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Pennsylvania Governor Again Proposes Diverting Casino Revenue From Horse Racing Development Fund

For the second year in a row, Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf has proposed diverting a large portion of casino revenue away from the state's Horse Racing Development Fund, reports pennbets.com. Instead, the Governor wants to direct that funding toward tuition assistance at state-owned universities.

“The governor is proposing a $199 million plan to develop the Nellie Bly Tuition Program by repurposing existing dollars that are right now flowing into the Horse Racing Development Fund,” the governor's office reported, a program which “will help thousands of young people graduate with less debt and start to build lives in our communities rather than struggling to pay student loan bills every month.”

Though Gov. Wolf did not directly address the proposal in his livestream message on Wednesday, it was present in the publicly-released budget materials. Last year, the Governor did address it in his annual budget proposal speech with the statement: “Let's bet on our kids instead of bankrolling racehorse owners.”

The proposal appears unlikely to gain traction, since both the Pennsylvania House and Senate are controlled by Republicans representing rural parts of the state which would be most directly impacted by a cutback in horse racing.

Kentucky Senators Introduce Historical Horse Racing Bill ‘To Preserve The Status Quo’

The Kentucky Equine Education Project (KEEP), Kentucky's equine economic advocate, applauds Senator John Schickel and Senate President Robert Stivers for introducing Senate Bill 120 today, which will keep historical horse racing in Kentucky and ensure the future of our signature equine industry.

In response to the Supreme Court's ruling on historical horse racing, the legislation will define pari-mutuel wagering to be consistent with how the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission has regulated live racing for decades and historical horse racing for the last ten years. The legislation also reaffirms that only pari-mutuel wagering on simulcasts of live racing can occur at simulcast facilities. In effect, this maintains the status quo that Kentucky has known for the last decade, ensuring HHR venues can continue or resume operations that are so beneficial to the horse industry and statewide economy.

KEEP issued the following statement regarding the legislation:

“We applaud Sen. Schickel for championing Senate Bill 120, which will keep historical horse racing in Kentucky and protect critical jobs, economic investment and state revenue at a time when they are needed most. We also thank Senate President Stivers for his support as a co-sponsor of this important legislation. The Kentucky Supreme Court gave the General Assembly clear direction to preserve the status quo, and SB 120 gives us a path forward.

“Historical horse racing is an integral part of Kentucky's signature equine industry and our economy as a whole and has helped position Kentucky as a worldwide leader in racing. With real jobs and investment on the line, we urge the members of the Senate Licensing and Occupations Committee to promptly move this legislation forward so that the commonwealth can continue to benefit from historical horse racing, now and in the years to come.”

KEEP is joined by a broad coalition of industry, business and economic development groups in support of the bill and has been encouraging Kentuckians to contact their elected officials regarding the legislation. SB 120 is set to be heard in the Senate Licensing and Occupations Committee at 11 a.m. on Thursday, Feb. 4.

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Keeneland’s Spring Meet To Include 18 Stakes Races Worth $4.1 Million

Keeneland will present 18 stakes, featuring the 97th running of the $800,000 Toyota Blue Grass (G2) and the 84th running of the $400,000 Central Bank Ashland (G1), worth a total of $4.1 million during its 2021 Spring Meet from April 2-23. The Toyota Blue Grass and the Central Bank Ashland are two nationally prominent classic preps.

Post time for the first race during the 15-day season will be 1:05 p.m. ET. Keeneland will be closed Easter Sunday, April 4.

“Keeneland is excited to welcome racing back to the Bluegrass in April,” Keeneland President and CEO Shannon Arvin said. “With the cancellation of last year's Spring Meet because of the pandemic, it is critical to the Thoroughbred industry that we are able to offer our full slate of April stakes on their traditional dates. These races are key fixtures on the international racing calendar.

“For this year's Spring Meet,” Arvin added, “Keeneland is working on plans for ticketing options under our COVID-19 safety protocols and we plan to make an announcement in the next few weeks.”

Keeneland will conduct a total of 10 stakes on grass and eight stakes on dirt while offering multiple stakes on four days during the Spring Meet.

Opening day, Friday, April 2, features three stakes: $150,000 Kentucky Utilities Transylvania (G3), a 1 1/16-mile turf race for 3-year-olds; $150,000 Beaumont (G3) Presented by Keeneland Select, at 7 furlongs, 184 feet, on dirt for 3-year-old fillies; and $100,000 Palisades Turf Sprint, for 3-year-olds going 5½ furlongs on the grass. The Beaumont is worth 17 points on the Road to the Kentucky Oaks, with the winner collecting 10 points.

The Toyota Blue Grass and Central Bank Ashland will be contested the following day, Saturday, April 3, as part of a blockbuster card of six stakes. The Toyota Blue Grass, for 3-year-olds at 1 1/8 miles, and the Central Bank Ashland, for 3-year-old fillies at 1 1/16 miles, both are worth 180 points on the Road to the Kentucky Derby and Road to the Kentucky Oaks, respectively. The winners of each stakes will earn 100 qualifying points to the respective races.

The early nomination deadline for the Toyota Blue Grass and Central Bank Ashland is Feb. 13. Late nominations are due March 17.

