Kentucky Regulator Denies Borell's Request for License

The Kentucky Horse Racing and Gaming Corporation board Aug. 21 denied Breeders' Cup-winning trainer Maria Borell's request for a license to train in the state.

The unanimous vote, other than one abstention, went against the recommendation of a Kentucky hearing officer. In June, that hearing officer, Clayton Patrick, found a 2025 decision by the board's licensing hearing violated Borell's due process rights based on "vague and inconsistent" grounds.

After Friday's vote, Bob Heleringer, attorney for Borell, said she will now pursue litigation in an effort to get licensed.

"We're going back to court and that's where we thought it would end up," Heleringer said. "So in a way, it's no surprise. So we'll be back in court, and we'll let the judge decide."

READ: Borell's Effort to Get Licensed in Kentucky Fails

Borell's career went into tumult after she won the 2015 Breeders' Cup Sprint (G1) with Runhappy . She was let go as Runhappy's trainer the next day. Litigation with Runhappy's owner, James McIngvale, followed. The following year, she and her father, Charles "Chuck" Borell, were charged with 43 counts of second degree animal cruelty in Mercer County, Ky.

Charles Borell entered an Alford guilty plea in 2016 on nine of the 43 counts and was sentenced to 179 days in jail, but was released provided he adhered to conditions of a two-year probationary period. Maria Borell, who had relocated to Florida, turned herself in to Kentucky law enforcement about six years later after the charges were made and posted a $7,500 cash bond as a condition of release. In 2023, all charges against her were dismissed.

READ: Animal Cruelty Charges Against Borell Dismissed

Ahead of Friday's meeting, Borell said she would like to again condition horses on the Kentucky circuit and has at least one owner lined up if she is reinstated.

After Friday's board decision, Borell suggested she's being treated unfairly in a statement posted to social media:

"Today the board denied my license, and it wasn't a surprise to me. It's exactly what I expected. They didn't want to deal with me, not the facts, or the hearing officer's findings. 

"There is no legal or factual reason for this denial. The hearing officer spent seven hours hearing evidence and testimony and concluded there was no evidence to support (license) denial. He formally recommended reinstatement. That recommendation is part of the official record.

"I had zero involvement with the farm connected to the dismissed case. I was living over a thousand miles away and had no role in its operations. The case was dismissed by Kentucky's own court system, expunged, and legally treated as if it never occurred. Under Kentucky law, expunged matters cannot be used in licensing decisions.

"My record in racing is clean: no drug positives, no disciplinary violations, and full compliance with every requirement.

"Meanwhile, this industry has a long, well‑documented pattern: Men are given second, third, and fourth chances; even after multiple medication positives, suspensions, and serious violations. I have none of those issues, yet I was denied.

"The administrative process is now complete, and I am free to speak openly. This now moves to court, where decisions are based on evidence, law, and fairness, not personal vendettas, politics, or selective enforcement."