Churchill Downs draws a hard line with Baffert

Anticipating a lawsuit that would challenge its ban of the Hall of Fame trainer, the track accused Baffert of “inventing excuses.” Joe Drape, reporting for The New York Times reports: With the Kentucky Derby approaching, Baffert has threatened to sue Churchill Downs and Carstanjen if the track in Louisville, Ky., does not lift the two-year…

Court setback clouds Bob Baffert’s racing future

We cannot remember the last time we were so happy to post something. There has not been much happy news to post. We found the following encouraging. The door may be about to shut on Baffert. The title above says it. The article is written by the excellent Tim Sullivan reporting for the Louisville Courier-Journal.…

Legalities re Medina Spirit DQ and Baffert 2 yr suspension by Churchill Downs (video)

What legal standing does Churchill Downs have to banish Baffert, since it is not a regulatory agency? What are the Hall of Fame trainer's options and how have the courts ruled on similar actions by track owners? What happens next with the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission, now that a test of the split sample from…

Two Bob Baffert horses test positive for banned substances at Oaklawn

Question: Why is this serial cheater still in business? The excellent Tim Sullivan at the Louisville Courier-Journal reports, May 26, 2020: Two of trainer Bob Baffert's horses tested positive for banned substances during the recent meet at Oaklawn Park in Arkansas, including one of his top 3-year-olds, a source with knowledge of the situation confirmed to…

Virtual Ky Derby 2020

We think this is marketing genius on the part of Churchill Downs Incorporated (CDI), and perhaps, virtually, the future of horse racing in the US. Think about it. Virtual horse racing would mean zero overbreeding, racing two year olds, those horrific claiming races, cheating, doping, cruelty and traumatic breakdowns; no more racehorses killed on the…

The killing fields of Churchill Downs and horse racing

Tim Sullivan, writing for the Louisville Courier-Journal states: Of the 25 racetracks that share their casualty counts with the public, only one was more deadly last year than Churchill Downs. And despite its recent rash of gloomy headlines, it wasn’t Santa Anita. Only Illinois’ Hawthorne Race Course lost horses at a faster pace than Churchill…

Why do Kentucky lawmakers appear to despise horses?

LOUISVILLE, KY — Why do Kentucky lawmakers appear to despise horses? It's not simply having little to no regard for horses. These people seem to out and out despise them and want nothing to do with helping them in any way. How can this be? Kentucky Lawmakers in Washington D.C. The first politician's name that springs to mind…

Five horsey things you didn’t know about Jennifer Lawrence

Horse Nation have a fun piece on their site about 22 year-old Oscar winning actress Jennifer Lawrence who hails from Louisville, Kentucky (yea!) and grew up on a horse farm. Well, I have given away the first one. Here's another. Jennifer grew up riding horses -- bareback on untrained horses -- and has the scars…

Blind horse rescued after fall into sinkhole

by J.J. KINDRED Cross-posted from The Daily Times LOUISVILLE, TN -- A blind horse that was rescued after she fell into a sinkhole and was freed by Blount County firefighters and other rescuers Sunday evening remains stable at the Countryside Veterinarian Services in Louisville. Star, a quarter horse mare owned by Jack and Jennifer Estep,…

Kentucky attempting to reduce racehorse fatalities

Cross-posted from The Blood-Horse Written by RON MITCHELL The veterinary staff of the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission has added some additional protocols to its operations in an effort to cut down on the number of equine fatalities at the state's tracks. The changes came about after eight racing fatalities occurred during the month of May…