Tag: gov. andy beshear

The Friday Show Presented By Woodbine: Historical Setback In Kentucky?

The shockwaves felt on Thursday when the Kentucky Supreme Court unanimously ruled against the claim that certain historical horse racing (HHR) machines constitute pari-mutuel wagering were felt all the way from the state capitol in Frankfort to financial markets on Wall Street.

In the immediate aftermath of the ruling – in a case brought to the courts by the anti-gambling Family Foundation – Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear and state Senate majority floor leader Damon Thayer spoke out in support of historical horse racing wagering that has helped lift Kentucky purses to among the best in the nation.

Share prices in Churchill Downs Inc. – whose Derby City Gaming facility in Louisville generated the largest market share of the $2.2 billion wagered on historical racing in the last fiscal year – took a nearly 10% fall after the news broke. CDI officials issued a statement suggesting legislative relief may be needed in the wake of the Supreme Court ruling.

In this week's edition of the Friday Show, publisher Ray Paulick and editor-in-chief Natalie Voss assess what may happen next with historical horse racing in Kentucky.

Watch the Friday Show below.

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No Fans At This Year’s Breeders’ Cup; Purse Increases Postponed Until 2021; Keeneland To Host Again In 2022

The Breeders' Cup, one of Thoroughbred horse racing's most prestigious international events, announced on Saturday Keeneland Race Course in Lexington, Ky. will be the host site for the 2022 Breeders' Cup World Championships. Keeneland, which is also scheduled to host this year's World Championships on November 6–7, will hold the 39th championship event on November 4–5, 2022, which will mark the venue's third time as host since it first welcomed the Breeders' Cup in 2015.

The announcement of Keeneland as host of the 2022 event was made in conjunction with the decision to conduct the 2020 Breeders' Cup World Championships without fans on-site due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. This decision was made following close, continuous communications with Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear, Keeneland, local and state government and public health officials and independent medical experts to fully assess the conditions under which major sporting events may expect to operate safely in the coming months.

Under the new operational parameters, on-site attendance will be limited to essential personnel and participants only. Those accessing the grounds will be subject to strict guidelines and protocols put in place as part of Breeders' Cup's comprehensive COVID-19 health and safety plan, details of which will be announced closer to the event.

In keeping with the Breeders' Cup's commitment to showcase the highest quality of competition the sport has to offer, the 2020 Breeders' Cup will be run for $31 million in purses and awards, the same amount as 2019. While many racing events have reduced purses due to COVID-19 implications, the Breeders' Cup is committed to maintaining its lucrative purse levels during these challenging times to support the industry and its horsemen. With purses of $6 million and $4 million, the weekend's Longines Classic and Longines Turf remain two of the richest horse races in the world. The $4 million purse increase announced earlier this year has been postponed to 2021.

“While we are disappointed that we will not be joined by our fans on-site this year, our utmost priority is and always will be to conduct the Breeders' Cup World Championships in the safest way possible,” said Fred Hertrich, Breeders' Cup Board Chairman. “We would like to thank Governor Beshear, state and local health officials and public health authorities for their leadership, guidance and insight as we have worked to identify our options and finalize our plans. Lexington's local community of racing fans, businesses and members of the Thoroughbred industry are the backbone of our sport, and we believe they deserve a second opportunity, in short order, to experience the event at its full potential. As such, we are proud to award Keeneland the 2022 World Championships and look forward to bringing the Breeders' Cup back to Lexington in just two years' time.”

“The decision to hold this year's Breeders' Cup World Championships without fans in attendance was not made lightly,” said Drew Fleming, President and CEO of Breeders' Cup. “However, after many months of careful deliberation, planning and consultation, it has become abundantly clear that this is the right decision in order to proceed with our event while still protecting the collective health of our community. Despite many major racing events reducing purses significantly, we are proud to be able to maintain 2019 purse levels to support our nominators and horsemen during this challenging year.”

“While the World Championships will look different this year, Keeneland and Breeders' Cup remain committed to making the event the best it can be,” said Bill Thomason, Keeneland President and CEO. “We are grateful to continue providing a platform for our athletes and horses to showcase their talent, and we are excited for the event to return in 2022, when fans can experience the full spectacle of Breeders' Cup in the Bluegrass as we originally intended.”

To enhance the viewing experience for the influx of horse racing fans who will be watching the races from home, Breeders' Cup is working with its official broadcast partner, NBC Sports, to develop and introduce innovative and enhanced production elements. The organization is also implementing advanced technologies across its own digital platforms and channels to further engage with fans at home.

All 2020 ticket holders will receive a full refund and will also be granted first access to purchase the same or similar tickets for the 2022 Breeders' Cup World Championships at Keeneland.

Before the Breeders' Cup World Championships takes place at Keeneland in 2022, Del Mar Racetrack, in Del Mar, Calif., will be the site of the 2021 Breeders' Cup World Championships.

The 37th running of the Breeders' Cup World Championships is scheduled to take place on Friday, November 6, and Saturday, November 7, 2020. The event will be broadcast live on NBC, NBCSN, NBCSports.com and the NBC Sports app. To learn more about the event, please visit BreedersCup.com/2020.

Breeders' Cup is also committed to alleviating the impacts of the health crisis on the horse racing community and other industry stakeholders in need. To learn more about Breeders' Cup's ongoing support of the community and to contribute to the organization's COVID-19 relief efforts, please visit BreedersCup.com/Donate.

