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Terri Mazur Joins HISA Board Of Directors

Today, the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority (HISA) announced that Terri Mazur, Esq. has been selected to join HISA's Board of Directors. Mazur will replace Ellen McClain, who will step down from her position to fulfill increasing professional obligations.

As determined by Congress, HISA's Board of Directors consists of nine individuals, five from outside of the equine industry (independent directors), and four selected to represent various equine constituencies (industry directors). Mazur will fill one of the independent director seats on the Board.

“Terri's legal and business expertise, as well as her life-long commitment to horses make her a natural fit for HISA's Board,” said HISA Board of Directors Chair Charles Scheeler. “We thank Ellen for her considerable contributions to HISA, and I look forward to working with Terri as we seek to expand on the critical work HISA is doing to protect horses and riders.”

Mazur is an experienced trial lawyer with more than 30 years of experience across the federal securities and financial services industry. She previously served as Partner at Mayer Brown LLP and Arnold Porter Kaye Scholer LLP, and was most recently a Shareholder at Greenberg Traurig, LLP. Mazur is the Immediate Past Chair of the New York State Bar Association's (NYSBA) Women in Law Section, serves on the Executive Committee of NYSBA's Antitrust Section and the Task Force on Racism, Social Equity and the Law, and sits on the Antitrust and Trade Regulation Committee of the New York City Bar Association.

“I am honored to have been appointed to the Board by this outstanding group of independent and industry experts,” said Mazur. “As a life-long competitive equestrian who has owned retired Thoroughbred racehorses, I have a deep concern for the health and wellbeing of racehorses. It is a privilege to be part of HISA's work to make racing safer for horses, and to make Thoroughbred racing fair and clean.”

Mazur is an avid equestrian and has a long history in show jumping at both the intercollegiate level and in the junior and adult amateur jumper divisions on the national level. She will replace Ellen McClain, who is stepping down from her position on HISA's Board of Directors due to increasing professional responsibilities.

“It has been a great honor to support the formation of HISA and the important work being done to ensure the long-term success of Thoroughbred racing,” said McClain. “I have no doubt that HISA will continue to thrive under the leadership of my fellow Board members, Lisa, and the strong, dedicated team she has assembled.”

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Bandoroff: Visionary Anthony Manganaro Saw The Big Picture

Anthony Manganaro wasn't out to make friends. He was out to change an industry he loved. He was a street fighter, a former labor organizer, and he was willing to fight. When one idea hit a dead end he came up with another one and another one and, well, you get the idea. He never gave up in his mission to make the industry better.

I often say one of the wonderful things about my career is I've had the opportunity to be around and learn from some very smart and remarkable people. If I had to rank them Anthony might be #1 for me. He was one of those rare people who was a visionary and who flew at 30,000 feet, seeing the big picture. That's not something many of us can do. We know we should and we try but we just aren't capable of doing it. Anthony had that gift.

I first met him around 15 years ago. He introduced himself and brought me into his circle of confidants. He included me in his mission to make the sport better for everyone involved, especially the people who didn't have a voice.

I soon learned he had the ideas, the vision and the finances to change the industry. He spent millions of dollars of his own money with architects, lawyers, and consultants as he refined his ideas. He took me to meetings with former NBA commissioner David Stern, former Major League Baseball players attorney Don Fehr, and a sports business icon, Harvey Schiller. The thing each of them had in common was they recognized that Thoroughbred racing had all the ingredients to make it a major league sport again. They were truly excited about its potential and the possibilities. The ideas they had and the vision they could see for horse racing were inspiring.

There was just one problem. They didn't know our industry. They didn't know we were an industry, as Anthony always said, that refused to want to make the pie bigger. Instead, we'd rather fight over our slice of a shrinking pie.

Anthony, like another visionary, B. Wayne Hughes, worked tirelessly to make the industry he cared about better. They were both remarkable individuals who commanded enormous amounts of respect, regardless of what side of the debate you were on.

