Total wagering on Thoroughbred races at U.S. racetracks in September was up 13.7 percent compared to wagering in the same month of 2019, prior to the coronavirus pandemic, according to figures released by Equibase on Tuesday.

The September total of $911.9 million this year was part of a strong third quarter for Thoroughbred racing when compared to the same quarter in 2019. For the three months this year, total wagering was $3.22 billion, up 10.2 percent over the 2019 third-quarter total of $2.92 billion, despite a 6.0 percent decline in the number of races held.

Andy Belfiore, who is currently the administrator of a horsemen’s group’s effort to reduce horse injuries, has been hired as the executive director of the Florida Horsemen’s Benevolent and Protective Association, the organization announced.

Belfiore, who has been project manager of the Thoroughbred Horsemen’s Association’s Mid-Atlantic Strategic Plan to Reduce Equine Fatalities for the past two years, was offered the position by the FHBPA, which was most recently held by Kevin Scheen.

The Breeders’ Cup Classic will have a post time of 5:40 p.m. Pacific, or 8:40 Eastern, at Del Mar near San Diego on Saturday, Nov. 6, the company announced on Thursday.

The Classic will be the last race of a 12-race card on Nov. 6. Nine Breeders’ Cup races are scheduled to be run on Saturday, starting at 12:05 Pacific, with approximately 40 minutes between each race. The Classic will go to post one hour after the previous race, which is usually the Turf.

Churchill Downs Inc. will build a 43,000-square foot casino in downtown Louisville that will initially operate 500 historical horse racing machines, the company announced on Thursday.

The facility, which is scheduled to open in early 2023, according to the company, will be the first casino in downtown Louisville and will compete with casinos across the river in Indiana. The casino, which will include bars and a live-entertainment stage, will be located across the street from Louisville’s convention center.

Churchill Downs Inc. has reached an agreement to sell the 326-acre Arlington Park property to the Chicago Bears of the NFL, in a transaction that is not expected to close until after the Illinois state legislature meets next year for a full legislative session.

In a release issued early on Wednesday morning, Churchill said that the deal valued the Arlington Heights property at $197.2 million. The release did not give any other details, and CDI did not immediately respond to written questions.

CDI did not apply for dates for the 2022 racing season.

Eclipse Award champion Caressing, who produced an Eclipse Award champion in West Coast, died Sept. 14 at Hermitage Farm in Goshen, Ky., due to laminitis. The Honour and Glory mare was 23.

An attorney for Jason Servis, the trainer who was indicted last year along with 26 other individuals connected to horse racing, argued in a court filing on Friday that government prosecutors are attempting to apply different rationales for the basis of their wiretaps of Servis than those presented to the judges who authorized the surveillance.

Churchill Downs Inc. has submitted a proposal to Indiana regulators seeking an open casino license for a location near Terre Haute, Ind., the company said on Wednesday.

Plans for the development include a casino with 1,000 slot machines, 50 table games, and a sportsbook. The plans also include a 125-room hotel. The development will be called “The Queen of Terre Haute.”

Six states, including Arkansas, Idaho, Nebraska, and Ohio, have filed a “friend of the court” brief contesting the constitutionality of legislation passed late last year that authorizes a federal regulatory body for racing.

The amicus curiae brief was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Kentucky, where a number of states, breed organizations, and racetrack owners filed the initial challenge to the lawsuit. The brief also includes Alaska and Mississippi, two states where racing is not conducted.

Bank of America, the second-largest bank in the United States, with 66 million customers, began approving debit-card transactions with account-wagering companies in August, the National Thoroughbred Racing Association said Wednesday.

The NTRA, which coordinates federal lobbying campaigns on behalf of Thoroughbred racing, said that the change occurred due to the advocacy of several racing-connected legislators, including Rep. Andy Barr, a Republican from Kentucky. Barr is a member of the House Financial Services Committee.