The developers of a racehorse-ratings program seeking to streamline racing-office operations, boost field size, and simplify past-performance information hope to launch a pilot project for the program early next year, officials behind the effort have said.

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Stewards at racetracks across the United States should become far more transparent when adjudicating inquiries and objections, to the point of considering a live broadcast of their discussions with jockeys and their own decision-making processes, participants on a Monday panel at the Racing and Gaming Conference in Saratoga Springs said.

Karl Broberg, who operates one of the nation’s most successful racing stables, is stepping away from training at the track in order to develop young horses at his farm, he announced Friday. 

Broberg, 53, will continue to own horses of racing age, and those runners will be trained by Abel Ramirez. He said in an interview with Daily Racing Form that he also will be working as a bloodstock agent, finding yearlings for clients and himself. 

Average wagering and average purse per race for Thoroughbred races at U.S. tracks in July both dropped marginally compared to the same figure in July of 2023, according to figures distributed by Equibase on Monday, during a month when the number of weekend dates skewed the totals for purses and wagering.

The finalists and runners-up for the North American edition of the Thoroughbred Industry Employee Awards, to be presented Oct. 15 at Keeneland, have been announced. 

Churchill Downs Inc. and the New York Racing Association have reached a deal to restore each other’s signals on their account-wagering operations, two days after a blackout began because of a contractual dispute, according to both sides.

The agreement was ironed out between top officials of Churchill and NYRA on Friday morning. Bill Carstanjen, the chief executive officer of CDI, was in Saratoga on Friday due to Thursday’s Jockey Club Round Table and Friday’s Hall of Fame ceremony, which honored Aristides, the winner of the first Kentucky Derby, in 1875.

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. -- Gary Fenton, the chair of the Thoroughbred Owners of California, urged the national racing industry to provide help – whether in the form of horses or money – to the beleaguered California circuit during a presentation on Thursday at the Jockey Club Round Table Conference on Matters Pertaining to Racing in Saratoga Springs.

Craig Fravel, who has held a series of high-profile positions in Thoroughbred racing for nearly 35 years, is resigning his position as executive vice-chair of the track conglomerate 1/ST Racing next week to take a position with an international investment firm with strong ties to racing in the United States and Europe.

The announcement was made on Wednesday by Brown Advisory, the investment firm Fravel will join as a partner and senior advisor. Fravel, 67, will be based in Southern California, according to the announcement.

Elinor Wolf has been hired as the director of marketing, partner relations, and recruiting for Starlight Racing and StarLadies Racing, it was announced Wednesday in a press release.

Wolf is the daughter of Jack and Laurie Wolf, the principal partners in Starlight and StarLadies, respectively.

Two Iowa horse owners have filed a federal lawsuit against the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority challenging its ability to assess fees on horsemen and the methodology used to determine those fees.

The suit, which was filed on Monday in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Iowa with Joseph Kelly and Douglas Anderson as plaintiffs, is the latest horsemen-led challenge to HISA, the private company created by federal legislation to devise and enforce a nationwide system of rules governing Thoroughbred racing.