Tag: The Biz

To commemorate the 50th anniversary of Secretariat's historic 1973 Triple Crown sweep, the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame will present traveling and onsite exhibitions honoring the accomplishments and enduring legacy of the famed Meadow Stable colt from May through October. The exhibitions are underwritten by Churchill Downs, Inc., the Maryland Jockey Club, the New York Racing Association, the National Thoroughbred Racing Association, the Virginia Equine Alliance, Dean Dorton Equine, and Godolphin. 

A Tremendous Machine: Celebrating the 50th Anniversary of Secretariat's Triple Crown will journey the same path Secretariat did to become America's ninth Triple Crown winner. The unique traveling exhibit will open at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Ky., for Kentucky Derby week May 3-6; advance to Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore for Preakness Stakes festivities May 18-20; and conclude its Triple Crown tour at the Belmont Stakes in Elmont, N.Y., June 8-11. 

Following its Triple Crown travels, a more comprehensive exhibition of A Tremendous Machine will open to the public July 13 at the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame, coinciding with opening day at Saratoga Race Course. At the conclusion of the Saratoga racing season, A Tremendous Machine will travel to Colonial Downs in Secretariat's home state of Virginia for closing weekend at the New Kent-based track Sept. 7-9. The onsite exhibition at the Museum will remain on view through Oct. 29. 

The traveling version of A Tremendous Machine will feature Secretariat's 1973 Kentucky Derby, Preakness Stakes, Belmont Stakes, and Triple Crown trophies. A video component of the exhibition will take fans through Secretariat's unique journey in which he set speed records in each of the Triple Crown races and tell the stories of the people who guided the horse through his remarkable career. In addition to the trophies and video components, the onsite exhibition at the Museum will include an extensive array of artwork, artifacts, photography, and pop culture items. 

“It is an honor to share the awe-inspiring story of Secretariat and the people around him on this golden anniversary of horse racing's greatest test, the Triple Crown,” said Jessica Cloer, the National Museum of Racing's curator. “We hope that everyone will have an opportunity to visit the exhibition at the Museum or at one of the tracks as we bring the incomparable story of the great Secretariat to both longtime and new fans of the sport.”

Bred in Virginia by Christopher T. Chenery's Meadow Stud and campaigned by Chenery's daughter, Penny, Secretariat was a chestnut son of Bold Ruler out of the Princequillo mare Somethingroyal. Trained by Hall of Famer Lucien Laurin and ridden primarily by Hall of Famer Ron Turcotte, Secretariat won the Eclipse Awards for Horse of the Year and Champion 2-Year-Old Male in 1972. The following year, he became the first Triple Crown winner since Citation in 1948, setting records in the Kentucky Derby, Preakness Stakes, and Belmont Stakes, all of which still stand a half-century later. Secretariat was retired at the end of his 1973 season with a record of 16-3-1 from 21 starts and earnings of $1,316,808. His sophomore year earned him Eclipse Awards for Horse of the Year, Champion 3-Year-Old Male, and Champion Male Turf Horse. 

Inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1974, Secretariat stood at the iconic Claiborne Farm in Paris, Ky., where he sired 57 stakes winners, including Hall of Famer Lady's Secret. After a battle with laminitis, Secretariat was euthanized on Oct. 4, 1989. He was buried at Claiborne. 

The post ‘A Tremendous Machine’: Traveling Exhibit Celebrates 50th Anniversary Of Secretariat’s Triple Crown appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Kentucky Downs' Grade 3 Mint Million stakes now is the Mint Millions, reflecting its dramatic growth to become the first $2 million race in track history and America's richest turf race outside the Breeders' Cup.

The mile Mint Millions offers a base purse of $1 million, with another $1 million from the Kentucky Thoroughbred Development Fund (KTDF). Last year, the base was $600,000 with a $400,000 supplement from the KTDF.

The seven-day, all-turf race meet will offer seven stakes worth at least $1 million for Kentucky-bred horses to highlight an overall purse structure scheduled for $22.82 million — a track record for the 12th straight year since the advent of historical horse racing. Once again, Kentucky Downs will feature the richest maiden races in the world at $150,000 for Kentucky-bred horses.

