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We are in an unprecedented mare shortage going on in Ky right now. The expenses and risk to breed and raise a top horse are staggering …. and those expenses and hoops to jump through are getting worse coupled with need for commercial sire , vetting, state bred status, correct, good size, good mind, nice page, the list is a mile long. Sadly I no longer want to or encourage my children to take over our farm one day. I mean at this point it is a hell of a lot easier to buy a great horse than it is to breed one.. the number of pregnant mares purchased at every auction and leaving the country is adding to the declining mare population. Stud farms are alarmed, numbers are way way down. We are getting bonus seasons to use with every single share and breeding right we own practically. I feel the shift…. I feel it in my core. The shrinking numbers have been happening for decades but all of a sudden there is this tipping point of too many stallions w 100+ books and not enough mares to breed them to. Something has changed this year… I am being besieged by farms every farm needs mares to their stallions. Everyone says their numbers are way down and honestly with the expenses and the risks or just having life foals… it is not too hard to understand why people don’t want to keep climbing up the mountain. I know no matter what happens. This is my life and this is my career and I have never felt like I have worked a day in my entire history of owning Machmer Hall. I don’t think heaping more expenses on top of stud fee, tax, care, feed, staff, Bc, JC reg, KTDF, two sets of X-rays, videoscopes, commissions to sell to sales companies, van, Coggins, prep, etc etc will do anything more than to continue to depress the situation

I’m a fan and a gambler of horse racing. If I was just a fan, I would totally understand that the industry, for many reasons, has made it tougher for our fans to truly enjoy the game. If I was just a gambler, it would be very hard for me to participate in any meaningful way with all of the obstacles and disadvantages this industry gives to gamblers. I am a horse owner. Last year with the horses I own entirely and those in partnership, I was ranked third in earnings nationwide. I am a breeder. Last year, I was tenth in earnings by breeder and I have owned and continue to own shares in many successful stallions. I am trying to take a broader view of this sport from many different lenses in which I have both experience and a vested interest in. So many times, when I have my strong opinions about racing, it’s because I am fortunate (or unfortunate, depending on how you look at it 😂😂🤣) to have a broader, more encompassing lens of the industry as a whole. As an owner, it seems to me that the deck is being stacked against us more and more very year. One of the things that has come to light, for me, is that we all know the importance of HISA, but with HISA comes a huge cost to the industry. As Commissioner, I wonder why the cost of HISA is just paid for by the tracks, the owners and the trainers??? 🤔 If this is beneficial to the entire sport, and the future of the sport, why doesn’t the breeding industry share in any of the costs??? 🤔 There should be some proposed shared expenses with HISA, so this doesn’t fall exclusively on track owners, horse owners and trainers…also, not only are the breeders not responsible for HISA, but there’s no accountability or ownership or any oversight of the breeders. None at all…I am also a breeder (see above) We all agree that the breed has gotten more fragile because breeders have bred speed to speed and we celebrate and applaud sales companies and 2YOs that breeze under 10 seconds. Then we all foolishly act surprised when that 2YO never gets to the races or has less than three starts.🤔 Also, as a breeder, I’m starting to think that the $20 million in new aftercare funding, per year, should come directly from the breeding industry. If you breed the horse, you have a responsibility for that horse now and in the future. Before I make my next statement, please know that I love Kentucky and it is a beautiful state. But most of the breeding is now coming from Kentucky and it is really the “amazing, incredible” Kentucky-bred breeding incentives and purse program that has paralyzed and stunted the growth of state-breds in every other state. I do hope the great state of Kentucky realizes that the horse racing industry is a need for Kentucky. Horse racing is not a need for California, New York or Florida. Losing racing in any of those three states would impact many families who make their livelihood in this great sport, but would have a negligible impact on those three states as a whole. Where do you think the importance of the horse racing industry falls in California, Florida and New York compared to Kentucky? We all know we have a huge industry issue but I sure hope that the state of Kentucky realizes they have a significant state issue if the sport continues to decline and falter nationally. Please share your comments, concerns and questions. I welcome all questions. Ask the Commish any questions and I will respond in the next 24 hours. #AskTheCommish