Panel finds no single factor in horse deaths at Churchill Downs. More screening is suggested
A report from horse racingโs federally created oversight panel found no single cause of death among 12 horses at Churchill Downs this spring, but recommends further action and analysis to mitigate risk at the home of the Kentucky Derby.
Churchill Downs to improve track maintenance, veterinary resources for fall meet after horse deaths
Churchill Downs will implement safety measures for its September meet including new track surface maintenance equipment and additional monitoring and equine care following 12 horse deaths before and after the Kentucky Derby that spurred suspension of its spring meet.
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Medina Spirit heads to Preakness, minus trainer Bob Baffert
Kentucky Derby winner Medina Spirit is headed to Baltimore for the Preakness Stakes while trainer Bob Baffert says he wonโt attend the race to avoid being a distraction in the wake of scrutiny following the coltโs failed postrace drug test.
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The Latest: Astros to allow 50% capacity for games in April
Houston hosts 14 games in April -- Oakland and Detroit visit for three each, the Los Angeles Angels and Seattle play four times. ___The Charlotte Hornets will allow approximately 5,000 fans to attend NBA home games beginning March 26 against Miami, or about 25% percent of the Spectrum Centerโs seating capacity. Thatโs a 10% increase from the 3,000 fans that were allowed to attend home games beginning March 13. ___The Preakness will be run in front of a limited capacity of 10,000 fans at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore on May 15. AdSince the pandemic was declared in March 2020, the Ad Council has mobilized the industry to launch a multi-pronged communications effort to combat COVID-19.
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Improbable is 5-2 favorite for Breeders' Cup Classic
8 post position for the Breedersโ Cup Classic and is the 5-2 morning line favorite for the marquee race of the season-ending World Championships at Keeneland. Kentucky Derby champion Authentic, a Baffert pupil who held off Tiz the Law in a wire-to-wire victory at Churchill, will go off at 6-1 from the No. I canโt do any more for him.โFilly Swiss Skydiver, who won last month's Preakness against males and was a Classic pre-entry, opted to run against her own gender in Breeders' Cup Distaff over 1 1/8 miles. โShe was 11 of 11 in the Breedersโ Cup in 2018," he said. 7 post for Breedersโ Cup Juvenile that cap Fridayโs five-race feature card for 2-year-olds.
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Another horse in Baffertโs stable draws a positive test
(AP Photo/Darron Cummings, File)A filly trained by two-time Triple Crown winner Bob Baffert has tested positive in a postrace drug test for the second time this year, making it the third positive test by a horse in Baffertโs stable in the last six months. He blamed the positive test on environmental contamination linked to a pain patch worn by assistant trainer Jim Barnes. Between her two positive tests, Gamine won the Acorn Stakes at Belmont and the Test Stakes at Saratoga, both in New York. The same day Gamine tested positive at Oaklawn, another Baffert horse also failed a postrace test. Charlatan, who won a division of the Arkansas Derby, also tested positive for lidocaine and was disqualified.
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House approves bill to combat doping in horse racing
The โHorseracing Integrity and Safety Actโ comes after a series of doping scandals and a rash of horse fatalities in recent years. "Horse racing has long been woven into the fabric of American culture,'' Tonko said during House debate, citing storied names such as Secretariat and Man o' War that โstir the imagination of racing fansโ around the world. The House bill would empower an independent Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority to set uniform, national standards for medication, track safety and testing of horses for performance-enhancing drugs, or PEDs. The legislation is supported by a range of groups, including The Jockey Club, the New York Racing Association and the Humane Society of the United States. โHorse racing is experiencing the most profound crisis in the long history of the sport.
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Authentic's future could include rematch against Tiz the Law
Bob Bafferts latest star achieved that by blowing past Kentucky Derby favorite Tiz the Law to win going away Saturday at Churchill Downs. Though Authentic shattered hopes for a Triple Crown winner this year, he raised questions about what hell do for an encore, which could include a possible rematch against Tiz the Law at the Preakness in Baltimore on Oct. 3. There figures to be other well-rested horses to contend with, though Baffert touted Tiz the Law as a formidable foe at Pimlico Race Course. But those options are for later, and Baffert is happy that Authentic emerged from the Derby in good shape. Right now, at the end of the day Tiz the Law is still going to be tough.
