University of Kentucky

With a strong first day program which ran the gambit from the centrality of horse racing's societal license to the destructive use of xylazine to an update from the Horseracing Integrity & Welfare Unit, horse racing investigators at the annual Organization of Racing Investigators were immersed in some of the most pressing issues affecting the sport. Hosted by Parx Racing and sponsored by everyone from Keeneland to the Breeders' Cup, over 100 specialists who protect racetracks in America and several other countries, listened, asked questions and made connections, all in...

The Horse Racing Integrity and Safety Authority (HISA) on Thursday released the report covering its investigation of the rash of fatalities that occurred during the 2023 Saratoga meet. The report found some factors that may have contributed to the fatalities, while also concluding that there was no link that covered all 14 deaths. "This report concludes that there are a multitude of risk factors that likely contributed to the fatalities during the 2023 Meet. These findings will drive HISA's data collection, recommended racetrack practices and regulatory scheme going forward." the...

The Governor of Kentucky, Andy Beshear, placed the first in-person sports wager at Churchill Downs, the Kentucky Public Protection Cabinet said in a release Thursday morning. The bet was a $20 parlay on the win "over" for the University of Kentucky and University of Louisville football teams, and the "under" for Duke University's squad. "Today is a great day to celebrate and have a little bit of fun doing so," said Gov. Beshear. "It has taken many years to get here, but sports wagering is finally a reality in Kentucky....

When Dr. Emma Adam took on the role of equine outreach veterinarian in 2018, the University of Kentucky's Department of Veterinary Science hoped that the renewed position could continue to bridge the gap between their research and diagnostic laboratories and the industry that they serve. With five years now under her belt in the role, Adam is pleased with the strides that have been made in fostering relationships with the equine community--particularly within the Thoroughbred business in Central Kentucky--and she is optimistic that those connections will lead to further advancements...

Keeneland Library Director Becky Ryder will retire as of Oct. 31, 2023, following better than a decade at the helm of the Thoroughbred information repository and public research facility, and Roda Ferraro, who formerly served as Head Librarian at Keeneland Library and recently curated its popular The Heart of the Turf: Racing's Black Pioneers exhibit, has been named her successor. Ferraro will serve as the incoming Library Director effective immediately and will work alongside Ryder as she transitions to retirement this fall. Ryder began her career as a college student...

Dr. Michael "Mick" Peterson, Jr. is the executive director of the independent Racing Surfaces Testing Laboratory. He is a mechanical engineer who is widely considered the preeminent track surface specialist in North America. His team has conducted the ongoing testing at Churchill Downs, and it will be tasked this week with being sure Ellis Park is ready to handle a race meet in expedited fashion while also helping out with the continued surface analysis at Churchill. TDN spoke with Peterson early Friday evening in the wake of the 12 horse...

Ed Brown Scholars, Jordyn Elder and Jaida Alee, have been placed as student interns at Keeneland, and Ed Brown Fellow Timothy Campbell, Jr. has been placed as a Keeneland Library Associate as the partnership between Keeneland and the Ed Brown Society continues to develop in its first year. Alee is a sophomore at the University of Kentucky, majoring in Equine Science and Management and Elder is on schedule to graduate with honors, from Kentucky State University in May of 2023, with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration. Campbell is...

The opinion-heavy but heretofore science-light debate over whether or not certain stallions covering record numbers of mares per year will weaken the Thoroughbred breed gained a lot of clarity in late June when the University of Kentucky's Gluck Equine Research Center released the findings from part one of its genetic diversity study. Tuesday, UK professor Ernie Bailey, PhD, joined the TDN Writers' Room presented by Keeneland as the Green Group Guest of the Week to explain the major takeaways from the Gluck Center's research, what it means for the breeding...

Dr. Ernest Bailey shares the science behind the importance of diversity in equine genetics on this week's TDN Writers' Room. Plus the writers recap the GI Whitney S. and preview an exciting upcoming weekend of racing.

In the first episode of the TDN's new video series 'Catching Up with Katie,' host Katie Petrunyak sat down with the University of Kentucky's starting quarterback Will Levis and Claiborne Farm's Walker Hancock at Wallace Station Deli and Bakery outside of Lexington to discuss the N.I.L. (Name, Image, and Likeness) deal between Levis and Claiborne stallion War of Will (War Front). The partnership was announced early last month and is the first of its kind for any collegiate student-athlete with a Thoroughbred syndicate. [Elite_video_player id="2" html5videos_hd="https://player.vimeo.com/progressive_redirect/playback/709670997/rendition/540p/file.mp4?loc=external&signature=d99ce348f7d43f5e6c9f920d0521574d659d3e2254c9e2161218981a2d67dabc" html5videos_videoThumbnails_jpg="" html5videos_title="Catching Up with...

The University of Kentucky Ag Equine Program's Wildcat Wrangler equine student ambassador team has selected Blue Grass Farms Charities (BGFC) as their agency of choice for the semester for community service. Club members will host a 'canned food, cleaning and hygiene' drive from Feb. 14-25 and will be collecting 'springtime' toys for farm children to play with outside on sunny days. "We cannot wait to start collecting donations and distributing them to the community while connecting with the equine industry," said sophomore Jen Zimmerman, a 'Wildcat Wrangler' in the UK...

Charles Churchill, a University of Kentucky senior majoring in Equine Science and Management from Louisville, has been named the recipient of the 2021/2022 Joe Hirsch Legacy Equine Academy Scholarship. Churchill, who completed an internship with the Keeneland track maintenance team during the summer of 2021, is a member of the UK Horse Racing Club, the UK Collegiate Professional Horsemen's Association and a Wildcat Wrangler, the student ambassador team within the equine major. The scholarship was originally established at UK in 2005 but to keep in step with current industry needs,...