Rec Sports

How horse racing at the Kentucky Derby is being taken over by fans

How to read a horse racing form at the Kentucky Derby Kirby Adams visits with Churchill Downs’ Kevin Kerstein to find out the basics of reading a racing form. Shared horse ownership models are making thoroughbred racing accessible to those outside of the traditionally wealthy ownership sphere. Partnerships and LLCs allow groups to pool resources, […]

Published

2 weeks ago

April 25, 2025

Your Sports Nation

Shared horse ownership models are making thoroughbred racing accessible to those outside of the traditionally wealthy ownership sphere.
Partnerships and LLCs allow groups to pool resources, sharing the costs and potential profits of owning and racing horses.
This trend has contributed to a new class of horse owner, from retired teachers and Ford workers to doctors and lawyers.

A retired JCPS teacher, a Ford worker, a youth sports coach, some UPS employees, and a few doctors and lawyers, along with roughly 30 others, beamed from the winner’s circle at Keeneland in early April.

Bourbon Breeze had charged late down the stretch at Keeneland on April 10 to pull off her first victory of the 2025 spring racing season.

The ragamuffin crew cheering and beaming from the winner’s circle in Lexington hadn’t just bet on the filly to win the race. They were all the racehorse’s owner, and this win meant they got a piece of the purse.

“Awesome day for Motley Crew Stables,” Mick Motley, co-founder of Motley Crew Stables and co-owner of Bourbon Breeze, said in a text message after the win.

Motley, a retired JCPS teacher, is no newcomer to the horse racing world. For nearly three decades, he’s actively owned and raced horses with a slew of friends and family in a space usually reserved for the rich and the blue bloods of the thoroughbred world.

“We’ve found a way to survive for 30 years, and nobody’s ever lost a whole lot of money, and certainly nobody’s ever made a whole lot of money, but we have experienced all the highs and lows like any other owner,” Motley told The Courier Journal.

Motley and his crew, a registered LLC, aren’t alone.

Since the 1990s, horse racing, dubbed the “Sport of Kings,” has evolved through various ownership methods that allow everyday people to more easily participate in the sport. No longer do you need to have a ton of money to own part of a thoroughbred. Instead, people can join models such as a partner LLC, like Motley Crew Stables, that allows groups of people to buy in and then share profits from a winning horse, or a partnership, a company that purchases and manages racehorses for a group of individuals who share the costs and profits of the horse.

With the growth of partnerships, a new class of horse owner has emerged over the past 15 years or so. This “alternative” method to ownership means no one individual is saddled with the thousands, or millions, of dollars it can cost to buy, train and race a thoroughbred.

“It’s really a sharing of the risk, and it’s a sharing of the upside,” said Terry Finley, CEO and president of West Point Thoroughbreds, a horse racing partnership that helps clients become thoroughbred owners.

“The world of racing, it’s such a fascinating world,” Finley added. “You’ve got kings, you’ve got CEOs, you’ve got movie stars, you’ve got athletes, you’ve got billionaires, you’ve got people who own pizza shops and bars and teachers. It just runs across the across the spectrum.”

And high-level success is not unfathomable for people who get into the horse racing world through a partnership or other shared ownership ventures.

In 2024, Motley Crew Stables won a race at Churchill Downs Racetrack during Wednesday of Kentucky Derby Week. After winning on a prominent race day, the excitement from the group of owners was palpable as they overflowed the winner’s circle, forcing Churchill Downs officials to corral them on the track for their victory photo.

In 2022, West Point Thoroughbreds’ clients were owners of Flightline, who won the Breeders’ Cup at Keeneland.

This year, Finley and team are hoping to replicate that success with Sandman, who won the Arkansas Derby on March 29 and punched his ticket for the Kentucky Derby, held this year on May 3.

“It feels like anybody can get in now … I think myself and anybody else in our group, we’re living proof that you can get into the horse racing business,” Motley said.

‘It’s a journey’

Historically, owning a racehorse would be a daunting endeavor for the roughly 500 active clients at West Point Thoroughbreds, but the partnership model has made the sport feel accessible for the people who share ownership of some 145 racehorses.

“It’s very similar to other investments and other structures outside of racing; you’re much more powerful when you get a group together and you can pool your resources,” Finley said. “That’s really at the heart of partnerships, the ability to pool your resources to increase your chances to get the one, or hopefully more than one, horse that makes it all worthwhile.”

