Kentucky

Following a hearing on March 31, a hearing officer assigned to the case by the Kentucky Horse Racing and Gaming Corporation has recommended that the Corporation re-license trainer Maria Borell. The former trainer of Runhappy (Super Saver), she has not started a horse since 2016. The Corporation identified three grounds for attempting to deny the renewal application: 1) lack of candor; (2) failure to satisfy the financial-responsibility statute and regulation; and (3) the "where have you been?" theory, which questioned whether Borell's absence from Kentucky racing affected her horsemanship skills...

The Horse Racing Women's Association (HRWA) presented by FanDuel TV will hold its 2026 Annual Conference October 12-14 at Harper Hall in Lexington, Kentucky. The annual event for women in racing brings together an inspiring community of leaders, innovators, athletes, executives, and changemakers from across sports and business. As part of the conference lineup, HRWA is honored to welcome Kentucky Derby-winning trainer Cherie DeVaux and Golden Tempo co-owner and breeder Daisy Phipps Pulito, who will join a broader roster of influential speakers, including a Keynote Speaker and a series of...

White Abarrio (Race Day) has won four Grade I races, earned $8,445,170 and has been going strong for six years. But that hasn't been enough for his owners to reach a deal with a stud farm, or at least one they found acceptable. But that may be about to change. Mark Cornett, who is a co-owner of the 7-year-old veteran, told the TDN that negotiations are underway with three farms in Kentucky and it is expected that an announcement will be made shortly regarding where he will begin his career...

The National Thoroughbred Racing Association (NTRA) presented the first-ever NTRA Statesman of the Year Award to Senator Mitch McConnell (R-KY) on Tuesday at its 4th Annual Kentucky Derby Kickoff Reception on Capitol Hill, the organization said in a press release on Friday. The award recognizes a lawmaker who has worked to improve the Thoroughbred racing industry. "The Senator from Kentucky has been a champion for our industry in Washington for over four decades," said NTRA President and CEO Tom Rooney. "He has helped make our sport safer and been a...

Keeneland Race Course and Maker's Mark have partnered for the third bottle in the "Greats of the Gate" 10-year commemorative bottle series celebrating Thoroughbred racing's most iconic horses. Proceeds from each year's limited-edition bottle benefit nonprofits that support Kentucky's horse racing industry and vibrant culture of hospitality and the arts. The 2026 beneficiaries include Kentucky Classic Arts, Kentucky Harvest, Kentucky Arts Center of the Bluegrass and Blue Grass Farms Charities. The limited-edition bottles will arrive on shelves April 16. Available exclusively at select Kentucky retailers that sell Maker's Mark, the...

A federal court in Kentucky on Wednesday issued a declaratory judgement in a lawsuit brought by Churchill Downs, Inc. (CDI) against the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act Authority (HISA), ruling that assessment fees based on a purse-weighted methodology that the Authority used between 2022 and 2024 were "arbitrary and capricious, and therefore unlawful." However, the ruling did not vacate any of the previously issued HISA orders relating to those fees, noting that since the start of 2026, HISA and its governmental overseer, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), have abandoned the...

A colt from the first crop of champion juvenile Corniche (hip 95) quickly established a new high-water mark, selling to Legion Bloodstock for $1.35-million at OBS March Tuesday. Out of Canadian champion 3-year-old filly Leigh Court, the colt worked a quarter mile in :21. Bred in Kentucky by Speedway Stables, LLC, he was consigned by Pick View LLC who purchased him as a yearling at Keeneland September last year for $250,000. Represented by his first crop of juveniles, 2021 champion 2-year-old colt Corniche stands at Ashford Stud. "We bought a...

Coolmore has bought 1,100 acres of land from Shadwell Farm in Kentucky for close to $50-million, according to a source. TDN understands the deal has been completed. Shadwell was owned by the late Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum, brother of Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum. The farm lies close to Ashford Stud, Keeneland Racecourse and its sale grounds, Lexington Blue Grass Airport, and Calumet Farm.

Kentucky's Turfway Park will honor legendary jockey Perry Ouzts Saturday, Dec. 6, with a dedication ceremony officially renaming the facility's jockey quarters the Perry Wayne Ouzts Jockeys' Quarters. Ouzts, 71, has won 7,531 races in his career, ranking fifth all-time among North American jockeys behind Russell Baze (12,842), Laffit Pincay Jr. (9,530), Bill Shoemaker (8,833) and Pat Day (8,803). He also ranks seventh in the world in career victories and has ridden in a record 53,689 races. Ouzts is the all-time leading rider at Turfway Park and has won thousands...

Sarah Sharp Farish, the wife of Lane's End Farm owner Will Farish, passed away Monday, November 24, 2025 at home in Boca Grande, Florida. She was 83 years old. "Raised in Wilmington, Delaware, Sarah was the daughter of Mary and Bayard Sharp. In 1961, she married  the love of her life, Will Farish, owner of Lane's End Farm in Versailles, Kentucky and former U.S. Ambassador to the Court of St. James. She is survived by her husband, her son Bill Farish (Kelley), daughters Mary Farish Johnston (Dennis) and Laura Farish...

Kentucky-based artist Grayson Reynolds has designed both the official Mint Julep Glass and "Art of the Kentucky Derby" for the 152nd running of the GI Kentucky Derby presented by Woodford Reserve, Churchill Downs announced Wednesday. This year's glass features three horses racing at different strides surrounded by roses as a nod to the garland draped over all Derby winners. The names of every official Kentucky Derby champion--from Aristides in 1875 to Sovereignty in 2025--wraps around the back of the glass. Reynolds' official Derby 152 artwork showcases five Thoroughbreds charging from...

Trainer Dale Romans, who announced his candidacy for the U.S. Senate earlier this week, has already raised over $750,000 according to his campaign office. In a press release Tuesday night, Romans, who is running as an Independent Democrat, said he has seen "an incredible surge of support for [a] first-time candidate." "I'm so grateful for this wave of enthusiastic support for our campaign, and our movement grows stronger and wider every day," Romans said. "People want a senator who has lived the struggles that Kentucky's working families face, and who...