COVID-19 Claims Dr. J. David Richardson, Ky-Based Owner, Breeder, Regulator

David Richardson, M.D., a distinguished Kentucky-based surgeon who owned and bred Thoroughbreds for nearly half a century and was known as a thoughtful, cerebral racing regulator whose zeal for the sport shone through in his volunteer service on numerous industry-related boards, died Sept. 7 in Saratoga Springs, New York, after developing pneumonia related to COVID-19.

Richardson had been briefly hospitalized in the intensive care unit at Saratoga Hospital; he was believed to be 76 years old.

Chauncey Morris, the executive director of the Kentucky Thoroughbred Association and Kentucky Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders (KTA/KTOB) organization, confirmed the details of Richardson's passing to TDN. Morris noted in an email that Richardson had been vaccinated against COVID-19.

“David was a remarkable man who touched so many lives in his capacity as a brilliant surgeon, mine included, and seamlessly blended his Eastern Kentucky sensibilities with his dual professions and passions of horse racing and medicine,” Morris wrote. “There are countless people on the backside and frontside who literally owe their lives to David thanks to his keen observations of some health issue which led to first-class treatment, despite [a patient's] ability to pay.”

Tommy Drury, who trained horses for Richardson, wrote on Facebook that, “My heart is truly broken, as I'll never get the chance to thank you for all you've done to make my life better. RIP Dr Richardson. My life just won't be the same without you.”

James David Richardson (he was generally known by either just his middle name or “J. David” to friends) was the first child born into a working-class family in Morehead, Kentucky. According to a biography published earlier this year in The American Surgeon, Richardson was an outstanding student who rose to be valedictorian of his high school class, winning a state essay contest on ethics and citizenship while also teaming to win the Kentucky debating club championship.

Richardson graduated from Morehead State University in just three years with a near-perfect grade point average, then was awarded a scholarship to the University of Kentucky (UK) medical school.

Upon graduating from UK in 1970, he was recruited as an intern and resident to the Department of Surgery at UK, then transferred to the University of Texas at San Antonio where he completed both general surgery and thoracic surgery residencies. Richardson subsequently became one of the nation's few quadruple board-certified surgeons (general, thoracic, vascular and critical care surgeries).

Soon after, Richardson was recruited to the faculty of the University of Louisville, where for decades he served as a professor and later as vice chair of surgery. In 2014, he was elected president-elect of the American College of Surgeons.

“I did big surgery,” Richardson told TDN in a 2019 profile. “The first liver transplants in Kentucky, for example. I ran a trauma program for years. Major surgery is extraordinarily high stakes, high risk, high reward–and a lot of pressure. But while I've never had to do horses for business, I'm very sympathetic with people who do. If you've paid a big stud fee, or bought a high-priced mare, and are counting on that to make your nut for the year, I would think that's a very intense thing. Great when it works, terrible when it doesn't. It's not like life and death. But it's certainly a lot of pressure.”

In response to Richardson's passing, the University of Louisville Hospital released a statement Tuesday which read, “U of L Health extends its sympathy to his family and is grieving with them. He was an outstanding mentor and skilled surgeon who saved the lives of thousands through his work and education of many future doctors. Dr. Richardson was a beloved member of our family and will be missed.”

Horses had fascinated Richardson since boyhood, when he would leave friends at the Coney Island amusement park in Cincinnati to bluff his way, underage, into the adjacent River Downs racetrack. He bought his first Thoroughbred in 1975, at age 30, and had his first stakes winner in 1978.

“I enjoy all aspects of it,” he told TDN. “I like to bet. I like to breed horses. I love to race horses. Even in claiming races, I still get a kick out of winning.”

While carving out a career as a young medic, Richardson was taken under the wing of Hall-of-Fame trainer Woody Stephens, who was a family member and, like Richardson, had also risen from modest means in rural Kentucky to achieve wider success in his chosen field (Richardson called Stephens “Uncle” even though the trainer was Richardson's father's cousin). Through Stephens, Richardson availed himself of opportunities to learn everything he could about selecting, raising and training racehorses.

By the early 1980s, Richardson had learned enough to get involved in picking out some of the better-known horses campaigned by owner Henryk de Kwiatkowski that Stephens would go on to train. Among them were Danzig, Conquistador Cielo, and Sabin.

According to his American Surgeon bio, around the mid-1980s, Richardson began to devote more time to owning his own horses, especially broodmares. “Either by himself or in partnership with others, he has raised and sold over 1,000 horses that have ultimately won races at different tracks,” the bio stated. As of earlier this year, Richardson owned about 40 horses in various stages of development.

“I've spent tens of thousands of hours working things out,” Richardson told TDN in 2019. “I've looked at thousands of yearlings. I've looked at broodmares, November and January, snow knee-deep or bitter, freezing my butt off. So to me, that's part of paying your dues, and trying to become better versed, and staying up with the game. Because if you really do that carefully, you see how sometimes horses that win races aren't the prettiest things, or the best conformed.”

