The fate of complex gambling legislation in Florida involving a compact between the state and the Seminole Indian Tribe remained unclear as one of two state legislative committees postponed debate on the issue Tuesday.
The number of horses testing positive for the equine herpesvirus at Sunland Park in New Mexico continues to climb, but Turf Paradise in Arizona has announced that it plans to lift its quarantine at the end of next week after reporting to health officials that no horses there have exhibited symptoms of the disease since a horse was euthanized nearly two weeks ago.
Continuing a program it began in late December for Parx horsemen, the New York Racing Association will offer free vanning for horsemen based at Laurel Park who want to run at Aqueduct from Feb. 19 to March 10. Laurel is not racing during that period.
Trainer Gary Contessa on Monday began serving a seven-day suspension for a drug violation incurred nearly two years ago at Tampa Bay Downs.
Trainer Bill McLean won his 1,000th race Sunday at Golden Gate Fields when Kyle Frey guided Moogie Woogie ($11) through an opening in the upper stretch and guided the 5-year-old gelding to a neck victory in a four-way photo in a $12,500 claiming race at one mile.
Handle on horse races throughout California declined in 2015, but the sport showed a slight increase in the number of racing days and average field size, according to an annual report published last week by the California Horse Racing Board.
The spread of equine herpesvirus from Sunland Park in New Mexico, where 49 horses have tested positive, to other states, has led Remington Park in Oklahoma to delay the opening of its stable area for the Quarter Horse meet that is set to begin March 11.
Florida Thoroughbred interests spent Friday lobbying at the state capitol as legislators began negotiating wide-ranging gambling bills that could include language allowing racetracks to drop their parimutuel operations while retaining their licenses for casino-type games, according to state officials.
Wagering on U.S. races in January was up 2.2 percent over betting on U.S. races in January 2015, while the number of races held during the month fell 6.1 percent, according to figures released Thursday by Equibase.
Penn National Gaming Inc., the operator of 27 gambling facilities in the U.S. and Canada, had revenue of $2.84 billion in 2015, according to the company, but it has yet to release any net income figures for the year due to a need to restate its financial statements.