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The Latest: A Kentucky Derby with no fans and a big favorite
Horses run during a race before the 146th running of the Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs, Saturday, Sept. 5, 2020, in Louisville, Ky. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)LOUISVILLE, Ky. The Latest on the 146th Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs (all times EDT):12:30 p.m. Early races have gone off at sunny Churchill Downs in the lead-up to the 146th Kentucky Derby, set to begin without spectators beneath the Twin Spires and with protests against social injustice expected to take place nearby. Tiz the Law enters the $3 million race as the 3-5 morning line favorite for the 16-horse field with odds likely to rise by the scheduled 7:02 p.m. post time. The colt won the Belmont Stakes and can become the first Derby winner from the No. Hes surrounded on the outside in the 1 mile-race by Honor A. P. (5-1, No.
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'Worst Derby Ever': A T-shirt slogan sums up 2020 woes
Military Police, working as security, stand in empty stands before the 146th running of the Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs, Saturday, Sept. 5, 2020, in Louisville, Ky. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey)LOUISVILLE, Ky. The Churchill Downs stands are empty and the wagering windows closed. The 146th Kentucky Derby is a surreal distillation of the crises facing the county in 2020. The race, usually in May, is four months late because of the coronavirus pandemic. Wanda Martin lives across from the backside of Churchill Downs. Worst derby ever.
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Authentic wins Ky. Derby, gives Baffert tying 6th victory
Authentic won by 1 1/4 lengths without the usual crowd of 150,000 on hand at Churchill Downs because of the coronavirus pandemic. The bay colt ran 1 1/4 miles in 2:00.61 under John Velazquez, who earned his third Derby victory. Sent off at 3-5 as the biggest Derby favorite in 31 years, Tiz the Law stalked Authentic on the outside before challenging at the top of the stretch. Yes! Baffert shouted in the paddock, where he watched the race on the video screen. Tiz the Law had already won the Belmont, the kickoff to the reconfigured Triple Crown that was run in June at a shorter distance.
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Tiz the Law is a big favorite in a Derby unlike any other
Kentucky Derby entry Tiz the Law runs during a workout at Churchill Downs, Friday, Sept. 4, 2020, in Louisville, Ky. The Kentucky Derby still has horses Tiz the Law is the biggest favorite in 31 years but just about everything else makes the 146th edition unlike any other. Quietude cant hurt, said Barclay Tagg, trainer of 3-5 favorite Tiz the Law. Tiz the Law won the Travers by 5 1/2 lengths over the same distance at Saratoga a month ago. A win by Tiz the Law would make Tagg the oldest trainer to win a Derby at age 82.
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Long shot Shedaresthedevil pulls off upset in Kentucky Oaks
Florent Geroux rides Shedaresthedevil, second left, and John Velazquez rides Gamine, right, going into the first turn during the 146th running of the Kentucky Oaks at Churchill Downs, Friday, Sept. 4, 2020, in Louisville, Ky. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey)LOUISVILLE, Ky. Long shot Shedaresthedevil won the Kentucky Oaks in record time, overtaking favorite Gamine at the top of the stretch and holding off Swiss Skydiver for a 1 1/2-length victory Friday in the 146th Kentucky Oaks for fillies at Churchill Downs. 7 post, staying within reach of the heavily favored Gamine before coming on near the final turn and gaining the lead entering the stretch. Once ahead, she turned it up more with Florent Geroux aboard, pulling away from Swiss Skydiver and rolling to victory in the $1.25 million marquee event. Swiss Skydiver, who started along the rail, returned $3.80 and $2.60. Postponed from May along with the Kentucky Derby because of coronavirus concerns, the Oaks went off on a hot, sunny day without spectators.
