An exercise rider was killed Sunday morning in an accident in the Golden Gate Fields barn area, the track announced. The rider, Ignacio Ramirez, was 58.

Ramirez was heading to the track aboard a filly for a workout when the filly spooked and flipped over, landing on top of Ramirez, who suffered fatal injuries despite wearing a helmet. The filly was uninjured, according to the San Jose Mercury-News.

The paper reported that paramedics were on the scene within minutes, but Ramirez had died almost instantly.

A 2-year-old filly trained by King Leatherbury at Laurel Park who had tested positive for equine herpesvirus was euthanized on Saturday night, according to Maryland agriculture officials, but no other horses at Laurel are showing signs of the highly contagious disease yet.

The filly, Nin, began displaying symptoms of equine herpesvirus, which attacks a horse's neurological system, on Wednesday. Although she had difficulty standing on Wednesday, she was back on her feet on Thursday. Her condition worsened over the weekend, however, according to the officials.

Hawthorne Race Course's bid to acquire an open Illinois casino license has been rejected by the Illinois Gaming Board, which named three other bidders as finalists for the license after a special meeting last Friday.

STICKNEY, Ill. – Sure, there were heavy lake-effect snows around the eastern side of Lake Michigan this week, and the mercury is supposed to be stuck in 40-and-under mode, well, indefinitely here in Chicago. But don’t tell that to Hawthorne, which gamely continues carding races on its grass course. In fact, the featured fourth race on Wednesday, a second-level turf-sprint allowance, came up a decent race.

Jerry McClenin, a 51-year-old printing press operator from Staten Island, N.Y., won Aqueduct’s Fall Handicapping Challenge, defeating a field of more than 200 rival horseplayers during the Saturday and Sunday event and taking down the top prize of $35,000.

McClenin finished with a mythical bankroll of $1,091, and edged out Thomas Mooney, who earned $10,000 for finishing second as well as a $1,000 bonus for being the leader after the first day of the two-day contest.

Ken Seeman finished in third.

VANCOUVER, British Columbia - Krazy Koffee was named British Columbia horse of the year at the annual industry awards dinner held Saturday evening.

Krazy Koffee dominated the 3-year-old division at Hastings in 2008. Trained by Cindy Krasner, Krazy Koffee won four straight stakes, including the Grade 3 B.C. Derby.

Krazy Koffee, who was bred by his owner, Butch Goertzen, also earned awards as the B.C.-bred horse of the year, B.C.-bred 3-year-old and open division.

ETOBICOKE, Ontario - One week prior to last Sunday's $250,000 Coronation Futurity, trainer Mark Casse was not planning to enter either Active Duty or Gallant in the 1 1/8-mile race for Canadian-bred 2-year-olds.

Both were maidens but had made their most recent appearances in the Cup and Saucer, which was run at 1o1/16 miles of yielding turf, with Active Duty finishing sixth and Gallant fourth in a race that Utterly Cool won by 10 1/4 lengths for trainer Sid Attard.

INGLEWOOD, Calif. - Trainer John Sadler describes Cost of Freedom as a "very unique horse, a different horse." State veterinarians have described Cost of Freedom as unsound and placed the Grade 1 winner on the state's official list of horses unable to race.

ALBANY, Calif. - Stakes racing returns to Golden Gate Fields on Saturday with the $75,000 Sausalito, the first stakes at the track in a month. But it won't be the best race of the week here.

Friday's card includes two stakes-caliber allowances. One is an open 1 1/16-mile race on turf and the other a one-mile turf race for fillies and mares.

The open race has attracted Artiste Royal, who has not run since winning the Grade 1 Charlie Whittingham at Hollywood Park on June 7. The 7-year-old Artiste Royal also won the Grade 1 Clement Hirsch in 2007.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - No one can reasonably argue that Michael Wrona is not an immensely talented race-caller. Wrona is the entire package - uncannily accurate while laugh-out-loud entertaining at once.

During his six-day race-calling stint that ended Sunday at Churchill Downs, Wrona reaffirmed his reputation as one of the best callers in North America. With his clipped and distinct Australian accent, Wrona, 42, had the good fortune of calling a major milestone on his first day, Nov. 11, when Julien Leparoux rode a Churchill record-tying seven winners.