Gregory Hall

Breeder apologizes to Churchill official

blogs.courier-journal.com — Bill Landes, a member of the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission's advisory committee for the state-bred purse incentive program, apologized Wednesday to a Churchill Downs Racetrack official for a statement made at an earlier committee meeting where Landes said the track was steering customers from its windows during live racing to Churchill Downs Inc.'s account wagering...

Two strawberry viruses found in Kentucky

news.ca.uky.edu — A strawberry planted infected with both viruses. PHOTO: Nicole Ward Gauthier, UK assistant professor of plant pathology Lexington, Ky. Kentucky strawberry producers should check with their supplier on the origin of their plugs after two viruses were found this spring in the state, said Nicole Ward Gauthier, assistant professor in the University of Kentucky College of Agriculture's Department of Plant Pathology.

Chairman and CEO still

blogs.courier-journal.com — Dedicated readers will remember a post recently about whether James Dimon could hold on to both of his titles at J.P. Morgan Chase & Co. He has, remaining chairman and chief executive officer. The move was of some interest here (see my caveat in the original post) because Louisville-based Churchill Downs Inc.

Kentucky Derby to Preakness Stakes television comparison

blogs.courier-journal.com — NBC Sports released final numbers on Tuesday for Saturday's Preakness Stakes. According to The Neilsen Co., the race broadcast drew 9.7 million viewers. That makes it the most watched Preakness since Rachel Alexandra's 2009 win and the fourth highest since 1990. The viewership for the race was up 20 percent from last year's 8.1 million....

Tornado terror | HorseBiz

blogs.courier-journal.com — Maybe it's being the dad of a 1-year-old, or the husband of a teacher, that makes the pictures from Moore, Okla., almost unwatchable. The devastation wrought on innocent children and teachers delivers more of a gut punch than the shocking images of a town bulldozed. The heroic efforts by teachers to save children leave me...

3 former Kentucky Agriculture Department workers admit ethics violations

courier-journal.com — FRANKFORT, KY. - Three former Agriculture Department employees have admitted violations of the state government ethics code and agreed to pay fines and accept reprimands. Bruce Harper, George "Doug" Begley and Chris Parsons were among six department officials charged by the Executive Branch Ethics Commission on the same day in March when the commission slapped their former boss Richie Farmer with a record 42 violations of the ethics code.

Preakness Stakes sees gains at betting windows, on TV, but not at turnstiles

blogs.courier-journal.com — The Preakness Stakes saw gains both through the windows and through the window of television, but not at the turnstiles. The 13-race card saw $81,940,233 bet from all sources, up 1.8 percent from last year's $80,463,005 and replacing last year's total as the sixth highest for Preakness Day.