When it came to acquiring his own horses, Richardson relished that challenge of coming up with overlooked contenders that outran their auction purchase prices. In 1991, he bought eventual MGSW Northern Emerald in partnership for $55,000; she won the 1995 GI Flower Bowl H. Richardson also co-owned the homebred MGSP Mrs. Revere in the 1980s; that filly now has a stakes race named in her honor at Churchill Downs.

Richardson was a member of The Jockey Club, and twice served as president of the KTA/KTOB. He served as chairman of Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders of America and also as chair of its American Graded Stakes Committee. He also served on the Breeders' Cup Board of Directors.

“It's a tough business, but it's a great sport,” Richardson told TDN in 2019. “Horses are such wonderful creatures. I take a lot of people out to the track–we do it every year with the surgical residents–and the joy people have when they experience racing, even as novices, is amazing to see. So I hope we never lose that.”

According to Morris, Richardson is survived by his wife, Maxine, and three children.

The post COVID-19 Claims Dr. J. David Richardson, Ky-Based Owner, Breeder, Regulator appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

Kentucky Committee Lauds Current Pari-Mutuel Tax Rates

The second meeting of the special legislative committee studying pari-mutuel tax rates in the state of Kentucky occurred on Monday, Aug. 9, reports wtvq.com.

Industry representatives praised the current rates on historical horse racing and race wagers in two presentations, one from Elisabeth Jensen, the executive vice president of the Kentucky Equine Education Project (KEEP), and the second from Chauncey Morris, executive director of the Kentucky Thoroughbred Association.

“Kentucky horse racing will remain competitive based on our current tax rates, we believe,” said Morris. “It's taken us 10 years to couple the best horse industry in the world with a more modest form of gaming and the dividends for Kentucky are transformational.”

According to WTVQ, the Pari-Mutuel Wagering Taxation Task Force is scheduled to meet once a month before presenting its findings and recommendations to the Legislation Research Commission (LRC) by Dec. 1, 2021.

The post Kentucky Committee Lauds Current Pari-Mutuel Tax Rates appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

KY Committee Unlikely To Recommend Tax Increase for HHR Machines

A special legislative committee charged with studying the taxes and rates paid by Kentucky racetracks, including the tax rates on profits from Historical Horse Racing (HHR) machines, seems set on recommending the status quo rather than a tax increase. That's good news for the state's racing and breeding industries, which have flourished since HHR machines were introduced in the state some ten years ago.

The Pari-Mutuel Wagering Taxation Task Force met Monday and the meeting turned into something of a cheerleading session for the sport, its economic impact and the advancements it has made since HHR machines were legalized.  A higher tax rate on the HHR machines would no doubt lead to less money being available for racing.

The task force is co-chaired by Senate Majority Floor Leader Damon Thayer, considered one of the more pro-racing lawmakers in the state.

“In this deck, the most important pages are the ones that show the industries that benefit by racing in Kentucky,” Thayer said following a presentation from Elisabeth Jensen, the executive vice president of the Kentucky Equine Education Project (KEEP). “As Elisabeth noted, there are many here, and some you wouldn't think offhand, that are benefitted by the racing industry…One of my favorite graphics is the one that shows how one race horse equals many jobs. We see lots of numbers on a page, paragraphs and power points on a whole host of industries and topics, but this is a pretty compelling page. Look at all the jobs that are provided by one race horse here in Kentucky. That's a very compelling slide.”

The task force was created after the General Assembly passed legislation that formally paved the way for the state's Thoroughbred and harness tracks to offer HHR machines. Senate Bill 120 was needed after the Kentucky Supreme Court voted unanimously that the machines did not represent pari-mutuel wagering and were therefore unconstitutional. After the bill was passed, a coalition led by the Kentucky Center for Economic Policy argued that HHR machines were taxed at a rate that was costing the state an estimated $91 million in annual revenue. The state tax on HHR machines is just 1.5% of total handle, considerably lower than the tax rates on slots and other forms of gaming in other states that have slot machines or slot machine-like games.

HHR machines and the tax rate were mentioned only sparingly by the task force members during the session. Instead, the committee focused on what the money from the machines is used for and how that money has helped not just racing but the state in general. Jensen was one of two individuals to testify. The other was Chauncey Morris, the executive director of the Kentucky Thoroughbred Association (KTA).

“I want to talk to you about the broader impact of the horse industry and its affect on Kentucky's economy and how Historical Horse Racing has already grown that impact and positioned us for even greater growth in the very near future,” Jensen said. “Adopting Senate Bill 120 paved the way for continued significant investment in Kentucky's horse industry, which will lead to new jobs and economic growth in communities all across the commonwealth. Thanks to the success of Historical Horse Racing, Kentucky's horse industry is well positioned to continue strengthening our local communities and their economies through investment in new facilities, increased jobs and the tax revenue to come with it. One of the most important things we have to talk about is the economic impact of Kentucky's horse industry on the entire state.”

