HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – Apprentice rider Romero Maragh underwent thoracic fusion surgery Friday at Aventura Hospital following a frightening spill the previous day at Gulfstream Park.

Family members and friends said doctors are very confident that Maragh, 18, will emerge with full use of his arms and legs, but noted that such surgery is always precarious. Maragh’s agent, Walter Blum Jr., said he was informed that four thoracic vertebrae (T5 through T8) were to be fused during an intricate surgery scheduled to last as long as seven hours.

A British company that has popularized a cash-out option in multi-race parimutuel pools in the United Kingdom has received an operating license in Oregon and hopes to debut the same option for U.S. horseplayers soon, but the effort to implement the practice may set up a test over whether the often staid racing industry is nimble enough to adopt new technologies at a time of rapid change on the national gambling landscape.

The New Jersey Legislature on Thursday passed a bill providing $100 million in subsidies to the state’s Thoroughbred and harness racing industries over the next five years, but only after an amendment was attached to the bill to provide state oversight of the payments' impact.

The bill now advances to Gov. Phil Murphy (D) for his signature.

Fox Sports 2 has expanded its series of winter and spring racing broadcasts this year to 12 telecasts, up from six last year, with the first of the broadcasts airing this Saturday with a trio of Kentucky Derby prep races, according to an announcement from the network and its broadcast partners.

The Jockey Club of Canada’s Graded Stakes Committee recently increased the number of graded stakes in Canada this year from 45 to 46 at its annual review.

The Jacques Cartier Stakes at Woodbine, which was won in each of the past two years by 2017 Canadian Horse of the Year Pink Lloyd, was upgraded from listed to Grade 3 status.

The Canadian Derby has maintained Grade 3 status, despite decreasing in distance from 1 3/8 miles to 1 1/4 miles to accommodate its new venue at Century Mile in Edmonton.

The New York State Gaming Commission on Monday approved a rule that will allow tracks to apply for limited exemptions to a rule that mandates that claiming races cannot have purses that are in excess of two times the claiming price for horses in the race.

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – His six-race career may have lasted a little less than four months, but on Thursday night, more than seven months after he swept the Triple Crown, Justify provided a final reminder of his brief, brilliant career. He added two victories to his unbeaten record when he was named both Horse of the Year and champion 3-year-old male at the 48th annual Eclipse Awards dinner at Gulfstream Park.

Gabby Gaudet, the television racing analyst, has taken a year-round position with TVG, the national horse racing network, the company announced Wednesday.

Gaudet will start in her position this weekend during TVG’s coverage of the Pegasus World Cup card at Gulfstream Park in Hallandale Beach, Fla., a track where Gaudet has worked in the past.

OZONE PARK, N.Y. - Chris Kay is no longer the chief executive officer and president of the New York Racing Association, Daily Racing Form has learned.

Belinda Stronach, the chief executive of The Stronach Group, has filed a statement of defense and counterclaim to the blockbuster lawsuit filed by her father late last year that disputes his allegations of financial mismanagement.