LEXINGTON, Ky. -- Handle on gambling devices in Kentucky casinos that generate money for purse subsidies was up 23.4 percent in July compared to July of last year, despite limitations on the number of available devices due to the COVID-19 pandemic, according to figures released by the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission on Friday.

Unprecedented television coverage of horse racing during the COVID-19 pandemic has led to significant gains in business metrics for both networks and betting companies affiliated with racing over the past five months, according to officials of the New York Racing Association and the FOX family of television networks.

Total wagering on Thoroughbred races held at U.S. racetracks in July was up 16.6 percent, or $156 million, compared to the same month last year despite a significant decline in the number of races held during the month, according to figures released by Equibase on Wednesday.

Total handle in July was $1.1 billion, according to the figures, for a per-race average of $335,044. Last year in July, total handle was $942 million, for a per-race average of $251,802, a difference of 33 percent when compared to the average figure this July.

The Jockey Club Round Table conference is now officially a virtual event.

On Tuesday, The Jockey Club announced that the annual conference will be streamed live on the organization’s website on Sunday, Aug. 16, rather than held at its usual location, the Gideon-Putnam Hotel in Saratoga Springs, N.Y. The event also will be simulcast on TVG, The Jockey Club said.

Shannon Luce, a spokeswoman for the organization, said that speakers will appear on the feed from remote locations. An agenda for the Round Table has not yet been finalized, Luce said.

LEXINGTON, Ky. -- A Kentucky circuit court judge has vacated a previous order to throw out a lawsuit filed by a group representing the state’s horsemen over the issue of raceday Lasix, saying that the suit should proceed on its merits.

Judge Thomas Wingate of Franklin County Circuit Court issued the ruling on Friday, saying that the Kentucky Horsemen’s Benevolent and Protective Association was not given “adequate time” to argue that it had standing in the lawsuit prior to a May 27 hearing.

Two recent takedowns of jackpot pools in California by the operators of computer-assisted wagering programs have swung the spotlight back on an issue that continues to frustrate many horseplayers despite the longtime presence of the programs in parimutuel pools worldwide.

Churchill Downs Inc. posted a net loss of $118.8 million in the second quarter of 2020, with revenue for the company cratering due to the postponement of the Kentucky Derby until the third quarter and widespread closures of casino properties across the United States, according to financial statements released by the company Thursday.

Net revenue for the company in the quarter was $185.1 million, according to the statements, compared to $477.4 million in net revenue during last year’s second quarter. Last year during the second quarter, the company had net income of $108.3 million.

The California Horse Racing Board will conduct a hearing into whether 2018 Triple Crown winner Justify should have been disqualified from that year’s Santa Anita Derby as part of a settlement agreement with owner-trainer Mick Ruis, an attorney for Ruis said on Friday.

An annual conference designed to encourage and educate Thoroughbred owners has been rescheduled for Nov. 2-5 in Lexington, Ky., the organizers announced on Friday.

The Thoroughbred Owner Conference, which is put on by The Jockey Club and Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association, will take place in the days immediately preceding this year’s Breeders’ Cup event, scheduled for Nov. 6-7 at Keeneland Racecourse in Lexington. The conference agenda includes nine panel discussions on topics that affect Thoroughbred owners, such as syndications, safety reforms, and aftercare.

The University of Kentucky's Gluck Equine Research Foundation, with support from Stonestreet Farm, is developing an equine biological passport that aims to detect drug use in horses.

The passport will seek to identify and track specific biomarkers that could detect drug use by monitoring changes to peptides and protein abundance. The program's goals include serving as a platform to impact policy change and drug-testing protocols, and to further understand the impact of drugs and medications on Thoroughbred racehorses.