It was fortunate that only one horse died and only one other got seriously ill during an equine herpesvirus outbreak at Fair Grounds during the 2016-17 racing season that ended April 2, but the EHV-1 event still laid low the meeting.

The Jockey Club has denied the privileges of its registry and stud book to four trainers who have racked up high-profile drug positives over the last several years, the organization announced Wednesday, using a rule it has enforced intermittently since 2010.

CHARLESTON, S.C. – The racing industry needs to focus far more of its efforts and resources in combating illegal drug use with the implementation of robust out-of-competition testing programs and the development of intelligence networks, according to drug-testing experts speaking at the Association of Racing Commissioners International annual conference in Charleston, S.C., on Tuesday.

The two-time champion turf mare Tepin has been retired, with her connections citing a lack of enthusiasm in her recent training.

"Tepin took us places and achieved things we had only dreamt about," said Norm Casse, chief assistant to his father, Mark Casse.

The elder Casse trained Tepin throughout her career, with Norm Casse overseeing a good deal of the mare’s daily care with the stable’s Churchill Downs and Saratoga strings.

"We will be forever grateful,"  Norm Casse said.

ETOBICOKE, Ontario – Caren, a four-time stakes winner last season, was named the 2016 Canadian Horse of the Year and champion 3-year-old filly on Thursday night at the 42nd annual Sovereign Awards ceremony in Toronto.

Twelve congressmen have signed a letter sent to the Department of the Treasury supporting a change to the tax code that would be highly favorable to horseplayers, according to the National Thoroughbred Racing Association, which has lobbied for the change.

The signers included congressmen from both the Republican and Democratic parties. The letter was written by Reps. John Yarmuth (D.-Ky.) and Patrick Meehan (R.-Pa.), according to the NTRA.

Saratoga Springs, N.Y. – Equestricon, LLC announced Wednesday a partnership with Horse Country, Inc. that will bring the organization and eight of its most recognizable Kentucky-based member farms to the Saratoga Springs City Center August 14-15 for the first international horse racing convention, fan festival, and trade show.

ARCADIA, Calif. – Santa Anita concluded the winter-spring portion of its six-month meeting Sunday with mixed results in attendance and handle figures.

Track officials said Sunday that attendance increased 1 percent over a similar period in the 2015-16 meeting, but all-sources handle, including ontrack, satellite, and account-wagering sources, was down 4 percent. The track did not release extensive business figures for the winter-spring dates.

H.W. Salty Roberts, the founder of the Race Track Chaplaincy of America, died Friday morning at a hospice near his home in Cooper City, Fla., according to the organization. Roberts was 85.

Roberts, a former exercise rider at Florida tracks, officially founded the RTCA in 1972, several years after receiving an official designation as the “chaplain of Gulfstream Racetrack” from track officials. The RTCA now supports 43 ministers at 36 racetracks and training centers in the U.S., and its representatives are present at nearly every major U.S. racetrack.

ARCADIA, Calif. - Dortmund, the winner of the 2015 Santa Anita Derby and five other stakes, has run his last race.

Owner Kaleem Shah said on Sunday that Dortmund has been retired and will stand at stud. It was not immediately clear whether Dortmund would stand during the current breeding season or in 2018.

“Quite a few stud farms have expressed an interest,” Shah said. “Hopefully, we’ll get something done soon.”

Shah said several of the farms are based in Kentucky.