Kentucky

Kentucky Downs plans to increase purses for nine of its 18 stakes by a total of $3.7 million from what was originally announced, pending regulatory approval, according to a press release from the track early on Thursday morning. Leading the way is the GIII Nashville Derby Invitational, bumped from $2.5 million to $3.1 million. That would make the 1 5/16-mile stakes North America's second-richest race, for Kentucky-breds, behind only the $5 million GI Kentucky Derby among races held at one track. The Nashville Derby already was America's richest turf race...

Canadian champion 2-year-old colt Truth of It All (Proud Truth) died peacefully from natural causes at age 34 on Wednesday, July 24 at Hurstland Farm in Midway, Kentucky, according to a press release from the farm. By Darby Dan stallion Proud Truth, Truth of It All was born at Hurstland to MGSW Cup of Honey (Raise a Cup) Feb. 26, 1990. Trained by Sheldon Wolfe, Truth of It All won the 1993 edition of the GIII Grey Stakes en route to taking home the Sovereign Award for the top juvenile...

A day after an 'unexpected water issue' caused by Wednesday evening storms forced the closure to the public of Ellis Park in Henderson, Kentucky, track officials announced Friday morning that it would be business as usual for the afternoon's live program. "Thank you to our staff, the local Henderson community and racing fans for their patience," said Ellis Park General Manager Matt Pressley. "We're looking forward to seeing everyone out at the track [Friday]." Strong storms passed through the region Wednesday night, causing a power outage to the grandstand that...

"A man of my kidney." All the way back to Falstaff, this curious expression has tokened a particular kinship in temperament or personality. In the case of Adrian Regan of Hunter Valley Farm, however, it has an uncommon resonance--both literal and figurative. In the former sense, he was fortunate that his brother should have turned out to possess not only a matching kidney when Regan needed a transplant, but also the big fraternal heart to go willingly under the knife. Regan will never forget Dr. Erickson at the Mayo Clinic...

"Mr. Bob," they call him: a nice combination of deference and affection. Both have been amply earned, over the six decades since Robert Hall Jr. established a feed mill that has attained global reach while remaining an unmistakably local, Bluegrass institution. But as befits a man who sleeps in the room where he was born, 94 years ago, the story has roots extending to another era altogether; to a boyhood when Hall--presumably then plain "Master Bob"--saw for himself the difference that good diet could make to livestock. "I was nine...

We know it as a tried-and-true consignment that has been making headlines at the Keeneland September Sale for over 20 years now. And we know its figurehead Peter O'Callaghan as one of the sharpest pinhookers in the game--flipping a $400,000 American Pharoah colt into a $2.2 million Keeneland September yearling in 2018 and before that, pinhooking a $180,000 War Front weanling into a $2.5 million yearling at the same sale back in 2013. But what's relatively new for us, when considering Woods Edge Farm, is finding the operation listed as...

Kentucky's Thoroughbred retirement home Old Friends welcomed the recently-retired MGSW/MGISP C Z Rocket (City Zip). The 10-year-old gelding arrived Feb. 29 to the farm and was welcomed by founder Michael Blowen and current Old Friends CEO John Nicholson. "CZ Rocket has captured the affections of countless race fans throughout his many years on the track," said Nicholson. "After such a successful career, this special gelding has earned the right to enjoy being pampered and celebrated here at Old Friends. We are grateful to his connections for seeking such a well-deserved...

9-year-old stallion Scared Life (Fr) (Siyouni {Fr}), a multiple graded-stakes winner and third in both the GI Arlington Million and the GI Makers Mark Mile, was represented by his first foal Feb. 21. The colt, out of the mare Fire Assay (Medaglia d'Oro), was born in Kentucky according to War Horse Place. Sacred Life, retired after the 2022 Arlington Million, stands at Kentucky's War Horse Place for $2,000 alongside Hog Creek Hustle (Overanalyze), Rombauer (Twirling Candy) and Smooth Like Straight (Midnight Lute).

Three days after a New Jersey federal judge ordered a class-action lawsuit filed in 2021 by a group of bettors against Bob Baffert to be transferred to a federal court in Kentucky, the legal team for the Hall-of-Fame trainer filed a motion seeking the reassignment of the case to a different, specific Kentucky judge who last summer dismissed a similar case against Baffert. Baffert's Feb. 23 filing in United States District Court (Western District of Kentucky) asked for the reassignment based on the following reasoning: "The Plaintiffs in this case...

WinStar Farm will host an Open House for breeders from Sunday, Jan. 7 through Thursday, Jan. 11, between 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. ET. each day, the farm said in a release Friday. The open houses will be held at the farm's stallion complex on Paynes Mill Road in Versailles, Kentucky. Visitors are welcome without an appointment to view the WinStar roster for the 2024 season, led by Constitution ($110,000 S&N) and Life Is Good ($85,000 S&N). Breeders will also be able to see WinStar's newest additions for 2024: Country...

Standing in the first stall on the left in the Clark family's cozy barn at their farm in Springfield, Ky., ears pricked and head on a constant swivel in search of the next treat, Golovkin appears right at home. One would never guess that the 5-year-old gelded son of Mshawish had just shipped from Monmouth Park, nor that he was the center of Horseracing Integrity and Welfare Unit (HIWU) findings against his racing owner/trainer John Pimental. The story was first shared by the TDN's T. D. Thornton on Oct. 20,...

The Kentucky Horse Racing Commission (KHRC) on Tuesday approved a Thoroughbred racing calendar for 2024 that largely mirrors the template that has been in place for the past three seasons. The board's unanimous approval included a conditional "optional dates" placeholder for Ellis Park's July and August calendar that has to be solidified into a three-dates-per-week commitment before the end of this year. The gaming company Churchill Downs, Inc. (CDI), which owns Ellis, Churchill Downs Racetrack, and Turfway Park, had requested additional time to figure out if swapping Fridays for Mondays...