KY Racing Spotlight to air 6-7p ET Fridays on ESPN 680 through March 4

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (Wednesday, Dec. 1, 2021) — Lucky 7 Stable’s Mike Mackin, horse owner/celebrity bettor Jim “Mattress Mack” McIngvale and Kentucky Senate Majority Floor Leader Damon Thayer are among the guests as Kentucky Racing Spotlight presented by the Kentucky HBPA debuts Friday. The weekly radio program will air 6-7 p.m. ET Fridays through March 4 on Louisville’s ESPN 680/105.7, the region’s sports-talk leader.

Hosted by horse-racing communications veterans Jennie Rees and Joe Clabes, Kentucky Racing Spotlight assumes the time slot filled the rest of the year by Inside Churchill Downs, which goes on hiatus during the winter. The program will showcase Kentucky racing and horsemen, with one focus being Turfway Park’s winter meet, while also featuring the week’s major stakes nationally as well as the breeding industry and horse auctions.

Jennie Rees and Joe Clabes. Gwen Davis/Davis Innovation photo

In addition to being on ESPN 680-AM/105.7 FM in Louisville, Kentucky Racing Spotlight will be streamed at espnlouisville.com, on the ESPN 680 app and the TuneIn and iHeart apps. The replay will be available on espnlouisville.com under the podcasts tab.

Regular segments will include interviews with Kentucky racing’s policy-makers, the Louisville Thoroughbred Society’s corporate member of the week and behind-the-scenes looks at aspects of the racing or breeding industry.

“When Jennie and Joe came to us with their vision for the show, our board knew it was a concept we wanted to embrace,” said Marty Maline, executive director of the Kentucky HBPA. “The show will help bring attention to what should be a strong meet at Turfway Park as well as keeping tabs on Kentucky horsemen who head south for the winter. One of the Kentucky HBPA’s missions is to promote our horses and horsemen, and this show will do just that.”

Jennie Rees is a communications and advocacy specialist in the horse industry who spent 32 years covering horse racing for The (Louisville) Courier-Journal before taking a corporate buyout. In addition to handling communications for the Kentucky HBPA, Rees is Kentucky Downs’ publicity director, manages in-season racing publicity for Ellis Park and serves as a consultant to the National HBPA. Other projects include the Preakness Stakes, Indiana Grand’s Indiana Derby Week and work for various HBPA affiliates and horsemen’s associations.