Delaware Park bars Gill

Delaware Park has banned Michael Gill and his horses from the track "effective immediately," Gill said on Thursday.

"I'm not allowed on the grounds or allowed to make an entry," Gill said, citing a letter he received from Delaware this week and that he provided to Daily Racing Form.

The letter cites a section of Delaware racing rules that allows a track, "solely of its own volition," to determine who has access to the grounds. The letter is signed by William Fasy, the track's chief operating officer.

Sam Abbey, the racing secretary at Delaware Park, declined to comment on Gill or the letter on Thursday. He said all comments would have to come from Fasy, who did not return phone calls on Thursday.

Gill attracted criticism from horsemen at Delaware Park last year and at Gulfstream Park this winter for aggressively claiming horses. Gill was also ruled off in New Hampshire in 1995 for three years for a drug violation.

Gill said he was going to sue Delaware Park racing officials for defamation and for "unfair business practices." He said the lawsuits would be filed next week.

Courts have generally upheld a racetrack's power to exclude, as long as the track does not discriminate against a person based on age, sex, race, or religion.