The New York State Public Authorities Control Board approved a $5 million loan to the New York Racing Association from the state's Urban Development Corporation at a meeting on Monday.
The loan is part of a $30 million financing package that was negotiated between NYRA and state legislators at the end of 2005. NYRA officials had said prior to obtaining the financing package that the association was considering filing for bankruptcy because of cash shortages.
Churchill Downs Inc., Magna Entertainment, and a media-rights company owned by 31 racecourses in Britain have entered into negotiations to develop a television channel that will broadcast races from North American racetracks into households in the United Kingdom, the companies announced Monday.
If final negotiations are successful, the channel, which would be equally owned by all three companies and available on a subscription basis, could be launched by the summer of 2006, the announcement said.
Janet Patton, a reporter for the Lexington Herald-Leader, has been selected as the recipient of the 2005 Eclipse Award for writing in the feature/enterprise category, the National Thoroughbred Racing Association announced on Friday.
Patton was selected by a three-person panel for a four-part series in the Herald-Leader called "Wrong Side of the Track." The series, which appeared in the paper from Jan. 23 to 30, examined the issues of workers' compensation and insurance coverage for jockeys and exercise riders at racetracks.
Tony Stabile, a jockey agent who has been barred from the grounds of New York Racing Association tracks since June for allegedly having an altercation with a federal official, will seek to have his credentials reinstated by a Nassau County Supreme Court judge next week. A hearing is scheduled for Thursday.
ARCADIA, Calif. - Saint Liam and Afleet Alex, the two leading contenders for Horse of the Year, on Thursday were announced as finalists in their respective divisions for Eclipse Awards, whose winners will be revealed at a black-tie dinner at the Regent Beverly Wilshire in Beverly Hills, Calif., on Jan. 23.
Eugene Melnyk, the horse owner and chairman of the Biovail Corp. pharmaceutical company, has resigned his position on the New York Racing Association's board of trustees, NYRA officials said Thursday.
Melnyk, a native of Canada who resides in Barbados, cited demands on his time for resigning, according to Bill Nader, senior vice president of NYRA. Melnyk also owns a National Hockey League franchise, the Ottawa Senators.
Melnyk did not return a phone call on Thursday.
Bob Ford, a sports columnist for the Philadelphia Inquirer, has been selected as the winner of the Eclipse Award for writing in the news/commentary category, the National Thoroughbred Racing Association announced Thursday.
Ford was selected by a three-person panel of judges for a column that appeared in the May 8, 2005, edition of the Philadelphia Inquirer titled "Journey to the Winner's Circle Rough for Giacomo's Jockey." The column was about Mike Smith's winning ride in this year's Kentucky Derby after a string of losses in the race and his recovery from a recent injury.
