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Official Logo Released For Kentucky Derby 2022

Churchill Downs Racetrack today unveiled the official Kentucky Derby 148 logo. Featuring the iconic Twin Spires, the logo honors the legendary setting of “The Most Exciting Two Minutes in Sports.” The 148th running of the Kentucky Derby presented by Woodford Reserve will take place on Saturday, May 7, 2022.

The logo was developed by MogoSME, a strategic branding agency that specializes in identity development and has designed the Kentucky Derby and Kentucky Oaks logos for the past 14 years. For the 2022 logo, MogoSME worked to design an event mark that showcases the magic of Derby day. The Derby 148 logo pays homage to the one of the most cherished landmarks in all of sport, with the silhouette of the Twin Spires taking center stage.

The logo will be used on a wide variety of official Kentucky Derby merchandise, including the famous collectible Derby glassware, apparel, jewelry and other collectibles and gift items. Official merchandise will be available online, at Churchill Downs Racetrack, the Louisville International Airport, the Kentucky Derby Museum Gift Shop and other retail outlets starting this summer.

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Lawson: Woodbine’s Experience, Infrastructure ‘Key’ To Canada’s Sports Betting Landscape

The passage of Bill C-218 on Tuesday moved Canada one step closer to legalizing single-game sports betting, and CEO Jim Lawson told tsn.ca that Woodbine is ideally positioned to take advantage of the estimated US$14 billion industry.

“It's good news for us for a number of reasons,” Lawson told TSN. “We have a long-standing relationship with the regulator, AGCO (Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario), experience in any anti-money laundering and responsible gaming and we have the infrastructure in place to drive the operations that will be key to this business.”

Another benefit to Woodbine included in the bill is protection for horse racing, with prohibitions on fixed-odds wagering on the races.

“Betting companies that by their nature and history want to offer horse-racing as part of their sports-betting menu are going to have to come to Woodbine Entertainment,” Lawson told TSN. “We hold the license for sports-betting on horse racing in Ontario and Bill C-218 does not permit fixed-odds wagering on horse racing so they have to do it through pari-mutuel and they will have to do it through us.”

Currently, parlays (multi-event bets) are legal to wager on in Canada; the new bill will make individual provinces and territories responsible for regulating single-game sports wagering.

The bill awaits Royal Assent before it becomes law.

‘Words Matter’: Owner Changes Horse’s Name From Royal Trump To Peaceful Transfer

When Thoroughbred owner Steven McCanne partnered with trainer Bob Hess Jr. to claim a 5-year-old California-bred gelding for $40,000 at Del Mar last Nov. 27, he said he was taken aback somewhat by the horse's name: Royal Trump.

McCanne assumed breeders Larry and Marianne Williams named the son of Ministers Wild Cat after Donald J. Trump, the 45^th president of the United States. The horse, produced from a mare named Royal Woodman, was foaled on May 8, 2015, a month before Trump announced his candidacy for president. He would have been named at a later date.

“I didn't want to make a political statement, but it just felt controversial,” said McCanne. “The election had just happened. Trump is a character, but I thought, 'It's a little like Covfefe” – a reference to the LNJ Foxwoods-owned runner named after a Trump late night Tweet. Covfefe, would go on to win six of eight starts including the Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Sprint and be named champion female sprinter of 2019.

Royal Trump hasn't been quite as successful, though he won six of 24 starts, earning over $200,000, when McCanne and Hess claimed him last November.

Then the insurrection of Jan. 6 happened, when thousands of Trump supporters who refused to accept the fact that Joe Biden defeated Trump in the election, stormed the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C.

At that moment, McCanne said, he wanted nothing to do with a horse connecting the term “royal” with “Trump.”

“He probably would like to be king,” McCanne said of the former president.

McCanne called Hess, asking if they could change the name. “I'm not that experienced as an owner,” said McCanne, a Northern California software entrepreneur who bought his first horses a few years ago. “Bob said, 'You have to make a request to The Jockey Club. So I sent an email.”

