Ellis Park

5th-Ellis, $60,000, Msw, 7-22, 2yo, f, 5 1/2f, 1:03.88, ft, 5 lengths. JUSTA WARRIOR (f, 2, Justify--A Z Warrior {GISW, $286,906}, by Bernardini) capped off her worktab with a strong half-mile from the gate in :48 1/5 July 12 and was off as the 5-2 second choice to open her account at first asking. Away in good order from a middle gate, the $150,000 Keeneland September yearling took up a pace-pressing role to the outside, eased to the front with a furlong and a half to race and--despite a few...

Some of the most highly anticipated races during the summer racing season are the 'baby' races during the boutique meetings at both Saratoga and Del Mar and even at Ellis Park, which attracts its fair share of high-priced offspring from a variety of top national outfits. Summer Breezes highlights debuting 2-year-olds at those meetings that have been sourced at the breeze-up sales earlier in the year, with links to their under-tack previews. Already this year at Saratoga, City Man (Mucho Macho Man), Mo Strike (Uncle Mo) and Empress Tigress (Classic...

Some of the most highly anticipated races during the summer racing season are the 'baby' races during the boutique meetings at both Saratoga and Del Mar and even at Ellis Park, which attracts its fair share of high-priced offspring from a variety of top national outfits. Summer Breezes highlights debuting 2-year-olds at those meetings that have been sourced at the breeze-up sales earlier in the year, with links to their under-tack previews. Already this year at Saratoga, City Man (Mucho Macho Man), Mo Strike (Uncle Mo) and Empress Tigress (Classic...

When the .69-to-1 favorite returned $3.38 to win at Ellis Park in the first race on July 15, the to-the-penny payoffs represented a massively positive paradigm shift for horseplayers. Under a new Kentucky law that eliminates dime breakage at the state's tracks, bettors will no longer be subject to the disadvantageous, industry-wide practice of down-rounding that, in the above instance, would have sliced the return on that winning $2 wager to $3.20. Yes, penny breakage looks a bit odd to the eye. But getting used to the concept will be...

Michael Hui homebred Fadethenoise (Mendelssohn), well-beaten, but troubled on Churchill dirt debut June 9, took beautifully to the turf course at Ellis Park Saturday, becoming the first North American winner for his freshman sire (by Scat Daddy) in graduating by a half-dozen lengths. Sent off at 6-1, the chestnut broke alertly and attended a sharp pace while about four off the inside to the turn. Going better than the rail-skimming Spanish Dubloon (Malibu Moon) as they raced on the bend, Fadethenoise pinched a break in upper stretch and pulled well...

Many will recall the peculiar story of Bold and Bossy (Strong Mandate), the unlucky filly who got loose before her juvenile debut at Ellis Park last summer and was caught over 30 minutes later after making it to the interstate and crossing state lines only to be involved in a barn fire the very next morning. Now, her trainer Michael Ann Ewing hopes that soon, people will remember Bold and Bossy for something more. Almost a year after that ill-fated weekend in Henderson, Kentucky, Bold and Bossy is not only...

From the Thoroughbred Idea Foundation Bettors wagering on racing from Kentucky will enjoy returns paid to the penny beginning Friday, July 15. The Kentucky Horse Racing Commission confirmed to the Thoroughbred Idea Foundation (TIF) the shift will take effect this week, three months after legislation enabling the change to penny breakage was passed by the Kentucky General Assembly and signed into law. "This is a welcome and long overdue shift in pari-mutuel wagering to pay bettors the entirety of their duly deserved winnings," said Patrick Cummings, TIF's Executive Director. "Kentucky...

Vince Gabbert, who recently left Keeneland after 14 years with the Lexington organization, has joined Ellis Park as interim director of racing. The Henderson, Kentucky track, which kicked off its 100th-year race meet Friday, July 8, has also brought on Megan Devine as paddock analyst and simulcast host and Allie Sclafani as marketing director. Gabbert had been the chief operating officer and vice president of strategic initiatives at Keeneland since 2009. "The opportunity to work at Ellis Park and be a part of the continued momentum for Kentucky racing is...

Runhappy will once again be the title sponsor of Ellis Park's upcoming meet, which runs from July 8 through Aug. 28. The Runhappy Meet at Ellis Park will be highlighted by an Aug. 14 card of five stakes races: the $200,000 Runhappy Ellis Park Derby; $100,000 Runhappy Audubon Oaks; $125,000 Runhappy Ellis Park Juvenile; $125,000 Runhappy Ellis Park Debutante; and the $125,000 Groupie Doll S. "Runhappy won at Ellis Park during the summer of his Eclipse championship season, so we're happy and excited to support the upcoming race meet again,...

Jeff Hall--Ellis Park's popular director of racing operations who began his more than 50 years at the track by parking cars as a teenager--passed away Saturday morning at University of Louisville Health-Jewish Hospital. He was 75. A lifelong resident of Henderson, Hall was known for his strong local connections in the Tri-State region, his deep love of horse racing and his knowledge of how the different components of a track worked and were interrelated. "When we lost Jeff Hall, we lost on both sides of the river," said Ellis Park-based...

With zero debate or discussion preceding unanimous votes on two separate agenda items, the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission (KHRC) on Tuesday adopted rewritten rules aimed at increasing transparency. The major changes include lifting prohibitions on the public disclosure of alleged violations, new guidelines that establish a 60-day time frame for holding hearings, and the opening of those hearings to anyone who wants to observe them. Tweaks to the equine drug-testing process are also in the pipeline. They include a requirement for owners and trainers to select an approved lab for...

Purse levels for maiden special weight (MSW) races on the Kentucky circuit have been established for the upcoming meets at Churchill Downs ($120,000 in the first condition book), Ellis Park ($50,000 through July and August) and Kentucky Downs ($150,000 for seven days in September). Those figures were revealed by representatives of those tracks Tuesday during a video meeting of the Kentucky Thoroughbred Development Fund (KTDF) advisory committee. Ben Huffman, the vice president of racing and racing secretary at Churchill Downs, also confirmed that the newly installed turf course in Louisville...