Patrick Eugene Myer, a former steeplechase rider and Thoroughbred trainer, died Monday morning. He was 61.

Myer had suffered two strokes on June 30. He lapsed into a coma the following day and never regained consciousness.

Myer, a native of Maryland, retired from steeplechase riding in 1982. As a trainer, Myer won 89 races from 1,137 starters and his horses earned purse money exceeding $2.3 million. One of Myer's more notable horses was Whodam, a New York-bred who placed in several stakes for Myer at 2 and 3.

A string of upsets produced a payoff of $7,879 for a $2 bet in Saturday's NTRA National Pick 4, which combined four major races run throughout the nation into one bet.

The winners were Peace Rules ($8.40) in the Suburban Handicap at Belmont Park, Quantum Merit ($13.40) in the Firecracker Breeders' Cup Handicap at Churchill Downs, Request for Parole ($11.40) in the United Nations Stakes at Monmouth Park, and Ticker Tape ($26) in the American Oaks at Hollywood Park.

The winning combination was 3-7-2-7. The pool reached $992,784, far above the $400,000 guaranteed pool.

Sam Houston Race Park set an attendance record Sunday night when 25,142 patrons turned out for Quarter Horse racing and fireworks. The previous record of 24,136 was set during the corresponding program a year ago. . . . Steve Asmussen became the first trainer to win 500 races at Lone Star Park on Saturday night when Star of Caveat won the first race. Asmussen leads the current standings at the track, which opened in 1997, and is also the leading trainer by victories in North America this year. . . .

INGLEWOOD, Calif. - A string of upsets produced a payoff of $7,879 for a $2 bet in Saturday's NTRA Pick 4, which combined four major races run throughout the nation into one bet.

The winners were Peace Rules ($8.40) in the at Hollywood Park.

The winning combination was 3-7-2-7. The pool reached $992,784, far above the $400,000 guaranteed pool.

On , the bet returned $34,249 for $2 on a day when the handle reached $616,489.

INGLEWOOD, Calif. - Jockey Patrick Valenzuela, who was suspended for the month of June for failing to submit to a drug test in January, was suspended again by the Hollywood Park board of stewards on Friday for failing to comply with a term of his conditional license that requires he submit to a hair follicle test.

The latest suspension came one day after Valenzuela returned to riding from the June suspension.

Soud, a 6-year-old who finished second in the Grade 3 Golden Gate Breeders' Cup Handicap in March, died last week, apparently of a heart attack. At the time, Soud was being considered for Sunday's $150,000 American Handicap over 1 1/8 miles on turf, for which he would have been a leading contender.

Trained by Neil Drysdale for Shadwell Farm, Soud won 5 of 20 starts and $260,580. The final victory of his career came in an allowance race over a mile on turf on June 6.

An initiative petition backed by the Nebraska Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association and other groups to expand gambling in Nebraska was submitted at the state capitol in Lincoln on Thursday morning, containing more than 640,000 signatures

The petition was organized by a coalition operating as Keep the Money in Nebraska Committee, comprising the state horsemen's group, Coast Casinos, and several keno parlors in the state.

An initiative petition backed by the Nebraska Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association and other groups to expand gambling in Nebraska was submitted at the state capitol in Lincoln on Thursday morning, containing more than 640,000 signatures

The petition was organized by a coalition operating as Keep the Money in Nebraska Committee, comprising the state horsemen's group, Coast Casinos, and several keno parlors in the state.

The Pennsylvania Senate passed a bill early Friday morning that would legalize slot machines at seven racetracks and seven other sites in the state. The bill was expected to be passed on Friday night or Saturday morning in the House, where it has bipartisan support.

OCEANPORT, N.J. - Allen Iwinski, one of the leading mid-Atlantic trainers over the last decade, will phase out his stable over the next year to focus on his ongoing battle with hepatitis C.

Hepatitis C is a viral disease that can lead to permanent, possibly fatal, liver damage.

Iwinski, who turned 52 on Wednesday, operates three divisions with horses at Belmont Park, Monmouth Park, and Delaware Park.

The Delaware division will be the first to go, with the horses dispersed to New York and New Jersey.