Keeneland

The ninth Welfare and Safety of the Racehorse Summit, which was scheduled to be held in the Keeneland sales pavilion in Lexington, Ky., June 23, has been canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Grayson-Jockey Club Research Foundation has announced. In lieu of an in-person event, Grayson will instead be hosting a series of weekly online seminars on equine health and safety topics starting May 12. "While we are disappointed to cancel an in-person edition of the Welfare and Safety of the Racehorse Summit, we are pleased to be able...

Keeneland will offer digital inspections for all Book 1 and Book 2 yearlings in the Keeneland September Sale. Footage will be captured at the farms during the yearling preparation period and will be available online for all remote buyers, including those whose travel will be prevented by COVID-19. Keeneland will also aid consignors and breeders with yearlings in Books 3-6, who would like to photograph or video their horses. "Keeneland's award-winning Broadcast Services team will coordinate "digital inspections" for all Book 1 and Book 2 yearlings as an enhanced service...

A new program, Nourish the Backstretch, powered by Keeneland, Nourish Lexington and Blue Grass Farms Charities (BGFC), will provide weekly meals and groceries to stable area workers at Keeneland and The Thoroughbred Center (TTC), Keeneland announced Tuesday. More than 500 people are employed by trainers to care of horses at the two locations. Proceeds from wagers placed through Keeneland Select, Keeneland's online ADW, during May will be donated to Nourish the Backstretch. "Keeneland is forever grateful to the industry's front-line heroes, the men and women on the backstretch who are...

Amplify Horse Racing, a grassroots organization launched in 2019 by second-year Godolphin Flying Start trainee Annise Montplasir and Madison Scott of Solis/Litt Bloodstock as an initiative to welcome and educate newcomers about the Thoroughbred industry, collaborate with existing initiatives, and promote opportunities for involvement, has launched its website at www.amplifyhorseracing.org. "Our goal for Amplify has been to become 'Step One' for newcomers to learn about the Thoroughbred industry," said Montplaisir. "We want this website and the resources we've curated to be a roadmap from basic to technical learning, and how...

Keeneland and Fasig-Tipton are instating new restrictions on the use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), corticosteroids and bronchodilators, including Clenbuterol, for all horses sold at sales conducted by the two major Thoroughbred auction houses effective immediately, officials from Keeneland and Fasig-Tipton announced Thursday. These latest reforms are in addition to restrictions put in place earlier this year for 2-year-old sales held at Keeneland and Fasig-Tipton, and follow action in 2009 to ban the use of anabolic steroids in sales horses and last year's ban on the off-label use of bisphosphonates...

We hope this finds you and your family well. It's hard to believe that this is typically a week with so much buzz and excitement in our industry leading into the first Saturday of May. We look forward to the days when our industry is fully up and running again. Toward this goal, Keeneland is committed to doing everything possible to ensure a safe and secure environment for conducting Thoroughbred auctions this fall and to maintain market stability. As you saw yesterday, Fasig-Tipton has moved its July and Saratoga yearling...

I hope this note finds each of you well and healthy. During these uncertain times, every day presents a new set of challenges and surprises on both a personal and professional level. As we navigate this fluid situation together, we hope that these regular email communications covering both sales and racing provide helpful information to guide your decisions over the coming weeks and months. Thank you for the tremendous feedback following last week's newsletter. In this edition, we're taking the opportunity to address a few specific questions from you, our...

Damon Thayer, a former Breeders' Cup executive who is now the majority leader of the Kentucky Senate, continued to beat the drum Thursday for a return of racing in his state. In an interview with the TDN, he said he sees no practical reason why racing, without spectators in the stands, cannot resume within the next few weeks and warned that keeping the tracks closed indefinitely would create serious economic problems for the sport. "Staggering and potentially cataclysmic," he said when asked to predict the impact of racing in Kentucky...

In a letter to fans and supporters Thursday, Breeders' Cup President & CEO Drew Fleming said the organization remains committed to running this year's World Championships on schedule Nov. 6-7 at Keeneland. "The health and safety of the racing community, including its athletes, fans and workers, has always been Breeders' Cup's top priority. As we collectively navigate this uncharted and difficult time, I want to assure you that we are closely monitoring the COVID-19 pandemic and working with Keeneland, relevant government authorities and public health experts to assess its potential...

As an organization with enormous interests in both the racing and sales worlds, Keeneland has been quick to act in response to the coronavirus pandemic, canceling its April 2-Year-Old Sale and Spring Meet in the early days of the sport's shutdown. They also were quick to reassure nervous buyers and sellers of yearlings that this year's marquee September Yearling Sale would proceed as scheduled, Sept. 14-26. President and CEO Bill Thomason joined the TDN Writers' Room presented by Keeneland Wednesday, calling in via Zoom from his home as the Green...

Will there be spectators at the September sale? The Keeneland Fall Meet? Like all of us, Bill Thomason doesn't have all the answers, but he talks about plans, protocols and contingencies for Keeneland this fall on the Writers' Room podcast.

To Our Customers: It goes without saying that we are in historic times. COVID-19 has disrupted our industry and changed the manner in which we conduct our businesses and our everyday lives. While we are all doing our part to protect against the spread of the virus, we must also provide stability and normalcy to our industry. The Keeneland September Yearling Sale serves as a barometer for the state of our industry and establishes certainty for our global marketplace. This is a responsibility which we do not take lightly. With...