Legislator asks Kentucky governor to ‘back off,’ allow racing

Kentucky’s Senate majority leader, Damon Thayer, wants to get back to racing.

In an interview with Louisville, Ky., newspaper The Courier-Journal, Thayer said Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear “ought to back off a little bit and let our signature industry get back to business” amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Beshear is a recently elected Democrat who has gained national acclaim for his careful handling of the health crisis in Kentucky, where its 2,210 confirmed coronavirus cases as of Tuesday are lower than neighboring states.

Thayer, a Republican representing the 17th district, is a former racing executive who has worked to serve racing’s best interests in government. That includes recent additions to the proposed budget to add a safety steward, fund a national medication testing lab and conduct a study on jockey injuries and concussion protocols.

In his conversation with The Courier-Journal, Thayer cited safety protocols in place allowing racing to continue at Florida’s Gulfstream Park and Arkansas’ Oaklawn Park, among other Thoroughbred circuits across the United States.

Turfway Park cut its meet three days short last month to stay in line with Beshear’s “Healthy at Home” executive order. Keeneland had already canceled its Spring Meet in accordance with Centers for Disease Control recommendations.

Churchill Downs, meanwhile, has delayed opening its stable areas until April 25 and postponed the start of its Spring Meet. The home of the Kentucky Derby stands to benefit should Beshear soften his stance on allowing racing behind closed doors.

“As long as we are seeing an escalation (of reported COVID-19 cases), you would still have groups of people that would come together to make that happen,” Beshear said at an April 3 briefing. “While there might be a point, hopefully, when we see cases going down, that’s something we can consider. Right now, we shouldn’t be getting people together for any reason whatsoever.”

Bob Elliston, Keeneland’s vice president of racing and sales, said Kentucky’s racetracks are working together on “necessary protocols for safety of the participants in racing under all scenarios.”

“I think the tracks can work with the racing commission to get this done and get it done right,” Thayer told The Courier-Journal. “Gradually let the spectators back in, but put reasonable limits on social distance. Maybe by June we can be back to normal.”