Churchill Downs Inc. completed its acquisition of Ellis Park on Monday. The sale was approved by the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission last week.

Historical Horse Racing the real driver.

The Kentucky Horse Racing Commission has vacated the sanctions it imposed on trainer Joe Sharp following five positive tests for levamisole in horses who ran at Churchill Downs in November 2019.

[Rep] Koenig said on Kentucky Racing Spotlight weekly radio show recently that based on the task force’s findings, he will introduce legislation for a flat 1.5-percent tax on the gross (before winning bettors are paid off) of pari-mutuel wagers, including the highly successful historical horse racing operations. Such a measure would substantially increase the tax on bets placed on Kentucky racing through online platforms, known as Advance Deposit Wagering (ADW). Another provision Koenig is championing in the bill he plans to introduce during the current 2022 state legislative session: rounding payoffs down to the penny, rather than down to the dime on a $1 mutuel.

The racing industry was largely spared the worst of the severe weather that swept through parts of Kentucky late Friday night through early Saturday morning. No tracks were hit by the tornados, which swept through four states and ravaged parts of western Kentucky.