The National Thoroughbred Racing Association (NTRA), National Turf Writers Association (NTWA) and Daily Racing Form (DRF) are proud to present the 2005 Eclipse Awards, voted on and presented by the three organizations in recognition of excellence in Thoroughbred racing.

Winners in all categories will be announced at the 35th annual Eclipse Awards ceremony, to be held Monday, Jan. 23, 2006 at Regent Beverly Wilshire in Beverly Hills, Calif.

The Eclipse Awards will be televised live by TVG, with coverage beginning at 9:00 p.m. ET.

The Ohio Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association has removed Gus George as its president as a result of disputes between George and the organization's board of directors, according to the group's executive director.

George was removed in a two-thirds majority vote by the horsemen's board. The board then unanimously elected its vice president, Jim Yaegel, to serve as president for the remainder of George's term, which runs through next fall.

The New York State Racing and Wagering Board at a meeting Thursday upheld a 45-day suspension and $3,000 fine for trainer Todd Pletcher based on a positive drug test for one of Pletcher's horses last year.

Pletcher, who is leading the nation in money won and is a top candidate for the Eclipse Award, said on Thursday after the meeting that he planned to appeal the suspension and fine in court. The board's decision on Thursday was a rejection of Pletcher's first appeal.

The American Association of Equine Practitioners has recommended that sales companies put in place drug-testing programs and enforce prohibitions on certain drugs while horses are entered at auction.

The recommendations were contained in a position paper released on Wednesday by the AAEP, the largest equine veterinary group in the United States

A Kentucky legislative subcommittee approved the state's new raceday medication rules at a meeting on Tuesday, putting the rules one step closer to final enactment.

The rules, which limit raceday medication to the use of the diuretic Lasix and two other anti-bleeding drugs, were approved by the General Assembly's Administrative Regulation Review Subcommittee, part of the Legislative Research Commission. The Kentucky Horse Racing Authority had approved the rules on Nov. 14.

New York legislators and regulators should overhaul the state's racing laws in 2006 and pave the way for a public-private partnership to replace the New York Racing Association, according to a final report by a racing advocacy group that was released on Tuesday.

, issued by Friends of New York Racing, called on the state legislature to legalize slot machines at Belmont Park, approve online horse race betting and rebates, and simplify myriad tax rates and fees that apply to simulcast signals through an omnibus racing bill in 2006.

OZONE PARK, N.Y. - The New York Racing Association stands to gain $5 million in revenue and thus could avoid filing for bankruptcy - at least temporarily - under a proposed land sale with the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey.

The Jockeys' Guild is considering legal action against its former president, L. Wayne Gertmenian, after an internal review suggested that as much as $2.1 million of its members' contributions to health and savings accounts were instead used to pay operating expenses over the past two years, guild officials said Friday.

TUCSON, Ariz. - The Association of Racing Commissioners International will form a not-for-profit company to monitor the country's electronic bet-processing network for fraud, officials of the association said on Wednesday.

The company, to be called RCI Integrity Services, was unanimously approved by the RCI board Wednesday in Tucson, the site of the University of Arizona Symposium on Racing and Gaming. The company is scheduled to begin operation in the second quarter of 2006.

TUCSON, Ariz. - The Association of Racing Commissioners International and the North American Pari-Mutuel Regulators Associations - the two umbrella groups for racing regulators in North America - agreed Tuesday to immediately merge their operations, ending an eight-year split between the two organizations. The newly merged organization will be known at Racing Commissioners International.