In 1996, Motley Crew Stables started with roughly 30 co-owners and $30,000, half of which was used to claim the group’s first horse, Phony Prospect.

Motley said he likes to keep his group to no more than 40 partners at a time and always wants to keep positive cash reserves from share buy-ins and horse winnings, so members aren’t expected to have regular payments for the horse. Anytime the horse wins purse money, it rolls into the group’s operating budget.

“It’s very accessible, and once you find that out, you still get the same thrills as those guys running … on Derby Day,” Motley said.

Tim Sanders, a worker at Ford and a semi-recent addition to the crew in the last seven years, has put in no more than $4,000 since joining.

For him, like many others, horse racing is an investment, not a “get rich quick” opportunity, and something he hopes to remain part of for a long time.

“It’s not a sprint, it’s a journey,” Sanders said. “You’ve got to be in it for the long haul to be able to enjoy the fruits of the labor.”

And the “long haul” may be key for a sport that has seen gradual decline in attendance and on-site gambling from fans as new forms of sports gambling have popped up across the country.

“I just shudder to think what our sport would be without partnerships … I think our industry probably would be in tatters without partnerships,” Finley said.

Sanders and Motley’s love and passion for horse racing began on the backside of Churchill Downs Racetrack.

As teenagers, both spent time around Angel Montano Sr., one of the winningest trainers in Kentucky in the 1970s. Sanders grew up across the street from the track, and Motley would walk and groom the horses. That access introduced the men to the unbridled spirit for which Kentucky horse racing is known and created a life-long fixation.

As they got older, their love for horses, and the sport of racing, never faded. Motley would go on to co-found Motley Crew Stables in 1996 and Sanders would join another horse ownership group before making his way to Motley’s team about seven years ago.

“It changes lives,” Finley said of horse racing. “It captivates people. It gives them a whole new world to jump into and to explore.”

‘The sport of little paupers’

For some, like Gene Palka, going into horse racing wasn’t a lifelong affair.

After he retired from the U.S. Army and moved back to Kentucky with his wife, Cindy, they bought three pleasure horses within three months, then decided the next step was to go in on a racehorse.

“When we came to Kentucky, it was nice, but there was something missing,” Cindy Palka said. “And then once we did invest in that first one and you do OK, you’re like, ‘I really like this.'”

One investment of about $10,000 into a horse 15 years ago was all it took for the Palkas to be hooked. Now, they spend their retirement traveling to racetracks around the country to watch their horses, even making a showing at the Breeders’ Cup at Churchill Downs Racetrack in 2018.

“We are not kings and queens, but we can be among them, and the horses have been our pathways into these incredible venues,” Gene Palka said.

As they watched their newest horse, Ivory and Ebony, barrel down the track at Keeneland on April 7 during its rescheduled opening day, the Palkas couldn’t help but gawk at their pretty filly, who placed second in the fifth race.

“You have euphoria,” Cindy Palka said after the race.

But it’s not all joy. The Palkas have dealt with everything, from serious injuries of their horses to a win at Laurel Park in Maryland, after which they watched the same horse be handed over to a new owner who bought it just before the race started.

Through it all, the sheer pleasure of horse racing ownership and the community they’ve found along the racing circuit has kept them in the sport.

“We’ve had the highest of highs and the lowest of lows,” Gene Palka said.

The highs and lows of the sport, Sanders, with Motley Crew Stables said, hit the same whether you’re the ruler of Dubai or a Louisville born and bred blue-collar worker.

With the pinnacle of horse racing just around the corner, Motley, Finley, Sanders and the Palkas gear up to spend long days at the track, in the paddock, lingering on the backside and enjoying the world of horse racing.

“It’s not just the sport of kings; it’s the sport of little paupers like us,” Motley said.

Contact business reporter Olivia Evans at oevans@courier-journal.com or on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter at @oliviamevans_.

This story was updated to add a video.

Rec Sports

Jonathan Tyler Sigler | Obituaries

Published

28 minutes ago

May 8, 2025

Your Sports Nation

Jonathan Tyler Sigler Born May 28, 1996 Jonathan Tyler Sigler was the son of Ronnie and Elizabeth Sigler of Charles Town. He was a 2014 graduate of Washington High School. Tyler was active in youth sports playing football, baseball and wrestling. His high school focus was wrestling, golf and baseball. Although he focused on all sports his main calling was wrestling. He began wrestling at the age of 4 with Jefferson Junior Wrestling Associ-ation. At the age of 6 his wrestling career signifi-cantly advanced when he became a wrestler for the

PA Renegade Force elite travel team. His career with Renegade Force took him

all over the United States competing and winning numerous State and National championships.

