The California Horse Racing Board has canceled its monthly meeting at Santa Anita on Jan. 21 because of a lack of need, according to Rick Baedeker, executive director of the racing board.
There will be a final celebration of the historic year of Triple Crown winner American Pharoah when the 45th annual Eclipse Awards are held Saturday night here at Gulfstream Park, where American Pharoah is a shoo-in to be named Horse of the Year and champion 3-year-old male.
Owners descended on Gulfstream Park for the second OwnerView Conference to learn about racehorse ownership, and on the second day of the two-day affair on Wednesday they heard a lot about the great upside, and sometimes tragic downside, of racing.
The heavy favorite in his comeback Nov. 25 at Zia Park, International Star contested a slow pace but had nothing for the stretch run, finishing fourth in the Zia Park Derby. But owner Ken Ramsey believes there are better races to come, starting with the $75,000 Louisiana Stakes on Saturday at Fair Grounds.
The Delaware Racing Commission has approved an 81-day race meet for Delaware Park in 2016.
Charles Town has canceled its Thursday night card as the West Virginia track continues to repair a hole on the outer part of its racing surface that was caused by a drainage-pipe leak under the grandstand apron.
The Grade 3, $150,000 British Columbia Derby on Sept. 10 is the highlight of the 2016 Hastings meet. The 53-day meet begins April 17 with the $35,000 Sir Winston Churchill for 3-year-olds and up and the $35,000 Brighouse Belles for fillies and mares. There are 40 stakes totaling $2.57 million scheduled for the meet, which concludes Oct. 16.
The communities surrounding Belmont Park are prepared to go to court to fight a proposed video lottery terminal casino at the track.
The NFL is returning to the Los Angeles area and has chosen the site of shuttered Hollywood Park to construct a stadium that could be home to two teams for the 2019 season. On Tuesday, the league announced that the St. Louis Rams are returning to the Los Angeles area after a 20-year absence. League owners voted 30-2 to approve the move.
Frank Stronach, the owner of The Stronach Group racing company, has proposed the creation of a $12 million race that would be funded by a $1 million investment each from 12 individuals, according to the company.
