Two $1M policies in place

Both Turfway Park and Keeneland Racecourse in Kentucky have purchased insurance policies covering jockeys for up to $1 million in medical bills for accidents at the tracks, officials for the tracks said Wednesday.

The Turfway policy was signed with the insurance company AIG on Friday, according to Bob Elliston, the general manager of Turfway. Elliston said the policy will cover all jockeys during races as well as some riders who exercise horses in the morning.

Like most other tracks in the United States, Turfway had previously carried an insurance policy that covered medical bills for up to $100,000. The new policy cost 40 percent more than the previous one, Elliston said.

Keeneland has purchased an identical policy through AIG, according to Nick Nicholson, the track's president.

Keeneland and Turfway had disclosed the policies Tuesday afternoon during a press conference with Kentucky Gov. Ernie Fletcher. At that press conference, Churchill Downs Inc. announced that it expected to purchase a $1 million policy to cover jockeys at six of its tracks.