The Biz | Horse Racing Free Tips

Churchill: Kentucky Derby Week, Spring Meet Tickets Now On Sale

Tickets to Churchill Downs Racetrack for Kentucky Derby Week events are on sale now at www.kentuckyderby.com/tickets/2021-derby-week-tickets.

“Kentucky Derby Week represents a time of fun and excitement and our team is working diligently to create and deliver the best customer experience possible as we do every year,” said Churchill Downs Racetrack President Mike Anderson. “We'll continue to rely on proven health and safety protocols and operate within the guidance of state health officials as well as the CDC.

“We previously reported that we are starting with the assumption that we will limit the number of reserved seats to 40 to 50 percent capacity and delay the sale of general admission tickets. If the circumstances surrounding COVID-19 continue to improve, then we will open more reserved seats and consider the sale of general admission tickets.”

Guests with contractual seating, such as personal seat licenses, memberships and annual tickets, and those who received refunds in 2020, will have rights to first refusal for the 147^th runnings of the $3 million Kentucky Derby presented by Woodford Reserve on Saturday, May 1, and the $1.25 million Longines Kentucky Oaks on Friday, April 30.

There is no online sale planned for first-party reserved seating at this time. However, contractual guests with tickets who are unable to attend the Kentucky Derby, Kentucky Oaks or other events can utilize the Kentucky Derby Ticket Exchange, the official fan-to-fan resale marketplace and only authorized resale platform, to resell tickets. The Official Kentucky Derby Ticket Exchange allows guests to resell tickets, charge face value or above and guarantee authenticity through Ticketmaster verified tickets.

Notification of the availability of additional tickets to Kentucky Derby and Kentucky Oaks will be made by way of email and social media. Fans are encouraged to subscribe to the Kentucky Derby's email distribution list online at https://www.kentuckyderby.com/tickets/newsletter-signup and follow @KentuckyDerby on social media to stay updated on if or when there are changes to ticket availability.

Those interested in attending Kentucky Derby and Kentucky Oaks can also visit Derby Experiences, the Kentucky Derby's Official Experience Package Partner, to explore a variety of packages combining Derby and Oaks seats with access to exclusive lounges, VIP Fast Access passes, hotel and transportation accommodations and more. Information is available online at www.derbyexperiences.com/kentucky-derby-2021.

Churchill Downs ticket options are available for other popular Derby Week events: Opening Night presented by Budweiser (Saturday, April 24); Dawn at the Downs (Sunday, April 25 and Monday, April 26); Champions Day presented by TwinSpires (Tuesday, April 27); and Thurby presented by Old Forester (Thursday, April 29).

In addition to Kentucky Derby Week, tickets are on sale for the entire 2021 Spring Meet, which covers 38 dates from Saturday, April 24 through Saturday, June 26.

Notable Spring Meet events and dates include Twilight Thursdays (Thursdays, May 6-June 24); Mother's Day (Sunday, May 9); Preakness Stakes Simulcast (Saturday, May 15); Sunday Brunch (Sundays, May 16-June 20); Downs After Dark presented by Budweiser (Saturdays, May 22 and June 12); Stephen Foster Preview Day (Saturday, May 29); Memorial Day (Monday, May 31); Teacher Appreciation Day (Thursday, June 3); Belmont Stakes Simulcast (Saturday, June 5); Flag Day Observance (Sunday, June 13); Father's Day (Sunday, June 20); and Stephen Foster Day/Closing Day (Saturday, June 26).

Information regarding Churchill Downs' Health & Safety plan for Kentucky Derby 2021 can be found at www.kentuckyderby.com/tickets/ticket-options/updates.

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NYRA Releases Belmont’s Spring/Summer Stakes Schedule Worth $16.95 Million

The New York Racing Association, Inc. (NYRA) today announced the stakes schedule for the 48-day Belmont Park spring/summer meet, which will feature 59 total stakes races worth $16.95 million in total purses. The spring/summer meet will open on Thursday, April 22 and continue through Sunday, July 11.

On February 10, New York Governor Andrew M. Cuomo announced that live sports and entertainment venues will be permitted to re-open to a limited number of spectators beginning on February 23. In order for qualifying venues to re-open, those sites must gain New York State Department of Health approval and limit the number of spectators to 10 percent of seated capacity. All attendees must present a negative COVID-19 PCR test taken within 72 hours of the event and adhere to health and safety requirements, including mandatory facial coverings and social distancing.

NYRA is reviewing the newly announced guidelines to determine how they apply to Aqueduct Racetrack, where the first floor is currently the site of a New York State COVID-19 vaccination center, and to Belmont Park and Saratoga Race Course.

