William K. "Bill" Hickam, a southern Illinois horsemen, died Monday at his home in Collinsville, Ill., from self-inflicted gunshot wounds, according to the police. He was 60.
Hickam was known primarily in the claiming game but also trained Illinois champions Faultless Tudor and Tri Crown, among other stakes winners. In 1982 he was leading trainer at Fairmount.
Fasig-Tipton Texas has cataloged 218 horses to its winter mixed sale, which will be held at Lone Star Park on Sunday. Among the offerings are broodmares, broodmare prospects, weanlings, yearlings, and horses of racing age. . . . Beulah Park canceled its Wednesday card because of unsafe track conditions caused by rain.
TUCSON, Ariz. - Racing officials and representatives of bet-processing companies pledged their support on Wednesday for a project launched by The Jockey Club to overhaul the country's electronic network that transmits bets and calculates odds.
Officials from the National Thoroughbred Racing Association, the Thoroughbred Racing Associations, and United Tote said in private interviews at the University of Arizona Symposium on Racing that they would cooperate with The Jockey Club effort, details of which were made public on Tuesday.
TUCSON, Ariz. - The Jockey Club has reached an agreement with Scientific Games Racing Inc., the largest bet-processing company in North America, to jointly develop a new bet-processing network that supporters say will enhance the security of the country's electronic wagering system and dramatically reduce delays in posting final odds.
Alan Marzelli, president of The Jockey club, described the project on Tuesday during an interview in Tucson, where he was attending the University of Arizona's Symposium on Racing.
TUCSON, Ariz. - New York racing interests will be closely watching the developments inside a New York appeals court next Tuesday when a challenge to a bill that legalized slot machines at state racetracks will be heard, said racing officials at a gaming conference in Tucson, Ariz., on Tuesday.
Funny Cide's Derby win and the opening of the movie "Seabiscuit" are among the nominees for the National Thoroughbred Racing Association's fifth annual "Moment of the Year." Fans can vote at www.ntra.com/top10moments.asp, and the winning moment will be announced Jan. 26 at the Eclipse Awards ceremony. . . .
Trainer James Bond on Monday began serving a 20-day suspension, the result of one of his horses testing positive for a banned substance during the Saratoga meet, the New York State Racing and Wagering Board said.
The Bond-trained Nevermore tested positive for butorphanol, a potent tranquilizer, after finishing second in the sixth race on Aug. 27 at the Spa. The horse was disqualified from second and unplaced in the order of finish.
The Supreme Court on Monday refused to hear an appeal from trainer Bob Baffert, who was seeking to overturn an appellate court ruling on a positive drug test for one of his horses three years ago, for which Baffert was suspended 60 days. The ruling remands the matter to a California state administrative law judge.
Leaders in the effort to reform medication rules will meet Wednesday in Tucson, Ariz., to offer suggestions and criticisms for a uniform medication policy that many officials hope will be adopted by racing jurisdictions next year.
The meeting will "be an important first step to taking the model rules to the states," said Dr. Scott Waterman, the executive director of the National Thoroughbred Racing Association's Task Force on Drug Testing and Medication.
The winter storm that hit the Northeast on Friday continued to pound the region on Saturday, forcing Aqueduct, Laurel, Philadelphia Park, Penn National, and Charles Town to remain closed for a second consecutive day. Charles Town, in West Virginia, also called off its Sunday program due to the storm.