Sat, 06/21/2025 - 20:00

Three five-digit carryovers on Sunday's Laurel Park program

Barbara D. Livingston
All nine favorites went down at Laurel Park on Saturday and only two winners went off at odds under 5-1.

Sunday's card at Laurel Park will offer five-digit carryovers for three wagers after several upsets stumped bettors on Saturday.

The Early Pick 5 leads with a $58,193 carryover, though it could again be the most challenging bet.

All nine favorites went down on Saturday and only two winners went off at odds under 5-1, undoubtedly creating value in individual race bets but making multi-race wagers increasingly difficult.

Sat, 06/21/2025 - 12:44

Excessive heat leads to cancellations, schedule changes

With excessive heat blanketing the Midwest and eastern United States and Canada, numerous tracks have adjusted their schedules or canceled cards for the next few days.

The following is a list of changes:

Sunday
Canterbury Park – canceled
Hawthorne – canceled
Woodbine – First post moved to 4 p.m. Eastern

Monday
Finger Lakes – canceled
Parx Racing – canceled

Tuesday
Parx Racing – canceled

Wednesday
Delaware Park – canceled

Sat, 06/21/2025 - 12:32

Canterbury Park, amid excessive heat, cancels card for second consecutive day

Coady Photography
Canterbury Park has canceled its Sunday night card due to excessive heat.

Canterbury Park in Shakopee, Minn., has canceled Sunday night’s card because of excessive heat, marking the second consecutive day of cancellations.

On Saturday, Canterbury cancelled racing with the heat index reaching 109 in Shakopee and originally rescheduled Sunday’s program from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. However, the forecast still projects a dangerous level of heat well into the evening, forcing another cancellation.

Thu, 06/19/2025 - 16:50

California Horse Racing Board denies NoCal dates requests a third time

Benoit Photo
After 4-3 votes against dates requests for Ferndale and Fresno, Bill Nader of the Thoroughbred Owners of California, said "We tried to see eye to eye with this application and we just couldn’t get there."

The California Horse Racing Board on Thursday voted against proposals for race meetings later this year at county fairs in Fresno and Ferndale, the third time in as many months the board has opposed attempts to restart racing in that part of the state.

After a contentious discussion regarding a six-day season on weekends at Ferndale from Oct. 11-26, the board rejected the proposal by a vote of 4-3. Less than an hour later, the Fresno proposal, for seven days of racing from Sept. 19 to Oct. 1, was defeated, 4-3.

Thu, 06/19/2025 - 09:47

Navarro released from prison

Barbara D. Livingston
Ex-trainer Jorge Navarro at Belmont Park in 2017.

Jorge Navarro, a leading trainer in the mid-Atlantic who was one of the most high-profile individuals to be swept up in a wide-ranging investigation into drug use in Thoroughbred and Standardbred racing, was released from a federal prison in Miami on Wednesday. 

Navarro served a little over three years of a five-year sentence after pleading guilty to a count of conspiracy to distribute and administer misbranded drugs. Legislation passed in 2018 allows federal inmates to earn credits against their sentence for early release. 

Tue, 06/17/2025 - 15:39

Churchill Downs Inc. agrees to run 2025-26 Fair Grounds meet

Barbara D. Livingston
The exact dates and other details of the 2025-26 Fair Grounds meet will be addressed at next Tuesday's meeting of the Louisiana Racing Commission.

Churchill Downs Inc. has decided to run a 2025-26 meet at its Fair Grounds racetrack in New Orleans after “constructive conversations” with the state’s governor and a local state senator, the company said on Tuesday.

Tue, 06/17/2025 - 13:03

Borell withdraws request for Kentucky training license

Barbara D. Livingston
By withdrawing the application, Borell will not have a rejected license on her record.

Maria Borell, the trainer of 2015 Champion Sprinter Runhappy who became embroiled in a career-altering legal controversy in 2016, withdrew a license application to the Kentucky Horse Racing and Gaming Corporation on Tuesday after the board’s license review committee indicated it would reject the application.

Tue, 06/17/2025 - 11:22

ICE raids Delta Downs in search of undocumented workers

Coady Media
Delta Downs is in the midst of a live racing meet for Quarter Horses, but Tuesday is a dark day at the track.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement has shut down all exits and entrances to Delta Downs in Vinton, Louisiana, as it conducts a raid of the track’s backstretch in search of undocumented laborers, according to officials with knowledge of the situation. 

ICE officers arrived at the track mid-morning, according to the officials, and quickly barred the exits and shut down the roads connecting to the track. A number of backstretch workers were “apprehended,” according to Eric Hamelback, the chief executive officer of the National Horsemen’s Benevolent and Protective Association. 

Fri, 06/13/2025 - 11:54

Churchill confirms talks to reach Fair Grounds resolution

Barbara D. Livingston
Churchill Downs Inc. officials are meeting with Louisiana officials on an agreement that would avert the company’s plan to seek the end of live racing at Fair Grounds.

Churchill Downs Inc. officials are involved in “active discussions” with officials in Louisiana on an agreement that would avert the company’s plan to seek the end of live racing at Fair Grounds racetrack in New Orleans, the company confirmed Friday.

In a response to questions, CDI said in a statement Friday morning that Gov. Jeff Landry has taken “direct involvement” in the discussions and that the company is “engaged in active discussions with the Louisiana Racing Commission and the horsemen with the aim of reaching a resolution that is favorable to all of the stakeholders.”

Fri, 06/13/2025 - 09:00

It's official. Belmont will be run at Saratoga in 2026

Sovereignty.Junior Alvarado Belmont winner's circle at SAR June 7 2025
Barbara D. Livingston
Sovereignty won the Belmont Stakes at Saratoga last Saturday, the second time the race was run at the track.

Making official what had been widely known for a long time, the Belmont Stakes will be held in Saratoga in 2026 and run at 1 1/4 miles, the third straight year the third leg of the Triple Crown will be held at the upstate New York track.

The Belmont, typically run at 1 1/2 miles at Belmont Park, has been run at Saratoga since 2024 due to the renovation of Belmont Park. That track, in Elmont, N.Y., is expected to re-open in September 2026 and the Belmont Stakes will return to Belmont in the spring of 2027.