The meet's 17 stakes — including nine with graded-stakes status — will be worth a total of $14 million, with $7.6 million available for all horses and another $6.4 million in KTDF enhancements earmarked for those horses foaled in Kentucky and sired by a Kentucky stallion.

Kentucky Downs runs Aug. 31 and Sept. 2, 3, 7, 9, 10 and 13 over the distinctive kidney-shaped course with subtle elevation changes. The 2023 Kentucky Downs condition book spelling out the conditions for the daily races is available on equibase.com.

The Mint Millions, a race for 3-year-olds and up on Saturday Sept. 2, has the potential to be the second-richest race offered by a racetrack in Kentucky and the third-richest in North America, topped only by the $3 million Kentucky Derby and Gulfstream Park's $3 million Pegasus World Cup in Florida, both on dirt. Of the 14 Breeders' Cup races, only the $6 million Classic and $4 million Turf surpass $2 million.

The Kentucky Horse Racing Commission on Tuesday approved the meet's KTDF purse supplements. The purses for the daily “overnight” races and the base purses for stakes are set in consultation with the Kentucky HBPA, the official representative of the track's owners and trainers.

Only one other American track has ever offered as many races in a year with the potential to be worth $1 million without being the Breeders' Cup host. That was Belmont Park in 2016, with six such races at its spring meet and one in the fall.

No matter where a horse is born, it still competes for one of the world's most lucrative stakes schedules. The Mint Millions was won last year by the Mike Maker-trained New York-bred Somelikeithotbrown by 1 1/4 lengths over stablemate Atone, who went on to win Gulfstream's Grade 1 Pegasus World Cup Turf in January. Dr. Harvey Diamond, head of co-owner Skychai Racing, was delighted with Somelikeithotbrown's first-place check of $330,770 last year at Kentucky Downs and is thrilled about the Mint Millions' purse explosion for 2023.

“If we run for $1 million, I'll be ecstatic,” Diamond said. “That's our major objective, to return to Kentucky Downs.”

The six other graded stakes offering $1 million in available purses are the Kentucky Turf Cup (Grade 2) at 1 1/2 miles, Kentucky Downs Turf Sprint (G2), Franklin-Simpson (G2) for 3-year-old sprinters, The Mint Ladies Sprint (G2), Kentucky Downs Ladies Turf (G3) and the Kentucky Downs Ladies Marathon (G3). Those stakes, all carded for the blockbuster Saturday Sept. 9 program, will have base purses of $600,000 with another $400,000 available for KTDF-eligible horses, which reflect the vast majority of horses racing at Kentucky Downs.

“We are laser-focused on securing Grade 1 races for Kentucky Downs. Our 2023 stakes schedule is another step toward that mission,” said Kentucky Downs Vice President for Racing Ted Nicholson. “Our KTDF money allows us to run North America's richest two weeks of racing, including the potential to run more stakes worth at least $1 million during a meet than any U.S. track outside a Breeders' Cup host. But regardless of where horses are born, our base purses guarantee everyone runs for some of the largest purses on the planet.”

“We want the Mint Millions to be the pre-eminent launching pad to the Breeders' Cup Mile,” said Ron Winchell, who with Marc Falcone are Kentucky Downs' co-managing partners. “Turf milers are among the biggest stars in Europe, and we're giving them a million more reasons to come to Kentucky Downs.”

Three other Kentucky Downs' stakes — the Sept. 2 Music City (G3) for 3-year-old filly sprinters, the Sept. 2 Gun Runner for 3-year-olds at a mile and the Sept. 3 Dueling Grounds Oaks for 3-year-old fillies at 1 5/16 miles— had their purses substantially boosted to $750,000, split evenly between the base purse and KTDF enhancements. The Dueling Grounds Derby (G3), also on Sept. 3, was raised to $750,000 last year.

The remaining six stakes will be worth $500,000, half from the base purse and the rest from the KTDF.

The $22,820,000 being offered in the condition book tops the $17,863,177 paid out at the 2022 meet. The 2023 projected purses reflect base purses of $12.76 million and $10.06 million in KTDF funding.