McCanne came up with an appropriate substitute: Peaceful Transfer. That name is a reference to what is supposed to occur between the time of the presidential election in November and inauguration day in January when a new president is sworn into office. The Trump-Biden transfer of power was a rocky one.

McCanne emailed The Jockey Club on Jan. 8.

Dear Jockey Club,

I am writing to request a name change for the racehorse “Royal Trump,” claimed by me and Robert Hess, Jr. at Del Mar this past November.

At that time, I understood the name had a controversial connotation but it seemed to me a harmless joke.

Unfortunately, things are different now. After the events of this week, I feel the name has become critically controversial. No matter what one's politics are, there are many strong emotions around the name “Trump.”

Names and words matter and their meaning and implications can evolve. I feel that the name “Trump” is now controversial enough that it may detract from the spirit and positivity of the racing culture. The last thing the sport (and the horse) need are loud boos from (some in) the crowd because “Royal Trump” enters the winner's circle.

For these reasons, I humbly submit to the Jockey Club this proposal to change Royal Trump's name to “Peaceful Transfer.”

Thank you for your consideration. Bob and I look forward to hearing from you soon.

According to The Jockey Club's Rule Book, names can be changed at any time prior to a horse's first race. “Ordinarily,” the rule continues, “no name change will be permitted after a horse has started in its first race or has been used for breeding (mating) purposes. However, in the event a name must be changed after a horse has started in its first race, both the old and new names should be used until the horse has raced three times following the name change.”

Royal Trump ran on Jan. 16, one week after McCanne's request, then again on March 21 and on May 9 – all under his original name.

After the most recent start, McCanne was curious why the name hadn't changed and sent another email to The Jockey Club. This time, he said, he received a response from The Jockey Club saying the change was approved.

Peaceful Transfer will be running under his new name for the first time on Saturday at Los Alamitos in Cypress, Calif., carrying a $40,000 claiming tag in an allowance race/optional claiming event.

This, incidentally, wasn't the first Royal Trump in American horse racing. A Nebraska-bred Thoroughbred by that name, born in 1993, was a seven-time winner from 57 starts over six racing seasons.

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Baffert Vs. NYRA: The Jockey Club Asks To Weigh In On ‘Deleterious Effects Of Improper Drug Use’

Attorney Susan Phillips Read has filed a request on behalf of The Jockey Club to provide an amicus brief in the civil lawsuit filed by trainer Bob Baffert against the New York Racing Association, reports bloodhorse.com. The brief would provide Judge Carol Bagley Amon in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York “a unique perspective on issues involved in this litigation” and “supply information that should be helpful to the court and its decision-making.”

(An amicus brief is provided by a person or entity who is not a party to a case who assists a court by offering information, expertise, or insight that has a bearing on the issues in the case.)

Following the announcement that Kentucky Derby winner Medina Spirit tested positive for betamethasone, and considering a spate of recent positive tests from Baffert's barn, the New York Racing Association announced last month a ban of trainer Bob Baffert from racing or stabling at any of its tracks. Baffert and his lawyer responded by filing a civil suit claiming NYRA does not have the legal authority for a suspension.

Read told bloodhorse.com that The Jockey Club's brief will stand in opposition to Baffert's efforts to be granted a temporary injunction to lift the NYRA ban.

“TJC has long believed that horses must only race when they are free from the effects of medication, and vociferously advocated for the passage of The Horseracing Safety and Integrity Act,” Read wrote in the official request to provide an amicus brief. “TJC thus has a special interest in sharing with the Court its perspective regarding the deleterious effects of improper drug use on the health of horses, the Thoroughbred racing industry, and public trust in the honesty of competition.

“Further, TJC, through its wholly-owned subsidiaries and Thoroughbred Safety Committee, has access to information not necessarily available to the parties,” Read added.