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While Keeneland's spring race meet continues for the rest of April, the historic track is putting the focus on another of its functions.  Officials at the Lexington facility Wednesday unveiled what they are calling "major enhancements" to this year's yearling sale.   

A former South Carolina Republican congressional candidate is accused of stealing horses in rural Kentucky earlier this month, but he contends he was actually rescuing the horses.  

Last year’s Triple Crown success of American Pharoah could cause increased interest in Kentucky Derby winner Nyquist’s chance of doing the same. 

Keeneland opens its 2016 spring meet on Friday with new technologies for visitors new to the historic track. Keeneland spokeswoman Amy Gregory says the Race Day app now features a ‘bet simulator.’

State agriculture officials are hopeful the new Stray or Abandoned Equine Database will help with the proper care and upkeep of wandering horses. 

The online database is one piece of a law approved earlier this year. 

While many horse racing fans eagerly await early October for Keeneland's fall meet, horse sellers and buyers will stay busy for the next two weeks.  The annual September yearling sales event gets underway Monday.

With 13 sessions, Keeneland's September sales are billed worldwide as the top thoroughbred auction of the year.  Keeneland Spokeswoman Amy Gregory says major buyers from almost every state and 50 countries will be in town.  She says gross sales a year ago were up 27%.  "We're very optimistic going into this sale that we'll have a very robust sale.  There's lot of optimism in the thoroughbred industry right now and the market is very strong in sales that have been leading up to this September sale," said Gregory.