Kentucky Downs again will offer a pair of $250,000 allowance races — one for 2-year-old fillies and one for 2-year-old colts — restricted to horses that went through the sales ring at Keeneland's 2022 September Yearling sale, the largest auction for yearlings in the world. Those 6 1/2-furlong races will be held opening day, Thursday Aug. 31, with all runners competing for the entire pot.

Last year's Keeneland sales allowance race for colts produced both the winner of Oaklawn Park's Grade 1 Arkansas Derby (Angel of Empire) and Keeneland's Grade 3 Transylvania (Mo Stash).

2023 Kentucky Downs stakes schedule

All stakes are on turf and include Kentucky Thoroughbred Development Fund supplements

Thursday Aug. 31 — $500,000 Tapit Stakes, 3 year olds & up who have not won a stakes in 2023, mile and 70 yards.

Saturday Sept. 2 — $750,000 Music City (G3), 3-year-old fillies, 6 1/2 furlongs; $750,000 Gun Runner, 3-year-olds, one mile; $2 million Mint Millions (G3), 3 year olds & up, one mile.

Sunday Sept. 3 — $750,000 Dueling Grounds Derby (G3), 3-year-olds, 1 5/16 miles; $750,000 Dueling Grounds Oaks, 3-year-old fillies, 1 5/16 miles.

Thursday Sept. 7 — $500,000 One Dreamer, fillies and mares 3 years old & up who have not won a stakes in 2023, mile and 70 yards.

Saturday Sept. 9 — $1 million Franklin-Simpson (G2), 3-year-olds, 6 1/2 furlongs; $1 million Kentucky Downs Turf Sprint (G2), 3-year-olds & up, six furlongs; $1 million Kentucky Turf Cup (G2), 3-year-olds & up, 1 1/2 miles; $1 million The Mint Ladies Sprint (G2), fillies and mares 3 years old & up, 6 1/2 furlongs; $1 million Kentucky Downs Ladies Turf (G3), fillies and mares 3 years old & up, one mile; $1 million Kentucky Downs Ladies Marathon (G3), fillies and mares 3 years old & up, 1 5/16 miles.

Sunday, Sept. 10 — $500,000 Kentucky Downs Juvenile Mile, 2-year-olds, mile; $500,000 Kentucky Downs Juvenile Fillies, 2-year-old fillies, mile.

Wednesday Sept. 13 — $500,000 Kentucky Downs Juvenile Sprint, 2-year-olds, 6 1/2 furlongs; $500,000 Untapable Stakes, 2-year-old fillies, 6 1/2 furlongs.

The post Kentucky Downs: Mint Millions Becomes Track’s First $2 Million Race appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Jason D. Bullard, whose Empire Racing Stables was a leading owner at Minnesota's Canterbury Park from 2016-'21, has been charged with wire fraud in connection with an alleged Ponzi scheme federal authorities said defrauded investors out of millions of dollars.

The scheme was uncovered in 2021 by the Securities and Exchange Commission, which froze the assets of Bullard Enterprises LLC, operated by Bullard and his wife, Angela Romero-Bullard. The SEC alleged at the time that the Bullards raised approximately $17.6 million – much of it from friends and relatives – and falsely stated the funds would be used to trade foreign currencies.

Instead, the SEC alleged, they used some of the money on personal expenses – including their racing stable – and distributed false statements to investors saying their investments were increasing in value. New money raised was used to pay the false “returns,” the SEC said.

The March 31 information document charging Jason Bullard said during the relevant time of the scheme – from 2014 to 2021 – he was not licensed or registered with a regulatory agency to solicit or invest funds from others.

“Bullard lied to investors in communications sent to investors that purported to describe the balances and activity in investors' accounts,” the information sheet alleges. “In fact, these statements to investors were meant to encourage further investment and to keep investors from learning the truth and to allow Bullard to continue the fraudulent scheme.”

As a result of the one count of wire fraud, authorities said Bullard is required to forfeit “any property, real or personal, which constitutes or is derived from proceeds traceable” to the federal criminal code violations.