He won and placed at

many West Virginia State Wrestling championships and loads of tournaments

all over the country. His achievements including former All American and 2-time National ranking built a solid foundation for his high school and college wrestling career. While wrestling for Liberty University he dis-played his talents conquer-ing the mat and was a member of the Liberty University National Wrest-ling Championship team.

After college he worked in commercial and residential plumbing for a few years before transitioning to FEMA as a reservist. He had also been assisting his dad in his Equine Dental prac-tice for several years before taking up the trade and working side by side with his dad.

His wrestling career and skills helped to shape him into the person he was, full of grit, drive and determi-nation. As competitive and hard core as he was, he was a kind, beautiful, loving

soul and that was not only constantly displayed but also felt by all those around him.

Tyler’s passion for wrest-ling moved him to coach at the EP Rattler wrestling club, working with and coaching kids of all ages. He was also Assistant Wrestling coach at Washington High School working beside Coach Codie Gustines, successfully coaching several state champions and place finishers. His passion and love for the sport was obvious to all who stepped into his wrestling room or on the mat at a practice or tournament. His goal was to pay back the sport that had given him so much and he did that as a referee for the youth matches, coaching, mentoring or just being there in your corner. His hope was to pass on his talent and knowledge for all the generations after him. He has made a lasting impact on his wrestlers and the community and was blessed to have found his true calling.

Tyler is survived by his parents, sister Ashleigh, grandmother Jane Dillow, grandparents Ward and Pam Sigler, aunts Amanda Lutman (Todd), Kathryn Slaven (Jeff), Margaret Henderson (Patrick), Jordan and Justine Sigler, uncles Ward Sigler (Melissa), Rick Brown, (Kim), Ronnie Brown (Maria), great aunts Rose Altieri, Nancy Cleaver and Flo Best. He is also survived by numerous cousins and numerous

bonus brothers.

A celebration of Tyler’s life will be held Thursday, May 8 at 2:00 pm at the Ranson Civic Center with fellowship to follow.

In lieu of flowers the family will be establishing a scholarship in his honor. His passion for wrestling and the development of youth wrestlers was his focus. Tyler wanted to spread his love of the sport with the future and we want to honor his love and continue with his legacy. Please send your donation to: The Sigler Family, 503 Turnberry Drive, Charles Town, WV 25414.

Condolences may be expressed at www.eackles-spencerfuneralhome.com

Link

Rec Sports

Legislation from Huizenga seeks to free up funding for youth sports facilities

Legislation from Congressman Bill Huizenga seeks to get more young people playing sports. Huizenga tells us the Youth Sports Facilities Act amends Title II of the Public Works and Economic Development Act to add Youth Sports Facilities to the list of eligible uses of Economic Development Assistance grants. He says this will help more youth […]

Published

52 minutes ago

May 8, 2025

Your Sports Nation

Legislation from Congressman Bill Huizenga seeks to get more young people playing sports.

Huizenga tells us the Youth Sports Facilities Act amends Title II of the Public Works and Economic Development Act to add Youth Sports Facilities to the list of eligible uses of Economic Development Assistance grants. He says this will help more youth sports facilities get built around the country, and not just school sports facilities.

“We know that we have really an epidemic of obesity here in the United States, right? And one of the problems that we have is youth sports has been on the decline in many ways,” Huizenga said. “Not all the clubs, we see all the clubs and the travel teams and all that kind of stuff, but kids aren’t necessarily just going and playing pick-up games.”

Huizenga says for too long, an area code has determined whether students could have access to facilities or the resources needed to play. He says the new act will “open the doors for communities across Michigan and around the country to create new opportunities for children to develop critical skills, enhance local tourism, and foster small business growth.”

The legislation, which Huizenga introduced with Texas Democrat Marc Veasey, has the support of groups including the Sports and Fitness Industry Association, the YMCA, the National Federation of High Schools, the American College of Sports Medicine, U.S. Soccer, the NHL, the Pop Warner Little Scholars, and the Michigan Sports Commission.

