Ron Mitchell

Thoroughbred Stallion Lawyer Ron Euthanized

July 12, 2009

Lawyer Ron, the 2007 champion older male, was euthanized July 10 at Stonewall Farm Stallions near Versailles, Ky., due to complications from a recent colic surgery

A 6-year-old son of Langfuhr, Lawyer Ron was standing his second season at stud Read More

Vet in Cobra Venom Case Sues Racing Commission

June 01, 2009

Rodney Stewart, DVM, who was suspended five years by the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission for violating various medication violations including possession of cobra venom, has filed a suit in Franklin (Kentucky) Circuit Court alleging that the Read More

It's a Bird Positive After Oaklawn Handicap

May 28, 2009

It's a Bird, winner of the Lone Star Handicap (gr. III) on Memorial Day, could lose the purse from his April 4 victory in the Oaklawn Handicap (gr. II) as the result of a positive test for the prohibited substance naproxen, an anti-inflammatory Read More

Preakness Filly Rachel Alexandra Works; No Belmont Decision

May 25, 2009

Preakness Stakes winner Rachel Alexandra worked a half-mile in :50 1/5 over a sloppy track at Churchill Downs early May 25. Co-owner Jess Jackson explained that the filly is doing well, but no decision has been made whether she will contest the Read More

Derby Glow Continues As Runners' Connections Make Plans

May 04, 2009

On a cool, wet May 3 morning in the barn area of Churchill Downs, the owners and trainer of Mine That Bird were basking in the limelight while still trying to absorb what had transpired the previous day when the 3-year-old gelding posted a Read More

Kentucky Derby Day Dawns Wet and Cool

May 02, 2009

Kentucky Derby day 135 dawned with a steady, sometimes heavy rain, and a temperature of 53 degrees in Louisville on the morning of May 2.

If the forecast is correct, those are the conditions that fans coming to the track for the Kentucky Read More

Shin Soreness Takes Square Eddie Out of Derby

April 28, 2009

J. Paul Reddam's Square Eddie will not run in Saturday's Kentucky Derby, trainer Doug O'Neill told The Blood-Horse early April 28.

The son of Smart Strike, who has been plagued with Read More

Vet's Suspension Upheld in Cobra Venom Case

April 08, 2009

A hearing officer has ruled that the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission acted properly when it handed a five-year suspension to veterinarian Dr. Rodney Stewart after cobra venom and other prohibited substances were found in a barn and in his truck Read More

Catastrophic Injuries Spike at Turfway

March 11, 2009

After going a month with no fatalities, Turfway Park in Northern Kentucky was the site of five catastrophic injuries during an eight-day period in February, according to state veterinarian Bryce Peckham, DVM.

During his monthly report March Read More

Thoroughbred Stallion Sky Mesa Back Home After Surgeries

February 27, 2009

Sky Mesa, the 9-year-old stallion who had two operations related to a bout of colic, arrived back at Three Chimneys Farm Feb. 25 from Rood & Riddle Equine Hospital near Lexington and is on schedule to return to breeding around March 20. Read More

Thoroughbred Stallion Sky Mesa Recovering After Colic Surgery

February 17, 2009

Thoroughbred stallion Sky Mesa, whose son General Quarters entered the Triple Crown picture with an upset victory in the Sam F. Davis Stakes on Feb. 14, has been taken out of service after undergoing surgery for colic over the weekend.

The Read More

Vets Investigate Injuries at Kentucky Track

January 07, 2009

Veterinarians with the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission (KHRC) and management at Turfway Park are looking into reasons why the number of catastrophic injuries over the Polytrack surface spiked during the recently concluded holiday meet at the Read More

Veterinarian in Cobra Venom Case Could Resume Practicing Soon

December 09, 2008

Rodney Stewart, the veterinarian who has been suspended for five years after cobra venom and other medications belonging to him were discovered in a trainer's barn at Keeneland Race Course in Lexington, Ky., June 22, 2007, could resume Read More

Veterinarian States His Case Against Cobra Venom Charges

December 04, 2008

Suspended equine veterinarian Rodney Stewart testified Dec. 3 that he was unaware that a soft-sided cooler he left in a refrigerator in a barn at Keeneland contained the prohibited substance cobra toxin.

Also, during a daylong hearing of Read More

Veterinarian to Appeal Suspension in Cobra Venom Case

December 03, 2008

The Kentucky Horse Racing Commission has scheduled a Dec. 3 hearing to consider the appeal of Dr. Rodney Stewart, who was suspended five years in September 2007 for multiple violations of the state's medication regulations.

Stewart's appeal Read More

Training Centers, Equipment Changes Discussed at Kentucky Racing Meeting

December 02, 2008

The possible regulation of training centers in Kentucky was the focal point of discussion Dec. 1 during a meeting of the safety and welfare committee of the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission (KHRC).

While training centers are subject to an Read More

Keeneland Thoroughbred Sale Ends in Substantial Decline

November 19, 2008

The Keeneland November breeding stock sale that coincided with a world economic crash ended Nov. 17 with substantial declines in every key statistical category.

The Lexington sales company reported that 3,019 horses were sold during the Read More

No Major Injuries, Heat Problems Reported Among Breeders' Cup Horses

October 27, 2008

Horsemen making their regular morning stops at Santa Anita's Clocker's Corner Oct. 26 were abuzz over the success of the two-day Breeders' Cup World Championships, the first ever run on an artificial surface.

There were no reports of major Read More

Racing Task Force Focuses on Funding

October 01, 2008

Lack of funding for the regulatory functions of the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission was the focal point at a Sept. 30 meeting of the state's Task Force on the Future of Horse Racing.

During the panel's monthly meeting, members were told Read More

Trainer of Eight Belles, Hard Spun to Retire

September 23, 2008

Trainer Larry Jones, who earlier this year saddled the winner of the Kentucky Oaks and the following day had a filly finish second in the Kentucky Derby, said he plans to retire by the end of 2009.

"It is just time to quit," Jones said Sept Read More

Jones Appeals Clenbuterol Suspension

September 20, 2008

Thoroughbred trainer Larry Jones has appealed a seven-day suspension and $500 fine levied by the stewards at Delaware Park in connection with the highly-publicized case in which the horse Stones River tested positive for the prohibited substance Read More

Racetrack Injury Database Could Face Resistance

September 16, 2008

A new national racetrack injury database will have problems achieving widespread compliance without a large measure of anonymity and confidentiality, a Kentucky racetrack veterinarian said Sept. 15.

"I think there is going to be a ton of Read More

Racehorse Anabolic Steroid Ban Recommended in Kentucky

July 17, 2008

A subcommittee of the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission has unanimously recommended that anabolic steroids be banned in horse racing in the state.

"The use of anabolic androgenic steroids shall be banned in horses competing in pari-mutuel Read More

Kentucky Racing Group Approves Toe Grab Horseshoe Ban

July 15, 2008

The Kentucky Horse Racing Commission July 14 unanimously approved regulations that would prohibit the use of horseshoes with toe grabs on front feet of horses racing in the state.

The regulation, which still must go through a public comment Read More

Kentucky Panel Continues Racehorse Steroid Study

June 17, 2008

A committee of the Kentucky Equine Drug Research Council is continuing to gather information on anabolic steroids and is not yet ready to make a recommendation to the Kentucky Horse Racing Authority.

Jim Smith, DVM, who chairs the committee, Read More