Empire Racing Stables won 147 races from 734 starts for earnings of $2,446,965 from 2016-'21. In 2019, Empire Racing Stables tied for the leading owner title, with 32 wins from 104 starts and earnings of $471,088.

Shortly after the SEC charged Bullard Enterprises with the Ponzi scheme, the Minnesota Racing Commission summarily suspended the ownership license of Jason Bullard and control of the stable's horses was turned over to a court-ordered receiver.

The case is being heard in U.S. District Court, District of Minnesota.

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On April 18, Fort Erie Race Track released the following statement to horse racing media detailing an ongoing dispute with Woodbine. Fort Erie informed media that it has filed a grievance with the Canadian Trade Commission as part of the dispute.

For the past several race seasons, Woodbine has implemented a horse shipping policy which, in the opinion of the FELRC's board of directors, is designed to starve Fort Erie of its necessary horse supply by restricting the movement of horses between the two tracks. According to the board, this amounts to Woodbine abusing its position as the dominant market force, which is hampering Fort Erie's ability to run a business and a fulsome race calendar. 

“Woodbine holds a near monopoly in our industry,” explained Jim Thibert, CEO of the FELRC, who noted that Ontario Racing, the provincial governing body for horse racing, has little to no powers to mitigate issues between tracks and is administered entirely though Ontario Racing Management Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Woodbine.

“Woodbine's business practices towards Fort Erie are unfair and clearly predatorial. While this situation is particularly harmful for the continued existence of racing at Fort Erie, it is genuinely harmful for the owners, trainers, jockeys and others employed directly in racing and indirectly in services to the thoroughbred racing industry in Ontario.”

Another example of Woodbine's refusal to collaborate in the best interest of the horse racing industry at large is their adjusted calendar for the Canadian Triple Crown. By far the largest attraction in Canadian horse racing, the Triple Crown begins with the King's Plate at Woodbine, followed by the Prince of Wales Stakes at Fort Erie, and finally the Breeder's Cup back at Woodbine. 

Traditionally the three races were held consecutively in June, July, then August, however, during the COVID crisis, certain restrictions necessitated moving the first jewel of the crown, the King's Plate, to later in the summer. This pushed Fort Erie's signature race, the Prince of Wales Stakes, out of the summer tourism season, and into September.

With the pandemic over, Woodbine has refused to move the King's Plate back to its regular spring date, or even a mutually planned date, forcing Fort Erie to keep the Prince of Wales Stakes in September.

“The Prince of Wales Stakes has a long tradition of being one of the biggest summertime tourist attractions in our town,” said Fort Erie councillor George McDermott. “The Fort Erie Race Track was accommodating during the COVID crisis and moved their Triple Crown race down the calendar, but the pandemic is behind us now and Woodbine should be moving the King's Plate back to June in order to let the Prince of Wales Stakes move back to July, because having it after Labour Day, when the key summer tourism season is over, does not allow Fort Erie to meet its maximum potential for such a historic and esteemed event.”

On-track wagering and attendance at the Prince of Wales Stakes has taken a significant downturn since it was forced by Woodbine to move out of the summer tourism season. Fort Erie even offered a compromise, requesting Woodbine to move the King's Plate back by just two weeks in order to allow the Prince of Wales Stakes to land on the Labour Day long weekend. This request was blatantly ignored by Woodbine.

Further demonstration of Woodbine's hostility is their continued practice of greatly inflating purses in lower level races compared to Fort Erie's, especially claiming races. The use of provincial subsidies for horse racing should not be allowed especially when Woodbine is increasingly running more and more of Fort Erie's race offerings.

Taken as a whole, Woodbine's continued refusal to cooperate and work together for the good of the industry has left Fort Erie with little recourse but to take its grievances to the Canadian Trade Commission.

Woodbine Entertainment issued the following statement in response:

The assertions made by Fort Erie Race Track are baseless and without merit and we will vigorously and confidently defend ourselves if requested by the Canadian Trade Commission or any other regulatory authority. We are very proud of the vital role we play in supporting the strength, success and growth of the Ontario horse racing industry. We are very much looking forward to starting our 2023 meet this Saturday. We will have no further comment on this matter at this time.

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