Keeneland | Horse Racing Free Tips

Keeneland Realigns Racing And Sales Operations For Future Growth

Keeneland announced on Thursday a strategic realignment of its core racing and sales operations to strengthen its ability to execute its mission and better serve the needs of its global clientele.

Keeneland president-elect Shannon Arvin will serve as interim head of sales while a search is conducted this fall for a new vice president of sales. Arvin, who as a partner with Stoll Keenon Ogden (SKO) has served as corporate counsel to Keeneland since 2008 and as secretary and advisory member of Keeneland's Board of Directors since 2015, was named July 2 to succeed Bill Thomason as Keeneland President and CEO upon his retirement at the end of the year.

Under the realignment, Bob Elliston will become Keeneland's vice president of racing. With more than two decades of industry leadership experience, Elliston will focus his attention on advancing Keeneland's racing product, industry-wide safety and integrity initiatives, preparations for the upcoming Breeders' Cup World Championships and expanding Keeneland's mission to grow the sport.

“The demands of these two globally significant business lines require tremendous time and resources, especially as we navigate these unprecedented times and get ready for a fall season that includes two major sales, the Fall Meet and Breeders' Cup,” Keeneland president and CEO Bill Thomason said. “We understand the uncertainty and the extraordinary challenges our customers are experiencing due to the COVID-19 pandemic. We want them to know that we are all in this together, and we are committed to providing the best opportunities for them to succeed in the sales ring and on the race track. This realignment enables Keeneland to deliver on this promise when our industry needs it most.”

Arvin and Elliston both bring a wealth of expertise and passion for Keeneland to their roles and they will provide a seamless transition for the Keeneland team and its customers. In her position as counsel, Arvin has worked alongside the Keeneland sales and executive staffs on operational plans for the September Yearling Sale, safety protocols, online bidding and beyond. Elliston has led racing operations since 2016, bolstering safety and welfare protocols, introducing the position of equine safety director and negotiating the return of the Breeders' Cup.

As the world's largest Thoroughbred auction company, Keeneland conducts four sales annually, which last year grossed more than $627 million and includes the prestigious September Yearling and November Breeding Stock Sales. Keeneland recently launched its online auction platform, Keeneland Digital Sales Ring.

“The Keeneland sales are an important economic engine for Keeneland and vital to the global Thoroughbred industry,” Arvin said. “Over these next few months, I look forward to working alongside Bill, listening to our customers, learning from our sales team and evaluating opportunities to further enhance Keeneland's premier sales.”

In addition to spring and fall race meet operations and the track's multimillion-dollar stakes program, Elliston will continue to oversee initiatives critical to the health of the sport such as safety and integrity innovations, elevating the racing experience for Keeneland customers and expanding outreach to grow the sport for future generations.

“As we saw during the recent Summer Meet, racing at Keeneland is second to none, and I am excited to be able to focus my attention on preparing for the Fall Meet and Breeders' Cup,” Elliston said. “I am proud of the great strides we have made, particularly in the areas of safety and fan development, and I look forward to building on the foundation we have put in place.”

Keeneland will hold its September Sale from Sept. 13-25 and Fall Meet from Oct. 2-24; Breeders' Cup returns Nov. 6-7, immediately followed by the November Sale, which begins Nov. 9.

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Keeneland Announces Operations Realignment

Keeneland is undergoing a “strategic realignment of its core racing and sales operations to strengthen its ability to execute its mission and better serve the needs of its global clientele,” it announced Thursday.

Shannon Arvin, who it was announced earlier this month will succeed Bill Thomason as the company’s President and CEO at the end of 2020, will serve as Interim Head of Sales while a search is conducted this fall to fill that role. While a partner at the Lexington law firm Stoll Keenon Ogden (SKO), Arvin has served as corporate counsel to Keeneland since 2008 and as Secretary and Advisory Member of Keeneland’s Board of Directors since 2015.

As part of the realignment, Bob Elliston–previously Vice President of Racing and Sales–will now focus his attention on Keeneland’s racing product as Vice President of Racing.

“The demands of these two globally significant business lines require tremendous time and resources, especially as we navigate these unprecedented times and get ready for a fall season that includes two major sales, the Fall Meet and Breeders’ Cup,” Keeneland President and CEO Bill Thomason said. “We understand the uncertainty and the extraordinary challenges our customers are experiencing due to the COVID-19 pandemic. We want them to know that we are all in this together, and we are committed to providing the best opportunities for them to succeed in the sales ring and on the race track. This realignment enables Keeneland to deliver on this promise when our industry needs it most.”

Keeneland will hold its September yearling sale from Sept. 13-25; its Fall Meet Oct. 2-24; will host the Breeders’ Cup World Championships Nov. 6-7; and the November Breeding Stock sale beginning Nov. 9. It recently held a five-day, stakes-filled summer meet brought about by scheduling changes due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Elliston added, “As we saw during the recent Summer Meet, racing at Keeneland is second to none, and I am excited to be able to focus my attention on preparing for the Fall Meet and Breeders’ Cup. I am proud of the great strides we have made, particularly in the areas of safety and fan development, and I look forward to building on the foundation we have put in place.”

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Christophe Clement Joins TDN Writers’ Room

There was no hotter trainer on the grounds through opening weekend at Saratoga than Christophe Clement, which is saying something considering the array of champion and Hall of Fame conditioners that occupy the backstretch of America’s premier race meet. After winning five races from 13 starters in the first four days of the stand, including a pair of graded stakes victories, Clement joined the TDN Writers’ Room presented by Keeneland to discuss his hot start.

