Wagering through Television Games Network's account-wagering operation rose 5 percent in the second quarter compared to the same period last year, according to figures released by the company Friday.

The world's largest Thoroughbred yearling sale just got larger. The Keeneland Association has cataloged a record 5,553 yearlings to its 2007 September yearling auction, set for Sept. 10-25.

The catalog of 2,898 colts, 2,653 fillies, and two geldings eclipses last year's record of 5,161.

TrackNet Media, the simulcast marketing partnership between Churchill Downs Inc. and Magna Entertainment Corp., has offered to sell the rights to the seven-race Claiming Crown on Aug. 4 to Television Games Network and Youbet.com, officials of TrackNet and the account-wagering companies said on Wednesday.

It has been three years since Charles Hayward resigned as president and CEO of Daily Racing Form and 32 months since he took over as president of the New York Racing Association. Hayward, who later took on the title as CEO, has had to guide NYRA through a most difficult period that included a deferred prosecution after NYRA was charged with conspiracy to commit tax fraud.

New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer will make a recommendation to the state legislature by Sept. 4 as to which company or companies should be allowed to operate New York's three largest Thoroughbred tracks, Spitzer said on Friday.

The Sept. 4 deadlines establishes a date for the recommendation for the first time. The current operator of the tracks, the New York Racing Association, has a franchise to operate Aqueduct, Belmont, Saratoga, and a casino at Aqueduct that expires at the end of this year. Any deal to award the franchise would have to be approved by the legislature.

ELMONT, N.Y. - The New York Racing Association has sought permission from a federal bankruptcy court judge to retain the services of Getnick and Getnick, the same firm that was appointed by a federal court three years ago to oversee NYRA's business practices when it was under indictment for conspiracy to commit tax fraud.

LEXINGTON, Ky. - Irish champion and sire Woodman, whose best sons include champions Hansel and Timber Country, has been euthanized at Ashford Stud at age 24, the Versailles, Ky., farm announced Friday.

The Mr. Prospector horse was put down Thursday due to the infirmities of old age, according to the announcement.

Ashford is the Kentucky division of Irish-based Coolmore Stud. The farm statement said that the stallion has more than 40 mares in foal from the 2007 breeding season. Woodman stood for $20,000 this year.

Laurel Park in Maryland plans to cut its takeout during its 10-day summer meet beginning Aug. 10 to a blended rate of 11.4, the lowest take in the country, officials for Laurel said on Wednesday.

Lou Raffetto, the chief operating officer of the Maryland Jockey Club, which owns Laurel and its sister track Pimlico, said that the cut was made to attract bettors to the Laurel signal at a time when most of the racing world is focused on Saratoga and Del Mar.

The 11 races of the Breeders' Cup World Championships will be streamed live over the Internet for the first time this year on the Breeders' Cup's website, at the same time that the races are being broadcast live on ESPN, Breeders' Cup announced on Tuesday.

The live streams will be available at breederscup.com during the running of the races on Oct. 26 and 27 at Monmouth Park in New Jersey. The broadcast will be the same that is sent to simulcast sites around the country, according to Jim Gluckson, a spokesman for Breeders' Cup, and not the ESPN production that is broadcast live.

Total parimutuel betting and distributed purses in the United States and Canada rose marginally in the second quarter of 2007 compared with the same quarter last year, according to figures released by the National Thoroughbred Racing Association and Equibase on Tuesday.

All-sources wagering climbed 0.87 percent, from $4,008,351,436 to $4,043,258,943, while distributed purses rose 0.82 percent, from $303,725,964 to $306,210,835. Racing days in the quarter were down 1.36 percent, from 1,764 to 1,740.