Kentucky Governor Reiterates Calls To Support Sports Wagering, Historical Horse Racing

During Thursday's State of the Commonwealth and Budget address from the governor's mansion, Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear reiterated his support for both sports wagering and historical horse racing.

“Speaking of laws that unduly restrict us from growth and innovation,” Gov. Beshear said, “it is time to legalize medical marijuana, pass sports betting, and save historic horse racing.”

While Gov. Beshear's remarks on the subject were brief this Thursday, he has long been a supporter of both historical horse racing and sports wagering. The former has come under fire, however, due to a Kentucky Supreme Court decision last September which declared at least one version of historical horse racing terminal to not constitute pari-mutuel wagering, and thus to be illegal.

In response to the state's Supreme Court ruling, Churchill Downs has halted major construction projects at both it's Louisville, Ky. flagship track and at the recently-purchased Turfway Park in Florence, Ky.

In mid-December, during a virtual legislative preview conference, Gov. Beshear urged lawmakers to legalize historical horse racing in support of Kentucky jobs and the over $21 million it contributes to the state's budget.

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Gov. Beshear Calls On Kentucky Lawmakers To Be ‘Bold,’ Approve Historical Horse Racing, Sports Wagering

Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear fortified his positions on historical horse racing and sports wagering on Wednesday evening, calling on lawmakers to be “bold” and approve both during the 2021 General Assembly which begins on Jan. 5, reports the Kentucky Herald-Leader. Gov. Beshear's comments were made in a 20-minute speech he gave to the virtually-held legislative preview conference for the Kentucky Chamber.

Gov. Beshear has long been a supporter of both historical horse racing and sports wagering. The former has come under fire in 2020, however, due to a Kentucky Supreme Court decision in September which declared at least one version of historical horse racing terminal to not constitute pari-mutuel wagering, and thus to be illegal.

In response to the state's Supreme Court ruling, Churchill Downs has halted major construction projects at both it's Louisville, Ky. flagship track and at the recently-purchased Turfway Park in Florence, Ky.

Gov. Beshear urged lawmakers to legalize historical horse racing in support of Kentucky jobs and the over $21 million it contributes to the state's budget.

Read more at the Kentucky Herald-Leader.

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Broodmare Field Turned Training Center: Michelle Nihei’s Story Of Success

Michelle Nihei's Circle 8 Ranch was originally nothing more than an old broodmare field with unseen potential according to Thoroughbred Racing Commentary. When she laid eyes on it, it became a series of furlongs and gallop sets in her mind, and would eventually contribute to her multiple graded stakes wins as a trainer.

The broodmare field eventually turned into a one mile circuit that Nihei has her horses complete three times as part of their daily training and a six-furlong left-handed reseeded turf course. She has seen great results with this facility. The horses are more relaxed and happy and not quite as high strung as you might see on the racetrack.

“When they go back to the racetrack after a couple of months,” said Nihei to Thoroughbred Racing Commentary's Patrick Lawrence Gilligan. “everyone who has ridden them both before and after says it is remarkable how much stronger they are and how much better they takes the turns because now they know how to lift that shoulder instead of just flattening  around the turn.”

Nihei was born in Calgary in Western Canada. Her father was a scientist and her mother was a lawyer. Before she began her career in the Thoroughbred industry, Nihei followed in her father's footsteps as a neuroscientist.

Nihei eventually realized she wanted to ride horses for a living instead of neuroscience and made the switch from lab coats to jeans and a helmet by becoming an exercise rider and then assistant to Todd Pletcher. She had the opportunity to gallop some of Pletcher's most well known horses like Scat Daddy, English Channel, and Pollards Vision.

“It was an amazing fantastic experience,” said Nihei to Gilligan. “Everything I know about breezing horses I learnt from Angel Cordero and Johnny Velasquez. I was getting on ten a day sometimes. It was the best education you could get.”

Eventually a riding injury caused her to take a step back from exercise riding and led her to becoming a trainer. That is how she ended up in the presence of her future Grade 1 winner, Prince Will I Am. Michelle still rides Prince Will I Am to this day and now refers to him as her Prince Charming.

Read more at thoroughbredracing.com

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International Museum Of The Horse Adds Online Component To Black Horsemen Exhibit

The International Museum of the Horse at the Kentucky Horse Park announced the launch of the Chronicle of African Americans in the Horse Industry, a new website designed to increase awareness, education, and access to African American history. The site builds upon information discovered for the museum's permanent exhibit, Black Horsemen of the Kentucky Turf.

Through a collaborative effort between individuals, organizations, and communities, the goal of this digital history platform is to uncover, collect, document, and make accessible the history of African Americans in the horse industry. The Chronicle relies on researchers finding archival materials, as well as family members sharing their stories, photos, documents and memorabilia. The International Museum of the Horse invites African Americans who currently work or have worked with horses, in any discipline, anywhere throughout the U.S. to contribute their history to this remarkable historical collection. The digital archive allows contributors to tell their personal stories without letting go of family treasures. Oral histories are archived at the museum's partner repository, the Louie B. Nunn Center for Oral History at the University of Kentucky.

In 2018, the museum began website development with input from the community on what content should be included and how to make the content accessible to the public. With the support of Phoenix Rising Lex, a grassroots organization that promotes the cultural history of Lexington's early horse racing industry, contributions for the website began in the spring of 2019 with the museum hosting History Harvests at the Lyric Theatre in Lexington, Ky. The mission of the International Museum of the Horse is to provide education on the relationship between humans and horses throughout history. Ten teacher representatives were selected to work with the museum to create educational modules based on the website's content. These modules include American history from the perspective of men and women who have worked with horses across eras that span from 1619 to the present day.

Funding for the website was provided by the Institute for Museum and Library Services, Museums for America, Learning Experiences grant and the Kentucky Horse Park Foundation. Additional funding was allotted from the Kentucky Foundation for Women Art Meets Activism Grant to assist the museum with the hiring of five African-American women to write narratives for the website.

To learn more about the contributing writers and teacher representatives, visit the International Museum of the Horse website at http://imh.org/.

To preview the website, visit https://youtu.be/B_ul2_lnIEg for an introductory video.

For more information about the Kentucky Horse Park, visit kyhorsepark.com.

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