Kansas

Wyoming and Kansas thoroughbred horsemen have officially joined the National HBPA, the organization announced Saturday. The Wyoming HBPA and Kansas HBPA were unanimously approved for full membership at Saturday's board meeting of the National Horsemen's Benevolent & Protective Association, which concluded the annual conference at Oaklawn Park. The Wyoming HBPA, which represents horsemen at Wyoming Downs in Evanston, is a new member while Kansas returned to the HBPA following a 17-year hiatus after live racing ceased in 2008 with the closure of The Woodlands. Made possible by legislation permitting historical...

More than 17 years after Thoroughbred racing shut down in Kansas, the sport will be revived in the Sunflower state in October 2026. It was all made possible when the Kansas legislature and Governor Laura Kelly passed a statute that will allow for 1,000 Historical Horse Racing machines in the state. Three-percent of the gross revenue from the machines will be devoted to racing. It is estimated that the state's race horse development fund, which will allocate money to purses, will receive about $15 million from the machines. The state's...