Events specialist Kerry Ryan announced the launch of Kerry Ryan Event Management (KREM). With over 20 years in corporate, arts and cultural, private and fundraising events, Ryan oversees events ranging from small private parties to educational programmes, exhibitions, seminars and webinars, awards ceremonies and international symposiums with 1,000 attendees.
Great British Racing International (GBRI) is today launching a campaign titled “British Racing: Invest in the Best,” designed to highlight the strength and importance of the British racing industry globally and encourage future international investment.
“British Racing: Invest in the Best” will take place each autumn for the next three years. It will span a four-week period when the global racing and bloodstock industry's attention turns to Britain's key autumn racedays and yearling sales.
The campaign will deliver a digital showcase of Britain's world-leading credentials across various sides of the racing industry, from training, racing and breeding, to bloodstock sales and welfare, as told by leading figures and organizations from across the industry.
In year one, the priority audience for the campaign is the U.S. market.
GBR Chief Executive, Rod Street, commented:
“British racing is a world-leading industry. We can see this in the number of British-trained horses that currently feature in the World Thoroughbred Rankings; in the global demand for the stallions we stand in Britain; in the enduring international appeal of our bloodstock sales; in the number of British races that have featured in the world's best race rankings in recent years; and in the welfare standards we uphold for our thoroughbreds both in and out of training.
“Today, GBRI is turning the dial up on promoting the best of British racing around the world. There is a lot to showcase. Equally, there's a lot of work to do if British racing is to retain the position it has held throughout its history. International investment underpins the health and vibrancy of the British racing industry, and we are facing increasingly stiff competition for international participation from other jurisdictions. We must be proactive in focusing the attention on what qualifies Britain as the global home of horse racing. GBRI will lead this important work on behalf of the industry.”
Racing broadcaster and “British Racing: Invest in the Best” ambassador, Nick Luck, commented:
“I have always maintained that sport at the highest level thrives when we make the world a smaller place. The racing and bloodstock industries benefit when nations share ideas, cross-pollinate our horses and attract one another's owners.
“British racing's heritage, its variety and its long-earned reputation for producing and nurturing the highest quality turf horses combine to maintain its international standing. I am delighted that GBRI is taking this message to the world and am happy to be working alongside their excellent team to achieve their ambitions with this campaign.”
Kentucky Derby Museum and the Make-A-Wish Foundation® helped make a young girl's horse dreams come true Monday morning. The experience included a VIP tour at Churchill Downs and a special meet-and-greet with the Museum's miniature horse and Resident Thoroughbred.
Nine-year-old Kori Butts is living with a nervous system disorder that affects her mobility and speech. She has spent many hours of her life at countless doctor's appointments, and the family has never been on a vacation before.
Make-A-Wish planned a days-long vacation for the family of five in the Louisville area, where Kori and her family can relax, have fun, and of course, experience horses!
Monday morning, their Kentucky Derby Museum tour guide lead them out to the famous racetrack at Churchill Downs for a private tour, where Kori said she was “born ready!” to watch the horses run. When asked about her daughter's love for horses, Kori's father, Corey Butts, says, “her eyes glisten, she gets giddy and absolutely lights up. This vacation has allowed her to just be a kid and not think about doctor's visits.”
Next, Kori's guide took her and her mom to the Backside of Churchill Downs for a private tour of the barns. She was full of joy meeting Harley, a famous pony, and she could not stop smiling as she fed him his favorite peppermint treats. She was even gifted a collectible Breyer horse that's a replica of Harley. Then, Kori had an extra special moment back in the barns when she got to meet trainer Michelle Lovell and her horse Elwood, and then trainer Greg Foley showed Kori how to feed carrots to Sconsin, a race horse.
Finally, Kori and her family received a private meet-and-greet with Kentucky Derby Museum's miniature horse and Resident Thoroughbred. Kori got to feed them treats, and perhaps the most adorable moment was when she placed her pink cowgirl hat on Ari's head. When asked why she loves horses so much, Kori exclaimed, “They're magical and special like me!”
The family also experienced live racing on Sunday through the Kentucky Derby Museum's box seats at Churchill Downs.
There are a few more surprises ahead for Kori on her Kentucky vacation before the family heads back to their home state of Florida on Thursday.
Sheriff Brown has been disqualified from his narrow victory in the $200,000 Albuquerque Handicap at the Downs at Albuquerque on Sept. 24 after stewards ruled that jockey Oscar Ceballos violated the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority regulations restricting use of the riding crop.
The ruling, dated Sept. 25 and posted on the Association of Racing Commissioners International website, followed a hearing with owner Joseph Robert Peacock of the Peacock Family Holdings L.P. stable. Sheriff Brown, a 6-year-old gelding by Curlin sent off as the 5-2 favorite, was disqualified from first and ordered unplaced after rallying from last, nearly 10 lengths behind, to edge Mine That Star and jockey Joree Scriver by a neck in the 1 1/8-mile contest.
Trainer Todd Fincher said Peacock “absolutely” planned to appeal the disqualification, which cost the owner-breeder $108,000 in what would have been Sheriff Brown's biggest payday.
Under HISA rules, purse disqualifications do not come into play until the 10th strike. A Class 3 violation of HISA rule 2282 is one to three strikes over the six-strike limit; Class 2 is four to nine strikes over; Class 1 is 10 or more over the limit. Fines and suspensions to jockeys increase according to the level of violation.
“They said he hit the horse a total of 11 times,” Fincher said, “but he's not really striking the horse as much as flagging or brushing the shoulder. It's ridiculous in my opinion. If a jockey breaks a rule, the owner shouldn't have to pay for it. and we're not even sure he broke a rule.
“The ironic thing is the horse that ran second broke the whip rule, too,” Fincher said.
In fact, three of the other 10 jockeys riding in the Albuquerque Handicap were sanctioned for Class 3 riding crop violations, fined $250 (or 10 percent of the jockey's share of the purse), and suspended one day. For his Class 2 violation, Ceballos received a three-day suspension and fine of $2,160 (20 percent of his share of the purse). The other were Joree Scriver aboard runner-up Mine That Star, Enrique Garcia aboard fifth-place finisher Tartini, and Alejandro Medellin aboard sixth-place fionisher Zestful.
“Three other jockeys break the rules and we're the only ones who get penalized like this?” Fincher said. “It's stupid, asinine, moronic. I'm all for HISA and the medication side of it. The rest of it they're screwing up pretty good in my opinion.”
