Lexington | Horse Racing Free Tips

Keeneland To Expand Year-Round Training Facility In Lexington

Keeneland on Wednesday announced plans to build six new barns and make other enhancements at The Thoroughbred Center (TTC), its 245-acre, year-round training facility on Paris Pike on the northeast side of Lexington. Home to 900-1,000 horses, TTC is within a six-hour drive to 10 race tracks.

Plans call for two existing concrete barns to be demolished and replaced with six state-of-the-art barns. Improvements around the barns will be made to walking rings, muck disposal and drainage, as well as to landscaping and access to and from the training track in those areas.

“Keeneland is excited to break ground on these significant improvements to the barn area at TTC for the benefit of our horses and horsemen, many of whom stable at the facility year-round,” Keeneland Vice President of Racing Gatewood Bell said. “This investment reflects the strength of the Kentucky racing circuit and Keeneland's confidence in the future of the Thoroughbred industry in Kentucky and throughout the world.”

“TTC is vital to the health of the Kentucky racing circuit, providing a home base for a number of trainers, and we are thrilled to make these enhancements for them,” TTC General Manager and Keeneland Director of Racing Surfaces Jim Pendergest said. “Horsemen are drawn to Kentucky by the strong purse structure now in place and expected to continue to improve, particularly with the support of historical horse racing.”

Work on the project is anticipated to begin in May pending approval from local planning and zoning authorities, with completion by Keeneland's 2021 Fall Meet, which begins Oct. 8. Keeneland will work with trainers stabled at TTC to find alternate locations for their horses during construction.

“This project is an important aspect of Keeneland's ongoing efforts to accommodate our horse population with safe and quality facilities throughout the year,” Keeneland Equine Safety Director Dr. Stuart Brown said.

Keeneland has owned The Thoroughbred Center, which originally opened in 1969, since April 2000. The facility has two dirt tracks: 5 furlongs and 7½ furlongs.

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Visit Horse Country Launches Charitable Fund

Visit Horse Country, like many others, suffered a serious financial impact from the COVID-19 pandemic. Several members of the industry, such as Fasig-Tipton, Keeneland, the Breeders’ Cup and The Jockey Club, stepped into help. However, Visit Horse Country has now partnered with the Bluegrass Community Foundation to launch a charitable fund supporting initiatives like services for TAA-accredited aftercare members of Horse Country which receive a complimentary membership; scholarship and field trip visits; community outreach such as Meet the Neighbors; and a new workforce development partnership with the Kentucky Chamber of Commerce.

“Between refunds and not being able to offer tours, a year that had been trending to exceed 40% growth year over year turned into a budget net-negative,” said Price Bell, Jr., president of Horse Country’s board. “The way we’re currently structured, nearly all of our operating budget is derived from revenue sharing when members give tours. When that couldn’t happen, we were looking at a pretty dire scenario. We cut every expense we could, including a temporary furlough of our team. Even as a limited amount of tours reopened in 2020, we would not have made it without the financial support of our industry, community and members.”

So far, in a launch of the fund earlier this year, more than 70% of the initial goal of $150,000 has been raised, with major support coming from the W. S. Farish Fund, followed by the Duncan & Carol Taylor Fund, Headley & Nancy Bell, Priscilla Fallon, The Bakhaus Family Foundation, The Jones Family Foundation, Siena Farm, Godolphin and others.

“The successful work of fan development through Horse Country is vital to our industry. For it to go away after the dedication of so many wasn’t acceptable,” said Bill Farish of Horse Country member Lane’s End Farm, and on behalf of the W. S. Farish Fund. “The financial health of Horse County is vital to the success of the effort. I’m thrilled to hear the match by the W. S. Farish fund has worked and that Horse Country will make it through this pandemic.”

Tours for 2021 will be offered on a limited basis beginning late December, though some members may not resume regular operations until later in the new year. Updates can be found at www.visithorsecountry.com.

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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.

BC-Bound Tex Sutton Flight Grounded in New York

The second of two Lexington-bound horse transport flights operated by Tex Sutton did not depart Stewart Airport in Newburgh, New York, as planned Monday morning, Larry Ulrich, a New York-based representative for the company confirmed.

The morning’s first Tex Sutton flight departed Republic Airport in Farmingdale, New York on Long Island at 7:49 a.m. EST, 49 minutes behind schedule, and landed at Lexington’s Blue Grass Field at 9:21 a.m. EST, 44 minutes late. As the morning wore on in greater New York, the winds intensified, causing a trailer ban across the area bridges, including the Mario Cuomo Memorial Bridge, and the horses en route via horse trailer could not make it to the airport. According to Ulrich, “10 or 11” horses were supposed to board the flight.

According to the Tex Sutton website, a flight is scheduled to depart Farmingdale for Lexington early Tuesday morning. Horses entered for the ‘Future Stars Friday’ program are required to be on the grounds at Keeneland by 10 a.m. Tuesday.

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