A slight chill to autumn in New York
I'm not certain if anyone feels the same way I do, but I am always just a little disappointed this time of year when Belmont Park reopens for its late-summer and fall meeting. It used to be the best time of year for racing, pre-Breeders' Cup. Now, the main races there are merely the last races before the Breeders' Cup.
A New York trainer was arrested on Friday and charged with third-degree menacing, a misdemeanor, after attacking a former employee with a pitchfork, New York City police said.
Jennifer Pedersen, who trains privately for Ernie Paragallo's Paraneck Stable, was arrested Friday morning at her Aqueduct barn after allegedly picking up a pitchfork and charging after Juan Martinez, who had worked as a groom for Pedersen. Martinez now works for another trainer at Aqueduct, according to track security officials.
Roar of the Tiger, a stakes-placed full brother to Giant's Causeway, has retired from racing and will stand for $6,000 at Walmac Farm's Florida division at Hartley/De Renzo Thoroughbreds. Roar of the Tiger (Storm Cat-Mariah's Storm, by Rahy), 5, retires after a third-place finish in the Governors Handicap at Ellis Park last month. . . . Racing was canceled at Charles Town on Friday night, the third program in a row that was scrapped because of poor track conditions.
Team Valor, which bought Fasig-Tipton Saratoga's $1.85 million sale-topper last month, has named the Giant's Causeway-Alaska Queen colt Fairbanks, after the actor Douglas Fairbanks. . . . Television Games Network analyst and host Jeff Lifson will leave the network to take a position as West Point Thoroughbreds' executive vice president for Midwest operations, according to West Point president Terry Finley. Lifson's position at West Point, which offers public racehorse partnerships, is effective Sept. 20, but Lifson will cover Keeneland's fall race meet with TVG.
If you downloaded Sunday's Belmont Park racecard between 4:00 - 6:00 p.m. on Friday, there was a mix-up with the PP entries. The Matron was listed improperly as the 7th Race and The Futurity as the 8th Race. This has has been corrected. The Futurity is now listed correctly as the 7th Race and The Matron as the 8th Race.
LEXINGTON, Ky. - The practice of allowing a small number of sophisticated bettors to make hundreds of wagers just seconds before the start of a race has thrown parimutuel betting in the United States out of balance and has effectively increased the takeout for all other players, according to a report commissioned by the National Thoroughbred Racing Association.
MI Developments has dropped a proposal to purchase all of the outstanding shares in the racetrack company Magna Entertainment Corp., the two companies said Thursday.
The board of MI Developments rejected the proposal on the advice of a committee that examined the deal and its senior management, MI Developments said in a statement. The proposal had come under fire from shareholder groups of both companies shortly after being announced earlier this summer.
The signal from Belmont Park remained cut off on Thursday at 17 tracks in six Eastern states, including Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Maryland, according to Bill Nader, the senior vice president of the New York Racing Association, which owns and operates Belmont. The signal was cut off beginning Wednesday because of a dispute over account-wagering rights, and no negotiations were formally scheduled for Friday, Nader said. . . . For the second straight night, Charles Town canceled its live racing program Thursday because of poor track conditions. Racing was scheduled to resume Friday.
POMONA, Calif. - California racing regulators on Wednesday began the process to institute a rule and a test specifically intended to stop the use of alkalizing agents, more commonly known as "milkshakes."
At the monthly California Horse Racing Board meeting at the Hinds Sales Pavilion at the Los Angeles County Fair, board officials unanimously voted to post the rule for the standard 45-day notice. Since the board meets monthly, the earliest the rule could be passed is at its November meeting.
The Maryland Racing Commission on Tuesday criticized the Maryland Jockey Club and its parent company, Magna Entertainment Corp., for everything from construction delays to apathetic customer service.
"The truth is," said commissioner John McDaniel, "the commission has no more tolerance. Period."
Meeting at Pimlico, the commissioners addressed their grievances to Jim Gagliano, who has been in charge of racing operations at Pimlico and Laurel Park since July 1.