Joining the Toyota Blue Grass and Central Bank Ashland on April 3 are the $300,000 Madison (G1), for older fillies and mares at 7 furlongs; $200,000 Appalachian (G2) Presented by Japan Racing Association for 3-year-old fillies at 1 mile on the grass; $200,000 Shakertown (G2), for 3-year-olds and up at 5½ furlongs on the turf; and $200,000 Commonwealth (G3), for older horses at 7 furlongs.

For the remainder of the Spring Meet, racing will be held Wednesday through Sunday.

Stakes action resumes Friday, April 9, with the $300,000 Maker's Mark Mile (G1), for 4-year-olds and up at 1 mile on turf, and the $100,000 TVG Limestone Turf Sprint for 3-year-old fillies going 5½ furlongs on the grass.

Saturday, April 10, will present four stakes on a day highlighting the $300,000 Coolmore Jenny Wiley (G1), a 1 1/16-mile turf race for fillies and mares and the $200,000 Stonestreet Lexington (G3), for 3-year-olds at 1 1/16 miles. One of the final preps on the Road to the Kentucky Derby, the Stonestreet Lexington awards 34 Derby qualifying points. The winner will earn 20 points.

The day's other stakes are the $150,000 Ben Ali (G3), for older horses racing 1 1/8 miles, and the $100,000 Giant's Causeway (L) a 5½-furlong turf race for fillies and mares.

Older horses will be showcased in three graded stakes during the final days of the season. The $100,000 Baird Doubledogdare (G3) for older fillies and mares at 1 1/16 miles is set for Friday, April 16. The $200,000 Elkhorn (G2), for older males at 1½ miles on the turf, is the following day.

The April 23 closing-day feature is the $150,000 Bewitch (G3), for fillies and mares racing 1½ miles on the turf.

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Legislative Fix For HHR In Kentucky Is Coming; Supporters Hope It Will Leave Committee This Week

A legislative fix for the legal question of historic horse racing (HHR) in Kentucky is on the way, according to legislators speaking at a rally held at Keeneland Feb. 1. Sen. John Schickel (R-District 11) told observers at the track and watching online that he plans to introduce a bill before a legislative committee this week that would make the HHR machines at Keeneland and the Red Mile part of the state's definition of parimutuel wagering.

The rally was organized by the Kentucky Equine Education Project (KEEP).

The Kentucky Supreme Court ruled in September that the HHR machines made by Exacta Systems do not qualify as parimutuel wagering because wagers are pooled from multiple races to determine the payout for a wager placed from a given machine. The ruling was in response to a suit brought in civil court by The Family Foundation to have the games halted. The court decided last week not to rehear the case. On Jan. 24, Keeneland and Red Mile, which both have Exacta Systems terminals installed, closed their HHR operations.

“Tonight, I'm going to appeal to your worst fears,” said Sen. Damon Thayer (R-District 17). “Our worst fear is if HHR goes away — and we've already seen it, hopefully temporarily, suspended down at the Red Mile — the result will be cataclysmic. Catastrophic. We are on the cusp of greatness in Kentucky. Now this unfortunate Supreme Court decision last fall has put a temporary straw in our pathway, and we're going to do everything we can to sweep this straw aside.”

Thayer also pointed out that there have been questions about how much of the revenue on HHR goes to the state's general tax fund, with some critics claiming the state is getting short-changed. Thayer said it's important to note that the tax rate of 1.5 percent of gross income on HHR wagering is the same rate paid by living racing and simulcasting. Thayer claimed the rates have been twisted by HHR's critics, who fail to recognize that the 1.5 percent is against the gross income before the tracks pay out to the customer and to purse accounts, and the rate actually works out to roughly 33 percent of net profits.

“You're going to see all kinds of specious arguments and wailing and gnashing of teeth as we try to get this bill passed,” said Thayer. “The opponents of this will make all sorts of wild claims. One of them will be that 1.5 percent of gross is a sweetheart deal; it's not … there's no reason for the racing industry to be ashamed of that. It's worked very well since 2014.”

Schickel took a somewhat different tack, saying that as Kentucky's signature industry, racing should get special consideration.

Both legislators said they had been asked why they weren't advocating for legalizing sports betting along with the new HHR definition, and said that it's important to consider the issues one at a time.

“There are some people who support historical horse racing who do not support sports wagering and casinos,” he said. “One of the reasons I'm so committed to historical horse racing is that the focus is on racing. My buddies at happy hour razz me all the time and say, 'John why are you giving the tracks this sweetheart deal?' And I plead guilty as charged. The reason they are is that Thoroughbred racing is our signature industry, and that's where our focus should be this session.”

KEEP executive vice president Elisabeth Jensen urged attendees to think beyond the Central Kentucky area when pushing their representatives to support HHR. Jensen pointed out that many of the people at the rally were from the same eight or ten counties surrounding Lexington, but successful lobbying will require those who are passionate about the issue to reach out to friends and colleagues in more far-flung areas.

KEEP offers an easy tool for Kentucky residents to contact their legislator about the issue and a petition for those who live outside the state to voice their opinion.

So far, Jensen said people have used the system to send 4,500 unique messages to Kentucky legislators requesting their support for HHR.

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