Assiniboia Downs concluded its 2025 live racing season on a high note on Wednesday, setting a new all-time wagering record for the track and celebrating two first-time champions.
The 2025 season saw unprecedented success, with total wagering reaching $75.2 million, which easily surpassed the previous benchmark of $63.2 million in 2020. Total wagering increased by 21 percent from the 2024 season, with the average wagering per card hitting $1.5 million.
Juan Munoz Cano, a trainer formerly based in Kentucky who moved his operation to Louisiana in 2025, has been issued a 12-year suspension after six of his horses tested positive for the highly regulated bronchial dilator clenbuterol in out-of-competition tests conducted late last year.
Overnight purses at the Del Mar autumn meeting from Oct. 30 to Nov. 30 will rise approximately 10 percent compared to the corresponding meeting in 2024, but will be lower than the 2021 through 2023 seasons.
The 16-day season is highlighted by the Breeders’ Cup on Oct. 31 and Nov. 1.
A maiden race at the upcoming meeting will be worth $60,000, a sharp increase from a $54,000 purse offered in 2024. A similar race was worth $70,000 at the 2021 and 2022 fall meetings, and $61,000 in 2023.
A Kentucky judge in Jefferson County District Court has dismissed, with prejudice, a civil lawsuit filed against rider Luan Machado that had the potential to expose jockeys to direct liability for their performances in races.
The judge, Jennifer Bryant Wilcox, wrote in her Sept. 24 ruling that “the courts are not the appropriate forum to debate or try to determine the outcome of sporting events” in dismissing the suit outright.
Total wagering on Thoroughbred races at U.S. racetracks in September dropped nearly 6 percent on a sharp decline in the number of races held during the month, according to figures released by Equibase on Monday.
Total wagering fell from $783.8 million in September of last year to $737.3 million, a decline of $46.5 million. The number of races dropped 7.0 percent, from 2,996 in September of last year to 2,786.
Account-wagering platforms and racetracks who are clients of the bet-processing company United Tote experienced several outages on Monday and Tuesday due to problems at United Tote’s hub in Oregon, according to racing officials.
Horses that exhibit abnormal heart rhythms while either exercising or at rest are at higher risk for suffering fatal cardiac events, the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority said on Thursday while encouraging trainers to use wearable devices to periodically measure the phenomenon.
All-sources handle at California tracks was down 4 percent this year through August compared to 2024, according to figures announced at the California Horse Racing Board meeting on Sept. 18.
Handle from ontrack, simulcast, and account wagering at all tracks exceeded $1.813 billion through Aug. 31, compared to more than $1.89 billion in 2024. Ontrack handle at all tracks was down 14.4 percent from $129.6 million in 2024 to $111.7 million this year. There are fewer venues operating this year with the cessation of racing in Northern California last December.
Colorful owner Jim “Mattress Mack” McIngvale, who campaigned Eclipse Award champion sprinter Runhappy, is exiting the Thoroughbred industry, citing what he sees as various integrity problems within the sport.
The exit of McIngvale, the owner of the Gallery Furniture chain in Houston, was first reported by The Blood-Horse. McIngvale later told the Thoroughbred Daily News that Runhappy, who has spent his career to date at Claiborne Farm, has been sold to stand in South Korea.
Total handle on Thoroughbred races at U.S. tracks jumped 3.1 percent in August compared to the same month last year despite a slight drop in the number of races held, according to figures released by Equibase on Friday.
The total handle figure, $1.204 billion, was aided by the number of weekend dates in August of this year. There were ten weekend dates in August, compared to nine weekend dates in the same month last year. Handle is generally far higher on weekends than weekdays.
