ETOBICOKE, Ontario – Woodbine canceled the remainder of Saturday's program after the eighth race over concerns regarding the safety of the synthetic Tapeta surface.
There were three catastrophic breakdowns on Saturday, beginning with a worker shortly after the 8 a.m. renovation break. Social Dancer was injured on the backstretch in the second race. Owen’s Tour Guide broke down on the far turn in the eighth, the Grade 3 Bessarabian, after which the final two races were scrapped.
Commingled wagering on Thoroughbred races at U.S. tracks in October declined at a higher rate than the drop in the number of races held, leading to a slight decline in average wagering per race, according to figures distributed by Equibase on Tuesday.
The Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority on Monday lifted nearly all the provisional suspensions that licensees who have been charged with violating the authority’s banned-substances rules are currently serving, citing its desire to review the policies requiring the suspensions.
Turf Paradise will not open as scheduled on Saturday in order to address lingering concerns with the condition of its main dirt racing surface, the track announced on Friday night.
Turf made the announcement after the Arizona Department of Racing held a meeting on Friday afternoon to discuss the concerns. On Thursday night, the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority had notified both Turf Paradise and the department that it would consider initiating an “enforcement action” if the track opened on Saturday.
The Supreme Court on Monday granted a stay of a mandate from the U.S. Fifth Circuit Court dealing with the constitutionality of the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority, a decision that keeps HISA’s rules in place in most racing jurisdictions in the U.S.
The ruling, which was sought by HISA and its supporters, nearly ensures that the Supreme Court will take up the issues at the core of the Fifth Circuit case and a separate ruling from the U.S. Sixth Circuit during its current session, which runs through the summer of 2025.
Churchill Downs will renovate the far end of its grandstand and add permanent seating options to its infield in upcoming capital-improvements projects, according to the company’s chief executive officer.
Churchill Downs Inc. had net income of $65.4 million in the third quarter of 2024 on net revenue of $628.5 million, though the third quarter results showed softness in its online horse racing business and at its casinos in established markets, according to financial statements released on Wednesday afternoon.
California racing had a Swiss influence in the 1990s and through the 2000s.
Swiss Yodeler was a five-time stakes winner in a four-year career from 1996 to 1999 and later led the state’s stallions in progeny earnings.
Swiss Yodeler was raced by Heinz Steinmann, who died earlier this month in Wrightwood, Calif., according to published reports. Steinmann was 92.
Tina Bond, the president of the New York Thoroughbred Horsemen’s Association, has launched a website that uses testimonials from trainers, jockeys, backstretch workers, and other racing participants to talk up the positive aspects of the sport as part of a larger campaign to draw people to the races.