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Protesters March Outside Churchill Downs, Demand Justice For Breonna Taylor

Planned racial injustice protests took a crowd of demonstrators past the gates at the frontside of Churchill Downs on Tuesday. The afternoon's demonstrations resulted in 64 arrests for charges of obstructing the roadway and disorderly conduct, acting Louisville Metro Police Chief Robert Schroeder told whas11.com. The protests were scheduled by national organization Until Freedom at the end of a four-day conference dedicated to the pursuit of justice in the death of Breonna Taylor, a black woman who was killed by Louisville police in March of this year.

One of Until Freedom's co-founders, Linda Sarsour, was among those arrested.

Protesters met around 2:00 p.m. at South Central Park, then marched to the Louisville Metro Police Department Training Academy where they changed letters on the marquee to read “I see murderers.” From there, the protesters marched toward Churchill Downs, crossing the bridge on Central Avenue near Cardinal Stadium.

Arrests were made when protesters blocked the street, and Until Freedom march coordinators urged those who didn't wish to be arrested to stick to the sidewalks. Those protesters arriving at the frontside of Churchill Downs chanted “F*ck your Derby,” and hung a sign with Breonna Taylor's name on it near the front gate.

Calls from Louisville's Black community to boycott the race reach as far back as mid-July, but they have gotten louder as the Sept. 5 race gets closer.

The Justice and Freedom Coalition is one of four groups now calling for a boycott of the Kentucky Derby – joined by No Justice No Peace Louisville, the Louisville chapter of Black Lives Matter, and the national group Until Freedom – who say it an inappropriate time to hold the event while there is unrest in Louisville.

“You can understand people's frustration,” Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear said in his daily news briefing Tuesday. “Certainly, those that hold the Kentucky Derby have absolutely no control over the timing of the [Breonna Taylor] investigation, or when we will have any type of results. I hope there can at least be a positive dialogue there. That's certainly a large facility in an area of Louisville where a lot of good could be done together.”

LMPD units have been stationed outside the Churchill Downs stable gate for the past several days, according to multiple sources, and that presence is expected to continue as the ramp up to Sept. 5 continues. Churchill officials are taking other extra precautions for this year's spectatorless Kentucky Derby, including a hard perimeter, which is not usually part of the day's security plan.

Sources inside Churchill told the Paulick Report that the track is ready to go and that there are multiple plans in place which can be implemented to respond to rising levels of unrest around the area.

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‘Right And Responsible Decision’: Kentucky Derby 2020 To Be Held Without Fans

Churchill Downs Incorporated announced Friday its decision to run the 146th Kentucky Derby on Sept. 5, 2020 without fans. CDI
issued the following statement:

The Kentucky Derby is a time-honored American tradition which has always been about bringing people together. However, the health and safety of our team, fans and participants is our highest concern. Churchill Downs has worked diligently over the last several months to plan a safe Derby with a limited number of spectators in attendance. We were confident in that plan, but dedicated to remaining flexible using the best and most reliable information available. With the current significant increases in COVID-19 cases in Louisville as well as  across the region, we needed to again revisit our planning. We have made the difficult decision to hold this year's Kentucky Derby on September 5 without fans. Churchill Downs and all of our team members feel strongly that it is our collective responsibility as citizens of Louisville to do all we responsibly can to protect the health, safety and security of our community in these challenging times and believe that running the Derby without spectators is the best way to do that. We deeply regret the disappointment this will bring to our loyal fans.

The decision comes with the support of Governor Andy Beshear.

“The virus is still aggressively spreading in Kentucky, and the White House has announced that Jefferson County and the City of Louisville are in a 'red zone' based on increases in cases. This week alone the county had more than 2,300 new cases,” Gov. Beshear said. “I applaud Churchill Downs for continuing to monitor the virus and for making the right and responsible decision. I am asking all Kentuckians to take action to stop the spread of the virus so we can get back to the many traditions we enjoy, like the Kentucky Derby.”

Since early May, decisions regarding this year's Kentucky Derby have been made in consultation with public health authorities including data provided by medical experts at Norton Healthcare. Positivity rates in the more than 70,000 patients tested at Norton have gone from as low as two percent  in June to a rapid escalation of 10 percent in recent days.

“This is a critical point in time for our community,” said Russell F. Cox, president and CEO of Norton Healthcare. “This remains a very fluid situation and every event should be evaluated based on the data available as close to the date of the event as possible. We appreciate and support Churchill Downs' decision.”

“This year's Kentucky Derby was never going to be the celebration we're used to, but I could not be more grateful to our tremendous team members and community partners for all of their efforts. We've left no stones unturned and reached the right decision,” said Bill Carstanjen, CEO of CDI. “We hope our fans, the Louisville community and our country find an opportunity over the coming weeks to reflect on the challenges we have faced this year as a community and as a nation, and work together toward a better and safer future.”

Additional information about Kentucky Derby 146:

 The decision to run without fans includes Kentucky Oaks on Friday, Sept. 4 and all live racing at Churchill Downs Racetrack for Derby week (Sept. 1-5). Only essential personnel and participants will be permitted on property.
 Ticket holders for all Derby week race dates and related programming, including Dawn at the Downs, will be automatically issued a refund.
 NBC will televise coverage of the Kentucky Derby and undercard racing on Sept. 5 from 2:30-7:30 p.m. ET. The 146th running of the Kentucky Oaks will be televised Friday, Sept. 4 on NBCSN from 3-6 p.m. ET.

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