Ron Winchell

A no-guarantee season to record-setting first-crop sire Gun Runner will be auctioned off at the conclusion of the opening session of next month's Keeneland January Sale Jan. 10, with all proceeds to benefit victims of deadly tornadoes that struck Western Kentucky earlier this month. "It is unimaginable the damage and suffering wreaked upon so many of the communities and good people of Western Kentucky," said Three Chimneys Chairman Goncalo Torrealba. "Three Chimneys, our partner Ron Winchell, and the entire Thoroughbred horse industry share the grief of those whose lives have...

Three Chimneys' Gun Runner (Candy Ride {Arg}) set a new record for progeny earnings for a first-crop sire when his total moved past the $3.8-million mark Sunday. Coolmore's Uncle Mo held the previous record of $3,717,490, which he established in 2015. Prior to Uncle Mo, the first-crop progeny earnings record had been held by Gainesway's Tapit, who set the mark in 2008. Gun Runner took over the record earnings figure when the Tom Amoss-trained Shotgun Hottie won a $92,000 maiden special weight at Churchill Downs Sunday, becoming the stallion's 22nd...

Claiborne Farm has acquired the breeding rights to multiple graded stakes winner Silver State (Hard Spun--Supreme, by Empire Maker). He will stand at the Paris, Ky., farm upon his retirement from racing. The 4-year-old son of Hard Spun has won seven of 13 career starts, hitting the board in 12 of those starts, and has made over $1.9 million. In 2021 alone, he is 4-1-1 from six starts and has made over $1.6 million. "We are very excited to stand Silver State in 2022," said Claiborne's Walker Hancock. "Danzig is...

Winchell Thoroughbreds and Willis Horton Racing's Silver State (Hard Spun), who had a six-race winning streak snapped with a third-place effort behind Knicks Go (Paynter) in the GI Whitney S. Aug. 7, going remain at the nine-furlong distance for the GI Woodward S. Oct. 2 or could cut back to Belmont's one-turn mile for the GII Kelso S. Sept. 25. The 4-year-old has already shown an affinity for the latter track and trip, having made the GI Hill 'n' Dale Metropolitan H. the last of his half-dozen victories in a...

Ron Winchell joins this week's TDN Writers' Room to discuss the approaching race meet at Kentucky Downs and relive some of his favorite moments with Grade I winners Gun Runner and Summerly.

One of the great success stories in American racing over the last decade or so has been the emergence of Kentucky Downs, which opens its 2021 six-day meet on Sunday. Much of that has to do with the stewardship on Ron Winchell, who, along with partner Marc Falcone, purchased the track in 2019. Thanks in large part to Historical Horse Racing machines, Kentucky Downs was already making plenty of money when Winchell and Falcone took over, but they never grew complacent. Rather, they have continually looked to make Kentucky Downs...

With Kentucky Downs and FanDuel entering into a three-year partnership, the upcoming six-day meet at Kentucky Downs has been renamed the FanDuel Meet at Kentucky Downs. Located near the Kentucky and Tennessee border, Kentucky Downs offers only turf racing with some of the biggest purses in America. FanDuel, a sports-tech entertainment company, is the parent company of TVG. Included among the changes brought about by the partnership are TVG becoming the official Advance Deposit Wagering (ADW) platform for Kentucky Downs; racing from the track airing exclusively on TVG for network...

For the first time in its 31-year history, Kentucky Downs is offering three $1-million races during its six-date 2021 meet. Added to the track's GII Calumet Turf Cup, Kentucky Downs' $1-million trio also will feature the GIII Turf Sprint and GIII WinStar Mint Million. Kentucky Downs will stage 16 stakes worth a track-record total of $10 million, including $4.85 million in purse supplements for registered Kentucky-bred horses. The all-grass meet runs Sept. 5, 6, 8, 9, 11 and 12. "Purses are the economic engine of the racing industry, and Kentucky...

Keeneland and the majority owners of Kentucky Downs have made application for a racing license and have proposed the construction of a state-of-the-art racing facility and associated track extension in Kentucky. The proposed facilities, to be located in Corbin and Williamsburg, would feature live Standardbred racing as well as historical racing machines. "Horse racing is an extremely vital part of the Commonwealth's economy," said Ron Winchell, who owns, controls and manages Kentucky Downs with Marc Falcone. "With the addition of a new race track and related amenities in southeastern Kentucky,...

As has been well documented, the Fair Grounds road to the GI Kentucky Oaks has been enormously productive over the last 15 years, producing no fewer than eight winners on the first Friday in May, including Monomoy Girl (Tapizar) and Serengeti Empress (Alternation) in 2018 and 2019, respectively. Finite (Munnings) is well on her way to adding to that impressive total after registering her fifth consecutive victory in Saturday's GII Rachel Alexandra S., easily lowering the colors of the previously unbeaten Eclipse Award winner British Idiom (Flashback). Away in good...