If you knew him you realize we just lost our biggest thinker. If you didn't know him then you have no idea what we lost. Trust me, we lost a lot. We lost someone we won't replace very easily. There are very few Anthony Manganaros out there, if any. And unfortunately we weren't always smart enough to listen to him. If we had, I can promise you we wouldn't be facing as many challenges as we do today.

But he can rest in peace knowing he sure tried. I'll miss him and whether you know it or not, so will you. Go in peace, friend.

Craig Bandoroff, with wife Holly, owns Denali Stud in Paris, Ky. The farm is now managed by their son, Conrad Bandoroff.

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Kentucky Downs Offering $250,000 Allowance Races For Keeneland September Grads

For the second year, Kentucky Downs is offering a pair of $250,000 allowance races restricted to 2-year-olds that went through the sales ring at the prior year's Keeneland September Yearling Sale.

Both races – one for fillies and one for colts and geldings – are at 6 1/2 furlongs and are on the opening-day card, Thursday Aug. 31. The seven-day all-grass FanDuel Meet at Kentucky Downs also races Sept. 2, 3, 7, 9, 10 and 13 over America's only European course.

Horses are eligible for the lucrative allowance races if they were either sold at the 2022 Keeneland September Sale or were offered but did not reach their predetermined minimum selling price, known as an RNA (reserve not attained). Entries for the Keeneland sales races and the rest of Kentucky Downs' opening card will be taken this Saturday, Aug. 26.

Last year's male division produced G1 Arkansas Derby winner Angel of Empire, who finished third in the Kentucky Derby, and Mo Stash, who finished fourth in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf and won Keeneland's Grade 3 Kentucky Utilities Transylvania this past spring.

“At Keeneland, we work hard to promote the success of our sales grads,” said Keeneland Vice President of Sales Tony Lacy. “These races are a great way to publicize sales grads who are just starting their careers, especially in a segment of the market that is growing, the turf aspect. Kentucky Downs has been a great partner and there is terrific synergy between the racing and sales operations of our two organizations. Once horses walk through the Keeneland sales ring — exiting either as a sale or an RNA — they are qualified to participate in the race.”

Ted Nicholson, Kentucky Downs' Vice President for Racing, said that every year he hears from owners after they win a Kentucky Downs race that they now have more money to spend at the Keeneland sale.

“That's the beauty of this: We offer some of the largest purses in the world. But no matter where those owners are from, chances are that at least a good chunk of what a horse earns will be reinvested right back into the Kentucky Thoroughbred industry,” he said.

Lacy agreed, calling the need for a strong racing product to support the sales and vice versa “a very delicate ecosystem we continually want to strengthen. Locally and indeed around the country, it's a huge economic driver.”

The Keeneland sales races were moved from later in the meet last year to opening day this year, raising the possibility that a horse could run in the allowance event and go back in one of Kentucky Downs' 2-year-old stakes. The Kentucky Downs Juvenile Mile and Global Tote Juvenile Fillies at a mile are Sept. 10; the Pepsi Juvenile Sprint and Pepsi Untapable for 2-year-old fillies at 6 1/2 furlongs are Sept. 13, closing day. The four 2-year-old stakes carry a total purse of $500,000, with $250,000 coming from the Kentucky Thoroughbred Development Fund for registered Kentucky-bred horses.

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FanDuel Named Title Sponsor Of Kentucky Downs’ $1.7 Million Turf Cup

The FanDuel Meet at Kentucky Downs, 2023 edition: seven days, $24 million in purses, 11 of 17 stakes worth at least $1 million apiece — and three dozen sponsors.

FanDuel leads the way, returning as the meet's title sponsor but also assuming sponsorship of the $1.7 million, Grade 2 FanDuel Kentucky Turf Cup, the 1 1/2-mile stakes that anchors the six pack of graded stakes each worth at least $1 million for Kentucky-breds on Sept. 9. The sponsorship includes the Aug. 31 opening-day $500,000 FanDuel TV Tapit Stakes for 3-year-olds & up that have not won a stakes in 2023 and the FanDuel VIP Chalet, which provides air-conditioning in an upscale environment with a spectacular view of the races.

