Gambling devices at Kentucky casinos that provide rich subsidies for racing generated nearly as much handle in June of this year as the same month of last year despite being opened for fewer days and operating at reduced capacity, according to figures tracked by the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission.
Keeneland Association, the Central Kentucky not-for-profit company that conducts high-profile race meets and auctions, has barred owner, breeder, and consignor Tom VanMeter from its premises as it conducts a review of VanMeter’s conduct, the association announced Wednesday.
Tom VanMeter, the Central Kentucky owner, breeder, and consignor whose racist comments on social media drew widespread attention Monday, has issued a statement saying that his words were “unjustifiable” and that he is “disgusted” by his actions.
A website promoting ownership of Thoroughbred horses that is maintained by The Jockey Club has suspended the account of the consignor Tom VanMeter after posts linked to his name on social media contained several explicitly racist references.
Two horses trained by Bob Baffert had split samples confirmed for a medication violation after races at Oaklawn Park on May 2, which his attorney on Monday said was “innocent exposure” from cross-contamination owing to an employee using a pain patch for human use.
Wagering on U.S. races was nearly $1 billion in June, a figure that is similar to monthly betting totals prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, despite a 36 percent decline in the number of races held in the month compared to June of last year.
Trainers at Woodbine and Fort Erie say they are puzzled by a rash of positives for the drug capsaicin found in local horses. Considered a Class 2 drug, capsaicin is the active ingredient in chili peppers that makes them spicy.
Total handle for 27 days of live racing at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Ky., was $240.5 million, the track announced Thursday, for an average of $8.9 million per day.
Bill Thomason will retire as president and chief executive officer of Keeneland at the end of the year and be replaced by Shannon Bishop Arvin, a board member and the general counsel for the company, Keeneland announced on Thursday.
Two more horses trained by Joe Sharp have been disqualified by stewards in Louisiana after post-race samples revealed the presence of a prohibited substance found in a deworming product, adding to a string of disqualifications of horses trained by Sharp over the past six months due to the substance.
