The Courier-Journal’s current series about the thoroughbred industry is a triumph of packaging over substance. It’s largely a rehashing of old material done up nicely with dramatic color photos, graphs, and charts. It will play nicely with the judges when it comes to contest time, which, of course, is the point.
But this isn’t to dismiss […]

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I was absolutely giddy when I saw the headline in our local Gannett Profit Center, also known as The Courier-Journal:
“Churchill Downs Inc. to eliminate jobs.”
I thought, “Hot dog!” Or, more to the point, “Hot sausage!” I was certain the story would tell me the track’s board of directors had finally put Bob Evans through the […]

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In a stunningly short period, we have lost Edgar Allen, Elmer “Tiger” Hall, Luke Kruytbosch, Tony Snow, and Lee Wagner. All were friends except Snow, whom I had come to admire for his work – first on the Fox News Channel, then as President George Bush’s press secretary.
They were kindred spirits in that they were […]

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I’ve hit on a brilliant idea to combine my love of politics and thoroughbred racing. I want to be Ron Geary’s campaign manager. Oh, I know that right now he’s interested only in making a go of it at Ellis Park. But he has demonstrated such leadership since buying the little track in Henderson, Ky., […]

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If you believe Seth Hancock quit the Churchill Downs board of directors simply to “move on and embrace new challenges,” as his official statement said, then you don’t know much about Hancock’s values, his family’s history, or the bottom-line mentality of the track’s current administration.
Hancock, president of the world-famous Claiborne Farm and a Churchill director […]

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