The Belmont spring/summer meet will offer 11 Grade 1 contests and seven races with purses of $700,000 or higher, with four of those contests coming during the three-day Belmont Stakes Racing Festival from Thursday, June 3 through Saturday, June 5. The festival will encompass 17 total stakes, including eight Grade 1s on Belmont Stakes Day, capped by the $1.5 million “Test of the Champion” for 3-year-olds in the 1 ½-mile final leg of the Triple Crown.

Tickets for the 2021 Belmont Stakes Racing Festival are not yet on sale to the public. Additional information and the timing of the general on-sale will be released in the coming weeks.

In addition to the 153rd running of the Belmont Stakes on June 5, that day's card will include three Breeders' Cup “Win and You're In” qualifiers: the one-mile Grade 1, $1 million Metropolitan for 4-year-olds and up [Dirt Mile]; the Grade 1, $500,000 Ogden Phipps for older fillies and mares going 1 1/16 miles on the main track [Distaff]; and the Grade 1, $400,000 Jaipur for 3-year-olds and up going six furlongs on turf [Turf Sprint].

The blockbuster Belmont Stakes Day card will also feature the Grade 1, $750,000 Manhattan for 4-year-olds and up going 1 ¼ miles on turf; the Grade 1, $500,000 Acorn for 3-year-old fillies going one mile; the Grade 1, $500,000 Longines Just a Game for fillies and mares 4-years-old and up at one mile on the turf; the Grade 1, $400,000 Woody Stephens in a seven-furlong sprint over Big Sandy for 3-year-olds; and the Grade 2, $400,000 Brooklyn, a 1 ½-mile test for 4-year-olds and up.

The Belmont Stakes Racing Festival opens with three stakes races on Thursday, June 3, including a pair of Grade 3 turf events worth $200,000 in the Intercontinental for older fillies and mares and the Wonder Again for 3-year-old fillies. Rounding out the June 3 card is the $150,000 Astoria, a 5 1/2-furlong main-track sprint for juvenile fillies.

On June 4, the Grade 2, $750,000 New York, a 10-furlong turf test for older fillies and mares will headline a day featuring four graded stakes. This year's renewal of the New York will offer a bonus to any previous winner of the Belmont Oaks, Saratoga Oaks or Jockey Club Oaks who wins the 2021 edition of the New York, with the winning owner to receive $315,000 while the winning trainer would earn an additional $35,000.

Also featured on the June 4 card are the Grade 2, $400,000 Belmont Gold Cup, the Grade 2, $300,000 True North; the Grade 3, $300,000 Bed o' Roses; and the $150,000 Tremont.

The Stars and Stripes Racing Festival returns on Saturday, July 10 and features a trio of graded stakes headlined by the opening legs of NYRA's Turf Triple Series. Launched in 2019, the Turf Triple returns with a pair of races earning Grade 1 status, featuring the $1 million Belmont Derby Invitational for sophomores going 1 ¼ miles and the $700,000 Belmont Oaks Invitational for 3-year-old fillies over the same distance.

Implemented by NYRA as the turf equivalent of the Triple Crown series, with all the legs contested at Belmont Park and Saratoga Race Course, the Belmont Derby Invitational will again launch the male division of the Turf Triple series that encompasses the Saratoga Derby this summer and the Jockey Club Derby during the Belmont fall meet.

The Belmont Oaks Invitational commences the female division of the Turf Triple Series, which will be followed by the Saratoga Oaks this summer and conclude with the Jockey Club Oaks during the fall.

Also featuring on the Stars and Stripes card is the Grade 3, $150,000 Victory Ride, a 6 1/2-furlong sprint for sophomore fillies.

Man o' War Day on May 8 boasts five graded stakes led by the Grade 1, $700,000 Man o' War at 1 3/8-miles on the turf for 4-year-olds and upward and bolstered by the Grade 3, $200,000 Peter Pan, the local prep for the Belmont Stakes; the Grade 3, $150,000 Beaugay, the Grade 3, $150,000 Vagrancy, and the Grade 3, $150,000 Runhappy.

Independence Day weekend from Saturday July 3 through Monday, July 5 offers six stakes races including a pair of Breeders' Cup Win and You're In qualifiers led by the Grade 2, $400,000 Suburban [Classic] at 10 furlongs for 4-year-olds and up on July 3 and the Grade 2, $250,000 John A. Nerud [Sprint], which will see 4-year-olds and up contest at seven furlongs on July 4.