Jensen came armed with slides that showed, among other things, that the horse industry in Kentucky is responsible for nearly 80,000 jobs and had an economic impact of $6.5 billion.

Morris painted a similar picture, one where HHR machines had greatly helped the sport, which, in turn, has greatly helped the state.

“Thanks to Kentucky's friendly business environment, we have thrived through major reinvestment in infrastructure for horses and fans,” he said.

This was the second meeting of the task force, which is scheduled to meet once a month before presenting its findings and recommendations to the Kentucky Legislative Research Commission by Dec. 1, 2021.

The post KY Committee Unlikely To Recommend Tax Increase for HHR Machines appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

After HHR Decision from Court, Racing Considers Next Steps

Still reeling from a decision by the Kentucky Supreme Court that ruled that Historical Horse Racing (HHR) machines are illegal, the racing and breeding industries in the state have continued to work behind the scenes to find a way to keep the gaming machines operating. The machines have proved so popular that they handled $2.2 billion during the most recent fiscal year and contribute tens of millions annually to purses.

The court ruled that the machines, which resemble slot machines, did not fall under the legal definition of pari-mutuel gambling and, therefore, could not be approved by the Kentucky Racing Commission.

Kentucky Thoroughbred Association Executive Director Chauncey Morris said the sport’s best hope now rests with the state’s General Assembly, which could approve legislation that would make the machines legal. One way of doing so would be to pass legislation that changed the definition of pari-mutuel gambling so that it covers HHR. HHR allows bettors to wager on replays of races that have already been run.

“By the looks of it, this may need a legislative fix,” Morris said. “I know that everybody is sitting back and crafting their strategies on how to accomplish that.”

Morris said that he does not expect anything to happen within state government until after the November election.

“I suspect we will learn a lot more about the prospects for this after the election,” he said. “In the absence of a special session you’re going to have to wait for the natural beginning of the General Assembly. To be clear, it was a shocking and disappointing decision, but the decision did provide a road map on how the legislature, if they are so motivated, can change their definitions. Beyond that, everybody can speculate on what is going to happen but it will begin and end with the Kentucky General Assembly.”

Morris said it is hard to predict what the General Assembly would do, but added that some of the most influential lawmakers in the state have always supported horse racing.

“We have had some conversations but you never know what is going to happen until the General Assembly starts and takes up the issue,” he said.  “It’s not dissimilar to what we saw with the Horse Racing Integrity and Safety Act that was introduced five years ago and it just cleared a first hurdle in the House. Legislation, it works in strange ways. I will say that it is no secret that our industry has some very meaningful friendships and allies in the Kentucky General Assembly, not the least of which is Senator Damon Thayer, the Speaker and others.”

Thayer, the Senate Majority Leader, is a former racing executive who has been one of the sport’s biggest supporters in the state capital of Frankfort. But Thayer said he was not ready to commit to an effort to craft legislation that would legalize HH.

“I’m just not ready or willing to talk about a legislative fix at this time,” he said..

“I don’t have a strong level of confidence that a legislative solution is a possibility,” he added.

HHR could be a thorny issue for some legislators. The push to have them declared illegal was led by the Kentucky Family Foundation, a socially conservative group that says it works on behalf of “families and the values that make families strong.” In a conservative state where religious organizations have a lot of clout, there will likely be many politicians who don’t want to come off as pro-gambling.

“This is a conservative state and this kind of caught everybody by surprise and now we have to find another alternative,” Morris said.

Thayer said he was keeping an eye on what steps might be taken by Exacta Systems, an HHR manufacturer. The Boynton Beach, Fla.-based company issued a press release last week that said it will introduce a new HHR system that will be legal based on the guidelines set forth in the Kentucky Supreme Court ruing.

“While we are disappointed with the Court’s decision, we do appreciate the clarity that the Court has provided as it pertains to HHR in Kentucky,” Exacta Systems President Jeremy Stein said in a statement . “After several years of litigation, we now have certainty on how HHR systems must operate in the state. In anticipation of this ruling, Exacta has devoted several months of development time to produce an alternate HHR system that complies with the Supreme Court decision. After reading opposing legal briefs and hearing the questions asked at oral arguments, we wanted to have an alternative system in place that addressed the objections raised by opposing counsel and the various Justices, as a contingency in the case of a negative ruling. The updated Exacta system is fully compliant with the requirements as articulated by the Supreme Court, and we are excited to present our updated system to the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission in the coming days.”

The Supreme Court decision was announced last Thursday, but the state’s HHR operations have yet to be discontinued. The Family Foundation has called on the tracks to cease operating the HHR machines. Kentucky Horse Racing Commission Executive Director Marc Guilfoil was not available Tuesday to clarify why the machines were still in operation.

The post After HHR Decision from Court, Racing Considers Next Steps appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

Verified by MonsterInsights