Three new claiming rules instituted by Churchill
Churchill Downs began enforcing new claiming rules at the start of its meet last week that requires trainers to have made a start in Kentucky since July 7 before being allowed to submit a claim on behalf of an owner.
The requirement is one of three new “house rules” that trainers must agree to as part of their participation at the meet. The rules are designed to limit claiming activity from out-of-state trainers and keep horses within the state after being claimed, at a time when Churchill-owned tracks now dominate the year-round live racing calendar in Kentucky.
In addition to the in-state requirement for trainers, horses claimed at the Churchill September meet, which ends on Oct. 1, will not be allowed to start outside the state for 60 days following the end of the meet or Jan. 1, “whichever is first to occur.” After Churchill’s fall meet, racing moves to Keeneland for three weeks in October. Following the Keeneland meet, racing returns to Churchill, and then moves to Turfway Park, which is owned by Churchill.
Another new rule requires the “claimant or licensed trainer representing the claimant” to have a signed claiming agreement on file with the racing office at Churchill prior to submitting a claim.
Churchill also owns Ellis Park, and, together, the company now controls all the live racing dates on the Kentucky calendar with the exception of Keeneland’s spring and fall meets and the meet at Kentucky Downs, which runs for only seven days in early September.
Racetracks across the U.S. are struggling to maintain large field sizes in an era when foal crops continue to contract. In addition, some tracks, such as those in Southern California, have put in place incentives encouraging out-of-state trainers to bring horses to their meets.
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