Twilight racing kicks off Friday at Emerald Downs with a seasoned, well-matched field of older horses going a mile in a $15,000 claiming race.
The most experienced of these routers is the 8-year-old gelding Dirt Road Red. With 14 wins in 59 career starts, he went winless in three races as a 2-year-old at Emerald before running on the Southwest and Northern California circuits for the next four years, achieving sporadic success.
Virginia’s sports betting market is still on an upward trajectory.
The Virginia Lottery’s April revenue report showed the state accepted $609.7 million in wagers, 8% higher than the $563.5 million a year ago.
Adjusted gross revenue was $56.1 million, a 2.8% increase year-over-year.
Ohio Gov. Mike Dewine is not too keen on adding online casinos to the state’s growing gambling market. He shared his concerns with Cleveland.com last week.
“Just so everybody understands, this would be 24-7. Anybody who’s got an iPhone could basically have a casino there. And the potential for addiction is just massive.”
Illinois sports betting operators are going to have to deal with an unexpected tax hike in the Land of Lincoln.
The Illinois state government approved a budget plan late Saturday that changes the tax structure on sports betting from a percent on total wagers to a per-bet tax on every wager.
The tax will hit the largest sports betting operators, DraftKings and FanDuel, the hardest since they accept the most bets in Illinois.
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Baeza was all the buzz in the weeks leading up to the Kentucky Derby. A potential victim of the tweaking of qualifying rules by Churchill Downs left Baeza on the Derby fence even through entry day, when he was relegated to the also-eligible list.
Two days before the race, when Rodriguez was scratched from the Kentucky Derby due to a bruised foot, Baeza, the Santa Anita Derby runner-up, drew into the field. Baeza validated all the angst of his potential exclusion with a solid third-place finish behind Sovereignty and Journalism in the Kentucky Derby.
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – If Itsallcomintogetha does not win the Kingston Stakes on Wednesday at Saratoga it won’t be because the trainer doesn’t know his horse.
Phil Serpe trains homebred Itsallcomintogetha for Mike Hills’s Hilly Fields Stable. He trained Itsallcomintogetha’s dam, Ladywell Court, and Itsallcomintogetha’s five siblings that raced. He trained Ladywell Court’s dam, Commander’s Lady, and Serpe trained Ladywell Court’s two siblings.
“Itsallcomintogetha is by Weekend Hideaway,” Serpe said. “I trained him, too.”
There are some out there who don’t believe in the phenomenon of “seconditis” in horse racing. Those skeptics should avoid Gulfstream Park on Thursday until the 4-year-old colt Catalytic runs in a one-mile $57,000 allowance.
In eight career starts, Saffie Joseph Jr.’s classy runner has a maiden victory on debut, a 19th-place finish in the Kentucky Derby, and six runner-up performances. A beaten favorite in his last four races going back to July of 2024, he is 8-5 on the morning line Thursday.
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Cherie DeVaux believes the best is yet to come for her 4-year-old turf miler Depiction. If his best begins to show itself Thursday in the Grade 3, $300,000 Poker Stakes at Saratoga, bettors might be able to cash in at a nice price in a seemingly wide-open race.
Thursday's card will open with a $55,492 carryover in the $1 pick six after the wager went unhit Wednesday. The sequence begins in Race 5.
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – There was no bigger proponent of New York racing or the New York-bred program than Christophe Clement. The French-born trainer, who raced in New York for 33 years, won a plethora of stakes with the likes of Lubash, Disco Partner, Therapist, and City Man, all New York-bred millionaires.
Clement died on May 24 after a battle with cancer. The stable is now being run by Miguel Clement, Christophe’s 34-year-old son, who will look to keep the legacy of statebred success going with Drake’s Passage in Wednesday’s $200,000 Commentator Stakes at Saratoga.
