AmTote, the bet-processing company owned by the privately held Stronach Group, has won a bid to take over all wagering services in the state of California from rival Sportech, according to officials, with the changeover set for sometime this fall.
Wagering on races in Maryland declined slightly in 2014, according to figures released by the Maryland Jockey Club.
Even though Keeneland has bought out Turf Catering, its food supplier and preparer since the opening of the track in 1936, the recipes for its signature dishes, including its bread pudding and burgoo, will remain in the hands of the track’s kitchen staff.
Tampa Bay Downs has reached an agreement to buy a dormant dog track approximately 15 miles away in order to keep the facility’s simulcast operation up and running, Tampa Bay Downs’s general manager said on Wednesday.
Work All Week started his campaign in an Oaklawn allowance race, and won it. He ended his campaign in the Breeders’ Cup Sprint, and won that, too. He ran five times on dirt and won every time, and Work All Week’s high-quality 2014 season has made him an Eclipse Award finalist in the category of champion sprinter.
Eleventh of 14 and eighth of 16. Those were Karakontie’s finishes in his two races before he traveled from France for the Breeders’ Cup Mile at Santa Anita.
No filly or mare got closer to Untapable in 2014 than Sweet Reason, who was beaten just one length in the $1 million Cotillion Stakes. Such was the versatility of Sweet Reason that she also is an Eclipse Award finalist among female sprinters. On dirt, she was the only filly in the nation to win two Grade 1 stakes at distances up to a mile.
Though his stable boasted the smallest roster of the three Eclipse Award finalists for outstanding owner, Kaleem Shah’s runners made their starts count, highlighted by a trip to the Santa Anita winner’s circle by star colt Bayern following his Breeders’ Cup Classic score.
Joel Rosario played a key role in the most important upset of 2014, guiding Tonalist to victory over Triple Crown hopeful California Chrome in the Belmont Stakes. Rosario’s season also included teaming with the top-class Close Hatches and notching a Breeders’ Cup win with Bobby’s Kitten. For his year, Rosario is a finalist for the Eclipse Award for outstanding jockey of 2014.
