Penn National Gaming Inc., which operates dozens of casinos and a handful of racetracks, had net income of $16.9 million in the second quarter of 2015, a $12.7 million gain over the second quarter of last year, according to financial documents released Thursday.

The New Mexico Racing Commission on Wednesday amended a rule on the use of the controversial bronchodilator clenbuterol, banning the drug for Quarter Horses and Thoroughbreds, effective immediately.

A U.S. Senate committee has approved a document that would extend tax-depreciation rules that are favorable to horse and farm owners, according to the National Thoroughbred Racing Association, which lobbies the federal government on racing issues.

The U.S. Senate Finance Committee approved the document Tuesday by a 23-3 vote, according to the NTRA. The document will form the basis of a bill that would put the tax rules in place for at least two years, retroactive to the start of 2015.

Ontrack wagering dipped slightly at the 2015 Oak Tree at Pleasanton meeting.

Wagering on live racing was down 3 percent for the 12-day meeting at $4,847,743, compared with $4,987,884 for the 12-day meet in 2014.

Northern California wagering on the Pleasanton races was up 3 percent at $10,644,188, compared with 2014’s total of $10,303,728. Combined ontrack and Northern California wagering for the Pleasanton meet was $15,491,929, up 1 percent over 2014’s total of $15,291,613.

DEL MAR, Calif. - Handle on all horse races in California rose by 3 percent in the first half of 2015, to $1,553,197,536, according to figures released by the California Horse Racing Board on Friday.

Handle on daytime Thoroughbred programs at Golden Gate Fields and Santa Anita, and the first part of the mixed-breed Oak Tree at Pleasanton meeting at the Alameda County Fair, increased 2 percent. There was a 9 percent gain in harness and Quarter Horse racing conducted at night.

This year’s Claiming Crown event will be contested on Dec. 5 at Gulfstream Park in Hallandale, Fla., and include nine races instead of eight, the organizers of the event have announced.

The new race will be a five-furlong turf race for fillies and mares offering a purse of $110,000. The richest race on the program remains the $200,000 Jewel for older horses.  

The National Thoroughbred Racing Association had net operating income of $93,228 in the fiscal year ending in January, the third straight year the organization has posted a profit, according to financial statements released on Wednesday.

Along with interest income, total revenue over expenses for the fiscal year was $190,340, resulting in a net cash balance for the organization of $1,574,773 at the end of the year, according to the financial statements, up from $749,077 at the end of the previous fiscal year.

New York, NY (July 9, 2015) Daily Racing Form announces the expansion of SirePowered Results™, which now includes the ability to sort by Beyer Speed Figures. This innovative app provides race results that can be sorted by sire or name of runner, as well as by date and Beyer Speed Figure, to instantly follow Thoroughbred stallions and their racing offspring in real-time, in 25 countries around the world.

LEXINGTON, Ky. - Bone and musculoskeletal problems in North American Thoroughbreds are exacerbated by the near-universal practice of keeping racehorses in stalls, according to Dr. Larry Bramlage, one of the most well-known orthopedic specialists in the equine world.

Indiana’s primary testing laboratory failed to detect seven regulated or prohibited drugs during an analysis of 26 days of test results from this spring, according to a report released on Tuesday by the Indiana Horse Racing Commission.