New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer acknowledged for the first time this week that the sale and development of Aqueduct racetrack in Queens is being contemplated as part of the process to award the racing and slot-machine franchise held by the New York Racing Association.

Laddies Poker, a maiden race winner at Santa Anita in April, sold for $525,000 at Tuesday's Barretts summer sale in Pomona, a record purchase in the four-year history of the summer sale.

A 3-year-old, Laddies Poker was purchased by Dennis O'Neill, agent, acting on behalf of owner Paul Reddam. Laddies Poker joined the stable of trainer Doug O'Neill, Dennis's brother, early Wednesday morning.

The colt will be pointed to the Del Mar meeting, according to Dennis O'Neill.

A colt by Harlan's Holiday brought $60,000 to top the Fasig-Tipton Midlantic 2-year-olds and horses of racing age sale held Tuesday at Timonium Fairgrounds in Maryland.

The colt, out of the Affirmed mare River Crossing, was purchased by Kaleem S. Shah and consigned by Old South Farm, according to sales results.

The colt’s second dam, Change Water, is the stakes-winning dam of Fall Aspen, a broodmare of the year.

Neuman, the former president and chief operating officer of the satellite-television company Echostar, was hired by Magna in late February, becoming the sixth chief executive officer for Magna since the company was founded in 1998.

It was unclear in the announcement if Neuman had resigned or been fired. Magna officials did not immediately return phone calls on Friday.

The New York Senate wrapped up its official 2007 session Thursday night in Albany without addressing the racing and slot-machine franchise held by the New York Racing Association, but a raft of unfinished business will likely result in the legislature being called back into session at least once later this year.

The average and median prices at the two-day Ocala Breeders' Sales Company June 2-year-olds in training sale, which ended on Wednesday night in Ocala, Fla., declined slightly even as the number of horses bringing relatively high prices jumped dramatically.

For the sale, 308 horses sold for gross proceeds of $6,794,900, an average of $22,061, down 1.8 percent from the average price last year, when 245 horses sold for $5,508,700, an average price of $22,484. The median declined 6.7 percent, from $15,000 last year to $14,000 this year.

Jim Gallagher, the former executive director of the Kentucky Horse Racing Authority, has been hired as the executive director of the New York Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association, according to the organization.

Gallagher, who started at the New York position on Tuesday, is replacing Robert Flynn, who resigned on June 12. During his two years at the Kentucky Horse Racing Authority, Gallagher oversaw the overhaul of the state's medication rules. He left the authority late last year in order to attend to family matters.

The chief executive of Empire Racing, one of the companies seeking the slot-machine and racing franchise held by the New York Racing Association, said Monday that Empire had told state officials it would consider a bid to operate the slot-machine side of the franchise only.

Penn National Gaming Inc., the owner of several racetrack-casinos and other gambling facilities, has reached an agreement to be sold to two private-equity firms for $8.9obillion, the company announced Friday.

The two firms, Fortress Investment Group and Centerbridge Partners, will pay $67 per share for Penn National's 85.5 million shares outstanding, a 31 percent premium on Penn National's closing share price on Thursday of $51.14. The sale is subject to shareholder and regulatory approval, and is expected to close within 12 to 16 months.

The Maryland Jockey Club, owner of Laurel Park and Pimlico Race Course, will reduce every race purse by $2,000 for each of its 78 remaining live racing days this year and will also take $1 million out of its stakes schedule as part of a broad plan to reduce expenses, the MJC said Tuesday.