Calling in via Zoom as the Green Group Guest of the Week, the French-born trainer also touched on the increased competition for imports from Europe, summer and fall plans for his leading 3-year-old turfers and how his stable bounced back from tragedy earlier in the year.

Asked about hitting the ground running following the coronavirus-forced interruption of racing in New York, Clement said, “The pandemic has been a challenge regarding the workforce and the organization of the barn, but I think we’re very lucky in New York. NYRA and Martin Panza did a great job and we’re just lucky to race here. It’s probably more challenging for the people who only have one string, but we’re lucky because we do have a string in Saratoga before the meet. That makes it much easier.”

In addition to capturing the GII Hall of Fame S. and GII Lake Placid S. last weekend at the Spa, Clement also unveiled a ‘TDN Rising Star’ with Momos (Distorted Humor) romping in the first 2-year-old race of the meet.

“I’ve got a very good group of 2-year-olds this year,” Clement said. “Momos is all about speed. He’s built like a very fast horse. He’s not big, but he’s very well balanced. My only instruction to [Manny] Franco was, ‘We know the horse is very fast, don’t make it too complicated.’ He gave a very good ride and he was always in control. That’s pretty exciting.”

Clement’s operation is likely a sentimental favorite for many in the industry this year after dealing with the devastation of losing 10 horses in a trailer fire on the New Jersey Turnpike last month. Speaking candidly about how to cope with that kind of loss, Clement said simply, you can’t.

“I don’t think you cope with that,” he said. “That phone call, I think it was 3:45 or 4:00 in the morning from the state trooper, it’s the worst of the worst. I’m lucky in a way because I train for amazing owners, so in a way they made it easy on me. But no, nobody can cope with that. That’s the worst.”

Elsewhere on the show, the writers gave their takeaways from the rest of the weekend’s big racing including the GI Haskell S., discussed the temporary closure of Del Mar and the increasing unlikelihood of fans in the stands for the GI Kentucky Derby. Then, in the West Point Thoroughbreds news segment, they used the return of Maximum Security (New Year’s Day) as an opportunity to look back on whether anything has changed with racing’s drug problems in the four-plus months since the bombshell FBI indictments. Click here to listen to the podcast and click here to watch it on Vimeo.

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COVID-19: Luis Saez Could Be Cleared To Return To Saddle Friday At Saratoga

The New York Racing Association, Inc. (NYRA) on Sunday announced that pending the completion of a 14-day quarantine period, a negative COVID-19 test and clearance from a physician noting that NYRA-based jockey Luis Saez can no longer transmit the virus, that Saez would be permitted to ride at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, N.Y., on Friday, July 24.

Saez tested positive for COVID-19 on Friday, July 10 while riding at Keeneland Race Course in Lexington, Ky. He has remained asymptomatic throughout the period of quarantine, which will total 14-days on July 24.

Current Centers for Disease Control (C.D.C.) guidance recommends a 10-day quarantine period for individuals who have tested positive for COVID-19, but remained asymptomatic prior to and throughout the duration of quarantine. Saez made the determination to extend his quarantine to 14-days in the interest of protecting his fellow riders.

Following the completion of 10-days in isolation, according to the same C.D.C. guidance, a COVID-19 diagnostic test should be administered to rule out the potential for ongoing infection and transmission. As such, Saez will only be tested once he has completed 10-days in quarantine.

Additional information regarding the discontinuation of quarantine/isolation for individuals who have tested positive for COVID-19 can be found at CDC.gov.

The decision to allow Saez to potentially return to action on Friday, so long as all steps are completed to the satisfaction of NYRA and his attending physician, was made in consultation with the Jockeys' Guild and the New York State Gaming Commission (NYSGC).

Saratoga Race Course is closed to out-of-town jockeys. In addition, any member of the regular NYRA jockey colony who travels to ride at any other racetrack will not be permitted to return to Saratoga Race Course.

Out-of-town jockeys that are not currently riding at another racetrack may be considered for inclusion in the regular NYRA jockey colony provided the jockey does not ride at another racetrack beginning on Thursday, July 16.

Any jockey that rides at a racetrack outside of Saratoga beginning Thursday, July 16 will be considered an out-of-town jockey and will not be permitted at Saratoga Race Course.

All personnel working at Saratoga Race Course in any capacity are required by NYRA to produce a negative COVID-19 test in order to access the property. This policy is inclusive of jockeys, valets, NYRA employees, trainers and their staff, outside vendors and credentialed media.

In addition to race day safety protocols including standard health screening and temperature check, the jockey quarters at Saratoga Race Course have been substantially altered to provide maximum social distancing and reduce density. All areas accessed by jockeys during the regular course of a race day are closed to all outside personnel, including credentialed media, and are cleaned and disinfected throughout the day.

Jockeys and valets are not permitted access to the barn area. In order to work a horse in the morning, the jockey must meet the horse in the paddock and can then proceed to the main track.

Jockey agents must produce a negative COVID-19 test in order to gain access to the barn area. Races will continue to be drawn via Zoom.

All common areas as well as the jockey's dining area have been closed and will remain closed through the end of the meet.

NYRA's COVID-19 Preparedness and Response Plan Committee, comprised of key NYRA staff members as well as representatives from the New York Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association (NYTHA), the Backstretch Employee Service Team (B.E.S.T.), Belmont Child Care Association (BCCA) and the New York Race Track Chaplaincy of America (NYRTCA), will continue to implement the most current health and safety protocols as described by the C.D.C. and the New York State Department of Health.

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