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Slack Buys Kilflynn Farm

Florida businessman, Robert Slack, founder of Robert Slack, LLC, a Florida real estate brokerage, purchased Kilflynn Farm on Winchester Rd. near Paris, Kentucky.

The 417-acre farm, formerly owned by Denis Brosnan, was originally part of Stone Farm. Joe Riddell of the Riddell Smith Group at Rector Hayden Realtors handled the sale.

“I have been interested in a farm in Kentucky for many years, and when this one became available, I finally took the plunge, and I am excited to be in the same neighborhood as Claiborne, Machmer Hall, Hidden Brook, and other farms who produce such great runners,” Slack said. “I am also very happy that Martin Keogh, one of Kentucky's most respected horsemen, will be my General Manager. The farm will be known as Stoneriggs Farm, which is the name of the farm that my parents went to in 1941 and is still in the family today.”

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Kentucky Downs: Three Million-Dollar Races Top 2021’s $10 Million Stakes Schedule

For the first time in its 31-year history, Kentucky Downs is offering three $1 million races during its six-date 2021 meet. Added to the track's signature Grade 2 Calumet Turf Cup, whose purse was first raised to seven figures in 2019, Kentucky Downs' $1 million trio also will feature the Grade 3 Turf Sprint and Grade 3 WinStar Mint Million.

Kentucky Downs will stage 16 stakes worth a track-record total of $10 million, including $4.85 million in purse supplements for registered Kentucky-bred horses. The all-grass meet runs Sept. 5, 6, 8, 9, 11 and 12 over Kentucky Downs' undulating, kidney-shaped 1 5/16-mile race course.

The WinStar Mint Million, formerly the Tourist Mile, presently stands as the United States' second-richest eight-furlong grass stakes behind only the $2 million Breeders' Cup Mile (G1). The race was worth $750,000 last year, while the six-furlong Turf Sprint was $700,000.

Kentucky Downs for the first time has a pair of Grade 2 stakes in the Calumet Turf Cup for older horses at 1 1/2 miles and the Franklin-Simpson for 3-year-old sprinters, now worth $600,000.

“Purses are the economic engine of the racing industry, and Kentucky Downs is proud to be a leader helping Kentucky stamp itself as the premier racing circuit in America,” said Ron Winchell, Kentucky Downs' co-owner and managing partner with Marc Falcone. “We're only six days, but winning one of our stakes – or even one of our overnight races – can make the entire year for an owner. Many horsemen tell us that money they earn at our meet gets promptly reinvested in the industry the next week at Keeneland's September Yearling sale. Such investment impacts countless small businesses that are part of Kentucky's equine agribusiness.”

A total of nine Kentucky Downs stakes received purse hikes. That includes the Ladies Turf (Grade 3) jumping from $500,000 to $750,000. Each of Kentucky Downs' six graded stakes is worth at least $600,000, with the Grade 3 Ladies Sprint joining the Franklin-Simpson in getting $100,000 increases to reach $600,000. The Music City for 3-year-old fillies and Untapable for 2-year-old fillies, worth $400,000 in their inaugural runnings last year, now enjoy $500,000 purses.

The Kentucky Downs' stakes purses reflect contributions of up to 50 percent from the Kentucky Thoroughbred Development Fund (KTDF) for horses born in and sired by stallions in the Commonwealth. That includes the vast majority of the horses racing in Kentucky and easily the largest group running in America. The 2021 meet's Kentucky-bred stakes supplements were approved Tuesday by the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission's KTDF Advisory Committee.

“The KTDF Advisory Committee aspires to be good stewards of the funds entrusted to their approval and direction,” said Bill Landes, the long-time chair of the KTDF committee and general manager of Oldham County's Hermitage Farm. “As such we applaud Kentucky Downs proposed KTDF supplement to their 2021 stakes, allowance and maiden race program. Their program enhances the value of Kentucky-bred racehorses not only at the Kentucky Downs meet but also enhances the value of Kentucky-bred yearlings that will sell in central Kentucky following their meet.”

Horses that aren't registered Kentucky-breds still can compete in some of the most lucrative stakes in North America and beyond. For instance, the $1 million races each reflect a base purse of $550,000 for which all horses run.

The increases were possible because the Kentucky General Assembly in February passed legislation that for the first time defined pari-mutuel wagering, including Historical Horse Racing's innovative technology that allows guests to bet on previously run races in an electronic game format.

“We can't thank the Kentucky Legislature enough,” Falcone said. “We are able to offer among the highest purses in the world because they understood the importance of Historical Horse Racing and passed legislation that ensures a bright future for live horse racing and the Commonwealth's signature industry. The lawmakers' leadership and members of both parties in both chambers saw the big picture and how higher purses lead to a lot of good things happening. That includes increased jobs, economic development, enhanced tourism opportunities and more dollars to the General Fund that ultimately benefit all Kentuckians.”

The lowest stakes purse Kentucky Downs will have is $400,000 each for the Tapit Stakes and the One Dreamer for fillies and mares, both restricted for horses that have not previously won a stakes in 2021. Those races received $100,000 increases.

