July, 2022 | Horse Racing Free Tips

Lexington ‘Cannot Afford To Be Thoughtless And Hasty’ With Approval Of Proposed Soccer Complex

The following statement was released on Tuesday, July 26, by the below-listed members of the community in Lexington, Ky., in response to the approval for a soccer complex in an agriculture-rural zone which had been home to the Ashwood Training Center on Russell Cave Road.

The site plan has the soccer fields located where the training track sits and near the southeast border of Fasig-Tipton Kentucky's sale grounds. The fields are adjacent to trainer Ken McPeek's Magdalena Farm. The site plan also calls for 750 parking spaces.

There have been questions about the relationship between the proposed recreational fields and an “anticipated” commercial stadium for a USL League One professional soccer franchise that is coming to Lexington in 2023. Plans for a downtown soccer stadium have fallen through and no new plans have been announced. The site plan does not include a stadium, though the Division of Planning staff said “separation between the uses” (recreational soccer fields and pro stadium) should be more “clearly delineated.” William J. Shively, owner of Dixiana Farm in Lexington, brought the franchise to Lexington. Vince Gabbert, a former vice president at Keeneland, is the soccer franchise president.

As concerned members of the Lexington-Fayette County community that is deeply rooted in our Bluegrass farmland, we urge the Planning Commission to oppose the zoning ordinance text amendments related to the Lexington Sporting Club soccer complex proposal on Newtown Pike that will come to a vote at the Planning Commission meeting on Thursday, July 28.

The land-use precedent that was set nearly 70 years ago with the establishment of our Urban Services Boundary has remained intact for a reason: the land in and around the Agricultural-Rural (A-R) zone, and the productive industries that rely on it to fuel our economy, are vital to Lexington.

As parents, business owners, neighbors, sports fans, outdoor enthusiasts, horsemen, restaurant-goers and proud Lexingtonians, we support bringing a professional soccer team and additional youth sports opportunities to this community, but it needs to be done the right way. The Lexington Sporting Club and Anderson Communities' current proposal jeopardizes our livelihoods, our community identity, our economy, and the very reason so many of us chose to lay down our roots in Lexington-Fayette County.

We cannot afford to be thoughtless and hasty in making decisions about a resource as instrumental to our way of life as the land that supports us in countless ways. Allowing intense commercial development in the A-R zone and an outdoor stadium in the nearby Economic Development (ED) zone would mark just the tip of the iceberg; upsetting the delicate balance between rural and urban development that this community has so thoughtfully maintained since 1958 would open the floodgates to similar endeavors. It cannot come to pass. Our productive farmland, which directly contributes $2.3 billion to our economy annually, supports one out of every 12 jobs and is the factory floor of our community and our unique identity. We must protect it at all costs.

We intend to do just that at the Planning Committee meeting at 1:30 pm on Thursday 7/28 and before the Lexington-Fayette Urban County Council after that. We urge others to join us in making our voices heard for the sake of the future generations of our community, whose success depends on the responsible stewardship of our finite land.

Respectfully,

Airdrie Stud
Ashland Show Stables
Candy Meadows Farm
Castle & Key Distillery
Claiborne Farm
Cobra Farm
Dudley's on Short
Equine Land Conservation Resource
Fasig-Tipton
Fayette Alliance
Fayette County Farm Bureau
Hillcroft Farm
Jackpot Farm
Justice Real Estate
Keeneland
Keene Ridge Farm
Kentucky Equine Education Project (KEEP)
Kentucky Thoroughbred Association (KTA)
Lane's End Farm
Lost Creek Farm
Middlebrook Farm
Milestone Farm
Mt. Brilliant Farm
Mulholland Springs
Spring Meadow Farm
Spy Coast Farm
Stone Farm
Taylor Made Sales Agency
Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association (TOBA)
Three Diamonds Farm
Winchester Farm
Winter Quarter Farm

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Quarter Horse Racino Approved for Eastern Kentucky

By unanimous voice vote after zero public discussion among commissioners at a “special” meeting, the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission (KHRC) on Tuesday quickly approved a license awarding a Quarter Horse racino license for a track to be constructed in the northeastern part of the state.

The license is the ninth and final of its kind to be awarded in Kentucky.

Although the focus of press releases announcing the deal accentuated the rebirth of Quarter Horse racing in a state better known as the nation's Thoroughbred epicenter, the real prize for applicant Revolutionary Racing will be the privilege of operating historical horse race (HHR) gaming at the facility and its satellite locations.

Although the July 26 KHRC meeting was short on details, the Daily Independent newspaper in the town of Ashland, where the racino will be located, has previously reported that the track will be built behind a mall there, with the 400 HHR machines to be installed in a vacant Sears department store.

In a press release, Revolutionary Racing stated that it envisioned a $55-million investment in the 177-acre property would transform the suburban site near the Ohio River into a “world-class facility.”

The 660-yard sprint track is projected to feature purses of $500,000, which would make the facility the kingpin of Quarter Horse racing east of the Mississippi River, where the breed gets only sporadic support from sanctioned racetracks.

No specific race dates or an opening date were discussed during the public portion of the KHRC meeting. The facility is projected to get year-round use for Quarter Horse shows and other equestrian competitions, and an adjacent entertainment complex is also part of the plan.

No existing Thoroughbred or Standardbred track licensees stated objections to the Quarter Horse racino. Its nearest in-state Thoroughbred competitor would be Keeneland, some 120 miles west.

