Jim Gaffney Sr., the regular exercise rider of champion Thoroughbreds Secretariat and Riva Ridge, died on Thursday from pneumonia. He was 75.

Gaffney lived in Commack, N.Y. In addition to being the exercise rider, he worked as a mutuel clerk at the New York Racing Association from 1957 until 2000 when he retired.

Gaffney exercised horses for many years - and got on Northern Dancer, Spanish Riddle Angle Light and Fort Marcy - but retired after Secretariat retired in 1973.

"It was hard to top that for $2 an hour," said Gaffney's son, Jim Gaffney Jr.

Churchill Downs Inc. has completed its acquisition of Youbet.com in a transaction that will make Churchill the largest account-wagering company in the U.S.

The deal closed on Wednesday, Churchill said in a release, after drawing some scrutiny from federal anti-trust regulators. The deal valued Youbet.com at approximately $133 million at Wednesday's stock prices by giving Youbet shareholders 99 cents for each share of Youbet stock they owned and one share of Churchill stock for every 17 shares of Youbet stock.

OCEANPORT, N.J. - Speed is what you will need to win Saturday's $100,000 co-features at Monmouth Park, the Red Cross and the Wolf Hill stakes.

The Red Cross, race 10 at six furlongs on the main track, drew a field of eight fillies and mares. The pacesetter clearly will be Lady Alexander, who leaves from post 5. She has never been wild about passing horses late, so, as usual, Lady Alexander will be on the lead, looking to steal the race.

ELMONT, N.Y. - The exotic saga of Kinsale King reached another level Thursday morning at Belmont Park, when he worked in preparation for the Golden Jubilee at Royal Ascot later this month, and jockey Kieren Fallon flew in from Europe, for the day, for the breeze.

"No, I've never done anything like that," Fallon said, "but it will be worth it, I hope."

Kinsale King worked a half-mile on the main track in 48.42 seconds, with Fallon giving him a vigorous hand ride through the lane.

"He's like me -- laid back," Fallon said.

Qualifying an older Quarter Horse for the $139,600 Vessels Maturity last Saturday was not an especially difficult chore in time trials at Los Alamitos.

There were only 19 horses in two 400-yard time trials and the 10 fastest qualifiers, regardless of finishing position, advanced to the June 18 final. It turned out that the first five finishers in each trial earned a berth in the final, which promises to be a more grueling race.

VANCOUVER, British Columbia - Burj Dubai looked like he was worth the $1 million Darley Stables paid for him at Keeneland in 2007 when he scorched a field of maidens in his debut at Hastings last Saturday.

ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, Ill. - Trainer Mike Stidham has won 4 of 32 races so far this Arlington Park meet, but his stable's win percentage is a study in misrepresentation.

Seventeen other Stidham-trained horses have finished second or third at Arlington for a 21-of-32 top-three strike rate. The Stidham barn also is 2-1-1 in five stakes races and 1-1-1 in three graded stakes races here this spring.

Belmont Park was an occasional field trip for Jim Hudson when he was a member of the New York Jets team that won the Super Bowl in 1969, but he never really thought his post-football career would be in racing. Fast forward to 2010, and Hudson has logged more than 30 years as a trainer, and his barn houses one of the top Louisiana-breds in Snug.

ELMONT, N.Y. − The return of dual Eclipse Award winner Gio Ponti in the Grade 1 Manhattan and a near-capacity field of 13 in the Grade 1 Acorn for 3-year-old fillies highlight Saturday's Belmont Stakes undercard at Belmont Park.

AUBURN, Wash. - No Flies On Doodle is movin' up and movin' out.

A courageous winner of the 6 1/2-furlong Washington State Legislators Handicap at Emerald Downs on Monday, the 4-year-old filly is scheduled to start next in the one-mile King County Handicap here on July 4, trainer Vann Belvoir said. After that, she will be shipped to Minnesota for a race at Canterbury Park, and then to Oklahoma, where Belvoir plans to keep a string of horses at Remington Park.