It may soon be possible to buy into a 20-horse racing stable for the price of a pizza.

That’s the plan envisioned by Frank Stronach, the owner and breeder who last year took possession of a half-dozen racetracks previously owned by a publicly traded company he controlled. In registration statements with the Securities and Exchange Commission filed late in December, Stronach outlined a plan to offer shares in six racehorse-ownership companies for $10 each, lowering the barrier to a level never before seen in the U.S.

Scioto Downs, a Columbus, Ohio, harness track owned by MTR Gaming, was granted a temporary slot-machine license on Wednesday by the Ohio Lottery and plans to open a casino by June.

The license was awarded after Scioto submitted a $10 million licensing fee to the lottery, which was given the authority to grant casino licenses to seven state racetracks by an executive order issued by Gov. Ted Strickland last year. Opponents of gambling have filed a lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of the order.

ETOBICOKE, Ontario – Woodbine’s Summer Stakes for 2-year-olds and Natalma Stakes for 2-year-old fillies, both one-mile turf races which have been part of the Breeder’s Cup challenge series, have been elevated to Grade 2 status for 2012.

The Hendrie, a 6 1/2-furlong stakes for fillies and mares at Woodbine, also was bumped up from Grade 3 to Grade 2 following a recent meeting of the Jockey Club of Canada’s graded stakes committee.

The New York State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli said Tuesday that the New York Racing Association was projected to lose $19.7 million on its racing operations in 2012, a contention disputed by the racing association, which said it projected a net income of $1.4 million from racing operations in 2012.

The New York Thoroughbred Breeders Inc. has donated $10,000 to the Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation, a national charity that cares for 96 retired racehorses in the Empire State.

In addition to the NYTB donation, new board member Michael Lischin of Dutchess Views Farm also has donated $5,000. NYTB executive director Jeffrey Cannizzo said the breeders group also is “working with the wide variety of industry organizations in the state to secure long-term funding plans that will protect the future of retired racehorses in New York.”

ARCADIA, Calif. - The California Horse Racing Board on Thursday delayed deciding on a rule change that would allow a claim to be voided when a horse is severely injured during or after a race.

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo has proposed a multibillion-dollar convention center at Aqueduct racetrack in Queens, but he and his staff have yet to discuss the impact that such a project would have on the track’s racing operations and the New York racing circuit, according to officials who have discussed the proposal with its supporters.

New York’s five off-track betting corporations have been unable to reach a deal that would allow the companies to offer simulcasts from Delta Downs in Vinton, Louisiana, the sides said on Tuesday.

Delta, a night-racing track which is scheduled to run through March 17, will still be available at tracks owned and operated by the New York Racing Association and through account-wagering services available in the state, Delta said.

Voting for the Eclipse Award for apprentice jockey will be reconducted early next week because statistics that were distributed to voters incorrectly included earnings and wins for one of the finalists after the rider lost his apprentice allowance, the administrators of the award said on Saturday.

Animal Kingdom gave Team Valor International’s syndicate members the thrill of a lifetime in 2011 when the stable’s homebred won the Kentucky Derby at odds of 20-1. But that wasn’t the stable’s only big news. Summer Soiree, one of 12 Team Valor stakes-winners in 2011, won the Grade 1 Del Mar Oaks and two other graded races, and her runner-up finish in the Nov. 25 Matriarch also propelled the 20-year-old operation to its highest annual earnings. According to Equibase statistics, Team Valor closed out the year with $3,206,885 in winnings, putting it on North America’s top 10 owners’ list.