Comments on: WHAT’S THE MATTER IN KENTUCKY? PART I http://www.horseracingbusiness.com/whats-the-matter-in-kentucky-3888.htm William Shanklin Mon, 26 Jul 2010 23:13:23 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.1 By: ryan driscoll http://www.horseracingbusiness.com/whats-the-matter-in-kentucky-3888.htm/comment-page-1#comment-453 ryan driscoll Tue, 09 Feb 2010 13:10:21 +0000 http://www.horseracingbusiness.com/?p=3888#comment-453 Time to get down to the serious business of running the state: FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) -- Kentucky's state representatives are among the fans who believe that former Kentucky coach Joe B. Hall belongs in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. The Kentucky House approved a resolution on a 97-0 vote Monday that urges Hall's enshrinement in the Basketball Hall of Fame. Time to get down to the serious business of running the state:

FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) — Kentucky’s state representatives are among the fans who believe that former Kentucky coach Joe B. Hall belongs in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.

The Kentucky House approved a resolution on a 97-0 vote Monday that urges Hall’s enshrinement in the Basketball Hall of Fame.

]]> By: rs2309 http://www.horseracingbusiness.com/whats-the-matter-in-kentucky-3888.htm/comment-page-1#comment-452 rs2309 Mon, 08 Feb 2010 11:19:41 +0000 http://www.horseracingbusiness.com/?p=3888#comment-452 Susan has made some correct observations, but her comments are far off the topic of slots. No matter the topic, some posters always bring the discussion back around to slaughter. That has a time and place, but obviously not all the time. I couldn't disagree more with Zak. It is unreasonable to expect a racetrack to compete with a casino with slots, table games etc. when that casino is only miles away. Susan has made some correct observations, but her comments are far off the topic of slots. No matter the topic, some posters always bring the discussion back around to slaughter. That has a time and place, but obviously not all the time. I couldn’t disagree more with Zak. It is unreasonable to expect a racetrack to compete with a casino with slots, table games etc. when that casino is only miles away.

]]> By: Susan http://www.horseracingbusiness.com/whats-the-matter-in-kentucky-3888.htm/comment-page-1#comment-451 Susan Mon, 08 Feb 2010 08:40:01 +0000 http://www.horseracingbusiness.com/?p=3888#comment-451 Great comments. It's 2010. Kentucky might want to roll with the times. Setting aside the slots, which the above posters covered so eloquently - here's how I and a lot of equine workers see the market: For KY to keep propping up irresponsible over-breeding with various tax incentives - while remaining the horse slaughter capital of the United States - is no way to attract or keep 21st century fans. Whether it be racing or other equine recreation, in person, at simulcasts, or online. Slaughtering almost 50% of Thoroughbred race horses after a brief career is a disgrace. Horse slaughter kills horses, and it kills attendance. I recall visiting the KY Horse Park a few years back and listening, incredulously, as a KHP worker on the clock talked about how necessary she though selling horses for human consumption overseas was. We stood in the Hall of Champions, just a few feet from the stall of Cigar, then the highest winning race horse in North America. Unbelievably insensitive. She totally missed the point. Worse, she totally missed the horse's reaction to her body language and energy. It was even more trashy considering the public didn't travel and buy an admission ticket to see her. I don't know how long it will take Kentuckians to "get it" but the state sure needs to stop being known as home to the largest # of kill buyers in the US if it wants to attract modern-day Americans to its varied equine offerings. It's time for KY to come on board with responsible, creative, industry funded retirement, not just for a few lucky horses funded by private rescues, but for all horses paid for by those who made money off them. It's time to evolve past don't ask-don't tell abandonment, or worse, double deck trailers rolling south in the night, filled with frightened, doomed horses somebody collected their Section 179 first year Federal tax depreciation on, once upon a time. Great comments.

It’s 2010. Kentucky might want to roll with the times.

Setting aside the slots, which the above posters covered so eloquently – here’s how I and a lot of equine workers see the market:

For KY to keep propping up irresponsible over-breeding with various tax incentives – while remaining the horse slaughter capital of the United States – is no way to attract or keep 21st century fans. Whether it be racing or other equine recreation, in person, at simulcasts, or online.

Slaughtering almost 50% of Thoroughbred race horses after a brief career is a disgrace. Horse slaughter kills horses, and it kills attendance.

I recall visiting the KY Horse Park a few years back and listening, incredulously, as a KHP worker on the clock talked about how necessary she though selling horses for human consumption overseas was.

We stood in the Hall of Champions, just a few feet from the stall of Cigar, then the highest winning race horse in North America.

Unbelievably insensitive. She totally missed the point. Worse, she totally missed the horse’s reaction to her body language and energy.

It was even more trashy considering the public didn’t travel and buy an admission ticket to see her.

I don’t know how long it will take Kentuckians to “get it” but the state sure needs to stop being known as home to the largest # of kill buyers in the US if it wants to attract modern-day Americans to its varied equine offerings.

It’s time for KY to come on board with responsible, creative, industry funded retirement, not just for a few lucky horses funded by private rescues, but for all horses paid for by those who made money off them.

It’s time to evolve past don’t ask-don’t tell abandonment, or worse, double deck trailers rolling south in the night, filled with frightened, doomed horses somebody collected their Section 179 first year Federal tax depreciation on, once upon a time.

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