Kentucky

Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear announced on Thursday that the state's four historical horse racing (HHR) facilities can re-open Monday, June 8 after having been shuttered due to the coronavirus pandemic. The Kentucky Equine Education Project (KEEP) released the following statement in response: "KEEP applauds Governor Beshear's announcement that historical horse racing (HHR) facilities can reopen on June 8, 2020. KEEP commends the Governor and the horse industry for working together on this solution, which will allow the facilities to operate at one-third capacity and provide a safe environment for the...

Defendants Ahmed Zayat, his family members, and the financially troubled Zayat Stables, LLC, are collectively asking a Kentucky court to dismiss a "fraudulent scheme" contract breach lawsuit by New York investment firm MGG Investment Group, LP, on the basis that the complaint has not been brought in the correct legal jurisdiction. Eric Mitchell of the Blood-Horse first reported the story Friday, citing Apr. 21 court documents. The January civil suit claimed that financially strapped Zayat family members allegedly orchestrated a years-long scheme "to sell at a steep discount several millions...

Kentucky's executive branch budget bill that is awaiting either passage or line-item vetoes from Gov. Andy Beshear contains a $1.5-million restricted funds transfer from the Equine Drug Research Council (EDRC) to the University of Kentucky (UK) to open a national equine drug testing laboratory. The budget bill also includes a $500,000 allotment from the state's general fund into the budget of the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission (KHRC) to hire a safety steward and additional investigators who would be assigned to the state's tracks. A third general fund appropriation would give...

Old Friends, the popular Thoroughbred retirement facility located in Georgetown, KY, debuted the first in a series of virtual farm tours Monday that will allow visitors to continue to monitor the activity of the farm's over 100 equine retirees during this time of the COVID-19 quarantine. "Monday Mornings With Michael," is, as the title implies, hosted by Old Friends founder Michael Blowen and will feature brief visits with a handful of horses each week. Old Friends is posting the clips across its social media channels and also at the Old...

The challenges of the global COVID-19 pandemic have led to new protocols for Thoroughbred breeding to minimize risk of infection among farm staff and related personnel charged with transporting and handling horses. The Jockey Club recommends that all North American, Central American, and Caribbean Thoroughbred stud farm operations at a minimum follow guidelines from the Kentucky Department of Ag Guidelines for COVID-19: Breeding Shed Activity issued by E.S. "Rusty" Ford from the Office of the State Veterinarian, Kentucky Department of Agriculture. With vans and individuals visiting multiple facilities each day...

As the number of the state's COVID-19 cases surpassed 100, Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear ordered all non-essential businesses to close to in-person traffic by 8 p.m. Monday, the Lexington Herald-Leader reported Sunday. Businesses that can still remain open under the order include grocery stores, pharmacies, liquor stores and gas stations. Restaurants can continue offering delivery and take-out. "We have been aggressive, but we've been taking one step, and then we've been taking another step and then another step," the Herald-Leader quoted Beshear saying. "And it lets us all work into...

John Joseph Greely IV, a fourth-generation Central Kentucky horseman who was the driving force behind 'Make-A-Wish' Day at Keeneland among his philanthropic endeavors, passed away Mar. 15. He was 54 years old. Born in Lexington Jan. 24, 1966, into a family with its roots deep in the Thoroughbred industry, Greely graduated from the Baylor School in Chattanooga, TN, in 1984 and five years later, from the University of Kentucky. Always giving of his time and perpetually engaged towards the betterment of the business he loved, Greely was actively involved in...

Breeder, consignor and Dromoland Farm owner Gerry Dilger passed away very early Wednesday morning. The 61-year-old had been hospitalized in the ICU since suffering from cardiac arrest Feb. 24, confirmed Dilger's longtime friend and business partner Mike Ryan. "We were best friends for over 40 years," Ryan said. "It is quite sudden and a big shock to us all. He was a very, very kind man and did so much for so many people. He would give you the shirt off his back. Gerry took tremendous personal pride in bringing...

A total of 116 nominations, led by reigning champion 2-year-old filly British Idiom (Flashback), were received by the Churchill Downs racing office at the first entry stage for the $1.25-million GI Longines Kentucky Oaks, to be held Friday, May 1 beneath the Twin Spires. Campaigned in partnership by Michael Dubb, The Elkstone Group, Madaket Stables & Bethlehem Stables, and conditioned by 2018 Oaks-winning trainer Brad Cox, British Idiom was the impressive winner of the GI Darley Alcibiades S. last October before following up with a neck defeat of Donna Veloce...

When a Lexington-area spike in foal deaths caused by nocardioform placentitis first hit the news at the end of January, there was considerable anecdotal chatter in the Bluegrass region that the number of equine abortions, stillborns and neonate euthanizations might be higher than what is being reported by the University of Kentucky Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory (UKVDL), the main entity that tracks such cases. Two weeks ago, when TDN first reported on the outbreak, the number stood at 44. As of Thursday afternoon, Kentucky's nocardioform placentitis death toll was 65. They...

Kiaran McLaughlin, who has been a fixture on the New York racing scene for over three decades, confirmed to the TDN Thursday he will not be returning to his usual New York training base at Belmont Park this spring. McLaughlin, who is one of several New York-based horsemen who have been investigated by both the New York Department of Labor and the U.S. Department of Labor, was fined $304,646 last November by the state Department of Labor for what was reported as a 'violation of minimum wage requirements'. An investigation...

Studying political science at college, the only Constitution she might have expected to see put to the test right now was the one that opens with the words, "We the people..." As it is, Shannon Castagnola just feels relief that fate diverted her from her original vocation, to chronicle impeachments or caucuses, and instead afforded her a professional stake in one of the frontrunners for the highest sophomore office of 2020. Castagnola is the Director of Marketing and Client Relations at Woodford Thoroughbreds, the farm that bred and raised Independence...