Keeneland CEO and president Shannon Arvin has been elected chair of the National Thoroughbred Racing Association (NTRA). The organization held it fourth quarter board meeting for its 2022 fiscal year Thursday, the first under the NTRA's new president and CEO, Tom Rooney.
Arvin, a Lexington native and the third generation of her family to be Keeneland management, is the first female chair in the 23-year history of the NTRA.
In other NTRA business at the meeting, the board approved the 2023 fiscal year budget, which runs from Apr. 1, 2022 to Mar. 31, 2023. In addition, Tampa Bay Downs and Oaklawn Racing Casino Resort will become NTRA members.
The NTRA plans to open an office in Washington, D.C. on Capitol Hill this summer. A location has been chosen and it is scheduled to become operational in the next few months.
A lightning strike ignited a fire which claimed three horses at a Lexington barn owned by trainer Wesley Ward. The trio included Strike the Tiger (Tiger Ridge), who gave Ward his first victory at the Royal Ascot meeting when he won the 2009 Windsor Castle S. Also killed was the 5-year-old maiden winner Modesto (Uncle Mo) and a Hootenanny 2-year-old gelding.
“The investigators just left and they determined that lightning hit the main service pole and it sent all the electricity right to the box in my barn and caused the fire,” Ward said Sunday evening.
Since his own win at Royal Ascot, Strike the Tiger had become a regular companion for Ward trainees heading over to the prestigous meet.
“He had been with me forever and he started us off at Royal Ascot,” Ward said of the 15-year-old gelding. “We had just flown Dr. Wayne McIlwraith in to do surgery on his hock–he had a little issue with his hock–so he would be up in time to go back to Royal Ascot. That's why he was in the barn. It's heartbreaking. We are just sick about it.”
Of Modesto, who broke his maiden at Keeneland last April, Ward added, “He was going to go on to have a stallion career at a smaller farm.”
News of the fire was first reported by Horse Racing Nation.
In this continuing series, we take a look ahead at US-bred and/or conceived runners entered for the upcoming weekend at the tracks on the Japan Racing Association circuit, with a focus on pedigree and/or performance in the sales ring. Here are the horses of interest for this Saturday running at Hanshin Racecourse. Sunday's action at Nakyama features the sophomore debut of last year's champion 2-year-old male Do Deuce (Jpn) (Heart's Cry {Jpn}) in the G2 Yayoi Sho over the metric mile and a quarter. Last year's G1 Asahi Hai Futurity hero is a son of the American-sourced Dust and Diamonds (Vindication):
Saturday, March 5, 2022 2nd-HSN, Â¥9,900,000 ($86k), Maiden, 3yo, 1200m LE VERGER (f, 3, Maclean's Music–Wine Train, by Tiz Wonderful) is the second foal to race out of a daughter of the stakes-winning Stage Stop (Valid Expectation), the dam of MSW & GSP Stageplay (Curlin), GSW She Digs Me (Henny Hughes) and Mylute (Midnight Lute), third to Oxbow (Awesome Again) in the GI Preakness S. back in 2013. A $31K purchase as a short yearling at Keeneland January in 2020, Le Verger was bought back on a bid of $50K at that year's KEESEP sale and was sold for $100,000 at last year's Fasig-Tipton Midlantic Sale after breezing a quarter in :21 4/5 (see below). B-Robert & Lawana Low (KY)
6th-HSN, Â¥14,250,000 ($123k), Allowance, 3yo, 1800m SHAILENE (f, 3, Arrogate–Amen Hallelujah, by Montbrook) completed a 1-2 finish for her late sire behind Foolish Hobby on her course-and-distance debut Nov. 29 and most recently proved narrowly best going this same trip at Chukyo Jan. 9 (see below, SC 10). A daughter of the dual Group II winner and six-time Grade I-placed Amen Hallelujah, the mid-May foal was a $150K KEESEP grad and matured into a $1-million OBS April breezer (:10 flat), a price bettered only by champion 'TDN Rising Star' Corniche (Quality Road). B-Town & Country Horse Farms LLC (KY)
Keeneland is inviting people who are interested in working at the track during the 2022 Spring Meet from Apr. 8-29 to apply for available positions in one of three ways: Attend the Job Fair Mar. 19, stop by the Hiring Center during March or apply online. Keeneland is looking to fill more than 2,000 positions for the Spring Meet in Concessions, Culinary, Dining, Guest Services, Parking, Retail, Security, Track Kitchen and other areas.
On-site interviews for all positions will be conducted at the Job Fair and at the Hiring Center. Because employment offers may be made on the spot at these events, candidates are asked to bring two forms of identification with them.
The Job Fair will be held Saturday, Mar. 19 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. ET. The Hiring Center will be available Tuesdays and Thursdays in March from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. beginning Mar. 1 and running through Mar. 31. Both events will be held on the second floor of the track's Grandstand. Positions also are listed on Keeneland.com/jobs for candidates to apply any time.
“Keeneland's seasonal workforce is invaluable to our race meet operations,” Keeneland Director of Human Resources John Greene said. “There are many diverse opportunities to be part of the Spring Meet fun, enjoy consistent hours, earn extra money and work with a quality hospitality and operations team.”
