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Thoroughbred Industry Raises Over $500,000 For Tornado Relief In Western Kentucky

The Thoroughbred industry in Kentucky has raised $507,224 for both immediate response and longer-term recovery needs of individuals and families impacted by the deadly tornadoes occurring in Western Kentucky on Dec. 10 and 11.

The Kentucky Thoroughbred Association organized a GoFundMe page on Dec. 11, which has raised $318,199 since inception. Further donations came in, including a season to Triple Crown winning stallion Justify donated by Ashford Stud/Coolmore America and private sources, raising the total quickly. All told, the donations came from 315 Thoroughbred breeders, racehorse owners including Spendthrift Farm, trainers, jockeys, industry stalwarts like The Jockey Club and Breeders' Cup, Ltd., out-of-state entities We Are NY Racing and the Indiana Thoroughbred Alliance, and members of racing media.

By Tuesday, Dec. 14, response funds were directed immediately to farmers, livestock, and agricultural producers in Mayfield (Graves County), Oak Grove (Christian County), Dawson Springs (Hopkins and Caldwell Counties), and Princeton (Caldwell County) via a distribution channel set up by Don Campbell, a Thoroughbred Owner/Breeder in Princeton, and his neighbors Bradley & Rachel Boyd, who run an American Quarter Horse operation.

In addition to experiencing major damage to their homes, survivors also had catastrophic loss of livestock, feed, fencing and equipment. In addition to multiple trailers of feed and equipment paid for by KTA, substantial amounts of food, pet food, toiletries, water, clothing and feed were made by James “Mattress Mack” McIngvale.

Funding has been made available for short-term housing needs and will be made available for long-term housing recovery needs for those experiencing a gap in Federal and State disaster relief. Efforts will be coordinated via the Community Foundation for West Kentucky, located in Paducah. The Foundation for Appalachian Kentucky in Hazard will function as the custodian for the funds raised, and each donation will receive a tax letter.

Contributions can be made via check to the Foundation for Appalachian Kentucky, 420 Main St, Hazard, KY 41701 USA, and noting “WKY Thoroughbred Relief” in the check memo. Please contact Chauncey Morris at +1 859 447 5688 if you prefer wiring instructions or are considering donation of securities.

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Glencrest Farm’s Former Stallion Barn Destroyed By Fire; Three Riding Horses Perish

A barn that once was home to Glencrest Farm stallions Clever Trick, Wavering Monarch and Full Out was destroyed by a fire on Christmas morning, leaving three riding horses dead.

The fire was confirmed by John Greathouse Jr., who along with several other family members operates the farm established in 1950 by John Greathouse Sr. Glencrest is located in Midway, Ky., on the border of Scott and Woodford Counties.

Glencrest no longer stands stallions but operates as a breeding, boarding and sales prep farm, offering representation in sales, along with bloodstock analysis and management.

“Nothing survived,” Greathouse Jr. said. “The barn is gone and sadly the horses.”

Cause of the fire is not known.

The fire came three days after funeral services for the family matriarch, Mary Allen Wombwell Greathouse, the widow of John Wallis Greathouse Sr. She died on Dec. 19 at the age of 100.

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No Horses Or People In Fair Hill Barn Destroyed By Christmas Eve Fire

No people or horses were injured in a Christmas Eve fire that destroyed a barn at Fair Hill Training Center in Elkton, Md.

The barn known as Parlo II West, which housed an outpatient veterinary clinic operated by Dr. Kathleen Anderson and is used for much of the year by trainer Michael Matz, was fully engulfed in flames at about 6:30 p.m. ET on Friday, according to a witness. The fire was under control within 90 minutes, but the damage had been done with little besides the concrete block walls remaining.

Matz, a former Olympic equestrian best known in racing as the trainer of 2006 Kentucky Derby winner Barbaro and 2012 Belmont Stakes winner Union Rags, had moved his stable to Palm Meadows Training Center in Florida for the winter. Anderson was out of town for the Christmas holiday when the fire broke out and she said the clinic closed at around 4 p.m. because of the holiday. The fire did not spread to any other barns.

Anderson said the barn was built in 2005 and had a fire alarm system, fire wall and sprinkler system. The cause of the fire, she said, was not known.

