Kentucky
Why Horse Racing is Dying in California and What It Means for Kentucky
In the 20th century, horse racing was “the sport of kings.” It was one of the three most popular sports in America, along with baseball and boxing. That’s far from the case a quarter of the way through the 21st century. Now its geographic footprint is in danger of drastically shrinking, threatening the future of the sport.
Prognosticators estimate the sport will not regularly operate in California and Florida within the next decade. The Los Angeles Times drafted a lengthy, detailed feature highlighting horse racing’s expiration date in California. If you care about horse racing, block of 15 minutes and read it now.
Even if you don’t care, California and Florida’s struggles matter to Kentucky. Think of horse racing as a stool. New York, Kentucky, Florida, and California are the four legs propping it up. What happens when two of those legs break?
Allow me to share a brief synopsis of the L.A. Times reporting, along with some personal anecdotal evidence.
[READ: Inside California Horse Racing’s Complex Problems That Could Hurt the Sport Nationwide]
1. There is No Monopoly on Sports Gambling
Do you know why horse racing was so popular for so long? The parimutuel windows were the only way you could legally make a sports wager. Admission to the track was $2 when I started attending Churchill Downs because they wanted you to save all of your money for gambling. Wagering still matters, but the Instagram experience has been priortized above all else.
Meanwhile, you can wager on an NBA player’s assists right from your phone, unless you’re in California. The state does not have sports gambling or historical horse racing slot machines to prop up the horse racing industry.
2. Horse Racing Often Doesn’t Financially Make Sense
A Maiden Special is your most basic, introductory type of race. These are horses all looking for their first win. A Maiden Special at Santa Anita Park in California has a purse of $60,000. At Churchill Downs, the purse is $120,000.
How can one expect horsemen to survive the California standard of living? The math isn’t mathing.
3. No Political Appetite for Horse Racing
Kentucky is able to race with larger purses because of the historical horse racing slot machines, sports gaming, and most importantly, the Kentucky Thoroughbred Development Fund (KTDF). Thanks to the efforts of politicians like Damon Thayer, legislation has been put in place to secure the sport’s financial future in Kentucky.
Politicians in California only speak up about horse racing to highlight the sport’s darkest days. The rash of fatalities in 2019 called for investigations into the conditions of the track and practices used at Santa Anita Park. That turned public sentiment against horse racing in the state and it may never recover.
4. The Stronach Group
The Stronach Group operates under the title 1/ST. They own multiple racetracks, most notably Santa Anita Park and Gulfstream Park. They previously owned Pimlico, but turned that over to the state of Maryland last summer.
Gulfstream and Santa Anita are two of the five most important horse racing tracks in the country. The land they sit on is worth more than its horse racing enterprise. According to the LA Times, they’re shopping both tracks for sale. Belinda Stronach made that abundantly clear when she said during the Pegasus World Cup broadcast on NBC, “The fact is that Gulfstream Park is now in a very dense, urban setting, and that’s not great for horses, ultimately.”
Churchill Downs is in a pretty dense, urban setting, and the horses there seem to be doing just fine.
What Does This All Mean?
The horse racing industry is big business for the state of Kentucky. According to the Kentucky Thoroughbred Association, the equine industry generates roughly $6.5 billion in total economic impact, supports over 60,000 jobs, and brings in over $100 million in tax revenue for the state. Kentucky Derby week generates upwards of $217 million for the local economy.
That is not in danger of going away, however, if Florida and California get out of the business, we will feel it in Kentucky. If you care about the business, do yourself a favor and take some time to read the detailed feature from the L.A. Times.
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LEXINGTON, Ky. (WKYT) – Recent heavy rainfall has left soil across the state completely soaked, contributing to localized flooding in some areas.
When rain falls, some water soaks into the ground through a process called percolation.
Soil can only hold a limited amount of water. Once the small air spaces within the soil fill with water, the ground becomes saturated and additional rainfall has nowhere to go.
Soil type plays a role in how quickly water drains.
Much of Kentucky has clay-heavy soil, which is made up of very small, flat particles packed tightly together.
That composition makes it harder for water to move through. In clay soil, water may drain at a rate of only 0.02 to 0.17 inches per hour.
When rainfall comes down faster than the ground can absorb it and water cannot drain into a stream or storm drain quickly enough, it begins to build up.
That buildup is what leads to localized flooding.
Copyright 2026 WKYT. All rights reserved.
BOWLING GREEN, Ky. (WBKO) – Cyclosporiasis is a microscopic parasite that can contaminate food and water — is making people sick across several states, including Kentucky.
Dr. Patricia Tellez-Watson said, the illness is caused by Cyclospora cayetanensis and spreads when someone ingests contaminated food or water. “It is an intestinal infection caused by this water-borne, food-borne microscopic parasite,” she said.
Symptoms can include diarrhea, nausea and vomiting.
Tellez-Watson said, cases are often sporadic, but outbreaks can happen — especially during hot, wet months, when the parasite can survive in the environment long enough to become infectious.
Health experts recommend taking extra precautions with food and water. Washing hands and thoroughly rinsing produce before eating or cooking can reduce risk.
Watson also urged people to be cautious with fresh produce, particularly pre-packaged items, and to consider using bottled water.
Officials have confirmed cases in Bowling Green, though it’s unclear how many.
Copyright 2026 WBKO. All rights reserved.
What will Moeller’s Matt Ponatoski bring to Kentucky football, baseball?
Hear what Moeller senior had to say about signing to play football and baseball at the University of Kentucky.
Dual-sport star and Moeller alum Matt Ponatoski’s final decision still awaits, but signs are pointing towards Lexington, KY.
After committing to the University of Kentucky as both a quarterback and pitcher, Ponatoski was selected in the 18th round (No. 542 overall) of the 2026 MLB Draft by the hometown Cincinnati Reds. While Ponatoski was ranked No. 208 on the MLB’s draft board and expected to be selected higher, doubts around whether he intended to go pro this year caused his stock to fall.
Ponatoksi has until the MLB’s signing deadline on July 27 to make a final decision, but the Moeller product has seemingly signaled his intention to stick with the University of Kentucky. He enrolled at the University of Kentucky on Wednesday, July 15, per a Kentucky Sports Radio report, indicating he will join the Wildcats football team in the fall.
The Man of Moeller was just the third player in the history of the Gatorade Player of the Year award to win for two different sports in the same season. Doing so in his junior year, he joined Pro Football Hall of Fame receiver Randy Moss and National Baseball Hall of Fame catcher Joe Mauer.
For Wildcats football, Ponatoski would come in as a four-star quarterback prospect and helped give new head coach Will Stein a top-25 recruiting class in the nation. He threw just one interception in his senior season for the Moeller Crusaders, completing 66% of his passes for 2,395 yards and 28 touchdowns.
For Kentucky baseball, Ponatoski would join up with fellow freshman and former Louisville Trinity pitcher Grayson Willoughby, who won Kentucky Mr. Baseball and withdrew his name from the draft. Willoughby, a top-rated pitching prospect, felt MLB teams were attempting to low-ball him and thus chose to stick with the Wildcats. Ponatoski is fresh from a season leading Moeller to the state championship game, recording a 1.37 ERA on the year.
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