Kentucky Horse Racing Commission

Trainer Ron Moquett, a member of the HISA Horsemen's Advisory Committee, was not immune this past year from the threat of an Anti-Doping and Medication Control (ADMC) violation. Last fall after the GII Hagyard Fayette S. at Keeneland, a controlled medication called Mepivacaine, which can be used during the gelding process, was found in one of Moquett's horses named Speed Bias (Uncle Mo). The conditioner mounted a defense which resulted in a May 29 ruling by a HIWU internal adjudication panel that he would not be fined nor penalized for...

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...

Turfway Park in Florence, Kentucky, will be installing a new stable gate entryway after the current season ends in March to try and avoid a repeat of the havoc caused on the night of Feb. 1 when a loose Thoroughbred escaped from the backstretch and ran onto nearby Interstate 71/75 before being captured without serious harm. Barbara Borden, the chief state steward presiding at Turfway, detailed the incident during Tuesday's Kentucky Horse Racing Commission (KHRC) meeting. "The horse got loose in the barn area, unfortunately ran through the stable gate,...

Edited Press Release Awards are on the way to Kentucky's Thoroughbred breeders participating in the commonwealth's Thoroughbred Breeders' Incentive Fund (KTBIF) program. The Kentucky Horse Racing Commission (KHRC) announces the release of $16.2 million through the KTBIF. "Our horse farm families are the backbone of our racing industry, and I'm proud to support the Incentive Fund that keeps mares and foals in Kentucky," said Gov. Andy Beshear. According to the Kentucky Thoroughbred Association, the Kentucky Equine industry generates $6.5 billion and supports more than 60,000 jobs. In fact, 2023 was...

When is a maiden not considered a maiden for entry purposes? Pennsylvania-based owner Albert "Abby" Abdala III lost $5,331 in second-place purse money trying to find out after an "ineligible entry" ruling was imposed upon him and his trainer, Bernard Dunham, on Feb. 2 by the Turfway Park stewards. Abdala, who has owned Thoroughbreds for 10 years after getting started in horse ownership with Standardbreds, told TDN in a Feb. 8 phone interview that he still doesn't understand why Turfway officials accepted his entry for the 0-for-9 Magnolia Wind (Central...

The New Jersey-based lawsuit in which a group of bettors are alleging they were cheated out of their property by Bob Baffert when his betamethasone-positive trainee, Medina Spirit, crossed the finish wire first in the 2021 GI Kentucky Derby and purportedly prevented the plaintiffs from cashing winning tickets on the runner-up is on the cusp of being transferred back to a federal court in California where it was first initiated 2 1/2 years ago. In a Dec. 22 filing in United States District Court (District of New Jersey), the judge...

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...

Beth Bungert has been named by the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission to the new position of safety steward. The position was created in June to ensure compliance of both Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority (HISA) and KHRC standards and rules at the state's licensed Thoroughbred racetracks and training centers. As safety steward, Bungert will monitor regulatory and safety compliance and ensure that information is being shared with all parties. In her 20-year career in racing, Bungert has worked as a groom, exercise rider, veterinary assistant, assistant trainer, racing official and...

The Kentucky Horse Racing Commission (KHRC) has approved temporary licenses for six Churchill Downs Inc. (CDI) properties to begin accepting in-person sports wagers on Thursday, Sept. 7, the company said via a release Wednesday morning. CDI will operate Race and Sports Books at its racetracks and Historical Racing Machine (HRM) facilities in Kentucky which include: Churchill Downs Racetrack: 15 sports betting kiosks, 168 sq. ft. video screen, 20 large format televisions; Derby City Gaming & Hotel: 15 sports betting kiosks, 300 sq. ft. video screen, 12 large format televisions; Ellis...

The Kentucky Horse Racing Commission (KHRC) voted to approve temporary licenses for sports wagering operators and service providers, Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear announced Tuesday. A temporary license grants up to one year of operation in the state while under continued review. With the approval of these licenses, Kentucky bettors now know the retail facilities where they can place a sports wager and which mobile applications will be licensed in the state. "The countdown continues as we move closer to sports wagering with retail locations opening in just 16 days," said...

The Kentucky Horse Racing Commission (KHRC) on Tuesday closed the 27-month regulatory saga involving Medina Spirit's GI Kentucky Derby drug disqualification by unanimously voting to deny appeals by trainer Bob Baffert and owner Zedan Racing Stables while accepting a hearing officer's recommended order that the penalties originally imposed by the Churchill Downs stewards be affirmed in their entirety. But the legal battle to restore Medina Spirit's win in America's most historic and important horse race appears to be just now ramping up. That's because now that the KHRC's decision is...

With the opening day of sports betting just three weeks away, Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear has provided a timeline of key dates, including that betting will officially start at 10 a.m. EDT on Thursday, Sept. 7, for in-person bets at licensed retail facilities. A list of approved retail facilities and mobile applications will be released Aug. 22, following the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission (KHRC) meeting. "The countdown is on. We are just three weeks away from sports wagering in Kentucky," said Gov. Beshear. "We are ready to deliver the quality...