“We appear to have lost everything, but fortunately no horses or people were involved,” said Anderson. “There was a lot of diagnostic equipment: X-rays, ultrasound, the pharmacy, plus medical records.”

A former president of the American Association of Equine Practitioners, Anderson lost her home to a fire in 1997.

“This is the second time around for me,” she said. “The 1997 fire was not pleasant, and this is more tolerable because it's strictly material possessions and we can deal with that. Dealing with the loss of horses or people is far worse.”

Nevertheless, Anderson said, both she and Matz – whom she spoke to by telephone – are “distraught” over the loss.

This is also the second fire at Fair Hill, which had a 40-stall barn destroyed in a 2005 blaze that left 24 horses dead.

Denise Bennett, who is stabled at an adjacent barn, submitted the following video of the fire.

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35 Years Ago, Sundays Were Silent At Tampa Bay Downs

Sunday racing returns to Tampa Bay Downs on Dec. 26, the day after Christmas, which is welcome news for families, tourists and bettors seeking to enjoy an exciting weekend afternoon of Thoroughbred action or just soak up sunshine and atmosphere at the Oldsmar, Fla., track.

While a Sunday spent handicapping by the rail and watching kids toss Frisbees in the Backyard Picnic Area seems commonplace, it wasn't always so. The first Sunday card in Tampa Bay Downs history took place on Dec. 7, 1986, and there was no way to predict how it would be received by the public.

Sunday racing became a reality after the state legislature decided to move Florida into step with more progressive fiefdoms.

“We are expecting a large crowd comparable to our Saturday crowds and maybe even better,” Lorraine King, the late Tampa Bay Downs general manager, said on the eve of the occasion. “If we can introduce new people to the sport of Thoroughbred racing by running on Sundays, then we are confident that they will enjoy themselves and come back on a more regular basis.”

At least one thing seemed to be working in the track's favor: the Tampa Bay Buccaneers were playing in Chicago, and you had to be kind of a masochist to stay home and watch the Buccos get plastered 48-14 by the defending Super Bowl champion Bears.

Still, King knew putting on a brave face wasn't going to lure fans. So she instituted free grandstand admission and half-price clubhouse admission and added a free soft drink to go with every hot dog purchase.

Tampa Bay Downs also offered a handicapping seminar by noted Ocala turf writer and racing expert Bernie Dickman, plus a slate of races that included the first running of the Big John Naughton Ford Inaugural Stakes for 2-year-olds, offering a grandiose $15,000-added purse.

One thing King was sure of: the history-making event would draw lots of media attention. Reporters from the St. Petersburg Times, the Tampa Tribune and the Clearwater Sun all showed up to document the proceedings.

What they witnessed exceeded the expectations of the most optimistic observers. The turnstiles kept clicking throughout the day, with attendance of 5,893 surpassing the Opening Day crowd of 5,396 four days earlier.

While it's unclear if King was sticking the needle to the Bucs when she told a Times reporter “Today was very much like the Super Bowl,” she had reason to feel giddy.

Total wagering handle was $496,680 (this was before the simulcasting era), and youthful faces made up a larger-than-usual portion of the crowd (minors were not legally allowed inside Tampa Bay Downs until two seasons later).

These days, calling it an “experiment” seems silly, but 35 years ago it was a big deal, and an avenue to so many of the positive changes that have taken place at Tampa Bay Downs in ensuing years.

“Sunday racing means that people who work the other days of the week now have the opportunity to come out and enjoy the races,” said track owner Stella F. Thayer, the Oldsmar oval's president and treasurer, on the big afternoon.

“We're really hoping Sundays will bring a whole new dimension for attendance opportunities.”

So, maybe the day was more of a Super Bowl-type event than anyone realized at the time (including Bucs' fans, who would suffer through a 2-14 season).

“Naturally, if people unfamiliar with the sport are going to come out to Tampa Bay Downs, they are not as likely to wager as much as our more sophisticated patrons,” King said beforehand. “But … what I want to see is a lot of people. That means they will at least be exposed to the excitement of Thoroughbred racing.”

It would be fascinating to know how many are still coming. Probably more than anyone expected.

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