Link

Rec Sports

KENNETH ALAN HEMMING | News, Sports, Jobs

Aug. 29, 1950 – May 5, 2025 Kenneth Alan Hemming, 74, of Alpena, passed away Monday, May 5, 2025, at his home after an extended illness. Kenneth was born to the late Gunnar and Florence (Chiconsky) Hemming on Aug. 29, 1950, in Dearborn. He was married to Dianne (LeFave) Hemming for 18 years. She survives […]

Published

4 hours ago

May 8, 2025

Your Sports Nation

Aug. 29, 1950 – May 5, 2025

Kenneth Alan Hemming, 74, of Alpena, passed away Monday, May 5, 2025, at his home after an extended illness.

Kenneth was born to the late Gunnar and Florence (Chiconsky) Hemming on Aug. 29, 1950, in Dearborn. He was married to Dianne (LeFave) Hemming for 18 years. She survives him as well as his three children, Ryan Hemming, Mary-Ellen Hemming, Heather Hemming and their families; two stepsons, Devin (Summer) Hartman, Cole (Sara McLeskey) Hartman; special lifelong friendships with Timothy Cole, Jeff Still and Jeff Holt.

Ken was deeply devoted to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and prayed the rosary daily for many years. He was a member of All Saints Catholic Church of Alpena where he found many good friends in Christ. He deeply appreciated their prayers and loving thoughts which helped to carry him through his illness.

Ken loved sports, especially Detroit Tiger baseball. He collected sports memorabilia and was an umpire for local baseball and softball leagues in Sault Ste. Marie, MI where he lived for 30-plus years.

Ken graduated from Walled Lake High School in 1968 as the Salutatorian. He went on to graduate from Michigan State University and attended law school at the University of Michigan.

He spent much of his career specializing in grants and contracts with Sault Tribe of Chippewa Indians and the Lake Superior State University from where he retired in 2017. He also served as the Board Director, Vice President and President of Sault Area Public Schools during his tenure on the Board.

Ken was preceded in death by his brother, Donald Hemming and sister, Linda Hemming.

Visitation will take place at St. Anne Church of All Saints Parish on Saturday from 10 a.m. until the time of the Mass of Christian Burial at noon with the Rev. Emmanuel Finbar officiating. Arrangements are being handled by the Bannan Funeral Home.

Interment: Holy Cross Cemetery

Memorials: Hospice of Michigan or any local youth sports program

Link

Rec Sports

M-A athletic coach Dylan Taylor killed while biking to school

by Linda Hubbard on May 7, 2025 Menlo-Atherton High School principal Karl Losekoot sent this message to the community and staff earlier this afternoon. “I am sorry, once again, to have to share some heartbreaking news. This morning, Dylan Taylor, an M-A athletic coach and member of the Menlo Park community, was riding his bike […]

Published

4 hours ago

May 8, 2025

Your Sports Nation

by Linda Hubbard on May 7, 2025

Menlo-Atherton High School principal Karl Losekoot sent this message to the community and staff earlier this afternoon.

“I am sorry, once again, to have to share some heartbreaking news. This morning, Dylan Taylor, an M-A athletic coach and member of the Menlo Park community, was riding his bike to work on Middlefield Rroad and was struck by a vehicle. Coach Taylor sustained life threatening injuries and did not survive. Coach Taylor grew up in the community, worked as a paraeducator in local middle schools, and has been an athletic coach for youth in the community for several years. His tragic loss will be felt by many.

“This year, Coach Taylor was one of our freshmen football coaches, and he has also coached youth basketball and track and field in our local middle schools, La Entrada and Hillview. Several of our younger students may know Coach Taylor or may have been coached by him, and some of our older students have worked with Coach Taylor as fellow coaches.

“Tomorrow, M-A will have additional counselors on hand to support students and staff. We will also be reaching out to students on the football team as well as reaching out to students who we know were coached by Mr. Taylor in middle school to see if they would like support. If you do not wish your child to be contacted, please email Shionda Nickerson at tnickerson@seq.org. You can also email Ms. Nickerson if you would like to talk about your child’s specific situation related to this news.

“We are aware that M-A students and staff have experienced a lot of tragedy this year, and this news can compound feelings of grief or cause old feelings of grief to resurface. Our social emotional team from M-A, from the Sequoia Union High School District, and from the community are here to support in any way we can. Please remind your students that they can access support by walking into PAWS, contacting their school counselor, or completing this online request for social emotional help: Request for Social Emotional Support. Several resources can also be found in English and Spanish on our website: Wellness resources

“Additionally, Menlo Park City Schools shared these resources to help families navigate conversations about loss. I found them helpful and am re-sharing them here.

