SCHENECTADY, N.Y. – While admitting that it “would be more than fair’’ to suggest he has had a checkered past, Richard Dutrow Jr. said Friday that he has never drugged a horse, is proud of what he has accomplished as a horse trainer, and believes he has been good for the sport of Thoroughbred racing.

Now, Dutrow must hope members of the New York State Racing and Wagering Board agree.

The racehorse Duke of Magenta, jockey Shelby "Pike" Barnes, and trainer Matthew Byrnes - all of whom were nationally prominent in the latter part of the 1800's - were announced on Friday by the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame as having been selected for induction by the Hall's historic review committee.

The historic review committee reviews horses, trainers, and jockeys whose careers ended more than 25 years ago.

Duke of Magenta won the Preakness and Belmont Stakes in 1878, a year in which he won 11 of 12 starts.

President of Dogwood Stable, which has been an industry leader since pioneering the now-popular concept of racing partnerships some 40 years ago.

Birthdate: Sept. 27, 1927, in New Orleans

Family: wife, Anne; daughters, Lila, Cary

SCHENECTADY, N.Y. - The investigation that led to the finding of three loaded syringes in trainer Richard Dutrow Jr.’s Aqueduct barn last Nov. 3 was part of a training exercise and not a pre-ordered, fully orchestrated barn search, according to testimony offered Thursday by the New York State Racing and Wagering Board’s director of investigations.

The field flashed past the stands for the first time during the Preakness Stakes on May 21.

“So the two speeds hook up,” called the track announcer, as Flashpoint on the inside and Shackleford to his outside separated themselves from the other 12 contestants.

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – On a mostly bright, sun-splashed, and pleasant Wednesday morning in Saratoga, some horsemen couldn’t help but wonder about the storm clouds hanging over trainer Richard Dutrow Jr. some 25 miles away in a tiny boardroom at the offices of the New York State Racing and Wagering Board.

“So what happened to Dutrow?” one horseman asked a visitor to the backstretch, which was a horse-hive of activity considering the meet is seven weeks away.

CHICAGO – Gaming-expansion legislation passed by the Illinois legislature on Monday and Tuesday allowing racetracks to open slot-machine casinos would provide a desperately needed boost to the racing industry here, but probably would not provide enough revenue to entirely reshape the racing landscape in Illinois.

A day after the Illinois House of Representatives gave its assent, the Illinois Senate passed gaming-expansion legislation early Tuesday evening, sending the bill on to Gov. Pat Quinn. The bill would bring slot machines to Illinois’s struggling racetracks, and after years of attempting to convince state government to legalize racinos, the racing industry has gotten closer than ever before to its goal. Quinn has 60 days to sign or veto the bill.

The Jockey Club is funding the hiring of two new public-relations officials at the National Thoroughbred Racing Association and the relocation of the NTRA's employees to the Jockey Club's office in New York City, according to the NTRA.

The funding is being provided to help the NTRA in its efforts to stimulate coverage of racing in mainstream media outlets, according to Eric Wing, a spokesman for the NTRA. Already, the NTRA has hired Stephen Panus, a sports and marketing consultant, as its new vice president of communications. Panus will start on June 6, Wing said.

Jerry Jamgotchian, a California-based owner, said on Tuesday that he will file a lawsuit challenging the so-called “jail time” rule in Kentucky – restricting horses from starting at tracks other than where they were claimed – after a horse he claimed recently at Churchill Downs was denied entry at Penn National in Pennsylvania.