Lexington | Horse Racing Free Tips

No Decisions Made in First Hearing in Urban Service Boundary Lawsuit

The first hearing in the lawsuit filed by the Fayette Alliance against the Lexington, Kentucky Urban County Council over the Urban Service Boundary's produced no decisions at the October 5 meeting; instead, both parties were asked to file additional briefs over the next two weeks. The news is according to a press release distributed by the Fayette Alliance.

The Fayette Alliance is alleging that the Council's decision to expand Lexington's Urban Service Boundary–a circular boundary around the downtown designed to protect Kentucky farmland–was not legal. The Alliance clams that the decision, “violated the Kentucky statutes governing the drafting of comprehensive plans, which require that those plans be based on data, research and analysis.” Moreover, they say, “the decision defied historical precedent, which is clear that any decision to expand the USB in the past has been made by the Planning Commission.”

Attorneys for the city of Lexington have filed a motion to dismiss the case, arguing that since the formal re-zoning has not yet taken place, the Alliance does not have the right to pursue litigation.

The Alliance said that the planning commission will be discussing recommendations on which of the five proposed areas might be rezoned for construction at a meeting Thursday, Oct. 19 at 1:30 p.m. in the Phoenix Building at 101 East Vine Street in Lexington. The meeting is open to the public.

Those interested in providing public input to the Planning Commission may do so on Imagine Lexington's Urban Growth Management website.

The post No Decisions Made in First Hearing in Urban Service Boundary Lawsuit appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

Letter to the Editor: Lexington’s Urban Service Boundary

Horses are at the heart of what makes Lexington, Kentucky unique. It is the unparalleled quality of our soils that makes Lexington the world's center of the equine industry.

The equine industry has been an important part of Lexington for over 200 years, with some of the first known racetracks in the region dating back to the late 1700s. Over the past two centuries, Lexington has proudly become the Horse Capital of the World, serving as home to some of the industry's biggest icons.

Numerous thoroughbred champions, like Man o' War, Citation, Seattle Slew, Zenyatta and American Pharoah, to name just a few, have been bred and raised in Fayette County. World-class farms like Calumet, Gainesway, Godolphin, and Spendthrift operate here. Some of the industry's most storied institutions–Keeneland, the Red Mile, Fasig-Tipton, and the Kentucky Horse Park–are here, and draw substantial numbers of visitors to our region each year. Global sporting events like the FEI World Equestrian Games and the Breeders' Cup have been hosted here. A study of the November 2022 Breeders' Cup at Keeneland found that the event had an $81 million impact on Fayette County.

Horses and Lexington are inextricably linked. The equine industry is a core part of our region's economy, history, and identity. The land on which we raise our horses is the foundation of the industry.

According to the Kentucky Thoroughbred Association, the equine industry is responsible for $6.5 billion in economic activity and a total of 60,494 jobs in the state of Kentucky. Much of that activity is centered in Lexington-Fayette County. Keeneland alone has a reported economic impact on Fayette County of nearly $600 million dollars annually, according to a University of Kentucky study conducted in 2015.

Now consider this: what would happen if horse farms ceased to exist in Lexington-Fayette County because of urban sprawl? What would happen to our region if the equine industry left town, and instead our land was used for subdivisions and shopping centers?

Lexington is currently engaged in a critical land-use debate, the outcome of which could very well threaten the cornerstone of our economy and identity. The soils that support our industry are at risk.

The existing Urban Service Boundary Map with proposed expanded development zones labeled 1-5 | courtesy Fayette Alliance

The Lexington Fayette County Urban Council voted in June to expand the Urban Service Boundary (USB) by between 2,700 and 5,000 acres. The Council decision was made without any data justifying an expansion and was a rejection of the recommendations of the Planning Commission and Planning Staff. A committee was hastily organized and tasked with identifying specific areas of land that should be included in this expansion. The committee was given just seven weeks to complete this task; seven weeks to make a recommendation that will undoubtedly result in permanent land-use changes for Lexington-Fayette County.

Most of the land that the committee identified for USB expansion is prime farmland.

The committee held a public hearing in which many members of our community objected to the USB expansion and the development of our productive farmland.

If our city continues to move forward with the current plans for expansion, Lexington will be changed irreversibly. Once our farmland has been developed, it is lost forever. We risk the vitality of our urban core which has so recently been reinvented because of infill and redevelopment. If we pursue reckless expansion, we will abandon our history of innovative land use planning, which has been developed over the nearly 70 years since the adoption of the Urban Service Boundary in 1958.

I urge members of our community–and of our industry–to stand up for our economy, our identity, and for our farmland. Call on the Planning Commission and the City to approach any expansion of the USB with the utmost prudence and care, recognizing the value of Lexington-Fayette County's farms. You can do this by sharing your thoughts via email, sent to imagine@lexingtonky.gov.

Lexington can find better ways to accommodate economic growth without sacrificing our farms. We must ensure they hear from our industry in order to do so.

Don Robinson
Winter Quarter Farm
Co-Chair, Fayette Alliance

The post Letter to the Editor: Lexington’s Urban Service Boundary appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

$250,000 Practical Joke Colt Heads Keeneland’s Book 5 Opener

A colt by Practical Joke led the way Wednesday, kicking off Book 5 of the Keeneland September Yearling Sale in Lexington. Consigned by Bluewater Sales, Hip 2980 is out of Jetbird (Wildcat Heir), a half-sister to Group 1 winner X Y Jet (Kantharos).

“We were prepared [for the $250,000 price] because of the entire package,” said CJ Thoroughbred's Corey Johnson. “We felt between $200,000-$250,000 was what it was going to take to purchase him. We were expecting somewhere around that number.”

