ARCADIA, Calif. – Madeline Auerbach, a prominent Thoroughbred owner and breeder, has been appointed to the California Horse Racing Board, according to a statement from California Gov. Jerry Brown released Thursday by the racing board.
In addition, Bown has reappointed Bo Derek to a second-term. Derek began serving on the board in 2008.
Javier Castellano, who set a single-season earnings mark, led the nation in both earnings and wins among jockeys in 2013, while trainer Todd Pletcher far outdistanced his peers once again, winning his eighth money title in the past 10 years.
Mountaineer Park in West Virginia had daily average handle of $1.18 million in 2013 for 210 race cards, an increase of 3.2 percent over the average wagering figure for the track last year, according to figures released by the track.
Purses at the track, which are heavily subsidized by casino revenues, averaged $126,026 per day, on a total of $26.47 million. The total purse distribution was up 9 percent compared to last year, Mountaineer said.
Penn National Race Course had average daily handle of $1.08 million for 197 race cards in 2013, a record for the track and an increase of 6.4 percent over the figure for the 2012 meet, according to figures released by the track.
Wagering figures for the track were bolstered by a card created by Penn National this year centering around a new race, the $500,000 Penn Mile for 3-year-olds on turf. The 10-race card, which had total purses of $1.2 million, a record for the track, drew $3.66 million in wagering, far exceeding the previous single-card handle record of $2.17 million.
Gulfstream Park and Calder Race Course in South Florida are in the midst of discussions over future racing dates at the two facilities, six months after the tracks began racing head-to-head for the first time, officials for both tracks said on Monday.
Average daily handle at Charles Town Races in West Virginia was down 1 percent in 2013 for 219 race cards, compared to 227 race cards held in 2012, according to figures released by the track.
The slight drop was the first annual decline for Charles Town in three years. In 2011 and 2012, the track set records for average daily handle, and topped $1 million for the figure for the first time last year.
A gamble by Penn National Gaming Inc. on Rosecroft Raceway, a struggling Maryland harness track, appears to have suffered a fatal blow with the state’s award of a casino license to MGM Resorts International a few miles from the track.
EAST BOSTON, Mass. – Hope remained alive for the continuation of live racing and breeding in New England after Mohegan Sun and the city of Revere, Mass., reached a host community agreement that would fill the city’s coffers with up to $30 million annually and include an upfront payment of $33 million from a proposed destination resort casino at Suffolk Downs.
Entries are being taken for the eighth annual Dr. Tony Ryan Book Award, a competition recognizing excellence in writing in the Thoroughbred industry, and the deadline for submissions is Dec. 31, 2013. The award, which comes with a $10,000 winner’s prize and a Tipperary crystal trophy, is named for the late Dr. Tony Ryan, former owner of Castleton Lyons in Lexington, Ky., who launched the competition in 2006.
Churchill Downs Inc., the racetrack and casino owner, has joined the board of the American Gaming Association, the lobbying group announced Tuesday.
Two other companies also joined the AGA’s board at the same time as Churchill, bringing the number of board members at the organization to 15, a list that includes other racetrack owners such as Pinnacle Entertainment and Penn National Gaming Inc. The AGA is the casino industry’s largest lobbying group.