A memorial service for Al Scotti will be held on April 15 at Our Lady of Victory Church in Floral Park, N.Y. at 10:30 a.m.

Scotti, a former jockey, trainer, and jockey agent, died on March 31. He was 86.

Scotti was the leading apprentice rider in 1956 and trained several notable horses such as Linda’s Chief, a 10-time stakes winner, Laughing Bridge, winner of the 1974 Adirondack and Schuylerville, and Vent Du Nord, a five-time stakes winner in North America.

Scotti was a long-time jockey agent who booked mounts for his nephew Mike Venezia and Jose Espinoza.

ARCADIA, Calif. – Jockey Corey Nakatani was asked Wednesday morning about his record in the Kentucky Derby, and answered just how you would expect the typically blunt Nakatani to answer.

“I suck,” he said.

Then he laughed.

“I guess the good thing is people know I have the ability to ride in the race,” Nakatani said. “The positive is that I’ve ridden in the Derby 16 times. I really do think there’s one with my name on it. Look at my idol, Laffit Pincay Jr. He just won it once. Pat Day won it once, and both had had multiple opportunities to win.”

Racing Commissioners International on Tuesday gave its final approval to a list of recommended regulations covering 24 drugs that will be allowed to be administered to racehorses for therapeutic purposes, capping a two-year effort to set the stage for the potential adoption of uniform rules on the substances.

New Mexico Gov. Susana Martinez signed legislation Tuesday that will enable the state’s racing commission to levy fines of as much as $100,000 for racing violations and that will steer $700,000 in parimutuel taxes to the state’s drug-testing program.

ARCADIA, Calif. – Like the NCAA basketball tournament, the road to the Kentucky Derby has its own version of March Madness, with the regionals last weekend in Louisiana, Florida, and Dubai each producing finalists. This week, attention turns to California and New York, then next week to Kentucky and Arkansas. Call it April Anxiety.

[DERBY WATCH: Top 20 Kentucky Derby contenders with odds and video]

ARCADIA, Calif.- Funeral services were held on Sunday for Gary Hallman, a professional gambler who bred and owned horses through his Winning Ways Stable, according to his stepson, trainer Peter Miller.

Hallman fought cancer and died on Thursday at his Monrovia, Calif., home, not far from Santa Anita. He was 74, Miller said.

As an owner Hallman owned such runners as Spirited Susan, the winner of the 1991 CTBA Marian Stakes at Fairplex Park; and Spirited Jaclyn, who won the Great Lady M and Valkyr handicaps at Hollywood Park in 1998.

Revolutionary, winner of the Louisiana Derby on Saturday, will ship to WinStar Farm in Kentucky along with New Orleans Handicap winner Graydar for a few days before moving on to Churchill Downs later in the week. Both horses are owned, in part, by WinStar.

Revolutionary was awarded a Beyer Speed Figure of 93 for his neck win over Mylute in the Louisiana Derby.

BOYNTON BEACH, Fla. - Less than 13 hours after winning Saturday’s $1 million Florida Derby at Gulfstream Park aboard Orb, jockey John Velazquez was at the Palm Meadows training center Sunday morning to guide the undefeated 3-year-old Verrazano through his final workout leading up to next Saturday’s $1 million Wood Memorial at Aqueduct.

Longer races, synthetic tracks would benefit horses

TORONTO – Ontario’s legislature adopted a motion Thursday that would extend the slots-at-racetracks program beyond Sunday’s closing deadline and require referendums before new casinos are built in the province.

The motion, introduced by Taras Natyshak, a New Democratic Party member of provincial parliament, was backed by the NDP and Progressive Conservatives in a 53-33 vote.

The motion is not binding on the ruling Liberal government, but does make official the opposition’s position on the province’s gaming policy.