photo by: Barbara D. Livingston

The list of horses to win the Breeders’ Cup Ladies’ Classic twice is a very short one: Bayakoa (1989-90) and Royal Delta (2011-12).

Lin Wheeler, the son of Hall of Fame trainer Robert Wheeler and a successful trainer in his own right, died on Saturday at his home in Coarsegold, Calif., from a long illness at the age of 70, his sister, Sidney, said Tuesday.

The New York Court of Appeals has ruled for the second time in three months that it will not hear an appeal by trainer Richard Dutrow Jr. of a 10-year suspension handed down by New York regulators in late 2011, dealing what could be a fatal blow to Dutrow’s career.

Nick Nicholson, the former president of Keeneland Association, has been selected to receive the Eclipse Award of Merit, one of racing’s highest honors, the organizers of the Eclipse Awards announced Monday.

The Illinois Department of Agriculture has set Jan. 9 as a target date for lifting a state-imposed quarantine on Hawthorne Race Course due to an outbreak of equine herpesvirus, but Hawthorne horsemen hoping to race at other venues over the winter are increasingly finding limited options.

photo by: Justin N. Lane

An Eclipse Award finalist at age 2, and again tonight for champion 3-year-old male, Union Rags for two consecutive seasons ranked among the elite of his generation. He was a Grade 1 winner both years, including the Belmont Stakes in 2012.

Countdown to the Crown returns for its eighth season as one of the most comprehensive handicapper’s scouting reports of the 3-year-old scene. Posted each Friday at DRF.com from Jan. 4 through the Belmont Stakes, Countdown keeps you apprised of the rising stars of the 3-year-old class from the maiden ranks through the Grade 1 stakes. You can access daily updates, opinions, and interactive features at Countdowntothecrown.com as well.

Straight from the gate

Keeneland Association has reached an agreement to become an “official partner” of the Eclipse Awards ceremony, scheduled for Jan. 19 at Gulfstream Park in Hallandale, Fla., the event’s organizers announced on Thursday.

Under the agreement, any connections that recipients of Eclipse Awards have to Keeneland will be announced during the ceremony, the organizers said. For example, if a horse nominated  for an Eclipse Award was sold at a Keeneland auction, that sale will be announced.

A former employee of a group that supervised the treatment of animals on the set of the canceled HBO production “Luck” has sued the group and the production company, alleging that she was terminated in retaliation for raising concerns about possible animal abuse.