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Golden Sixty Shooting For 12th Consecutive Hong Kong Win As He Prepares For G1 Stewards’ Cup

After his devastating win in last month's Group 1 Longines Hong Kong Mile, hometown hero Golden Sixty pleased his connections at Sha Tin this morning with a trial in typical fashion ahead of the G1 Stewards' Cup (1,600 meters) on Jan. 24.

“I'm happy with his trial, in the trial you can relax him – he doesn't show much, he never does,” trainer Francis Lui said.

The son of Medaglia d'Oro went through his first barrier trial of the new year under his own steam, traveling wide throughout before crossing the line fourth, while the Caspar Fownes-trained Southern Legend went home best in a time of 1:11.73 with stablemate Rise High just behind him.

Lui outlined the brilliant 5-year-old's program for the near future, including a potential step back up to 2,000 meters for the first time since his thrilling BMW Hong Kong Derby success last year in next month's G1 Citi Hong Kong Gold Cup, where he may square off with reigning Hong Kong Horse of the Year, Exultant.

“Stewards' Cup first and then maybe next month's Gold Cup,” Lui said, all but ruling out an overseas tilt this year: “Not this season (to going overseas) but that's another plan.”

The bay will seek back-to-back G1 victories in Sunday week's HK$12 million feature in what will be his fifth run this term as he shoots for his 12th consecutive win after surpassing the great Beauty Generation's 10 Hong Kong wins in a row last month.

“Sometimes you have to worry that he doesn't race too much, there aren't many races for him so he's fresh – Vincent (Ho) said he was a bit fresh this morning.” Lui said.

Lui was pleased with the Australian-bred's wellbeing and he remains buoyant of a positive result in 12 days' time.

“The way he has won his last few races – he can win,” Lui said.

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Bill Filed In Kentucky To Allow Sports Wagering, Awaits Committee Assignment

Kentucky legislators will get another chance to consider whether they want to permit sports wagering in the state after giving the notion a relatively chilly reception last year. According to The Blood-Horse, Rep. Adam Koenig (R-Erlanger) introduced a bill on Jan. 9 that would permit sports wagering at racetracks and Kentucky Speedway, with regulatory oversight falling under the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission.

Online sports betting and online poker would also become allowed under the legislation.

Sports wagering is currently permitted in Indiana, Illinois, Tennessee, and West Virginia. Kentucky's legislature has been considerably less eager to expand gambling in the state in any way.

Similar legislation last year was discussed at the committee level and approved but was not entertained on the House floor. This year's bill is awaiting assignment to a legislative committee for consideration.

Kentucky's horse racing industry still awaits a legislative fix to legality issues with historic horse racing which has already been in force in the state and provided revenue the sport has relied upon in recent years.

Mark Your Calendar: 2021 Queen’s Plate To Be Held August 22

Woodbine Entertainment announced today that the 162nd running of the $1 million Queen's Plate, first jewel of the Canadian Triple Crown of Thoroughbred racing, will be held on Sunday, Aug. 22, 2021 at Woodbine Racetrack in Toronto.

Contested annually to showcase Canada's finest 3-year-old Thoroughbreds, The Queen's Plate is one of the country's premier sporting events and North America's oldest continuously run stakes horse race.

Held at the end of June in past years, The Queen's Plate was moved to late summer in 2020 and run on Sept. 12 without spectators due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite the spectator restrictions, the beloved one-eyed champion Mighty Heart captured the hearts of sports fans across the nation that tuned in via an engaging Queen's Plate at Home digital experience. The historic 2020 Queen's Plate produced the third highest wagering handle in its history.

“While it is clear the impact of COVID-19 will continue to be felt into the new year, we are optimistic that this timing for The Queen's Plate could give us the best opportunity to welcome guests back at Woodbine Racetrack for the most exciting event on the Canadian horse racing calendar,” said Jim Lawson, President and CEO of Woodbine Entertainment. “We look forward to the 2021 racing season and the opportunity to restore The Queen's Plate as one of the top social events in Toronto.”

Details regarding attendance and ticket sales will be announced in the coming months, along with Woodbine's full Thoroughbred stakes schedule for the 2021 meet, which is expected to begin on Saturday, April 17.

“Woodbine has successfully demonstrated our commitment to the health and safety of our staff, participants and guests throughout these unprecedented times,” said Lawson. “We will continue to practice our industry-leading guidelines and entertainment offerings to ensure another world-class Queen's Plate experience in 2021.”

Nominations for the Canadian Triple Crown are due Monday, Feb. 1, 2021.

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Derby Museum Offering Free Virtual Field Trip To 40 Classrooms Around The Country

With the stress of distance learning wearing on teachers and students in Kentuckiana and across the country, Kentucky Derby Museum is thrilled to give 40 teachers and their classrooms a free virtual field trip.

It is tradition for schools across Kentucky and Southern Indiana to visit the Kentucky Derby Museum for an annual field trip to explore the grounds of world-famous Churchill Downs, interact with two floors of Museum exhibits, and participate in educational programming. Now, the Museum is expanding its passion of teaching students about the history of the world's greatest horse race to classrooms across the country!

Forty teachers will receive a free virtual field trip which includes:
-Kentucky Derby related education program of his or her choice
-Churchill Downs All-Access Student Tour
-Kentucky Derby Museum Exhibits Tour
-Question and Answer Session

In a typical year, the Museum sees over 15,000 students a year on field trips. Due to the pandemic, the Museum's Education Team has not been able to conduct its highly sought after in-person field trips and has missed interacting with students inside the Museum and on tours at Churchill Downs. Virtual field trips have been an excellent way for the Education Team to connect with students and teach about the rich history of the Kentucky Derby.

To enter, teachers need to fill out this form online. Kentucky Derby Museum will choose at random, 20 local teachers from the Kentucky and Southern Indiana area, and 20 teachers from across the country.

As a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization feeling the economic effects of the pandemic, this giveaway has been made possible through generous donors of the city-wide Give for Good Louisville campaign this past fall, benefitting a number of local non-profit organizations.

Why study the Kentucky Derby?
The Kentucky Derby is important to study as the oldest continuously held sporting event in the United States. It is a cultural event, drawing over 160,000 people around the world with tens of millions of people watching on television. It is Kentucky's signature event, replete with traditions, legends and icons. It is a major economic event, with a $217 million impact on the region. The Museum's Education Team also helps students understand the roles of everyone involved in the sport of Thoroughbred horse racing, including the horse, jockey, trainer, veterinarians, and grooms. The Education Team also teaches about the diversity involved in the Kentucky Derby's history, from female owners, trainers and jockeys to the African American jockeys who dominated the early days of the sport, and the Hispanic, Asian and Middle Eastern populations who also contribute greatly to the Derby story. The Education Team's work is made possible by generous donors and with support from University of Louisville, Equine Industry Program and Godolphin KIDS. All Museum educational programs are tailored to meet Core Academic Standards.

Sneak Peeks of our Virtual Field Trip offerings and Museum b-roll can be found here.

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