Sat, 05/04/2024 - 11:58

Churchill Downs, NBC extend Kentucky Derby broadcast deal until 2032

Julie Wright
Churchill Downs and NBCUniversal reached a deal to extend the broadcast rights for Kentucky Derby and Oaks until 2032.

Churchill Downs Inc. and NBCUniversal, the parent company of NBC Sports, have reached an extension on the network’s Kentucky Derby broadcast rights that will keep the race on the company’s broadcasting platforms until 2032, the two companies announced on Saturday.

The extension includes “multi-platform rights” to the Derby, the Kentucky Oaks, and the supporting cards for both races, according to the companies. NBCUniversal owns NBC Sports, the Peacock streaming service, the USA Network, and several other broadcasting platforms.

Mon, 04/29/2024 - 14:05

Hard work paying off for Foster with Everland in Kentucky Oaks

Debra A. Roma
Everland, trained by Eric Foster, has only run on turf and synthetic and will make her dirt debut in the Kentucky Oaks.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – There have been a lot of long miles on the dark highway for Eric Foster. The trainer prefers to haul his horses to the races himself, when possible, in addition to accompanying them to the track for morning training, putting the tack on, or even waiting at the rail with a bucket and a shank. From his farm in rural Utica, Ky., it’s about 3 1/2 hours to Turfway Park, where he was the leading trainer this past meet; 2 1/2 hours to Keeneland, where the meet just concluded; or about two hours to Churchill Downs, in focus this week.

Thu, 04/25/2024 - 13:59

Randazzo out as The Jockey Club steward for NYRA

Samantha Randazzo, The Jockey Club steward at the New York Racing Association tracks since late 2022, is no longer serving in that capacity, according to The Jockey Club, effective immediately.

In a brief phone interview, Randazzo, who had previously worked as a steward at Finger Lakes Racetrack, declined to comment.

Juliet Kagno, who is NYRA’s safety steward, will fill the vacancy at the Aqueduct spring meet and for the Belmont at Aqueduct meet running from May 2 to July 7, The Jockey Club said, while the organization conducts an “international search for candidates.”

Tue, 04/23/2024 - 16:05

Kentucky Derby: HISA provides pre-race inspection team with new data-analytics tool

Lisa Lazarus U of A Sympoium Dec 5 2023
Race Track Industry Program/James S. Wood
According to Lisa Lazarus, the CEO of HISA, the new data-analytics tool is not "designed to say that this horse needs to be scratched. It’s designed to help the veterinarian do the best job that they can."

The veterinary team at Churchill Downs that is responsible for pre-race inspections has been provided with a new data-analytics tool that will generate risk-factor scores for horses that are entered in races at the track, according to officials of the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority.

Mon, 04/22/2024 - 10:35

Kentucky Downs owner agrees to buy Wyoming Downs

Emily Shields
Wyoming Downs will host a mixed meet of Thoroughbreds and Quarter Horses starting June 8 and ending Aug. 11.

The owner of Kentucky Downs and a partner have reached an agreement to purchase Wyoming Downs and all of its off-track betting parlors, the parties announced on Monday. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

ECL Entertainment, a company headed by Ron Winchell and Marc Falcone that owns Kentucky Downs and its associated casinos, is making the acquisition with the Clairvest Group, a Toronto-based private equity company. The partners previously acquired a charitable gaming facility in New Hampshire last year.

Sat, 04/13/2024 - 09:38

Owner, breeder Marty Wygod dies at 84

Barbara D. Livingston
Marty Wygod (left) and his wife Pam after Life Is Sweet won the 2009 Breeders' Cup Distaff.

Prominent owner and breeder Marty Wygod, breeder of this year’s Kentucky Derby candidate Resilience, died in his sleep Thursday night at Scripps Hospital in La Jolla, Calif., near his home in Rancho Santa Fe. He was 84.

Thu, 04/11/2024 - 17:09

Society Man gets new owners ahead of Kentucky Derby

Adam Coglianese/NYRA
Society Man earned a spot in the Kentucky Derby by finishing second in the Grade 2 Wood Memorial at Aqueduct.

Society Man will have some new owners when he runs in the Kentucky Derby, trainer Danny Gargan said Thursday.

Dean and Patti Reeves, who own Reeves Thoroughbred Racing, and Carl and Yurie Pascarella have bought part interest in the gelding who finished second at 106-1 in last Saturday’s Grade 2 Wood Memorial at Aqueduct. The horse will run in the Reeves’s dark green, white, and gold silks in the Derby, Gargan said.

Mon, 04/08/2024 - 20:22

Bill transferring Pimlico ownership to state passes in Maryland legislature

Barbara D. Livingston
Pimlico will be knocked and rebuilt, expected by 2026, when Maryland racing will held full time at the Baltimore racetrack.

The Maryland legislature on Monday approved a bill that will result in state ownership of Pimlico Racecourse in Baltimore and the creation of a non-profit company to run Thoroughbred racing in the state.

Fri, 04/05/2024 - 14:45

Trainer Lorenzo Ruiz suspended seven years for diisopropylamine use

Lorenzo Ruiz, a trainer based at Los Alamitos in Southern California, has been suspended a total of seven years and ordered to pay fines and costs of $95,000 for violations related to the finding of the banned vasodilator diisopropylamine in three of his horses last year, according to the Horseracing Integrity and Welfare Unit.

Fri, 04/05/2024 - 12:12

Total wagering on U.S. Thoroughbred races rises 1% in March

Total wagering in March on U.S. Thoroughbred races reversed recent month-over-month declines, posting a 1.0 percent gain despite a slight decline in the number of races held, according to figures distributed by Equibase on Friday.

Total wagering was $972.06 million, up $9.5 million when compared to the total wagering figure for March of last year. However, March of this year had 10 weekend dates, compared to eight in March of last year. Wagering on Thoroughbred races is generally far higher on weekends than on a weekdays.