Live coverage of the 2014 Eclipse Awards dinner at Gulfstream Park in Hallandale Beach, Fla., begins at 8 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 17. The winners are selected by voters from Daily Racing Form, the National Turf Writers and Broadcasters, and the National Thoroughbred Racing Association.
New York’s Gaming Facility Location Board said late Tuesday it would comply with a request from Gov. Andrew Cuomo to reopen bidding for a casino site in the so-called “Southern Tier,” an area near the state’s border with Pennsylvania.
A bipartisan group of Kentucky lawmakers has introduced a bill to the state legislature granting the Breeders’ Cup a tax break during the two-day event scheduled for Oct. 30-31 at Keeneland in Lexington.
The bill would exempt all ontrack bets from a 1.5 percent state tax. The Breeders’ Cup has been granted the exemption in the past when the event was held at Churchill Downs in Louisville, and the legislation is expected to pass in some form during the brief 2015 legislative session.
As a part of the Eclipse Awards festivities and to salute horseplayers throughout North America, Jose Arias, of Bell Gardens, Calif., will be recognized as the winner of the $750,000 first-place prize, an Eclipse Award, and the title of 2014 DRF/NTRA Handicapper of the Year for capturing the 15th annual Daily Racing Form/NTRA National Handicapping Championship last January at Treasure Island Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas.
No one ever said Thoroughbred racing was easy.
Makari, a finalist for the steeplechase Eclipse Award, made just two American starts in 2014. He won the Grade 1 A.P. Smithwick Memorial at Saratoga on July 31 by throwing his nose down on the line to defeat fellow finalist Demonstrative in a photo. Twenty-five days later, in the midst of a similar rally on the same turf course, he fell at the final fence of the Grade 1 New York Turf Writers Cup and died.
AmTote, the bet-processing company owned by the privately held Stronach Group, has won a bid to take over all wagering services in the state of California from rival Sportech, according to officials, with the changeover set for sometime this fall.
Wagering on races in Maryland declined slightly in 2014, according to figures released by the Maryland Jockey Club.
There were 142 days of racing at Laurel and Pimlico in 2014, three fewer than in 2013. Average daily handle on those cards was $2,215,500, a decrease of 1 percent from the 2013 average of $2,242,100.
In-state handle on Maryland races averaged $177,800 per program, down 4 percent from the $185,600 bet in 2013. Money wagered out of state on Maryland races averaged $2,037,700 per day, down 0.9 percent from the 2013 average of $2,056,500.
Keeneland foodies, don’t panic: Even though Keeneland has bought out the local division of Turf Catering, its food supplier and preparer since the opening of the track in 1936, the recipes for its signature dishes, including its bread pudding and burgoo, will remain in the hands of the track’s kitchen staff.