The holiday weekend kicks off July 3 with the $100,000 Perfect Sting and continues on July 4 with $100,000 Manila, while the Grade 3, $250,000 Dwyer anchors a Monday, July 5 card that also offers the $150,000 Grand Couturier.

The spotlight will shine on New York-breds on Monday, May 31, as part of New York Breeders' Showcase Day. The lucrative Memorial Day card features six stakes for horses bred in the Empire State led by the $200,000 Commentator at a mile for 3-year-olds and up and the $200,000 Critical Eye at the same distance for fillies and mares, 3-years-old and upward. A quartet of $125,000 stakes will round out the day, including the Kingston, Mount Vernon, Mike Lee and Bouwerie.

Friday, April 23 will kick off the meet's stakes action with the $100,000 Affirmed Success, a six-furlong sprint for New York-breds 4-years-old and up. The graded stakes action begins on Saturday, May 1 with the Grade 2, $200,000 Sheepshead Bay, the Grade 3, $200,000 Westchester and the Grade 2, $200,000 Fort Marcy.

Closing Day on Sunday, July 11 will drop the curtain down on the meet with the $150,000 River Memories before the racing action moves to Saratoga for its 40-day meet beginning Thursday, July 15.

Follow this link for the full 2021 Belmont Park spring/summer stakes schedule.

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Sam-Son Farm To Be Recognized With Special Sovereign Award

Sam-Son Farm will be presented with the Special Sovereign Award during the 46th Annual Sovereign Awards Virtual Ceremony, which will be held in April. Selected by the Jockey Club of Canada's Stewards, the Special Sovereign Award honors those who have accomplished outstanding achievements and made a significant contribution to the Thoroughbred Industry in Canada.

Over the past five decades, Sam-Son Farm, a Canadian Thoroughbred breeding and racing operation founded in 1972 by Ernie and Liza Samuel, has been the recipient of four Eclipse Awards, 13 Hall of Fame Awards and 84 Sovereign Awards. Since its inception, Sam-Son Farm has enjoyed five Queen's Plate winners, eight Woodbine Oaks winners and 60 graded stakes winners.

Also to be recognized at this year's virtual awards, Michelle Gibson will receive the 2020 Outstanding Groom Award. Currently employed by Robert Tiller, she is the groom of 2017 Canadian Horse of the Year, Pink Lloyd.

Additionally, the finalists for the 2020 Sovereign Awards Media categories were announced Thursday. This year's entries were evaluated by media professionals within the industry selected from across North America. A 4-2-1 points system was used to determine the first, second and third place finalists in each category.

Digital Audio/visual and Broadcast Category:

Santino Di Paola – Dear Horse Racing
Horse Racing Alberta – Canadian Derby Year of the Mask
Woodbine Entertainment Group – The Queen's Plate

Photograph Category:

Rusty Barton – The Race Goes on a Year Without Fans
Michael Burns – Training Before Dawn
Lisa M. Thompson – One Rider Two Horses
Will Wong – Mambointheforest

Writing Category:

Muriel Lennox – Northern Dancer: A virile stable genius
Chris Lomon – The Pep-Talking Groom, Willy, and a Queen's Plate Crown
Bruce McDougall – Riding for Freedom

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Kentucky House Approves Historical Horse Racing Bill, Goes To Governor For Signature

By a 55-38 vote, Kentucky's House of Representatives on Thursday evening approved Senate Bill 120, legalizing Historical Horse Racing machines through a clarification of what constitutes pari-mutuel wagering.

On Tuesday, the Kentucky Senate passed the measure, sponsored by Sen. John Schickel, by a 22-15 vote.

The bill now goes to Gov. Andy Beshear, who has expressed strong support for the measure.

Legislation was deemed necessary despite the operation of Historical Horse Racing wagering in Kentucky for nearly 10 years after a unanimous vote by the state Supreme Court that sided with the Family Foundation's argument that the machines were not pari-mutuel by the existing definition and therefore unconstitutional.

Thursday's vote came after a lengthy debate from legislators on both sides of the issue, with most of the opponents voicing concerns over problem gambling or citing religious or moral objections. Some said the bill, if passed, would be challenged in court.

Several House members said the Kentucky General Assembly should raise taxes on Historical Horse Racing, with Minority Leader. Joni L. Jenkins (D-Shively) – who voted in favor the bill – saying the current tax rate on the machines is “shameful.”