“The FanDuel Group is excited to sponsor the FanDuel Meet at Kentucky Downs for the third consecutive year,” said Andrew Moore, General Manager of Racing, FanDuel Group. “This unique meet has gained momentum and popularity with horseplayers each year and, thanks to Ron Winchell, Marc Falcone and their team, they continue to put on a top-class meeting with horsemen and women from across the globe.

“The FanDuel Group has an ongoing commitment to promoting and covering horse racing, and we are looking forward to showcasing every race, every day from the meet on FanDuel TV, including the $1.7 million FanDuel Kentucky Turf Cup, a Breeders' Cup Challenge race, and the FanDuel Tapit Stakes.”

From gaming vendors to prominent breeding and stallion farms to boutique bourbons to products ranging from eclectic to iconic, each of the meet's seven days is packed with corporate support.

“How do you measure the upward trajectory of a race meet?” said Ted Nicholson, Kentucky Downs' Vice President for Racing. “There's obviously record purses, record betting and among the largest fields in America. But there's also the response from sponsors — not just our marquee industry entities but corporate America. The names and numbers speak for themselves, and we couldn't be more proud and appreciative of the companies and product owners who want to be associated with America's most unique race meet.”

The FanDuel Turf Cup carries a base purse of $1.3 million, with the additional $400,000 from the Kentucky Thoroughbred Development Fund (KTDF). A registered Kentucky-bred winner will earn more than $1 million; even a winner born outside the commonwealth will reap almost $800,000.

The only stakes that is more lucrative is the $2 million, Grade 3 Mint Millions, which has a base purse of $1 million and another $1 million in KTDF money and is sponsored by The Mint Gaming Hall.

Kentucky Downs' nine stakes worth $1 million carry base purses of $600,000 with another $400,000 for registered Kentucky-breds.

The five $1 million graded stakes on the super-sized Sept. 9 card are sponsored by the companies who create the historical horse racing gaming terminals used at Kentucky Downs' The Mint Gaming Hall properties in Franklin, Bowling Green, Williamsburg and Corbin, Ky. Those HHR-sponsored stakes in 2023 are:

$1 million Castle Hill Gaming Ladies Turf (G3) at a mile
$1 million Aristocrat Ladies Marathon (G3) at 1 5/16 miles
$1 million Exacta Systems Franklin-Simpson (G2) for 3-year-olds at 6 1/2 furlongs
$1 million AGS Ladies Sprint (G2) at 6 1/2 furlongs
$1 million Ainsworth Turf Sprint (G2) at six furlongs

The new National Thoroughbred League — an evolving concept designed to create a glamorous lifestyle experience at the track and beyond — kicks off its season at Kentucky Downs on Sunday Sept. 3. As such, the NTL is the day sponsor, including the $1 million National Thoroughbred League Dueling Grounds Derby (G3) and the $500,000 NTL Handicap.

Another new day sponsor is Jeff Ruby's, the renowned steakhouse whose locations include nearby Nashville and the Kentucky thoroughbred markets of Louisville, Lexington and Greater Cincinnati. Jeff Ruby's Day is Sept. 7, headlined by the $500,000 Jeff Ruby's One Dreamer for fillies and mares that have not won a stakes in 2023. Jeff Ruby's also sponsors the meet's leading jockey award.

Returning day sponsors:

Sept. 2: Lexington-based Big Ass Fans, the world's best-selling big fans, sponsor of the $1 million Big Ass Fans Music City (G3) and a major Breeders' Cup sponsor.

Sept. 10: Global Tote/BetMakers, sponsor of the $500,000 Global Tote Juvenile Fillies. Global Tote, which provides pari-mutuel technology and services to horse-race betting operators around the world (including Kentucky Downs), is owned by BetMakers, Kentucky Downs' official morning-line odds-maker and presenter of the “King of the Turf” handicapping tournament and trophy.

Sept. 13: PepsiCo products are enjoyed more than a billion times a day in more than 200 countries and territories around the world — including at Kentucky Downs. The track's official soft drink brand is sponsor of the $500,000 Pepsi Juvenile Sprint and the $500,000 Pepsi Untapable for 2-year-old fillies.

