the news a lot lately. But to quickly summarize, just last week, the Kentucky Supreme Court officially ruled that it would not rehear the case where it ruled, in principle, that at least certain HHR machines could not continue UNLESS the Kentucky Legislature provides legislation to allow HHR to qualify as pari-mutuel racing per the definition they alone can provide.  This is an urgent issue,...

Last summer, in the midst of guiding the best horse he had ever trained, Dame Malliot (GB) (Champs Elysees {GB}), through a Group 1 campaign, trainer Ed Vaughan announced that he was shutting up shop at his Machell Place Stables in Newmarket, citing the economic difficulties of being a smaller trainer in Britain. Later in the season, the Irish-born Vaughan revealed that he was relocating to America to train from Keeneland Racecourse. While the move means Vaughan's string has shrunk from 25 in Newmarket down to seven as he gets...

Keeneland Association and the Red Mile issued a joint press release Jan. 24 announcing the closure of historical horse race (HHR) gaming that the two tracks operate in partnership at the Red Mile harness track. The Sunday morning decision came three days after the Supreme Court of Kentucky ruled that it will not rehear an appealed Sept. 24 decision that told a lower court to re-examine the legality of the most crucial form of funding for purses in the commonwealth. "We were disappointed the Kentucky Supreme Court denied our petition...

With the fifth running of the $3-million GI Pegasus World Cup Invitational S. on the horizon, Gulfstream television host Acacia Courtney joined the TDN Writers' Room presented by Keeneland Wednesday morning. Calling in via Zoom as the Green Group Guest of the Week, Courtney talked about the significance of her and her colleagues' work on the New York Racing Association's "America's Day at the Races" broadcast that shined while other sports were on hold due to the pandemic last spring, how she thinks racing can better market itself and more....

Kurofune (French Deputy-Blue Avenue, by Classic Go Go) passed away at the age of 23 according to the JRA. The grey died on Jan. 17 at Shadai Stallion Station after he had been pensioned for several years. "Kurofune died due to old age," said Shadai's Eisuke Tokutake to www.hochi.news. "The horse had not been feeling well the past two months and passed on Jan. 17. He was a multi-purpose sire and had excellent results regardless of turf or dirt, and he was popular as a stallion and worked hard for...

It's been quite a week for the 3-year-old colt Carillo (Union Rags). He captured his debut at Aqueduct in 'TDN Rising Star'-fashion last Friday and summoned a whopping $875,000 from bloodstock agent Lauren Carlisle at Keeneland January Thursday. The Paul Pompa homebred sold as part of the complete dispersal of that late owner and breeder's estate, which was handled by Lane's End Farm.

   The next time Robert Traylor surveys the back walking ring at Keeneland, his eye for horseflesh is sure to be even more confident than before the start of the week. At the Keeneland November Sale back in 2017, Traylor brought home a young mare for just $4,000. This week, her short yearling filly by Good Samaritan sold for over 27 times that number, hammering down for $110,000. Traylor is the farm manager for Maccabee Farm, a growing operation established by Steve and Theresa Belford just seven years ago with...

The Keeneland January Horses of All Ages Sale continued into its Book 2 section with a measured session of bidding Wednesday. Five broodmares brought six figures during the session, with the 6-year-old From the Hood (Street Sense), a half-sister to champion Folklore (Tiznow), bringing the day's top price of $375,000. The mare was consigned by Taylor Made Sales Agency and Chris Baccari made the winning bid. A colt by Laoban (hip 1053) was the session's top-priced short yearling when selling to Rascal Bloodstock for $70,000. Bred in Ohio by Mark...