A diminishing pool of runners is a double-edged sword for those involved in racing. Racetracks need runners – lots of them – to fill daily cards and generate the handle needed to be successful. From the standpoint of a racehorse owner, however, fewer runners means less competition and a greater chance to win purse money.
The Jockey Club has released the 2014 edition of its industry Fact Book on its website, as well as individual Fact Books for many states and Canadian provinces.
The New York Gaming Commission on Wednesday unanimously approved a rule requiring horsemen to notify track personnel within 72 hours of a horse being gelded ontrack, during a meeting in which the commission also approved a rule allowing Standardbred horses to be administered clenbuterol up to 96 hours before a race.
The New York Gaming Commission on Wednesday afternoon will consider a rule requiring horsemen to notify track personnel within 72 hours of gelding a horse if the horse is gelded on-track, according to a listing of agenda items added to the commission’s website.
Ohio’s two northern Thoroughbred tracks will run a coordinated year-round racing schedule with at least 200 live race cards a year beginning in 2015 under a 10-year deal the tracks have reached with the state’s horsemen, the tracks and horsemen’s organization said Monday.
David Skorton, chairman of the New York Racing Association’s Reorganization Board, has been hired to head the Smithsonian Institution beginning in summer 2015, the Smithsonian and Skorton’s current employer, Cornell University in New York, announced Monday.
Arlington announced Friday it would offer purse bonuses to Illinois-bred horses in a variety of races at its upcoming 2014 race meet.
Aqueduct – its present and future – was a major topic at Wednesday’s 90-minute meeting of NYRA’s Reorganization Board in Manhattan. By April 2015, the board must submit to state officials a long-term plan for New York racing, and the future of Aqueduct is a key component in that plan.
Handle on U.S. Thoroughbred races dropped 4.1 percent in February when compared to the same month last year due in large part to a 5.1 percent drop in the number of race days, according to figures released Wednesday by Equibase.
Mark Gearan, the president since 1999 of Hobart and William Smith Colleges in Geneva, N.Y., was confirmed to be the new chairman of the New York Gaming Commission by the state Senate on Tuesday.
