Jess Meche, a former Quarter Horse jockey working as a freelance exercise rider in Louisiana, died instantly April 11 along with the horse he was working, trainer Heath Taylor confirmed Sunday. The incident happened at Delta Downs in Vinton, La., and Meche’s death was also confirmed Sunday by the track’s director of racing, Chris Warren. Meche was 21.
“Both died instantaneously,” Taylor said.
A Kentucky state panel has ruled that former chief state steward John Veitch was improperly dismissed from his position because the agency that fired him did not have the authority to do so.
In an April 24 ruling, the Kentucky Personnel Board said that Veitch should be reinstated and that he is entitled to back pay since being fired in late November 2011. The ruling stated that only the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission had the authority to fire Veitch, rather than the Kentucky Public Protection Cabinet, which oversees the racing commission.
Funeral services are pending for long-time Northern California trainer Ike Orr, who died April 22 in Paradise, Calif., at age 90.
Orr, a native of Oregon, trained for more than 50 years and had stakes winners such as Silky's Nurse, Kobuk Country, Lino, Champs Champ, Selecting, California Express, She Tiger, and R.C. Tulle.
Orr is survived by his daughter, Joanie Orr-Beach; sons, Dick Orr, David Orr, Mark North, Craig Laurance, and Tom Laurance, eight grandchildren, and nine great-grandchildren.
Calvin Borel parlayed three wins in the Kentucky Derby into an even higher honor on Friday when he, along with the horses Housebuster, Invasor, and Lure, were announced as this year’s inductees into the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame.
In addition, the steeplechase horses McDynamo and Tuscalee were chosen by the steeplechase committee, which meets every four years.
The eighth season of Countdown to the Crown returns as one of the most comprehensive handicapper’s scouting reports of the 3-year-old scene. Posted each Friday at DRF.com from Jan. 4 through the Belmont Stakes, Countdown keeps you apprised of the rising stars of the 3-year-old class from the maiden ranks through the Grade 1 stakes. You can access daily updates, opinions and interactive features at Countdowntothecrown.com as well.
Straight from the Gate
His familiarity with both the horse and the course have landed John Velazquez back on Animal Kingdom when the 5-year-old makes the final start of his career at Royal Ascot in June.
Velazquez, who rode Animal Kingdom to victory in the 2011 Kentucky Derby, replaces Joel Rosario, who guided Animal Kingdom to victory in the $10 million Dubai World Cup at Meydan on March 30.
Two days before the 1989 Kentucky Derby, favorite Easy Goer went through his final timed workout for the race. The work started at Churchill’s half-mile pole, near the end of the backstretch, and as Easy Goer loped around the far turn he clicked off a quarter-mile in a moderate 24.40 seconds. Then trouble came. Let David Carroll, now a trainer but then Easy Goer’s regular morning rider, supply the details.
Ken McPeek grew up in Lexington, Ky., and graduated with a business degree from the University of Kentucky in 1985. He began his training career that same year and since has won more than 1,300 races for more than $56.5 million in stable earnings. Among his greatest victories was the 70-1 upset by Sarava in the 2002 Belmont Stakes and a dead-heat victory last summer with Golden Ticket in the Travers Stakes. He has been the leading trainer at Keeneland four times and at Churchill Downs twice.
The first time my editor at the Daily Racing Form approached me about reporting on Kentucky Derby workouts was during the winter of 2000. The conversation went something like this.
“I’ve never really clocked horses in the morning,” I told the boss. “Heck, I don’t even own a stopwatch.”
“Well go out and get one,” he said. “How hard can it be?”
The Ohio Horse Racing Commission on Wednesday tabled votes on the approval of a proposal to run the dates of River Downs at Beulah Park this year, the third time that the commission has put off the vote because of the lack of an agreement between Beulah’s owner and the state’s horsemen.
