Federal authorities have charged a New York man of stealing equine pharmaceutical products from his workplace and reselling them to veterinarians and trainers.
Gregory Settino, 58, was charged with theft of medical products and making a false statement to a federal agent. He was arrested on Thursday, pleaded not guilty during his initial arraignment, and was released on a $250,000 bond, according to the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York.
Total wagering on U.S. races in August dopped by nearly 2 percent compared to the same month last year on a 10 percent drop in races held, according to figures released by Equibase on Friday.
The 1.92 percent decline, from $1.177 billion last August to $1.155 billion this year, is a number far more in line with expectations than the July figure, which showed a total betting gain of 16.6 percent compared to the same month last year despite a large drop in the number of races held.
Casinos in New York will be allowed to open at limited capacity starting Wednesday, according to a directive issued by Gov. Andrew Cuomo on Thursday, resurrecting an essential lifeline for purses and for operating funds for New York racetracks.
LEXINGTON, Ky. – Jockeys seeking to ride on opening day at Keeneland Racecourse in Lexington on Oct. 2 will need to receive a COVID-19 test from the racetrack on Sept. 29, the track announced on Tuesday.
The requirement is part of a suite of protocols designed to lower the risk among jockeys of the spread of coronavirus during the fall meet, which runs for 17 days this year, from Oct. 2-24. Keeneland will also be the host of the Breeders’ Cup two-day event on Nov. 6-7, but protocols for riders for that event have not yet been announced.
LEXINGTON, Ky. – The Monday announcement by Sen. Mitch McConnell that he supports federal legislation seeking to unify medication rules across the United States was unquestionably a major coup for those who support the bill.
LEXINGTON, Ky. – Sen. Mitch McConnell, the powerful U.S. Senate Majority Leader from Kentucky, will support efforts to pass legislation sought by some racing constituencies that would attempt to put in place uniform medication regulations across the country, McConnell said Monday.
Quarter Horse trainer John Buchanan died Friday in Ruidoso, N.M., according to his friends.
Buchanan died a little more than a week before his stable puts leading runners in two major stakes at Ruidoso Downs – Ratification in the $421,165 All American Oaks on Sept. 6, and Jettz in the $3 million All American Futurity on Sept. 7.
Those horses are expected to run in Buchanan’s name. Their day-to-day training is under the direction of Buchanan’s assistant, the former jockey Juan Vazquez.
LEXINGTON, Ky. – A U.S. appeals court has upheld a ruling that disallowed judicial review of the stewards’ decision to disqualify Maximum Security from first place in the 2019 Kentucky Derby.
The 14-page ruling by Judge John K. Bush of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit in Cincinnati is likely to put an end to litigation over the disqualification. In the ruling, Bush said that racing licensees agree to abide by the rules of racing as a condition of licensure, and that those rules state explicitly that stewards’ decisions cannot be litigated.
The location of summer racing in Northern California and the possibility of a July week without racing in Southern California in 2021 were two leading topics discussed in a two-hour meeting of the California Horse Racing Board’s dates committee on Wednesday.
The New York Racing Association can continue to operate without facing viability concerns or deep cuts to its operations and purses through at least the first half of 2021 under current conditions, top officials for the association told a state oversight board Tuesday.
The projections were made separately by David O’Rourke, NYRA’s chief executive, and Renee Postel, NYRA’s chief financial officer, in response to questions from Robert Williams, executive director of the New York Racing Association Franchise Oversight Board, which monitors the association’s financial operations.
