Board members of the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority have elected Charles Scheeler, a retired attorney who once led an investigation into performance-enhancing substances in Major League Baseball, as chairman, according to the organization.
At Witz End has not raced since January, and has not won since August. But the venue and distance of his most recent victory gives At Witz End a sneaky chance to end a five-race losing streak in a seven-furlong handicap at Casino Racecourse in the state of New South Wales in Australia on Friday.
Two allies of the horse-racing industry have been appointed the co-chairs of a Kentucky legislative committee that will examine the amount of taxes that racetracks pay to the state from gambling devices known as historical horse-racing machines.
The Florida Senate on Wednesday passed a bill that will allow racetracks other than Gulfstream Park and Tampa Bay Downs to cease live racing without giving up their casino licenses.
The National Thoroughbred Racing Association has partnered with the University of Kentucky and the Racing Surface Testing Laboratory to launch a three-day online curriculum focusing on the cultivation and maintenance of turf courses, the partners announced on Friday.
Steve Beshear, the former governor of Kentucky, and several racing-industry stalwarts have been selected to be board members of the nascent Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority, the organization announced on Wednesday.
Bolstered by a rare April running of the Kentucky Oaks, total handle on U.S. Thoroughbred races in April of this year was $1.10 billion, according to figures released on Wednesday by Equibase, an amount that compared favorably to the same month two years ago, prior to the coronavirus pandemic.
The Jockey Club announced Tuesday that it will begin publishing the American Racing Manual with the 2021 edition, which will be made available free on its website as part of its online Fact Book.
The NBC-TV broadcast of the Kentucky Derby on Saturday had a 7.1 rating and a 22 share, according to the network, figures that represent a decline from the broadcast of the race in 2019, the last time it was held on the first Saturday in May.
The Kentucky Horse Racing Commission will consider a rule next month limiting riders to six overhand whip strikes in a race after its rules committee on Monday approved the proposed regulation.
