Trainer Juan Vazquez has been granted a stay of a 90-day suspension issued by Delaware Park stewards for an altercation with a jockey after he appealed the ruling, according to state records.
The stay was granted last week and will allow Vazquez to continue training until a ruling on the appeal. A hearing for the appeal has been scheduled for Aug. 13, according to John Wayne, the executive director of the Delaware Thoroughbred Racing Commission.
Wagering on U.S. races during the month of June was down slightly while race days fell nearly 8 percent compared with the same month last year, according to figures released by Equibase on Friday.
Wagering fell 0.4 percent, from $931.8 million last year to $927.7 million this year. Race days fell from 571 during the month of June last year to 528 this June, a decline of 7.5 percent. June this year had nine weekend days, compared with 10 weekend days last year.
The Virginia Racing Commission has granted a stay to Colonial Downs to comply with an order to reach an agreement with horsemen while the track seeks the opinion of a circuit court on the commission’s authority to enforce the order, the commission’s executive director said Wednesday.
HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – The landmark agreement between Churchill Downs Inc. and the Stronach Group was finally signed and gained approval from the state of Florida on Tuesday, ending the dates conflict that had existed for the past year between south Florida neighbors Calder Race Course and Gulfstream Park.
Under terms of the agreement, the Stronach-owned Gulfstream will assume control of Calder, which is owned by CDI, as well as the majority of the live racing dates on the circuit.
MIAMI – The 2014 Calder summer meet might not be over just yet.
Calder racing secretary Mike Anifantis drew an eight-race program Monday to be run Friday, although his office did not officially release the overnight that evening. The card was drawn as a contingency plan should the pending dates agreement between Calder and Gulfstream Park not be signed and approved imminently.
OCEANPORT, N.J. – Sports wagering could debut at New Jersey’s racetracks and casinos as soon as September, providing a major boost to the state’s struggling gaming industry. The New Jersey legislature overwhelming passed a sports-wagering bill Thursday by a 38-1 vote in the Senate and a 63-6 vote in the Assembly.
The final requirement is a signature from Gov. Chris Christie.
Monmouth Park would be the first outlet to take sports bets, having already constructed a race and sports bar in conjunction with British bookmaker William Hill.
HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – The Stronach Group and Churchill Downs Inc. appear to be in the final stages of reaching a landmark agreement that would alleviate the head-to-head dates conflict that has existed between the Stronach-owned Gulfstream Park and Churchill-controlled Calder Race Course for the last year.
Eight candidates will seek election for six spots on the Breeders’ Cup Board of Directors, to be decided on July 15 at the annual meeting of Members.
Three of the board members are incumbents seeking re-election, while five aim to join the Board. The election will be determined by the 45 Breeders’ Cup Members at the organization’s annual meeting, and the results will be announced afterward.
The four candidates receiving the most votes will serve four-year terms, while the two candidates that finish fifth and sixth will each serve a one-year term.
EAST BOSTON, Mass. – The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court ruled unanimously Tuesday that a referendum to repeal the state’s casino law may appear on the November ballot, further adding to the uncertainty hanging over the racing and breeding industries in New England.
The possibility of a 2014 live meet at Colonial Downs appears nearly extinct following an ultimatum by the Virginia Racing Commission that shifts the focus on conducting a meet in 2015.
After a months-long contract dispute over racing dates between the Virginia horsemen and Colonial Downs management – one that has stretched past the track’s originally scheduled opening day for live racing – the VRC tasked the two groups in a June 23 meeting to agree on an eight-week schedule for 2015 with no live meet this year.
