While the search for a new president and CEO for the New York Racing Association continues judiciously, the breadth of the job was illustrated by myriad topics discussed at Thursday’s meeting of the company’s Reorganization Board.
Tom Ludt, the president of Vinery Farms and the chairman of Breeders’ Cup Ltd., has been hired by the Stronach Group as a senior vice president and will focus on the company’s relationships with horsemen and bettors, Ludt said Thursday.
The filly Overreach confirmed her status as Australia’s top 2-year-old with her victory in Saturday’s $3.640 million Golden Slipper Stakes, the world’s richest race for 2-year-olds, at Rosehill Gardens racecourse.
Recent efforts by Thoroughbred racetracks to charge horsemen for stalls have been met with fierce resistance by trainers, many of whom contend the efforts are a violation of an age-old policy granting horsemen free stabling and training in exchange for entering races.
Wagering on U.S. races in March was nearly identical to the handle figure for March of last year, while race days fell marginally, down 1.78 percent, according to figures released by Equibase on Thursday.
A company controlled by Gulfstream Park that recently received a Thoroughbred racing permit for the track has asked the state’s Division of Pari-Mutuel Wagering to clarify whether the company needs an agreement with horsemen and breeders in order to obtain a license to operate slot machines.
Churchill Downs Inc. has reached an agreement to buy a casino that opened less than a year ago in Oxford, Maine, for $160 million, the company announced on Friday.
Keeneland announced Tuesday that Julie Cauthen has been named to the newly created position of director of owner and client development. Cauthen will be tasked with expanding Keeneland’s efforts domestically to draw new owners to the Thoroughbred industry and managing relationships with existing Keeneland clients.
The three finalists for the seventh annual Dr. Tony Ryan Book Award were announced on Monday, narrowing the field down from a group of seven semi-finalists.
A racing industry group that devises recommendations for U.S. medication policies on Tuesday approved withdrawal times and threshold levels for four therapeutic medications, completing a process to establish the parameters for a list of 24 therapeutic drugs that will be allowed to be administered to racehorses under new model rules.
