LEXINGTON, Ky. - Kentucky horse racing officials are expected to meet with representatives of Gov. Ernie Fletcher's cabinet over the next several months in order to iron out uncertainties in the Kentucky Horse Racing Authority's future budget, the chairman of the authority, Bill Street, said at a meeting on Monday.

Penn National Race Course and its horsemen have agreed on a plan to cut the number of live race days each week from four to three beginning on May 30, officials for the track and the Penn National Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association said on Friday.

The new schedule, which has been submitted to the Pennsylvania Horse Racing Commission for its approval, calls for nine-race cards on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday nights. Penn currently runs Wednesday through Saturday nights.

The California Senate on Thursday passed a bill that would require each of California's five major Thoroughbred racetracks to install a synthetic surface by the end of 2007. The bill, sponsored by Republican Jeff Denham, passed by a vote of 31-4 and has been forwarded to the Assembly.

The Kentucky Equine Drug Council has formed six committees to explore how to improve security on backstretches and prevent the administration of illegal drugs to racehorses, according to council officials.

Tampa Bay Downs registered its fourth straight year of significant handle and purse growth during its recently concluded 2005-2006 racing meet, according to statistics released by the Florida track on Thursday.

The final television ratings for NBC's 98-minute broadcast of the Kentucky Derby on Saturday was a 7.0, a 4 percent decline from the final rating for last year's broadcast.

The 7.0 rating represents approximately 7.7 million households. The final share, a measure of the percentage of televisions in use tuned to the broadcast, was 18, equal with last year's share.

The rating for the Derby last year was a 7.3. In 2004, the rating was a 7.4. Every year for the last three years, share has been measured at 18.

Several large racing companies, including the New York Racing Association and Churchill Downs, have been asking racetracks and simulcasting outlets in the U.S. to pay higher fees for the signals from their tracks, according to racing officials.

New drug testing rules went into effect in Oklahoma on Tuesday after Gov. Brad Henry signed them into place under emergency status. The most notable is the "24-hour rule" whereby horses can be treated with therapeutic medications up to 24 hours before post time.

Representatives of trainers, owners, and racetracks said Wednesday that they would oppose any plan to amend the federal Interstate Horse Racing Act to give jockeys veto power over simulcast signals.

Churchill Downs Inc., the owner of six racetracks, lost $10.3 million in the first three months of 2006, according to financial documents released late Tuesday, a $3.6 million improvement over its first-quarter results in 2005.

Churchill typically records a loss in the first quarter of every year because the company's racetracks do not hold many live racing days during the winter.