Four years ago Revolutionary Racing was a partner in the $20-million purchase of then-dormant Colonial Downs in Virginia. Revolutionary Racing was eventually bought out of that deal, and Colonial Downs was subsequently sold in 2022 to the gaming corporation Churchill Downs Inc., for $2.5 billion.

According to the KHRC, in 2021 The Kentucky House of Representatives passed a resolution in support of the Quarter Horse industry in the commonwealth, recommending that at least one race track license be awarded or held explicitly for Quarter Horse racing.

According to the brief comments made prior to the vote, Revolutionary Racing needed to adhere to six conditions to achieve its licensure. But it was not publicly disclosed during the meeting what those conditions were.

One day prior to the meeting, TDN requested from the KHRC the portion of the public meeting packet that contained the license application and related materials. That query did not result in a reply from the KHRC prior to the Tuesday deadline for this story.

Two commissioners, William May and James Worley, abstained from the vote, citing interest conflicts.

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US Equestrian Federation Adopts Sports Betting Policy Aimed At Preventing Manipulation Of Competition

The United States Equestrian Federation's Board of Directors recently approved the adoption of a Policy for the Prevention of the Manipulation of Competition, which will go into effect on Dec. 1, 2022.

Fantasy games and betting on equestrian sport are growing in popularity, and this Policy mitigates risks that could compromise the integrity and essence of sport. Included below is a short summary of the policy, including when and to whom it applies.

What is prohibited?

Under the policy, all competition manipulation is strictly prohibited. Violations of this policy include, but are not limited to:

Betting money (or items of monetary value) on a competition by Participants of that Competition;
Improper use of insider information by Participants, whether the Participant uses the information themselves or discloses it to an outside person/entity;
Giving and/or receiving a benefit in exchange for inside information, whether or not the inside information is actually exchanged;
Participant(s) acting with the intention to lose a Competition or part of it, or perform less than optimally (ex: “throwing a match”);
A Participant engaging in Match Fixing or Manipulating a Competition or encouraging any other Participant to match fix or otherwise manipulate a competition; and
Failure to cooperate with USEF investigation into possible violations of this policy.

Who is required to comply?

Any person belonging to one of the following categories is required to comply with the Policy:

Athletes participating in a Competition;
Athlete support personnel working with or treating Athlete(s) or horses participating in or preparing for Competition (and all other persons working with the Athlete(s) and/or horses);
Owners, shareholders, or interested parties in a horse in a competition;
Officials – includes licensed officials, any licensee, manager, or secretary of a Competition, any other Competition staff or those with an ownership interest in the Competition;
Those serving as volunteers or paid staff of the Federation or a Recognized Affiliate Association.

What happens when a violation occurs?

A violation or an attempted violation by a Participant may be investigated by USEF and subject to disciplinary proceedings pursuant to Federation Bylaws Part VII and General Rules Chapter 7.

Participants in FEI events are further reminded that FEI has adopted its own Code on the Prevention of the Manipulation of Competitions and covered participants are required to abide by the FEI Code in addition to USEF policy.

For additional questions related to the new Policy on Prevention of the Manipulation of Competition, please see the FAQs or contact USEF General Counsel Sonja Keating at skeating@usef.org.

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Del Mar: Thursday’s Fleet Treat Stakes Draws Eight Cal-Bred Fillies

The 37th edition of the Fleet Treat Stakes will top the bill Thursday as Del Mar swings back into action after a smashing opening weekend of racing. The seven-panel test for 3-year-old California-bred or sired fillies carries a purse of $175,000 and has drawn a field of eight, headed by the gray miss Connie Swingle.

The Fleet Treat is part of the Golden State Stakes Series that consists of 36 races over the year at racetracks up and down the state worth a total of $4.475 million. Eight of those races are run at the Del Mar summer meet and this is the first of the bunch.

Connie Swingle, who'll be handled by her regular rider of late, Kyle Frey, has raced six times, winning four of them and running second in the other two. She's owned and was bred by Nick Alexander, who stands her sire, the fast gray horse Grazen, who is one of the state's top stallions.

Among her victories for trainer Phil D'Amato are a pair at Del Mar last year, where she registered her initial win, then took down honors in the Generous Portion Stakes. The speedster has been favored in every one of her starts and she's likely to keep that record alive Thursday.

Here's the full field for the Fleet Treat in post position order with their riders:

Nick Alexander's Rose Dawson (Ramon Vazquez up); Mr.-Mrs. Larry Williams' Tam's Little Angel (Catalino Martinez); Tommy Town Thoroughbreds' Opening Buzz (Evan Roman); Connie Swingle; Baffert of Pageler's Fun to Dream (Juan Hernandez); Cole Ranch Partners' Ellamira (Frank Alvarado); Phil Lebherz's Everlys Girl (Tyler Baze), and Maller, Sauder or Sauder's Gianna's Wild Cat (Florent Geroux).

Two of the fillies with only one start each may pose threats to Connie Swingle. Opening Buzz, a $34,000 purchase at the Northern California Yearling Sale, won at first asking at Golden Gate Fields on June 11, scoring by seven lengths in good time. She's put in several steady works since under the tutelage of Jonathan Wong.

Fun to Dream, a gray by champion Arrogate, also clicked a first asking on My 28 at Santa Anita, scoring by six and a quarter lengths. She's been working sharply since for trainer Bob Baffert.

First post Thursday is a 2 p.m. and the Fleet Treat is Race 7 of eight on the card

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