The Jockeys' Guild has identified two candidates for the position of national manager of the organization - a nationally known coin dealer who is also a sports agent, and a former jockey who worked for a simulcasting consulting firm - and will likely approve one of the candidates on Tuesday, officials of the Guild said.

Simulcasts of the races from Saratoga Race Course during this summer's 36-day meet will be offered every racing day at the neighboring harness track, officials of the New York Racing Association, the operator of Saratoga, said Monday.

This will be the first time that NYRA has allowed its full race card to be shown at any location in Saratoga Springs during the race meet. The simulcasts will be offered at Saratoga Gaming and Raceway, a casino and harness track that abuts Saratoga Race Course.

The New York Senate on Thursday night approved two nominees from Gov. George Pataki to the New York State Racing and Wagering Board, effective immediately.

The appointees are Daniel Hogan, the former commissioner of the New York State Office of General Services, and John Simoni, the owner of an office supply business in Schenectedy, N.Y., who is a former owner of harness horses.

Terry Meyocks, a former top official with the New York Racing Association, is currently representing an investors' group that is contemplating the purchase of Ellis Park in Henderson, Ky., Meyocks said Friday.

"I'm working with a group that has an interest," said Meyocks, who lives in Lexington, Ky. "I'm not able to offer any more details than that."

Meyocks's involvement was first reported in the Louisville Courier-Journal on Friday.

The New York committee in charge of evaluating bidders for the franchise held by the New York Racing Association plans to enforce a gag rule against the bidders after responses to the committee's request for proposals are received on Aug. 15, the executive director of the committee said this week.

In an effort to boost revenue for racetracks and purses, California's horsemen and racetracks proposed legislation on Wednesday to allow nearly 13,000 gambling machines to be installed at the state's racetracks.

The machines would offer a game called Instant Racing, a parimutuel game that plays like a slot machine. They have been in place for several years at Oaklawn Park in Arkansas and have been credited with helping to raise purses. Oaklawn had an average daily handle of more than $1.1 million on Instant Racing machines during its meeting earlier this year.

Churchill Downs-based trainer Bob DeSensi, a director with the Kentucky Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association, is leading a petition drive to call for a membership vote on how the organization's president should be determined.

DeSensi said Wednesday he had gathered 92 signatures, enough support to force a vote on whether the president of the Kentucky horsemen's association should continue to be elected by all members instead of by the group's directors, who recently voted 4-3 to authorize themselves to determine the group's president.

The New York legislature has passed a bill that will allow state residents to place bets on horse races over the Internet, but only with in-state companies. The bill has been sent to Gov. George Pataki for his signature.

The measure, passed in the Assembly late Tuesday, will expand New York's off-site wagering law to include wireless devices and the Internet. The bill was heavily supported by offtrack betting companies.

Officials of the New York Racing Association met with horsemen Friday morning regarding concerns raised by the horsemen about the condition of the main track at Belmont Park.

About three dozen trainers gathered on the track at 10:30 a.m. to meet with Charles Hayward, NYRA's president and chief executive officer; Bill Nader, its senior vice president; and John Passero, the director of racing surfaces.

"There are concerns about the racetrack and some injuries in the morning," said trainer Phil Serpe. "We're trying to rectify the situation."

The final rating for the two-hour Belmont Stakes broadcast on ABC on Saturday was a 3.5, according to an ABC official, down 22 percent from last year's rating of 4.5.

The rating was the lowest for a Belmont Stakes broadcast since a 2.8 in 2000, the lowest rating recorded for a Belmont in history. Ratings have typically been low in any year in which a Triple Crown is not on the line, which was the case in 2000, 2001, 2005, and 2006.