Damon Thayer

Outgoing Kentucky State Senator Damon Thayer has been named the recipient of the 2024 Warner L. Jones Jr. Horseman of the Year Award by the Louisville-based Kentucky Thoroughbred Owners (KTO), which will be presented on Saturday, Nov. 23 at the Kentucky Derby Museum, the organization said via a release Thursday morning. The KTO's Warner Jones award recognizes individuals for outstanding contributions to Kentucky racing and sharing the passion exemplified by Jones, who spent 50 years on the Churchill Downs board, including eight as chairman during the track's resurgence in the...

DEL MAR, California--In Saturday's GI Maker's Mark Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf at Del Mar, the Europeans come to town riding a five-year win streak having taken the hardware and the bragging rights with thanks. Yet, lest we forget that this is horse racing on the turf and that means even the most deserving favorites can be vulnerable. To put it in sports betting terms, the Filly & Mare Turf could be deemed what we call a 'trap game' in the business. That means a seemingly stronger opponent underestimates...

Edited Press Release The Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association (TOBA) is hosting a Pedigree & Conformation Clinic at Fasig-Tipton on Monday, Oct. 21, in Lexington, KY, during the auction house's Kentucky October Yearlings sale. The topics and speakers at the clinic include: Pedigrees/Conformation/Horse Selection, presented by David Ingordo (Bloodstock Agent) The Role of an Auction House and the Auction Process, presented by Anna Seitz Ciannello (Fasig-Tipton) and Leif Aaron (Fasig-Tipton) Yearling Prep for the Sales, presented by Carrie Brogden (Machmer Hall) Equine Nutrition, presented by Anthony Koch (Hallway Feeds) The...

In a vote late Thursday night, the Kentucky General Assembly passed a bill to establish an independent Kentucky Horse Racing and Gaming Corporation, according to a press release from Senate Majority Floor Leader Damon Thayer (R-Georgetown), the primary sponsor of the legislation. Senate Bill (SB) 299 revises Thayer's original proposal to attach the commission to the Kentucky Department of Agriculture administratively. The legislative effort was revised following further conversations with stakeholders and House Speaker David Osborne (R-Prospect), which would now establish an independent Kentucky Horse Racing and Gaming Corporation. In...

A bill introduced by Senate Republican Floor Leader Damon Thayer to create a new government corporation to oversee horse racing in the state has passed through the Kentucky Senate and will move on to the Kentucky General Assembly, according to the Kentucky Lantern. Senate Bill 299 was heard in a joint meeting of the Senate and House economic development committees Tuesday morning and won Senate approval in a 26-11 floor vote in the afternoon. The bill would create the Kentucky Horse Racing and Gaming Corporation to replace the Kentucky Horse...

Kentucky State Senate Majority Floor Leader Damon Thayer, (R-Georgetown), a staunch supporter of horse racing in the Bluegrass, will not seek re-election for the 17th Senate District and allow his term to expire in December 2024, the Commonwealth of Kentucky Senate Majority Caucus said in a release early Wednesday afternoon. "I have decided not to seek re-election to the state Senate in 2024," Senator Thayer said. "The end of my current term next year will mark 22 years in the Senate and 12 as Majority Floor Leader. After conversations with...

The Jockeys' Guild has reached an agreement with the Kentucky HBPA and the Kentucky Thoroughbred Association on a mount fee increase effective Nov. 29, which is opening day of the Turfway Park Holiday meet, the organization said in a release Wednesday. The mount fee schedule calls for a minimum fee of $125 at all Kentucky racetracks, including Churchill Downs, Keeneland, Ellis Park, Kentucky Downs and Turfway Park. This agreement also provides for $500 minimum fee in races with purses of $1 million or more. "On behalf of our members who...

Edited Press Release The key indicators to measure the success of a race meet were either up or maintained a lofty level at the FanDuel Meet at Kentucky Downs, which came to a close Wednesday. Purses paid out to horse owners were a record for the 12th straight year. Money wagered was another record, increasing 4.3%. Field sizes remained among the highest in the country with an average of 10.42 starters per race. "Kentucky Downs' ownership led by Ron Winchell and Marc Falcone continually pushes us to present racing in...

The Mint Event Center was officially launched Wednesday morning with a ribbon-cutting ceremony attended by local, regional and state civic leaders and officials, including business representatives from Kentucky and Tennessee, The Mint Gaming and Kentucky Downs said in a release. The Event Center is Simpson County's largest space for events and conventions, which is positioned as the area's newest location for weddings, parties, conferences, corporate meetings and live entertainment. The space can accommodate groups from 12 to 445 people. "All the economic development you see here is exactly an example...

Just before the Kentucky State Legislature was to adjourn Thursday evening, House Bill 551--legislation to legalize, regulate and tax sports betting in the Commonwealth of Kentucky that seemed a longshot as late as Thursday morning--passed the Kentucky State Senate by a vote of 25-12. Governor Andy Beshear was to sign the legislation, which required 23 votes in favor, into law Friday morning. "After years of urging lawmakers to legalize sports betting, we finally did it!" Beshear tweeted Thursday evening. "Today's result shows that hard work pays off. Kentuckians will soon...

Kentucky's state senate adopted a resolution by voice vote Mar. 29 that will "urge" the overseers of the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act (HISA) and elected federal politicians "to review the funding methodology of HISA and ensure that they provide uniform treatment to all states," according to a summary of the measure posted on the web page of the Kentucky General Assembly. Senators Damon Thayer and John Schickel sponsored the resolution, which was both introduced and passed on Wednesday. The resolution describes itself as a means of "expressing concerns regarding...

The Senate has passed House Bill 594, which will outlaw the unregulated and untaxed gaming machines known as "gray machines" in Kentucky. The bill passed in a 29-6 vote and now heads to Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear's desk. The Kentucky Equine Education Project (KEEP) released the following statement Tuesday. "KEEP applauds the Kentucky General Assembly for the passage of HB 594, legislation that will ban illegal gray machines. Getting this bill across the finish line was an incredible effort and KEEP is grateful to the legislators who supported the bill...