On Day 9, Ashford's Practical Joke was the second leading sire of the session, grossing $565,000 for five yearlings sold, with an average of $113,000. The leading sire of the session, Frosted, drew an aggregate of $617,000 for 11 sold, averaging $56,091.

“[Bloodstock advisor] Marette Farrell selected the horse for his fabulous physical and the potential there. We also believe that Practical Joke brings brilliance to the equation as an emerging top sire,” said Johnson. “Basically, we had a colt that was a really promising physical and by a brilliant sire that brings toughness to the equation.”

Johnson also pointed a little bit farther back on the page, with the appearance of several Argentine performers, including GSP Argentine mare Tripulina (Sings), a sister to Argentine GSW and GISP Tizna.

“I've also spent quite a bit of time in Argentina and watched that industry very closely and what I find is, those families bring soundness and durability to the pedigree,” he explained.

In foal to Bolt d'Oro, 13-year-old Jetbird realized $20,000 at Fasig-Tipton in February, while this May foal brought $27,000 as a short yearling from DKW Racing.

“Today, this was the only horse we were on,” Johnson affirmed. “I thought he is a physical with, just a little bit of vision, you could see where this would turn into a stunning racehorse. He may be just a touch immature but someone like Marette, who has done this for a long time, can see that blue sky ahead with these young horses. We may have gotten really lucky to find this kind of colt in Book 5.”

Through nine sessions, CJ Thoroughbreds, alone or in partnership, collected nine yearlings for a gross of $2.1 million. The operation's top priced purchase was a colt by Not This Time (Hip 594), who realized $535,000.

When asked about the market thus far, Johnson offered, “I think the sale has been really strong. I can't remember a Book 5 with that many people looking. The place was packed with quality buyers. I still see a lot of enthusiasm.”

Indicating that he was likely done on the buying side of things, Johnson said he would now put on his seller's cap for Thursday's session, offering Hip 3485, filly by Spun to Run, who is represented by his first yearlings in 2023. Out of Northern Netti (City Zip), the Feb. 19 foal is a half-sister to SW North County (Not This Time). She is consigned by agent Four Star Sales.

“We sell a horse [Thursday] and she had almost 30 looks today,” said Johnson, underscoring the strength of the current buying bench at Keeneland. “That is really a good sign. I'm very positive about the overall market. At times, it's been difficult to buy a good horse within our budget. But that's why you just have to work hard, have a great bloodstock advisor and hope some things fall your way.”

At the conclusion of Thursday session, gross figures for the first nine days came in at $379,373,200, dipping slightly from last year's blockbuster renewal which generated $389,605,000 over the same time frame. During Wednesday's session, 298 yearlings sold for $13,430,200, up 3.56% from 2022 when 329 sold for $12,969,000.

Both the session ($45,068; +14%) and cumulative ($180,396; 0.94%) averages rose, while cumulative median remained unchanged at $100,000 from last year's sale. This year's median of $33,500 was also up from $30,000 in 2022. From last year's corresponding day, RNAs rose to 60 (+66.67%) for Wednesday's session, up from 36 one year ago.

The 10th session of the sale resumes at 10 a.m. Thursday and runs through Saturday.

The post $250,000 Practical Joke Colt Heads Keeneland’s Book 5 Opener appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

Keeneland Library Expands Exhibit Through Fall, Adds Events

Keeneland Library has scheduled a number of events for the remainder of 2023 to expand the reach of its exhibit, The Heart of the Turf: Racing's Black Pioneers, the repository said in a release Friday.

Due to demand, the Library's free exhibit and its on-site youth and adult programs have been extended through Dec. 8.

Other events include:

Now: Companion book available

The companion book to The Heart of the Turf: Racing's Black Pioneers is available at the Library and The Keeneland Shop (in store and online) for $10. All proceeds will benefit the Keeneland Library Foundation.
Keeneland Library will begin to donate copies of the book to community and industry organizations Sept. 11.

Sept. 15: LexArts Gallery Hop at the Lyric (5-8 p.m.)

To celebrate the launch of the traveling exhibit in Lexington's East End, incoming Library Director Roda Ferraro will deliver the evening's educational program and the first 100 Gallery Hop attendees will receive a free copy of the companion book.

Sept. 19: “Meet the Authors” free at Keeneland Library (6:30-8 p.m.)

Pulitzer Prize nominee Sarah Maslin Nir and co-author Raymond White Jr. will present their new book, The Jockey & Her Horse, the story of Cheryl White Breyer. Books will be available for purchase for $17. A brief program will be followed by a book signing. RSVP here.

Sept. 20: “Meet the Authors” free at the Lyric (6-7:30 p.m.)

After an opening program in the Lyric's Community Room, a meet and greet is scheduled with Nir and White. The first 100 attendees under the age of 18 will receive a free copy of their book, along with free General Admission passes to Keeneland's Fall Meet.

Oct. 21: Cheryl White Breyer Sets at Keeneland

During Sunrise Trackside, a free, family-friendly event at Keeneland from 8-10 a.m. (ET), Keeneland will spotlight White's career as a jockey. Children will have a chance to try on a replica of White's silks, and fans will have a chance to win Keeneland Breyer sets featuring a figure of White, the model horse Jetolara (her first winning mount) and a copy of the book.
The Keeneland Shop and Keeneland Library will host a signing with Raymond White Jr. from 1-3 p.m. Cheryl White Breyer sets and copies of The Jockey & Her Horse will be available to purchase.

Nov. 18: An Evening with Geraldine Brooks at the Keeneland Sales Pavilion (6:30-8 p.m.)

Keeneland Library will host Pulitzer Prize winning-author Geraldine Brooks, who will discuss her 2022 novel, Horse. Details to follow.

The post Keeneland Library Expands Exhibit Through Fall, Adds Events appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post