Legislation that will give the California Horse Racing Board the authority to suspend a race meeting on short notice for issues related to equine safety moved closer to passage Thursday after approval by the state Assembly’s governmental organization committee.

Senate Bill 469 was passed by a unanimous vote of 19-0 by Thursday’s Assembly committee and will be forwarded to the Assembly’s appropriations committee. The legislation was approved by a unanimous vote of 38-0 in the state Senate on May 9.

ELMONT, N.Y. – The New York Racing Association will honor retired New York Yankees reliever Mariano Rivera on July 12 at Saratoga, the second day of the meet, and just a week before he is enshrined into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown.

NYRA will honor Rivera during a ceremony in the winner’s circle during the Saratoga card. Rivera is the all-time leader in saves and became the first player to be unanimously inducted into the Hall of Fame.

The Kentucky Horse Racing Commission has filed a motion to dismiss a federal lawsuit from Gary and Mary West disputing the disqualification of the couples’ horse, Maximum Security, from the Kentucky Derby on May 4.

The KHRC motion, filed June 8, states that the Wests have no legal foundation for seeking a court judgment to overturn the disqualification, citing the state’s rules regarding stewards’ decisions and legal precedent. Kentucky’s rules state that a decision of the stewards regarding interference in a race is final and cannot be appealed.

John McEvoy, former Midwest editor of Daily Racing Form and author of a series of horse racing mysteries, died Monday in Evanston Hospital near his home in Evanston, Ill. He was 83.

McEvoy covered Chicago’s Thoroughbred racing industry for years before becoming editor of the Midwest edition in 1979. In addition to producing a daily edition and coordinating coverage of the Midwest tracks for DRF, McEvoy mentored several younger editors and writers who went on to careers in horse racing.

The Stronach Group on Sunday rejected a request by the California Horse Racing Board to close its Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, Calif., for the remainder of its live meet, saying that the track plans to remain open for the final six days of racing.

1st – Sir Winston (7)
2nd – Tacitus (10)
3rd – Joevia (1)
4th – Tax (4)
5th – Master Fencer (3)
6th – Spinoff (6)
7th – Everfast (2)
8th – Intrepid Heart (8)
9th – War of Will (9)
10th – Bourbon War (5)

Trainer Bill Mott on Saturday morning said Tacitus was good to go for the Belmont Stakes. The colt was treated Friday with 30 CCs of acetylcysteine, according to the New York State Gaming Commission website, for what his veterinarian Saturday described as a "tiny, tiny bit of mucous."

"The best way to describe it is it's a prophylactic attempt to keep the airway clean," Dr. James Hunt said on Saturday morning of the treatment.

Hunt said he scoped Tacitus after training Friday. He described the amount of mucous as "very, very light."

ELMONT, N.Y. – A colt by Eskendereya out of the mare Indian Miss, equipped with blinkers, flying along on his wrong lead, zipped an eighth of a mile in 10 seconds at the Ocala Breeders’ Sales Company’s 2017 spring sale of 2-year-olds in training.

If you think he was fast then, you should see him now.

ELMONT, N.Y. – On the morning of Tuesday, May 28, at Keeneland, the Preakness Stakes winner War of Will went out for a gallop ridden by Declan. On Wednesday, it was David who took his turn exercising the colt. And this week in New York, where War of Will has shipped to try and win a second Triple Crown race, the Belmont Stakes, it will be Kim in the saddle for daily training.

ELMONT, N.Y. – Master Fencer walked for one hour Thursday morning outside his barn at Belmont Park, and his connections are confident there are no issues with the colt that would prevent him from running in the $1.5 million Belmont Stakes on June 8 at Belmont Park.

“Everything’s good,” said Mitsuoki Numamoto, part of the team here in New York overseeing Master Fencer’s preparations for trainer Koichi Tsunoda.