For his decades of championing horse racing and working to promote and improve the industry in the commonwealth and beyond, outgoing Kentucky State Senator Damon Thayer has been named recipient of the 2024 Warner L. Jones Jr. Horseman of the Year Award presented by the Louisville-based Kentucky Thoroughbred Owners (KTO).
Thayer — who has served in the General Assembly for 22 years and as Kentucky Senate Majority Floor Leader since 2013 — will be feted at the KTO’s annual awards dinner on Saturday, Nov. 23, at the Kentucky Derby Museum. The cost is $150 per person, with cocktails at 6 p.m. and dinner at 7 p.m. To purchase tickets, call Marlene Meyer at 502-458-5820 or email nanainky@att.net. The deadline for reservations is Nov. 14.
“It’s a great honor to win an award named for Warner Jones, who was a legendary horseman and had the respect of so many people from various facets of the industry,” Thayer said. “To be on the list of those who have been honored with the award is a real privilege to me. Next to my two adult children, Daniel and Katie, horse racing is my first love. I’m just an old 4-H horse-club kid. To be honored by this group and to be considered a horseman is pretty special.”
Thayer, who announced last December that he was not running for re-election, has advocated for the horse racing, breeding, and overall equine industries throughout his time in the state senate, representing Scott County and parts of Fayette, Grant, and Kenton Counties.
Among his contributions to racing, Thayer’s signature legislative initiative was the passage of Senate Bill 120 in 2021, which updated the state’s definition of pari-mutuel wagering to include historical horse racing (HHR) gaming. In the years since, Kentucky has emerged as the premier racing circuit, offering America’s highest purses, with racetrack communities benefiting from substantial economic development and job creation.
KTO President Tom Drury, a Louisville-based trainer, said the fact that he will keep his entire stable in Kentucky this winter instead of shipping a division out of state is thanks to Thayer’s dedication to pro-racing legislation.
“He put us where Kentucky racing is supposed to be as far as the food chain goes,” Drury said. “When I first met him, I spoke at the senate hearings (to protect HHR). He really worked hard behind the scenes, and look at us now. When did you ever think you’d go to Turfway Park and run for $80,000 maiden purses? Look at where Kentucky racing is now, just across the board.”
The Kentucky Thoroughbred Owners is an educational and social organization dedicated to the betterment of racing in the state. Membership is open not only to owners but to anyone interested in the sport. (The KTO is separate from the Lexington-based Kentucky Thoroughbred Association-Kentucky Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders.)
The Warner Jones award recognizes individuals for outstanding contributions to Kentucky racing and shares the passion exemplified by Jones, who spent 50 years on the Churchill Downs board, including eight as chairman during the iconic track’s resurgence in the late 1980s.
Thayer has been connected with the industry since his youth, beginning as a “below-average barrel racer” in 4-H. His early exposure to racing came through a thoroughbred owner-breeder, which led to working in stables and eventually a career that brought him to Kentucky, where he would lead transformative changes in the racing industry.
His accomplishments include the legalization of sports betting in Kentucky, breeders’ incentive funds, and strengthening Kentucky-bred incentive programs for thoroughbred and standardbred racing. His work was also instrumental in standardizing the parimutuel tax rate and improving policies for betting and race funding in Kentucky.
Today, Thayer is also a horse owner, partnering in a group of horses campaigned by CJ Thoroughbreds, including Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Turf starter Hang the Moon.
“I could go on for days about what Damon has done for horse racing,” said Drury.
Kentucky Thoroughbred Owners