Mon, 05/12/2008 - 00:00

Biancone tries to stop hearing

Patrick Biancone, the trainer who is serving a one-year suspension under a settlement agreement with the Kentucky Horse Racing Authority, has filed a lawsuit seeking an injunction that would prevent the authority from holding a hearing next Monday to address whether he has violated the terms of his deal.

The request is scheduled to be heard in Franklin County Circuit Court on Wednesday. In the suit, Biancone’s attorney argues that the racing commission does not have the authority to hold the hearing, and that Biancone was not given proper notice to appear before the commission.

Mon, 05/12/2008 - 00:00

Presque Isle joins signal dispute

The signal from Presque Isle Downs in Pennsylvania has been unavailable on a number of major account-wagering platforms since the track opened on Friday because of a dispute over the amount of revenue from those wagers that would go to purses.

Mon, 05/12/2008 - 00:00

Sadler's Wells retired from stud

LEXINGTON, Ky. - Sadler's Wells, the flagship stallion for Coolmore Stud for two decades and a highly influential sire in Europe and Britain, has been retired from stud duty because of declining fertility, the global breeding operation announced Monday.

Fri, 05/09/2008 - 00:00

Two go in 9.80 at Barretts show

A pair of colts by Gimmeawink and Not For Love stopped the clock in 9.80 seconds for their eighth-mile works Thursday, making them the day's fastest workers over that distance at the Barretts May juvenile sale's under-tack show.

Thursday's under-tack show was the first of two sessions at the Fairplex facility in Pomona, Calif.

Fri, 05/09/2008 - 00:00

Churchill to cut purses at home and Calder

Churchill Downs plans to cut overnight purses 20 percent across the board beginning on Wednesday, the track announced Friday, citing a downturn of business because of its inability to send its signal to several national account-wagering platforms because of a dispute with horsemen.

Thu, 05/08/2008 - 00:00

Mid-Atlantic sites, NYRA make deal

The New York Racing Association and a cooperative representing tracks in the Mid-Atlantic region have reached an agreement that will restore the signal from Belmont Park at the simulcast sites in eight states, effective Friday, officials for the two sides said Thursday.

NYRA and the MidAtlantic Cooperative had failed to reach an agreement on the terms over the Belmont signal since the track opened on April 30. Officials for the cooperative had said that they would not agree to a price increase for the signal, a point not disputed by NYRA officials.

Thu, 05/08/2008 - 00:00

Jockey Club forms health and safety panel

The Jockey Club has formed a seven-member committee that will issue recommendations on how "to improve the health and safety of Thoroughbreds" in the wake of the death last Saturday of the filly Eight Belles shortly after she finished second in the Kentucky Derby, the organization announced on Thursday.

The committee will be asked to review breeding practices, medication, the rules of racing, and track surfaces, according to the Jockey Club. A conference call to discuss the initial priorities of the committee has been scheduled for Wednesday, according to committee members.

Thu, 05/08/2008 - 00:00

New "health and safety" committee formed

The Jockey Club has formed a seven-member committee that will issue recommendations on how "to improve the health and safety of Thoroughbreds," the organization announced on Thursday.

Ogden Mills Phipps, the chairman of the Jockey Club - which maintains the official North American breeding registry and owns shares in industry data companies - said in a release that the committee would be asked to review breeding practices, medication, the rules of racing, and track surfaces.

Wed, 05/07/2008 - 00:00

Aid to offtrack betting company could hurt NYRA

A proposal being discussed by New York state legislators to allow New York City Off-Track Betting Corp. to retain more of its revenue would put in jeopardy a plan by the New York Racing Association to emerge from bankruptcy protection, officials for NYRA said on Wednesday.

The plan would reportedly allow New York City OTB to distribute approximately 20 percent less of its revenue to the state's Thoroughbred and harness industries. New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg has threatened to close the corporation by mid-June if the state does not authorize some form of financial relief.

Wed, 05/07/2008 - 00:00

Churchill plans more cuts

Churchill Downs Inc. plans to cut purses at its Louisville racetrack and again at Calder Race Course in Florida because of a lingering dispute with horsemen that has limited the availability of the two tracks' signals in the simulcast market, the company's chief executive, Bob Evans, said on a conference call with analysts on Wednesday morning.

"We anticipate having to reduce purses at Churchill next week," Evans said, without citing an estimate. "We also plan to reduce purses at Calder again."