Featured bourbons of the day include newcomers Blanton's Single Barrel Bourbon (Sept. 2), Kentucky Senator (Sept. 3), Heaven's Door (Sept. 7) and Blackwood Toasted Bourbon (Sept. 13).

Produced at Buffalo Trace's distillery in Frankfort, Ky. Blanton's Single Barrel Bourbon created a genre after being launched in 1984 by legendary Master Distiller Elmer T. Lee, who started his career in the 1940s under Col. Albert B. Blanton. Blanton's Single Barrel Bourbon also is distinguished by its eight trademarked versions of a horse and jockey atop its bottle stoppers.

The Kentucky Senator brand, whose most recent bottle honors the revered U.S. Senator John Sherman Cooper of Somerset, was first distilled by Crigler & Crigler in Covington and revived in 2019 by Kentucky Senate Majority Floor Leader Damon Thayer and equine lawyer Andre Regard.

Heaven's Door is a trio of American whiskeys developed in collaboration with famed singer-songwriter Bob Dylan, hence the name. The Heaven's Door Distillery, which has been producing small batches of bourbon since 2018, is scheduled to open in September in Pleasureville, Ky., in Henry County on property once owned by Squire Boone, brother of another legendary figure: frontiersman Daniel Boone.

Three years after he won the 2019 Kentucky Derby as a partner in Country House, Woodford County horseman Guinness McFadden launched Blackwood Toasted Bourbon, named after his Blackwood Stables and Blackwood Training Center.

Back to be celebrated at Kentucky Downs are Louisville-based Jefferson's Ocean (Sept. 9), a very small-batch bourbon aged at sea and its sister bourbon Jefferson's Reserve (Sept. 10). Trey Zoeller co-founded the Jefferson's brands in 1997 with his father, Chet, a famed bourbon historian. The family whiskey tradition goes back to Trey's eighth-generation grandmother who was arrested in 1799 for the “production and sales of spiritous liquors.”

Also back is as a bourbon of the day is Angel's Envy (Aug. 31), aged in hand-selected port-wine barrels by three generations of Louisville's Henderson family.

Other sponsors include:

Wright Implement — established in 1936 on a farm in Harned, Ky., and with 15 locations throughout Kentucky and Indiana — is the “Official Track Conditions” sponsor. Kentucky Downs uses Wright Implement's John Deere tractors and other equipment to keep the turf course in peak condition.

Clark Distributing is the “Official Beer, Cider & Seltzer” sponsor. Since 1903, C.C. Clark Inc. has represented the best beverage products available throughout Alabama, Kentucky, Indiana, Mississippi and Tennessee.

Also: Grey Goose vodka, used in Kentucky Downs' signature drink, The Mint Millions; the international stallion, breeding and racing concern Coolmore joins iconic Central Kentucky farms Claiborne, Darby Dan, Gainesway and Three Chimneys as a sponsor; Foundation Risk Partners; Franklin-Simpson Tourism; J&M Digital Print; National Thoroughbred Racing Association; and Racing Expressions, which makes the hand-decorated bottles of the meet's bourbon of the day to go to winning connections.

In other partnerships:

Keeneland sponsors a pair of $250,000 allowance races on opening day, Aug. 31, for 2-year-olds that were offered for sale at last year's Keeneland September Yearling Sale. Last year's race for 2-year-old males produced the winner of this year's G1 Arkansas Derby (Angel of Empire) and G3 Transylvania (Mo Stash).

The Breeders' Cup made the FanDuel Turf Cup and the $1 million FanDuel Turf Sprint on Sept. 9 “Win and You're In” Challenge Series qualifiers for their corresponding races on Nov. 4 at Santa Anita.

The Kentucky Thoroughbred Development Fund is providing more than $10 million in supplemental purse money for registered Kentucky-breds, making it possible for Kentucky Downs to offer among the richest purses on the planet, including a world-best $150,000 for maiden races.

The Kentucky HBPA, which represents thoroughbred owners and trainers at the commonwealth's five racetracks, underwrites food and beverages for horsemen.

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