Picklesimer presides over buzzing entry box

Tyler Picklesimer is now in his ninth year as Kentucky Downs racing secretary, so he has borne first-hand witness to how the racing program has become immensely popular with horsemen.

“Last year we had the pandemic, and this year is unique in that the Churchill Downs barn area has been closed, so horses are coming from all over and shipping directly here,” Picklesimer said. “Entries are actually down a little bit compared to 2019, but we’re still doing really well.”

Last year, with the coronavirus pandemic as a limiting factor, average starters per race at Kentucky Downs was 10.0. In the years preceding, the averages were 11.2 (2019), 11.0 (2018), and 10.4 (2017), which are huge when considering that maximum field size is 12.

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Entries were so plentiful for the Wednesday feature that Picklesimer split it into two divisions, the TVG and TVG2, with purses for both remaining at $400,000. Formerly known as the Tapit, the TVG and TVG2 are part of a 10-race card that also includes two starter-allowance qualifiers toward the Claiming Crown at Gulfstream Park in December. Two other Claiming Crown qualifiers also are part of an 11-race Thursday card.

“We’ve been fortunate enough to have both the purse money and strong entries to allow us to split a couple of stakes over the years,” Picklesimer said.

On a personal note, Picklesimer might have to keep his emotions in check Thursday. The fourth race is named in honor of his late stepfather, Rick Leigh, who died last October after a distinguished career as a Kentucky racing official, while two earlier races are named for close friends, Don Kolioutas and Art Zeis, both of whom also died within the last year or so after lengthy tenures in racing.