Churchill Downs Inc. has reached a deal to buy Presque Isle Downs and Casino in Erie, Pa., the company announced on Wednesday after releasing its 2017 financial results.
Churchill will pay $178.9 million in cash to buy Presque Isle from El Dorado Resorts, according to a release sent out by El Dorado. In addition, Churchill is buying a casino in Vicksburg, Miss., from El Dorado, with that acquisition costing $50.6 million in cash, for a total of $229.5 million.
The Virginia Senate on Wednesday passed a bill that will allow the owner of Colonial Downs to operate devices closely resembling slot machines throughout the state, a move that will likely lead to the re-opening of the track for live racing, according to racing officials.
The full Senate passed the bill by a vote of 31-9, sending the legislation to the desk of Gov. Ralph Northam, a Democrat who took office in January. The state’s General Assembly had previously passed the bill by a vote of 79-21.
The Virginia Senate Finance Committee on Tuesday approved a bill that would allow the owner of Colonial Downs to operate devices closely resembling slot machines throughout the state, but not before attaching an amendment requiring that the legislation pass next year as well before becoming law.
With the 12-4 vote to approve the legislation, the bill is now headed to the Senate floor, which could take up the legislation as early as Wednesday afternoon, according to racing officials lobbying for the bill.
ETOBICOKE, Ontario - The Jockey Club of Canada has announced the winners of three Sovereign Awards, which will be presented in an awards ceremony at the Palais Royale in Toronto on April 19.
The 2017 Groom Award will go to Alfredo Ramos, a native of Nicaragua, who began working with horses in Ontario in 1989. Ramos has worked for a host of trainers, and has been employed by Hall of Famer Roger Attfield since 2008.
The Handicapper Award goes to Michael Eisen, who captured Woodbine’s 2017 Player of the Year Award. Eisen was the former Microsoft Canada chief legal officer.
Kentucky’s stewards have rescinded the penalties they handed down last week to the trainers Rusty Arnold and Joe Sharp after Kentucky Horse Racing Commission personnel raised doubts about the validity of positive test results for ractopamine from nearly 18 months ago, according to racing commission officials.
The University of Kentucky’s Gluck Equine Research Center is conducting a study to examine the rate of injury and illness in North American 2-year-old Thoroughbreds in training.
The equine herpesvirus scare at Belmont Park dealt a serious blow to a very good Winter Carnival card at Laurel Park on Saturday as 14 New York-based horses have been scratched to protect the local horse population from coming in contact with any horses that may have been exposed to the disease.
A filly, Ladies Day, was euthanized Friday at Belmont with what is thought to be equine herpes myeloencephalopathy (EHM, the neurological strain of the virus). Barn 10 at Belmont, where she was stabled, has been placed under quarantine.
OZONE PARK, N.Y – The Aqueduct stewards have disqualified Wildcat Belle from first place in the fifth race at Aqueduct on Feb. 8 because she didn’t carry the proper weight, according to a stewards ruling.
Wildcat Belle, trained by David Cannizzo, was entered on Feb. 3 for the Feb. 8 race. At that time, based on her record, she was assigned to carry 121 pounds. However, Wildcat Belle won a race at Parx on Feb. 5. With that victory, under the conditions, Wildcat Belle should have carried 123 pounds in the Feb. 8 race at Aqueduct.
VANCOUVER, British Columbia - Cross-border cooperation between Hastings Racecourse and Emerald Downs has resulted in a bonus series for 3-year-olds called the Northwest Triple. The tracks will award a $100,000 bonus to any horse that can sweep the three major races for 3-year-olds at Hastings and Emerald Downs.