Statement from the Kentucky Equine Education Project

“Thank you to our representatives in the House for acting in Kentuckians' best interests and passing critical legislation to keep historical horse racing in the commonwealth. This is great news for the 1,400 people employed directly by historical horse racing and the tens of thousands more who rely on the horse industry to provide for their families.

“The Supreme Court's ruling on HHR last year brought major uncertainty to our employees, local businesses, communities and our industry as a whole. We applaud the General Assembly for acting swiftly to maintain the status quo of historical horse racing that the Kentucky has known for the last ten years. With the passage of SB 120, we are confident about the future of Kentucky racing and our ability to continue bringing new jobs and economic growth to our communities across the commonwealth.

“Gov. Beshear has been vocal in his support of historical horse racing and its positive impacts on our state, and we look forward to seeing SB 120 signed into law.”

Statement from Churchill Downs Inc., Keeneland, Ellis Entertainment LLC, Red Mile Racetrack, and Kentucky Downs

“On behalf of our team members, our horsemen and all of the citizens of the Commonwealth who earn their pay checks directly or indirectly from the horse industry, we applaud the Kentucky House of Representatives for the passage today of SB 120. The future of the Commonwealth's signature industry and those who support it is secure.

“We had extensive discussions with Governor Beshear and given his longstanding and unwavering support of the horse industry, we anticipate that he will sign SB 120 into law.

“We express our profound gratitude to bill sponsor Senator Schickel, President Stivers and Minority Leader McGarvey of the Kentucky Senate and Speaker Osbourne and Minority Leader Jenkins of the Kentucky House of Representatives for their leadership in securing SB 120's passage in the General Assembly.

“On behalf of the Commonwealth's race tracks, we also confirm and reiterate our discussions with Governor Beshear, Minority Leader McGarvey and Minority Leader Jenkins that we will work constructively to revise and raise the tax structure on historical racing machines, including consideration of a fair and equitable graduated tax structure. We look forward to those discussions in the near term and confirm our commitment to the Commonwealth to build on our tax and job base through sound capital investments and good corporate citizenship.”

Statement from Bill Carstanjen, CEO of Churchill Downs, Inc.

“I commend the House for their action today that keeps historical horse racing in Kentucky, preserves the strength of our state's signature industry and protects thousands of jobs that are dependent upon it. With the passage of Senate Bill 120 in the Senate and now the House, our legislators have made clear their support of historical horse racing in the Commonwealth.

“I wish to personally thank Governor Beshear for his unwavering support of the horse industry and the leadership of bill sponsor Senator Schickel, President Stivers, Majority Leader Thayer and Minority LeaderMcGarvey, of the Kentucky Senate as well as Speaker Osbourne and Minority Leader Jenkins of the Kentucky House of Representatives in securing SB 120's passage in the General Assembly today. We, of course, look forward to Governor Beshear's signage of SB 120, which he has stated publicly he will do.

“Tens of thousands of Kentuckians have contributed to the growth and success of our racing circuit and equine industry. I am thankful not only for the important work they do each day to keep our industry moving forward, but for taking the time to reach out to their legislators on this critical issue. Your voices truly made a difference in the effort to keep HHR in Kentucky.

“Following discussions today with Governor Beshear, Minority Leader McGarvey and Minority Leader Jenkins, I reiterate our commitment to working constructively to revise and raise the tax structure on historical racing machines, including consideration of a fair and equitable graduated tax structure. Additionally, I reaffirm our commitment, upon SB 120 becoming law, to immediately reengage on our capital investment project planning in Kentucky which, in turn, when implemented will create millions of dollars in economic impact and hundreds of construction and permanent jobs in the Commonwealth.

“I look forward to moving on from the uncertainty our industry has faced over the past several months and to our continued investment in the Commonwealth of Kentucky.”

Statement from the Kentucky Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association

“Horsemen across Kentucky, and those across the nation who race in the Commonwealth, should be so proud of the Republican and Democratic leadership in the Kentucky House for shepherding passage of SB 120. As Rep. Adam Koenig and others so eloquently expressed, Sen. John Schickel's bill is imperative to securing the future for a signature Kentucky industry and the tens of thousands of jobs and billions of dollars it preserves and creates in economic development, agribusiness and tourism for our state. With this clarification of what constitutes pari-mutuel wagering and resulting protection for Historical Horse Racing, Kentucky racing can continue its upward trajectory as America's premier racing circuit – and thanks to SB 120 we will have a strong year-round circuit. Passage of this bill not only protects the livelihoods of countless Kentuckians, but also avoids what would be a devastating loss in business to the thousands of small business owners and vendors who directly and indirectly benefit from the horse and racing industries.”

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