“Our thoughts are with Coach Taylor’s family and friends as well as with all of the students he has worked with here at M-A and in the community.”

A spokesperson for the Atherton Police Department said it would be issuing a press release on Thursday, May 8, concerning the accident.

Link

Rec Sports

Hundreds of area youth attend Ag Days at Hamilton County Fairgrounds | News, Sports, Jobs

Webster City Middle School fifth-grader Brendan English tries on safety wear for working with chemicals More than 450 area youth recently attended the annual Environmental Agriculture Days at the Hamilton County Fairgrounds. The event was presented by Iowa State University Extension and Outreach through a collaboration between three area counties: Hamilton, Humboldt and Webster. Over […]

Published

5 hours ago

May 8, 2025

Your Sports Nation

Webster City Middle School fifth-grader Brendan English tries on safety wear for working with chemicals

More than 450 area youth recently attended the annual Environmental Agriculture Days at the Hamilton County Fairgrounds. The event was presented by Iowa State University Extension and Outreach through a collaboration between three area counties: Hamilton, Humboldt and Webster.

Over the course of three days, fifth-grade students from seven local schools participated in a variety of educational sessions.

This year’s sessions included touring the Iowa Corn trailer, learning about chemical safety with New Co-op, walking through the farm-to-table food cycle, meeting piglets, lambs, a calf, and a pony from Webster City FFA, experimenting with agricultural technology, interacting with Hamilton County Conservation through its educational water table, practicing mock-crop scouting, engaging in a healthy living activity, learning about pollinators, and participating in activities led by the Iowa Pork Queen Amanda Ostrem.

This year — 2025 — is year 29 of Environmental Agriculture Days, with more than 10,000 students having attended over this time.

“I remember attending Ag Days as a fifth-grade student at Webster City Middle School almost 15 years ago. This event creates an impact on youth, and it gives us an opportunity to reach those students who traditionally would not receive education on these important topics,” Katie Brandt, Hamilton County youth coordinator, said.

“Data tells us that one in five Iowans have jobs in agriculture. We are leading producers of major agricultural products, such as corn, eggs and pigs. Our goal is to play a part in educating youth so they can make more quality, informed choices — and maybe even choose a career in agriculture.”

From left, Addy Schaa, Pippa Herrick, Bailey Miller, Mia Stuck and Alice Phipps, South Hamilton fifth-graders, participate in a crop scouting activity.

Link

Rec Sports

Videographer for Iowa State among eight killed in Kansas crash | Top Stories

AMES, Iowa (KWWL) – An Iowa native and current video production specialist for Iowa State University was killed in a head-on crash in Kansas on Sunday. “We are devastated by the tragic passing of Alex Ernst,” ISU Director of Athletics Jamie Pollard said. “For nearly 20 years behind the scenes, first as a student and […]

Published

7 hours ago

May 8, 2025

Your Sports Nation

AMES, Iowa (KWWL) – An Iowa native and current video production specialist for Iowa State University was killed in a head-on crash in Kansas on Sunday.

“We are devastated by the tragic passing of Alex Ernst,” ISU Director of Athletics Jamie Pollard said. “For nearly 20 years behind the scenes, first as a student and then as a full-time employee, Alex was an unsung hero who played an important role our department’s success through his outstanding work in video operations.”

The crash happened Sunday south of Kansas City, Kansas. According to a report from the highway patrol, Ernst was headed north along a rural highway when a driver in the opposite lane entered oncoming traffic. The driver had been attempting to pass a slower vehicle at the time of the collision. Both vehicles involved caught fire.

Ernst along with his three passengers, all from Missouri, were killed. They range in age from 33 to 76 years old.

Five people connected to a youth sports team were in the other vehicle. Four of them, including two high schoolers and two coaches, were killed. A fifteen-year-old boy was hospitalized for his injuries. They were all part of a group with an Amateur Athletic Union, or AAU, youth basketball team from Tulsa, according to a state representative from Oklahoma.

University officials at Iowa State say Ernst graduated from the school in 2010 with a bachelor’s degree in education before returning to campus to earn his master’s degree in 2014.

“We are heartbroken by this news,” Iowa State head football coach Matt Campbell said. “Alex was an important and valued member of our football family and had a special relationship with so many in our program. He was exceptional at his job and took great pride in what he did. Our thoughts and prayers are with everyone affected by this tragedy.”

Link