Calder, horsemen reach short-term agreement

Calder Race Course and Florida’s horsemen have reached a temporary agreement that will restore the track’s signal at out-of-state simulcast sites and on account-wagering operations, officials for the track said on Thursday.

The two sides reached the short-term agreement on Thursday morning, allowing some sites and ADW operators to offer Calder’s card that afternoon. The agreement expires on June 2, giving Calder and its horsemen three weeks to work out a long-term deal.

Calder, owned by Churchill Downs Inc., has been operating without a contract with its horsemen since May 3, when a different short-term extension expired. Without the contract in place, Calder no longer had approval to send its signal to out-of-state sites or account-wagering operators. The track cut its purses by 20 percent across the board as a result.

Negotiations over a long-term contract have been bogged down over a discussion on the ability of Calder horsemen to race horses at Gulfstream Park without ramifications later this year. Gulfstream Park and Calder plan to race head to head as of July 1.

Calder’s policy is to ban a horse from returning to its grounds if the horse runs in a race at a competing track. Horsemen’s officials have said that they are seeking the permanent suspension of the rule.

A previous version of this article incorrectly stated the expiration date of the deal between Calder Race Course and Florida Horsemen. It is June 2, not May 31.