Light Up Racing

LEXINGTON, KY--It was standing room only for the inaugural community event in Lexington for Light Up Racing, the initiative launched last year with the goal of empowering the racing industry by providing consistent, transparent information and research. Held Monday, Feb. 26 at Fasig-Tipton, the event drew over 200 industry members who gathered to learn about how Light Up Racing was founded and what it has already accomplished around different parts of the globe, what the organization aims to achieve in the U.S. going forward, and how individuals can play a...

Light Up Racing, the initiative launched late last year, will host two community events in Lexington in the next two weeks. The events are "designed to empower and educate individuals within the Thoroughbred industry on the power of positive communication and the role of social change in shaping the future of horse racing. These events aim to introduce participants to the tools and knowledge to advocate for the sport effectively, engage in meaningful conversations, and transform perceptions within their networks and beyond," according to the announcement by the organization Wednesday....

Spendthrift Farm has made a $50,000 donation to the Light Up Racing initiative, the community-driven organization said in a release early Friday morning. Founded by a group of horse racing advocates, Light Up Racing's primary mission is to educate both the industry and the public on evidence-based practices, with a strong emphasis on horse welfare and transparency. The organization seeks to reshape perceptions and foster a well-informed community. "Our donation demonstrates our commitment to upholding the highest standards of horse welfare, fostering transparency, and driving positive perception change for our...

The Thoroughbred industry continues to shrink and has a massive damage control and marketing issue. As things stand, we look like a passenger ship on a collision course with an iceberg. There are many screams, but no well-funded, established industry organization appears to want control of the wheel. Clearly the anti-racing lobby is well supported and now getting prime time slots on mainstream media. If you are making a living from this industry as a sales company, stallion owner, farm owner, trainer, agent, pinhooker etc; or a provider such as...

Editor's Note: The TDN received this letter from Fasig-Tipton's Boyd Browning. 2023 was certainly a year of many challenges for the Thoroughbred industry. Much has been written and spoken about the issues we face, although very little action has taken place. As we enter 2024, I believe it is imperative we make meaningful efforts to improve our sport. Every component of the industry must pledge to do a better job. We must find common ground and set aside our egos. We must commit (at a minimum) to the following actions...

'Light Up Racing', an initiative led by a group of industry participants, striving to illuminate the path to transparency, awareness, and accountability in horse racing, has been launched, according to a press release. Light Up is spearheaded by a group of industry participants, including Price Bell, Roderick Wachman, Jason Litt, and Dr. Jeff Berk. Kick Collective, the marketing agency behind the Australian-based initiative Kick Up for Racing, is driving the marketing and communications. "We have been inspired by the impactful work of Kick Up in Australia and believe we have...

Every day, just as the the lull of the afternoon wants to take hold, Dad walks into the office from the farm and proclaims the rhetorical: "How lucky are we?" You see, Dad frequently goes out to greet our guests on our Mill Ridge-Horse Country tours, most often after they have fed carrots to mares standing by the fence. To a person they will look him in the eye: "You know how lucky you are to do what you do?" This is the reward we did not anticipate as we...