The condition book for Kentucky Downs' 2021 meet will be available later this month.

Kentucky Downs 2021 stakes schedule

(all stakes include KTDF* purse supplements)
All races on turf

Sunday, Sept. 5 — $500,000 Dueling Grounds Oaks, 3-year-old fillies, 1 5/16 miles; $750,000 Gun Runner Dueling Grounds Derby, 3-year-olds, 1 5/16 miles.

Monday, Sept. 6 — $500,000 Juvenile Fillies, 2-year-old fillies, mile; $500,000 Juvenile, 2-year-olds, mile; $1 million WinStar Farm Mint Million Mile (G3), 3-year-olds & up, mile.

Wednesday, Sept. 8 — $400,000 Tapit Stakes, 3-year-olds & up non-winners of a stakes in 2021, mile and 70 yards.

Thursday, Sept. 9 — $500,000 Juvenile Sprint, 2-year-olds, 6 1/2 furlongs; $400,000 One Dreamer, fillies & mares 3 years old & up non-winners of a stakes in 2021, mile and 70 yards.

Saturday, Sept. 11 — $1 million Calumet Turf Cup (G2), 3-year-olds & up, 1 1/2 miles; $600,000 Franklin-Simpson (G2), 3-year-olds, 6 1/2 furlongs; $600,000 Ladies Sprint (G3), fillies & mares 3yo & up, 6 1/2 furlongs; $750,000 Ladies Turf (G3), fillies & mares 3 years old & up, mile; $1 million Turf Sprint (G3), 3-year-olds & up, 6 furlongs.

Sunday, Sept. 12 — $500,000 Music City Stakes, 3-year-old fillies, 6 1/2 furlongs; $500,000 Ladies Marathon, fillies & mares 3 years old & up, 1 5/16 miles; $500,000 Untapable Stakes, 2-year-old fillies, 6 1/2 furlongs.

*Kentucky Thoroughbred Development Fund

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Eastern Tent Caterpillar Egg Hatch Now Underway In Kentucky

Eastern tent caterpillars have begun to hatch, with the first instances being seen in Southern Kentucky this week and expected in Central Kentucky by early to mid-next week and Northern Kentucky a few days to a week after that, according to entomologists in the University of Kentucky College of Agriculture, Food and Environment.

According to Jonathan Larson, UK extension entomologist, after spending about nine months as eggs in masses on twigs of wild cherry and related trees, the first tiny eastern tent caterpillars of the season are now leaving their eggs. The egg hatch normally occurs at forsythia bloom, which is just beginning.

The larvae are among the first insects to become active in the spring and are well-equipped to cope with Kentucky's erratic temperature swings.

According to UK's entomology researchers, egg hatch occurs over several weeks in early spring. This increases the chance for survival in case of late freezes. The caterpillars grow and develop when the temperature is above 37 degrees F. Their preferred food plants are wild cherry, apple and crabapple, but they may appear on hawthorn, maple, cherry, peach, pear and plum as well.

When mature, the 2- to 2.5-inch long, hairy caterpillars have a habit of wandering from their host trees to seek protected areas to spin their cocoons, or to seek additional food if their natal tree becomes defoliated. At such times, they may crawl along fence lines and into pastures.

Consumption of large numbers of caterpillars by pregnant mares caused staggering foal losses in the Mare Reproductive Loss Syndrome outbreak of 1999-2001. MRLS can cause early- and late-term foal losses or weak foals. UK researchers conducted studies that revealed horses will inadvertently eat the caterpillars when present in pastures and feedstuffs. It is the caterpillar hairs, specifically the cuticles of those hairs, that embed into the lining of the horse's alimentary tract. Once that protective barrier is breached, normal alimentary tract bacteria may gain access to and reproduce in sites with reduced immunity, such as the fetus and placenta.

If practical, farm managers should move pregnant mares from areas where wild cherry trees are abundant to minimize the chance of caterpillar exposure. The threat is greatest when the mature caterpillars leave trees and wander to find places to pupate and transform to the moth stage.

Eastern tent caterpillars are also a nuisance to people living near heavily infested trees. The nests and defoliation are unsightly, and the caterpillars may wander hundreds of yards in search of protected sites to spin cocoons and pupate.

“Managing ETC in small ornamental trees, such as flowering crabapples, is easy. Just wear a pair of grocery store plastic bags like mittens, climb a stepladder, pull out the tents, turn the bags inside out to 'bag' the caterpillars and stomp them,” said Daniel Potter, UK entomology professor. “Pruning out nests in ornamental trees sounds great, but in reality, by the time they are noticed, they're often in branch crotches where pruning will compromise the symmetry of the tree.

“Spraying the flowering fruit and decorative trees preferred by the caterpillars can be a bee hazard – and with some products, a label violation – because the trees are in bloom with bees visiting them at the same time eastern tent caterpillars are active,” he said.

