Ellis Park

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...

Bill Downes has been named track announcer at Emerald Downs for the Washington track's 2022 season which opens May 15. He replaces Tom Harris who recently stepped down. Downes served as Indiana Grand track announcer from 2013 to 2021, and before that called races at Ellis Park, Beulah Park, Presque Isle Downs, and River Downs. He also was back-up announcer at Churchill Downs. "I'm thrilled to come to Emerald Downs," Downes said. "Emerald is a track I've always held in high esteem. I was there once for a two-day handicapping...

Purses for maiden special weight (MSW) races are projected to trend upward this spring at both Keeneland Race Course and Churchill Downs. Track executives disclosed the pre-condition book figures during Tuesday's Kentucky Thoroughbred Development Fund (KTDF) advisory board meeting. "The MSWs for older horses are going to be $100,000. And the [MSW races for] 2-year-olds are going to be $80,000," said Keeneland's vice president of racing, Gatewood Bell. At Keeneland's 2021 spring meet, the comparable MSW purse levels were $79,000 and $60,000. Mike Ziegler, the senior vice president and general...

Marshall Allen has been named the winner of this year's Race Track Chaplaincy of America White Horse Award. Allen, an assistant trainer at Emerald Downs, saved the life of long-time horse owner Jim Foulkes, who had collapsed in the track's barn area last May. Allen began CPR and assisted EMTs when they arrived on the scene. To see Allen's story, click here. Also honored by RTCA White Horse nominations this year were: Julie Berry from Blue Grass Farms Charities; Jonathan Estrada from Belmont Park; Nick Garafola and Veronica Gallardo from...

Kentucky stewards have disqualified two winners and a third-place horse while assessing trainers Philip Bauer and Greg Foley 30-day suspensions and $500 fines for three separate post-race drug tests that came back positive in recent months. It was not immediately known if appeals were in the works. Bauer's two suspensions will run concurrently because the stewards cited mitigating circumstances (including "first medication violation in training career"), but he will be responsible for paying both fines. Foley's one suspension got halved via stay to 15 days, also because of mitigating circumstances...

Conditioner Adolfo Macias has been suspended 90 days following the search of his barn at a Central Kentucky training center. The story was originally reported by the DRF based on a ruling issued by Kentucky stewards. Macias waived his right for a formal hearing on the suspension, which will begin Dec. 1 and run through Feb. 28. The search, which was conducted July 28, turned up "injectable medications, hypodermic syringes, and needles." The search took place about three weeks after the Macias-trained Enraged (Big Blue Kitten) won a maiden claimer...