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From Derby DQ to doping, a chaotic year in horse racing
What happened next set horse racing off on a year-long odyssey of chaos. From a historic DQ to doping, lawsuits to a global pandemic, and then a Triple Crown turned upside down. What happened next set horse racing off on a yearlong odyssey of chaos: from a historic DQ to doping, from lawsuits to a pandemic, and now a Triple Crown turned upside down. Instead of leading off on the first Saturday in May, the Kentucky Derby shifted to Labor Day weekend. Who would have ever thought youd run the Kentucky Derby with no fans? Hall of Fame jockey Mike Smith said.
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Ahead of Kentucky Derby, worker shortage looms for trainers
The Trump administrations immigration squeeze and the hardships caused by the coronavirus pandemic threaten to leave the horse racing industry short of workers, racing officials warn as they prepare for a reconfigured Kentucky Derby. Pea argues that H-2B visa workers have less legal protection than their American counterparts. Low pay is part of the problem, contends Elisabeth Jensen, the executive vice president of the Kentucky Equine Education Project, an organization that supports the state's horse industry. To accommodate the number of horses with a limited supply of workers, trainers have to work with fewer horses. Laurie Mays, a project manager at the Kentucky Chamber of Commerce, is in charge of developing a local workforce for the horse industry.
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Coronavius forces changes for Kentucky Derby jockeys
(AP Photo/Gregory Payan, File)Jockeys riding in the rescheduled 146th Kentucky Derby have to arrive by Monday and then quarantine upon returning to their home tracks, just one of many changes forced by the coronavirus pandemic. Initially, Churchill Downs had proposed an arrival date of Aug. 24 nearly two weeks before the Derby on Sept. 5. Smith will bolster his trip to the Derby with a riding assignment the following weekend at Kentucky Downs near the Tennessee border. Smith will be joined by some other Derby jockeys. Their coronavirus tests from Churchill Downs will be honored at the southern Kentucky track.
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Country House win in 2019 Derby upheld by appeals court
LOUISVILLE, Ky. A federal appeals court has upheld the decision by Churchill Downs stewards that made Country House the winner of the 2019 Kentucky Derby. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit in Cincinnati on Friday affirmed a U.S. District Court decision to dismiss a lawsuit by Gary and Mary West, who own Maximum Security. The Wests sued the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission, its executive director, members and stewards after the race in May 2019. The Wests sought to reverse the track stewards decision, contending it violated their rights to due process. Maximum Security won the Pacific Classic at Del Mar on Aug. 22.
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Kentucky Derby, Oaks will run with limitations on spectators
(AP Photo/Matt Slocum, File)LOUISVILLE, Ky. Churchill Downs officials have gotten their wish, announcing Thursday that when the rescheduled Kentucky Derby is run in September there will be spectators in the stands just more spread out than usual. The historic track got the go-ahead to run the Derby and Oaks this fall with spectators under strict guidelines to limit crowd density for the marquee Triple Crown race that annually attracts more than 150,000. Andy Beshear and local health officials, Churchill Downs will reduce capacity in general admission, outdoor reserved seating, premium dining and suites. Attendance obviously will be lower this year with new health protocols, and Churchill Downs president Kevin Flanery isn't thinking about numbers. Churchill Downs will announce information on tickets and seating in the coming days.
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Many struggling in horse racing hope return brings lifeline
FILE - In this May 7, 2020 file photo the sun rises over the track at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Ky. Horse racing is in a state of transition at a time usually reserved for Triple Crown season. There is some light at the end of the tunnel as tracks including Churchill Downs in Kentucky are getting back to live racing without fans. Were seeing the light at the end of the tunnel, hopefully, Maryland-based owner and trainer Linda Gaudet said from Louisville, Kentucky, where shes preparing for racing to return Saturday at Churchill Downs. Like other businesses, it will happen gradually and on a case-by-case basis, with people like Gaudet hoping horse racing will eventually get back on its feet.