On a day dominated by low-priced winners, Saturday's $2 Magna Pick 5 returned an all-time low of $1,074.20 to 380 ticketholders.
The winners were Water Cannon ($7.60) in the Federico Tesio Stakes at Pimlico; Victory Girl ($3.40) in the fifth race at Santa Anita; Adreamisborn ($8) in the fifth race at Bay Meadows; Royal Teresa ($4.60) in the sixth race at Santa Anita; and Janeian ($8.40) in the Irving Distaff Stakes at Lone Star Park.
Jockey Patrick Valenzuela can resume riding on April 25 after receiving a stay from the California Horse Racing Board on Friday that allows him to ride while he appeals the termination of his conditional license by Santa Anita stewards on April 2.
Valenzuela, who has not ridden since Jan. 19, had the license voided for failing to submit to a mandatory drug test on Jan. 22.
John Harris, chairman of the racing board, met with Valenzuela on Tuesday and cited the jockey's recent treatment for depression as the main factor in granting the stay.
The Kentucky Legislature passed a bill Wednesday that would allow account-wagering companies to set up betting hubs in the state.
The bill, which approves up to four hubs in the state, now goes to Kentucky Gov. Ernie Fletcher for his signature.
The bill was being closely watched by account-wagering companies in Oregon. It would not tax wagers sent through the hubs. In Oregon, handle through the hubs are subject to a 0.25 percent tax.
With the Maryland racing industry facing tough questions about its future following the death of slot machine legislation Monday, the chairman of the company that owns Laurel Park and Pimlico has reiterated his commitment to revitalizing the sport in the state.
Pimlico heritage goes beyond just racing
I'm responding to the April 14 column by Andrew Beyer, "Magna must play its trump card."
Beyer wrote that, in response to the Maryland Legislature's rejection of slot machines, Magna Entertainment Corp. should close one of the Maryland tracks it owns, Pimlico, and move the Preakness Stakes elsewhere.
How dare Beyer suggest such a fate.
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The Arkansas Racing Commission will meet April 27 to hear an appeal by Darrell Vienna regarding a bumping incident in the Apple Blossom Handicap on April 3. Vienna trains the third-place finisher, Star Parade, and is appealing a decision by Oaklawn stewards not to disqualify the second-place finisher, Wild Spirit, for an incident involving Star Parade entering the stretch. . . .
Jere R. Smith Jr., who has trained in the Midwest since 1981, is leaving the United States on Saturday with a three-year contract to become the private trainer for the family of Prince Abdullah in Saudi Arabia.
Smith, 41, said he eventually will have 120 horses under his care in Riyadh, where the highest level of Saudi racing is conducted.
A memorial service for the prominent owner and breeder Robert E. Sangster is scheduled for Monday at 11 a.m. in the second floor of the Keeneland clubhouse. Sangster died of cancer last week at age 67. . . . Gary Stevens won his second race of the French season at Saint-Cloud on Wednesday on the 7-10 Cacique in the Prix Sica Boy for unraced 3-year-old males. Trained by Andre Fabre, Cacique ran seven furlongs in 1:30.25. . . . The National Thoroughbred Racing Association will hold the 34th annual Eclipse Awards ceremony, honoring Thoroughbred racing's divisional champions, on Jan.