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Monthlong festival leads up to Belmont Stakes
(NEW YORK) -- Belmont Park’s familiar blue starting gate will spring open this Saturday morning, but not at the track. Instead, the Elmont, New York, track's gate will be used to kick off the Village of Floral Park’s Centennial Parade, one of many community events included in the 2008 Belmont Stakes Festival.
Will the capital city be able to gamble on racing?
(ILLINOIS) -- Harness racing up to nine months a year at the Illinois State Fairgrounds could help raise money for fairground improvements and the Sangamon County emergency dispatch system, according to Rep. Raymond Poe.
NYRA, Cooperative Strike Signal Deal
(NEW YORK) -- The New York Racing Association and the Mid-Atlantic Cooperative have struck a signal-fee deal that will return the NYRA signal--currently from Belmont Park--to 16 East Coast racetracks and their affiliated off-track wagering outlets effective May 9.
PETA demonstration at KHRA expected to continue in Baltimore
(KENTUCKY) -- People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals held a demonstration outside the Kentucky Horse Racing Authority office at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington on Tuesday and PETA spokesperson Lindsay Rajt said the group plans to continue to protest at the Preakness Stakes (G1) and Belmont Stakes (G1).
KTA Upset with Churchill Dealings
(KENTUCKY) -- The head of a Kentucky horsemen’s association said his group withheld approval for the Churchill Downs signal to go out to a pair of offshore rebate shops for the undercards of the Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (gr. I) and Kentucky Oaks (gr. I), and is aggravated that the track is blaming horsemen for a decline in handle on the two programs.
Churchill ADW dispute lingers
(KENTUCKY) -- In a Wednesday morning conference call, Churchill Downs Inc. President Bob Evans told analysts and investors the company’s disagreement with horsemen on advance deposit wagering revenue could linger into 2009.
Horse racing needs to put someone in charge
(KENTUCKY) -- When the NBA suffered the embarrassment of a referee involved in a gambling scandal, Commissioner David Stern stepped forward to issue proclamations, answer questions and take the heat.
ACRC wants portion of casino-funded purse supplement
(NEW JERSEY) -- Although Greenwood Racing Inc. is committed to a 20-day meet next year, as required by the New Jersey Racing Commission, track officials say Atlantic City Race Course can't be competitive without some funding from a $90 million casino funded purse subsidy shared by the state's three other race courses.
Youbet Focusing on the Future
(CALIFORNIA) -- Youbet.com put the memory of its association with former subsidiary International Racing Group in its rear-view mirror during a May 6 conference call where it reported a net income of $774,000 for the first quarter of 2008.
Purse Cuts Planned at CDI-Owned Tracks
(KENTUCKY) -- A Churchill Downs Inc. official said May 7 purses at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Ky., could be cut the week of May 11, while Calder Race Course in South Florida could face another reduction in purses.
Sports agency chief: NJ horse racing needs permanent fix
(NEW JERSEY) -- The horse racing industry in New Jersey will have trouble surviving unless state and industry leaders find a long-term solution to its problems instead of three-year quick fixes, the head of the New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority said Tuesday.
Horse racing comes under fire after death of Eight Belles
(KENTUCKY) -- When Barbaro sustained what turned out to be a fatal injury to his right hind leg early in the 2006 Preakness Stakes, two weeks after he had won the Kentucky Derby, the nation's collective heart went out to him and followed him in the eight months veterinarians spent trying to save his life.
6 racehorses from Burlco farm fail drug tests
(NEW JERSEY) -- Six racehorses from a Burlington County farm were the first to test positive for performance-enhancing drugs under New Jersey's new drug-testing protocols, the state Attorney General's Office announced today.
New York Officials Working to Save OTB
(NEW YORK) -- State officials are working on a plan to help keep the New York City Off Track Betting Corp. from shutting by shaving up to 20% of revenue-sharing the OTB now makes to various entities, including the New York Racing Association, out-of-state tracks, and breeding programs.
New Jersey racing 'at a crossroads,' NJSEA says
(NEW JERSEY) -- Monmouth Park officials are guardedly optimistic about the 99-day meeting that begins Friday, despite concerns about the current state of the industry and the local economy.
Eight Belles' trainer defends jockey
(KENTUCKY) -- The trainer of euthanized filly Eight Belles adamantly defended the way jockey Gabriel Saez handled the Kentucky Derby runner-up. In an interview with The Associated Press today, Larry Jones said Saez applied the whip only to prevent Eight Belles from crashing into the rail.
Making good on lost OTB wagers
(NEW YORK) -- Capital OTB will be reimbursed thousands of dollars by the company responsible for a computer glitch that prevented some bettors from making wagers before Saturday's Kentucky Derby, officials said Monday.
ADW Lockout Blamed for Derby Handle Drop
(KENTUCKY) -- All-sources handle dropped nearly 2% on the May 3 card of the Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (gr. I), a result a Churchill Downs official blamed on the fallout from an ongoing dispute with horsemen over signal distribution.
Kentucky Derby wagering down from last year
(KENTUCKY) -- Churchill Downs enjoyed the second largest attendance in Kentucky Derby (G1) history on Saturday, but total all-source wagering on the 134th edition of America’s most famous race was down from last year.
Eight Belles Tragedy Is Hard to Take
(KENTUCKY) -- Michael Matz arrived Sunday at the Churchill Downs barn where his horses had stabled during Derby week, having just returned from the Rood & Riddle Equine Hospital in Lexington, Ky.
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