Flightline, the undefeated 4-year-old who is pointing to the Sept. 3 Pacific Classic at Del Mar, closed at 2-1 odds as the favorite in the first Breeders’ Cup Classic parimutuel future wager, but not without some confusion.
Total wagering on U.S. Thoroughbred races in July was up 3.9 percent compared to the same month last year, according to figures released on Friday by Equibase.
Total wagering during July this year was $1.14 billion, up from $1.10 billion in July of last year. This year, July had 10 weekend dates, whereas last year, there were nine weekend dates in the month. Handle is typically far higher on weekend dates than weekdays.
The number of races held in July this year was statistically even with last year. Average handle per race was also static, at $323,739.
A federal court of appeals has granted a stay of a lower court’s ruling preventing the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority from enforcing its rules in Louisiana and West Virginia.
The Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals, based in Louisiana, issued the stay “pending further consideration of the motion.” The order rolls back a temporary injunction issued last week by a federal court in Louisiana that removed Louisiana and West Virginia from HISA’s jurisdiction.
Jessica Hammond of the Maryland Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association has been honored with the Dr. J. David "Doc" Richardson Community Award sponsored by Churchill Downs, it was announced this week along with the finalists for the other 2022 Thoroughbred Industry Employee Awards in America.
A short-list judging panel met on July 29 in Saratoga Springs, N.Y., to determine finalists in six Thoroughbred Industry Employee Awards categories, as well as to name Hammond as the winner of the Community Award, and Dr. Kyle Roper of CHI St. Vincent as the runner-up.
Lisa Lazarus, the chief executive of the embattled Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority, will be the keynote speaker at the Aug. 14 Round Table Conference on Matters Pertaining to Racing in Saratoga Springs, N.Y., the organizer of the conference, The Jockey Club, announced on Wednesday.
The Jockeys’ Guild, a national organization that represents the vast majority of riders in the U.S., has asked a federal judge in Louisiana to hold the top official of the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority in contempt for applying HISA’s rules to Guild members in the wake of a controversy over the geographic extent of a preliminary injunction issued last week.
The Massachusetts legislature has approved a bill that will make 15 sports-betting licenses available in the state, including to the former owners of Suffolk Downs, which closed in 2019.
The legislation, which has the support of Gov. Charlie Baker, gives the state’s casinos, racetracks, and slots parlors the right to apply for a license. Each license holder will be able to operate a bricks-and-mortar location and partner with two mobile-betting operations.
The Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority and the Federal Trade Commission have filed separate emergency motions in the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals seeking a stay of an injunction issued last week by a lower court affecting HISA’s jurisdiction over races in Louisiana and West Virginia.
The Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority has modified a rule set to go into effect on Aug. 1 that will allow horses to wear horseshoes on their hind limbs with full outer rims or a toe grab, though only while running on dirt surfaces.
The previous rule had sought to prohibit all “traction devices” other than outer rims in excess of 2 millimeters in height, on all limbs. However, a large number of trainers and veterinarians had complained to HISA about the blanket prohibition, leading to a meeting earlier this week in which a compromise was reached, according to HISA.
