Churchill Downs began enforcing new claiming rules at the start of its meet last week that requires trainers to have made a start in Kentucky since July 7 before being allowed to submit a claim on behalf of an owner.

The requirement is one of three new “house rules” that trainers must agree to as part of their participation at the meet. The rules are designed to limit claiming activity from out-of-state trainers and keep horses within the state after being claimed, at a time when Churchill-owned tracks now dominate the year-round live racing calendar in Kentucky.

A California real-estate developer has backed out of a potential deal to purchase Turf Paradise in Phoenix, and the track will be closed by its current owner as of Sept. 30, a decision that will lead to the unavailability of racing signals throughout a network of offtrack betting parlors in the state on Oct. 1, according to officials in Arizona.

Canterbury Park in Shakopee, Minn., closed its already disappointing race meet on Saturday on a chaotic note, with the final 10 races of the card canceled due to riders’ concerns over the condition of the track and a snafu affecting payouts for a pick four.

Canterbury had a 13-race card scheduled for its closing night, but riders began expressing concerns about the main track prior to the card starting, following heavy rains on Friday and earlier on Saturday.

Canterbury Park canceled the final 10 races on its 13-race closing-night card Saturday after its riding colony felt both the main track and turf course were unsafe after the surfaces were hit with consecutive days of rain.

Golden Gate Fields, the flagship track in Northern California, is tentatively scheduled to remain open until next June and not close in December as originally planned, according to a statement issued Saturday by the track’s parent company, 1/ST Racing.

The announcement, which had been expected in recent weeks, potentially gives the Northern California circuit some stability through at least the first half of 2024.

Phil D’Amato, the leading trainer at the Del Mar summer meeting that ended last weekend, is planning to have at least two runners in the Grade 2 Rodeo Drive Stakes for fillies and mares on turf at Santa Anita on Oct. 7.

D’Amato said earlier this week that he plans to run Turnerloose, who was second in the Grade 2 John C. Mabee Stakes at 1 1/8 miles on turf at Del Mar on Sept. 9, and Macadamia, who has not raced since a win in the Grade 1 Gamely Stakes at Santa Anita on May 29.