Beholder during her racing career compiled a record that seems worthy of first-ballot induction into the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame. On Wednesday, she came ever closer to that achievement when the four-time Eclipse Award winner and three-time Breeders’ Cup winner was announced by the Hall of Fame as one of the 11 finalists on this year’s contemporary ballot.

The embattled trainer Bob Baffert has filed a lawsuit in federal court in Kentucky alleging that Churchill Downs Inc. has violated the trainer’s due-process rights in banning him from its tracks through the 2023 Kentucky Derby, according to a court document.

In a suit filed in U.S. District Court for the Western District of Kentucky on Monday, Baffert’s attorneys claim that the ban has “unlawfully deprived and will continue to deprive Baffert of his right to due process of law … and his right to participate in horse racing in Kentucky under Kentucky law.”

A Kentucky district court will hear arguments on Wednesday morning on a motion filed by attorneys for the trainer Bob Baffert seeking an injunction that would prevent a 90-day suspension from going into effect next week.

Franklin Circuit Court Judge Thomas Wingate, who had earlier presided over hearings involving the case, will hear the arguments on 10:00 a.m. on Wednesday in Frankfort. Baffert’s attorneys filed a request for a temporary injunction on Monday, three days after the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission denied a stay of the suspension while Baffert appeals the ruling.

The New York Gaming Commission on Monday voted to remove a requirement that married jockeys be coupled in a race for wagering purposes, addressing a rarely invoked rule that created headlines a year ago.

The decision came a year after a bill that would have removed the requirement passed in the state legislature. However, that bill was vetoed by New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, who asked the commission to explore the issue as part of its rule-making authority.

OSCEOLA, Iowa – Lakeside Hotel and Casino in Osceola, Iowa, announced Feb. 28 that its first fully owned sportsbook, DRF Sportsbook, will open March 3. The new DRF Sportsbook is run by Lakeside’s sister company, Daily Racing Form, a leading provider of premium data and authoritative editorial coverage to sports and horse racing enthusiasts in North America, and DRF, one of America's fastest-growing online and mobile wagering platforms.

LEXINGTON, Ky. – The Kentucky Horse Racing Commission on Friday denied a stay of a 90-day suspension its stewards issued to the trainer Bob Baffert, the KHRC confirmed on Friday. The KHRC also denied a stay of a separate decision to disqualify the Baffert-trained Medina Spirit from last year’s Kentucky Derby.

Trainer Marcos Zulueta, one of more than two dozen individuals connected to racing who were indicted in 2020, was sentenced on Thursday to 33 months in prison after pleading guilty to one count of adulteration and misbranding of drugs with intent to defraud, according to court documents.

Zulueta, a 53-year-old native of Cuba, was ordered by Judge Mary Kay Vyskocil of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York to report to prison on May 24, according to the documents. He was also sentenced to one year of parole after being released.

The California Horse Racing Board has completed a review of the post-mortem report examining the sudden death of Medina Spirit without finding “any potential CHRB violations,” the CHRB said in a news release issued Thursday.

The post-mortem report was completed nearly two weeks ago but did not identify a conclusive cause of death for the 3-year-old colt, who collapsed and died on Dec. 6 at Santa Anita just after finishing a five-furlong workout. The report did say that the most likely cause of death was a heart attack or heart condition.

WHO’S HOT

The light bulb went on with Epicenter after just one race. It’s been a slower burn with Chasing Time. Epicenter last week, in the Risen Star Stakes at Fair Grounds, won the first Kentucky Derby prep worth 50 points to the winner, and on Saturday Chasing Time will try to keep pace in the second, the Grade 2, $1 million Rebel at Oaklawn.