The Arkansas Racing Commission on Thursday unanimously passed proposed rules for casino gaming in the state, according to agency attorney Byron Freeland. The two-hour meeting included a public hearing. It was held in Little Rock, Ark.
Freeland said a state legislative committee will review the action Monday, and if the rules clear committee they are scheduled to go into effect March 14.
A public rift has opened up between the mayor of Baltimore and The Stronach Group, the company that owns Pimlico Race Course, over the company’s support of bills that would eventually lead to the consolidation of racing at Laurel Park in Maryland.
The Jockey Club of Canada has announced that Amanda Erwin has been chosen as the recipient of the 2018 Outstanding Groom Award. Erwin has worked for trainer Mike Keogh for more than 17 years, and has groomed the Canadian champions Wando and Woodcarver.
Freelancer Hayley Morrison is a Sovereign Award finalist in two media categories, for writing and photography. Joining her in the writing category are Chris Lomon and Dave Briggs. The other photography finalists are Santino Di Paola and John Watkins.
LEXINGTON, Ky. - One of the two lead plaintiffs will drop out of a lawsuit filed earlier this year against the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission contesting its decision last year to award a license for a new harness track and casino.
The Experimental Free Handicap, an annual ranking of 2-year-old horses by a theoretical assigned weight, has been discontinued due to “waning relevance and interest,” according to the organization that oversaw the compilation of the list, The Jockey Club.
A Kentucky legislator has introduced a bill that would authorize sports betting at the state’s racetracks and through online services operated by the tracks, but the legislation faces a high hurdle due to odd-year legislative rules.
An industry-funded medication research and advisory group will fund two research projects designed to develop new screening methods for blood-doping drugs and detect a nerve-blocking agent that could be abused in horses, the group announced on Wednesday.
The two projects, with a combined budget of $250,000, were approved by the board of the industry group, the Racing Medication and Testing Consortium, at a meeting on Monday. The RMTC annually selects research projects for funding as part of its mission to develop policies and procedures to combat illicit drug use in racing.
Bryan Pettigrew, the senior vice president of marketing and sponsorship for the Breeders’ Cup since early 2015, has stepped down from the position “to pursue other interests,” according to the organization, which is based in Lexington, Ky.
ARCADIA, Calif. – The number of equine fatalities at California racetracks declined to 138 in the fiscal year ending June 30, 2018, compared to 206 in the fiscal year ending June 30, 2017, according to data released last weekend by the California Horse Racing Board in its annual report.
Kentucky Oaks runner-up Wonder Gadot heads the list of Sovereign Award finalists for the 2018 Canadian champions that was released by the Jockey Club of Canada on Friday.
Wonder Gadot, the durable Queen’s Plate and Prince of Wales Stakes winner, is a standout finalist for champion 3-year-old filly over Woodbine Oaks winner Dixie Moon and Here’s Hannah.
Dixie Moon also is a finalist for champion female grass runner, an award that’s expected to go to last year’s winner, Starship Jubilee. Niigon’s Eclipse rounds out the category.