According to Potter, caterpillar management around horse farm paddocks comes down to keeping pregnant mares away from infested trees and either removing or not planting preferred host trees near paddocks. In addition to those preventive measures, controlling the caterpillars with insecticides may be warranted in some settings. That may require treating tall trees that are difficult to spray.

For the latter scenario, professional arborists treat via trunk injection. Products labeled for eastern tent caterpillar control include Tree-äge (emamectin benzoate), Inject-A-Cide B (Bidrin), Abacide 2 (abamectin) and Lepitect (acephate). Applicators should read and follow all label instructions. All four of those injectable products are labeled for use on horse farms.

For farms that are interested in prevention over the winter months, Larson recommended farms search for and destroy egg masses before they hatch.

“Egg masses can be seen over the winter, they look like sparkly, pyrite gum wrapped around twigs and branches,” he said.

For more information about how to assess trees for egg masses, the UK Entomology publication, Checking Eastern Tent Caterpillar Egg Masses, is available here.

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UK Gluck Center And Industry Leaders Responding To An Uptick Of Foal Diarrhea Cases

The first several months of the year make up the bulk of the busy foaling season in Central Kentucky, so when the region's farms and equine practitioners began noticing increases of diarrhea in foals ages two to seven days old, there was concern.

In response, the University of Kentucky Gluck Equine Research Center is using a portion of its existing Koller Emergency Funds, and the Kentucky Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Foundation, Grayson-Jockey Club Research Foundation and Coolmore America are leading an effort to help provide additional funding, allowing research to begin immediately.

“Anytime we recognize an increased incidence in equine health cases, such as foal diarrhea, we prepare and mobilize to further our understanding of the health issue,” said David Horohov, chair of the Department of Veterinary Science and director of the Gluck Equine Research Center. “Early detection and rapid diagnostics are at the cornerstone of what drives our research approach.”

Foals commonly develop diarrhea a week to 10 days after foaling, and veterinarians and farm owners typically have the experience and tools to respond. According to the American Association of Equine Practitioners, it is important for a veterinarian to evaluate foals under a month old when they experience diarrhea because they can develop life-threatening dehydration in as few as six to eight hours. Neonatal or young foals have a digestive tract, similar to humans, where small intestines are responsible for much of their nutrition absorption. Dealing with this type of attack on the small digestive system heavily impacts foals, which is a big reason why the Gluck center will focus its research efforts on this issue.

A significant increase in the illness has affected some farms, while other farms have had few to no cases. In spite of these incidences, UK has not recognized a rise in reported mortality associated with these cases and continue to monitor the situation.

UK College of Agriculture, Food and Environment researchers have developed a multipronged research plan to help further the understanding of the problem.

One focus of this research plan is to expand scientists' knowledge of the foal gut environment. This will add to their understanding of neonatal gut bacteria and the effect of antibiotic treatment.

A second part of the research plan is to study the differences in mares and their foals on farms both with and without early neonatal diarrhea cases and the effect of antimicrobial drug treatment. Researchers will conduct this analysis through gene sequencing to determine an overview of type and diversity of gut microflora.

They will also use the data in this part of the study to gain insight into the effect of antimicrobial use in foals on the development of their gut microflora.

The third prong of the research will investigate a biotherapeutic approach on one farm. That farm is supplementing foals with home-fermented live yogurt instead of a commercial pre/probiotic. Research has shown that Lactobacillus spp. bacteria are among the first colonizers in the neonatal gut. Data from other species supports Lactobacillus spp. as promoting gut health and outcompeting pathogens in gut colonization.

In addition to the three studies, the UK Gluck Center and Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory team has identified further potentially useful tests, including gene sequencing targeting identification of novel viruses and bacteria that may be present.

With limited Koller Emergency Funds available, the UK Gluck Equine Research Center is thankful for the additional dollars provided by the Kentucky Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Foundation, The Grayson-Jockey Club Research Foundation and Coolmore America.

“The foundation members met March 15 and felt this research and timing was consistent with the sole mission of immediately responding to threats to the breeding industry in Central Kentucky. We are grateful to Gluck for accessing their emergency funds and everyone for responding so quickly.” said Jimmy Bell, chairman of the KTOB Foundation.

“Situations such as these highlight the relevance for a coordinated effort that can be led by our scientists at the Gluck Equine Research Center,” said Stuart Brown, veterinarian, Keeneland equine safety director and chair of the Gluck Research Foundation. “Our team mobilizes to work with equine practitioners and farms throughout the area, allowing us to further our understanding and develop our approach to work on these types of issues. We appreciate the opportunity to collaborate with other partners to enhance our abilities when issues like this arise.”

“We at Grayson-Jockey Club Research Foundation believe in supporting timely equine health for all horses at every stage of their lives, and foal diarrhea is proving to be a concern this year on Central Kentucky farms,” said Dell Hancock, chair of the foundation. “We are happy to help facilitate research to address this condition and thank the University of Kentucky's Gluck Equine Research Center for their commitment to the well-being of horses.”