Keeneland

The filly Swiss Skydiver (Daredevil) will be out to make history Saturday when she takes on males in the GII Toyota Blue Grass S. at Keeneland. No filly has ever won the prestigious race. Trainer Kenny McPeek had nominated Swiss Skydiver for both the Blue Grass and the GI Ashland S. for fillies. He waited until Wednesday morning, shortly before the draw, to make his decision. He said a major factor was that he has another filly for the Ashland in Envoutante (Uncle Mo). "In any other year, this would...

Keeneland will refuse to accept entries for sales or racing from Tom VanMeter following his racist comments on social media earlier this week. Keeneland released the following statement Wednesday morning: "Effective immediately, Tom VanMeter will be excluded from the Keeneland premises, including participation by VanMeter and VanMeter-Gentry Sales in sales and racing activities, while Keeneland further reviews the circumstances related to the recent reprehensible comments VanMeter made on social media. "Keeneland takes its role in advancing inclusion and diversity seriously. But we know that we as a company, an industry...

Like everyone else, Gabby Gaudet is looking forward to Keeneland's special summer meet, which kicks off Wednesday. With 10 graded stakes races packed into a five-day schedule, she knows the meet will be special, but also different. Keeneland has never run in the summer before, and, for this meet, no spectators will be allowed to attend. As one of the hosts of the track's simulcast feed, Gaudet's job will be to deliver the "Keeneland experience" to people's living rooms. "I know people will miss Keeneland and miss being on track,"...

TVG analyst and host for the Keeneland Summer Meet Gabby Gaudet joins this week's TDN Writers' Room to discuss the "Keeneland at Home" theme fans will enjoy during the upcoming spectator-less race meet at Keeneland.

Sponsored by Alex Nichols Agency 8th-KEE, $80K, Alw, 3yo, 5 1/2fT, 4:57p.m. Richard Ravin's MAVEN (American Pharoah), sent overseas following a debut win at Aqueduct in April, 2019, makes his first start in just over a year for trainer Wesley Ward. The chestnut colt RNA'd for £725,000 at last summer's Goffs London sale and, scratched from an expected start in the G2 Norfolk S. at Royal Ascot over ground concerns, was rerouted to win the June 29 G3 Prix de Bois at Chantilly. He was last seen finishing 10th at...

Beginning in July, Blue Grass Farms Charities will launch its inaugural matching gift campaign, "Gallop and Graze," to further the mission of the charity. Founded in 2003, Blue Grass Farm Charities' purpose is to provide health and human services to those working in the Thoroughbred racing community. With a commitment to this mission, BGFC is proud to announce Gallop and Graze, a matching campaign to provide continued services and assistance to our backstretch and farm community. Keeneland has kicked off this campaign with a $20,000 gift and the Mary K....

Keeneland and University of Kentucky Athletics will broadcast "A Day at Keeneland Presented by Toyota" to help deliver Keeneland's Summer Meet to the Big Blue Nation. The four-hour program, which airs Saturday from 2 p.m.-6 p.m. EST on the UK Sports Network, will feature continuous coverage of Keeneland's Saturday card that includes six graded stakes races and the GII Toyota Blue Grass S. Tom Leach, "The Voice of the Wildcats" and an Eclipse Award winner who serves as a Keeneland racing analyst, will anchor the program live from the Lexington...

A pair of sophomores from trainer Saffie Joseph's barn tuned up for graded stakes engagements with five-furlong works at Gulfstream Park Sunday. Ny Traffic (Cross Traffic), currently seventh in the Sept. 5 GI Kentucky Derby qualifying-points standings, breezed five furlongs in :58.64 (1/12) in preparation for a likely start in the July 18 GI Haskell S. at Monmouth Park. "I worked him Monday last week, so he came back in six days. I wanted to get a good work into him and he worked super. He finished up really good....

Finnick the Fierce (Dialed In) and Man in the Can (Can the Man) were the recipients of Saturday morning bullets at Keeneland as each wrapped up their serious work ahead of next Saturday's GII Toyota Blue Grass S. in Lexington. The one-eyed Finnick the Fierce drilled a half-mile in :46.20, the fastest of 90 works at the distance Saturday morning. The gelding, an adjudicated allowance winner at Oaklawn Apr. 4, was a sound third to the now-retired Nadal (Blame) in the GI Arkansas Derby May 2. He exits a third...

Shivaree (Awesome of Course), who belied odds of 80-1 to complete the exacta behind future GI Belmont S. hero Tiz the Law (Constitution) in the GI Curlin Florida Derby Mar. 28, worked five furlongs in 1:01.65 Saturday morning at Gulfstream Park in advance of the GII Toyota Blue Grass S. at Keeneland July 11. A homebred for Fred Brei's Jacks Or Better Farm, Shivaree required five starts to break his maiden, but has since proved he belongs in the 3-year-old discussion with a pair of stakes scores prior to his...

Shannon Bishop Arvin has been tabbed to replace Bill Thomason when he retires as Keeneland's President and CEO at the end of 2020, the racing and sales company announced Thursday morning. Arvin, a partner at the Lexington law firm Stoll Keenon Ogden (SKO), has served as corporate counsel to Keeneland since 2008 and as Secretary and Advisory Member of Keeneland's Board of Directors since 2015. She will serve as the incoming President-elect beginning Sept. 1 and will officially transition to President and CEO on Jan. 1, 2021. She becomes Keeneland's...

As president of the sale company that conducted the final auction before the coronavirus pandemic shut down society as well as the first one after restrictions were lifted, OBS's Tom Ventura has had to learn on the fly. Wednesday, he joined the TDN Writers' Room podcast presented by Keeneland to offer his advice for the rest of the industry on keeping business going amidst COVID-19 and his impressions of the rebounding sale market. Calling in via Zoom as the Green Group Guest of the Week, Ventura said of the lessons...