Phil O’Hara, a former executive with Penn National Gaming Inc. and Equibase, has been hired by Daily Racing Form Inc. in the new position of executive director of racetrack development.

O’Hara, who has been on the DRF’s board of directors since 2008, will “lead DRF’s strategic racetrack partnership initiative,” according to a release from the company.  The initiative focuses on the creation of customized marketing programs at tracks that tie-in to products sold by DRF, such as its past-performance publications.

A group of owner-breeders who say they support bans on the raceday administration of drugs has launched a website, waterhayoatsalliance.com, to support the policies of the group.

In a release, the Water Hay Oats Alliance, which includes George Strawbridge, Arthur and Staci Hancock, and Roy and Gretchen Jackson, said it supports federal legislation that would ban raceday drugs such as the anti-bleeding medication furosemide.

Frank Stronach has shelved a plan to offer shares in six publicly traded companies that would own and race Thoroughbreds, according to a report in The Wall Street Journal, though the companies may live on in another guise.

The plan to offer publicly traded shares has been scrapped due to poor “market conditions” and a host of SEC regulations governing publicly traded companies that would have made the stock offerings difficult to complete, according to officials quoted in the report.

ETOBICOKE, Ontario – Trainer Mark Casse, owner Charles Overland, and Hastings director of racing Paul Ryneveld have been appointed stewards of the Jockey Club of Canada, the organization announced on Monday.

Sue Leslie, Ross McKague, and Gordon Wilson will be leaving their positions as stewards after serving their maximum six-year terms under the JCC’s bylaws.

The changes, as well as the appointment of eight new members, had been announced to Jockey Club of Canada members at the annual meeting here June 23.

A partnership of Delaware North Companies and Churchill Downs inc. filed an application Thursday with Ohio gambling regulators to move Lebanon Raceway and open a $175 million casino at the new location.

Miami Valley Gaming and Racing, the name of the partnership, said in the application that the new casino would house 2,500 slot machines, the maximum allowed under a measure approved by the state legislature. The new casino would be located near I-75 southeast of Lebanon.

The Association of Racing Commissioners International on Wednesday approved model rules that would tighten the restrictions on using shock-wave therapy and would require racetracks to maintain logs of the people who enter backstretches late at night, according to the organization’s president.

Trainers will need to pay a $100 nomination fee to make horses in their stables eligible for races in the Claiming Crown under new procedures adopted by the organizations that administer the seven-race event, the organizations said on Tuesday.

The Jockey Club has scheduled the fourth Welfare and Safety of the Racehorse Summit for Oct. 16-17 at Keeneland Racecourse in Lexington, Ky., the organization announced on Tuesday. At previous summits, participants developed and launched the Equine Injury Database and the Racing Surfaces Testing Laboratory.

Penn National Gaming Inc., the owner of dozens of casinos across the U.S., had net income of $66.6 million in the second quarter of 2012, a 12.3 percent decline from net income of $76 million in the second quarter of last year, according to financial documents released on Tuesday.

Although net income was down in the quarter, revenue for the company increased 3.6 percent in the quarter, from $687.9 million last year to $712.6 million this year. Operating expenses increased 6.8 percent, from $547.3 million to $584.5 million, according to the documents.

ETOBICOKE, Ontario - The Jockey Club of Canada has revamped its media awards for 2012, reducing the number of categories from four to three while modifying the rules regarding submissions.

A single category, “writing”, replaces the former newspaper story and feature story categories.

The “photograph” award is unchanged but “digital audio/visual and broadcast” replaces the film/video/broadcast category.

In addition to the traditional print media, submissions from websites and blogs now are eligible.