All-sources wagering at the Churchill Downs fall meet that ended Sunday averaged $5.02 million per card, which is slightly less than what was handled in 2017, the last time a Breeders' Cup was not held here.
The mutuel field, the 24th or “all others” option, closed as usual as a decisive favorite in Pool 1 of the 2020 Kentucky Derby Future Wager, which closed Sunday at 6 p.m. Eastern after a four-day wagering window.
Richard Ury, a second-generation horseman who rode and trained Thoroughbreds in his 20s and 30s, died Friday in Hot Springs, Ark. He was 84.
Koa, a 3-year-old gelding who had finished second in an upper-level allowance sprint at Del Mar on Nov. 14, was euthanized on Saturday morning after being injured in a workout, track officials reported.
The Kentucky Equine Drug Research Council, an offshoot of the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission, on Monday voted in favor of a proposal to phase out some raceday administrations of the anti-bleeding medication Lasix.
Trainer Brian Lynch has been suspended 30 days and fined $500 after one of his horses, Into a Hot Spot, tested positive for a Class B medication following a victory in a $20,000 maiden-claiming race on May 16 at Churchill Downs.
Bolstered by revenues from electronic gambling devices, purses on the Kentucky circuit have soared over the past two years, to levels surpassing the average purses at California and comparable to purses at New York tracks for most of the year.
A conference focused on equine safety and health issues has been scheduled for the summer of 2020 at its regular location, the sales pavilion at Keeneland Racecourse in Lexington, Ky., according to the organizers.
The California Horse Racing Board is preparing a wide-ranging list of policy changes to present to Governor Gavin Newsom that include greater transparency in the reporting of medication violations, an expansion of funding for veterinary services, and greater access to veterinary records.
The Kentucky Equine Drug Research Council, an offshoot of the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission, has scheduled a meeting for early Friday morning to discuss a proposal for a limited phaseout of the raceday use of Lasix, three weeks after the council killed the exact same proposal.
