Kentucky Thoroughbred Association

With the news of the passing of industry titan James E. "Ted" Bassett III, tributes from the Thoroughbred industry recount the enormous impact Bassett had in shaping the sport for generations to come. Elected president of the Breeders' Cup four years after the inaugural running in 1984, Bassett spearheaded the organization's growth and making the World Championships into the global affair it's known as, today. "Mr. Bassett served the Breeders' Cup, Keeneland, and a multitude of Thoroughbred racing industry organizations with magnificent honor and distinction, and his legacy will continue...

The Kentucky Thoroughbred Association (KTA) is the latest organization to come out in opposition to the recent decoupling proposal in the state of Florida that could result in the cessation of racing at Gulfstream Park. At one point in time, Florida mandated that its racetrack conduct live racing operations in order to run a casino. Since those original regulations were eased, many tracks have suspended racing while continuing to run a casino. As the Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association did on Jan. 9, officials at the KTA also issued a statement against...

Four newly-elected board members of the Kentucky Thoroughbred Association (KTA) and the Kentucky Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders (KTOB) were announced by the organizations Friday. Whit Beckman, Kelsey Danner, Austin Luttrell and Michael Snyder were elected to serve three-year terms while incumbents William Daugherty, Walker Hancock, Dermot Ryan and Kim Smith were also reelected. "We would like to thank Patrick Costello and James Baker for their service," the KTA said in a press release Friday. "Pat and Jimmy were instrumental in both shaping policy for marketing investments and our advocacy for...

Ten Thoroughbred industry and charitable organizations have pledged funding for the American Association of Equine Practitioners' wearable biometric sensor research project. Six sensor manufacturers have been selected to participate in the year-long study. Wearable biometric sensors, which have shown promise as an early warning system for identifying racehorses at increased risk of musculoskeletal injury, are designed to capture data on a horse's movement patterns during high-speed events. The following organizations have contributed a total of $785,000 to fund the research project, which will run Jan. 1 through Dec. 31, 2025:...

The ninth installment in the 2024 OwnerView webinar series was held on Nov. 5 and discussion covered the various ways state incentive programs approach supporting the equine industry, especially when it comes to a declining foal crop, according to a Friday Jockey Club press release. The panel consisted of Cricket Goodall, executive director of the Maryland Horse Breeders Association Inc., the Maryland Million Ltd., and the Maryland Horse Foundation; Roger Heitzmann, secretary and executive director of the Louisiana Thoroughbred Breeders Association; Steve Koch, the associate vice president of operations for...

After receiving a seven-day suspension and a $1,000 fine after a horse he trained tested positive for a metabolite of Tramadol, trainer Rusty Arnold went on the offensive. While he did not argue the fact that the horse tested positive, he has said that it is grossly unfair that the HISA/HIWU continues to suspended trainers for minute amounts of drugs that aren't considered performance-enhancing. Advocating for a major change in how these infractions are dealt with, Arnold was this week's guest on the TDN Writers' Room podcast presented by Keeneland....

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...

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...

The Kentucky Thoroughbred Association (KTA) and the Kentucky Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders (KTOB) awards dinner Apr. 5 in Lexington named Dreaming of Julia (A.P. Indy), dam of Grade I winner Malathaat (Curlin) and Grade II winner Julia Shining (Curlin), the 2022 Broodmare of the Year. Summer Wind Equine was awarded a bronze mare and foal as the breeder of Flightline (Tapit), who was crowned Champion Kentucky-Bred Horse of the Year and Champion Kentucky-Bred Older Dirt Male. Godolphin received multiple bronzes as the recipient of the P.A.B. Widener Trophy, best known...

The New York Racing Association, Inc. (NYRA) and the New York Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association (NYTHA) announced that a team led by Brendan Kumagai has been selected as the winner of the inaugural Big Data Derby competition, beating out 105 other submissions for first prize. Kumagai, together with Gurashish Bagga, Kimberly Kroetch, Tyrel Stokes, and Liam Welsh, took the $20,000 first prize with the submission, "Bayesian Velocity Models for Horse Race Simulation." Kumagai's team created a dynamic model that focused on horses' forward versus lateral speed and examined the results of...

The Kentucky Thoroughbred Association (KTA) and Kentucky Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders (KTOB) have elected new members of the Board of Directors who will serve three-year terms and are elected by the full membership of the organization. Online and paper ballots were managed, monitored, and tabulated by Dean Dorton Technology (Dean Dorton Allen Ford, PLLC).  Newly elected KTA/KTOB Board of Directors for 2022 are: Ned Toffey--General Manager, Spendthrift Farm; Michael Banahan--Director of Bloodstock, Godolphin USA; Fergus Galvin--Partner, Hunter Valley Farm & U.S. Racing Manager, Qatar Racing; Neil Pessin--Thoroughbred Trainer; Tommy Drury--Thoroughbred...

The Kentucky Thoroughbred Development Fund (KTDF) Advisory Committee meets at 1:30 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 2 at the offices of the Kentucky Thoroughbred Association (4079 Iron Works Parkway, Lexington, KY 40511). The public can attend or watch the meeting through the agency's YouTube channel. Some notables, but not all, on agenda include the election of a Chair and Vice-Chair, Kentucky Downs' Amendment request for KTDF Stakes & Claiming Races, Churchill Downs' 2022 September Meet KTDF Allotment request, and Pari-Mutual Tax: Waqas Ahmed, director, Pari-Mutual Wagering & Compliance.