The Woodlands in Kansas City, Kan., will close its doors next month because the tax rate that has been established for its planned slots casino is too steep, according to the track's general manager, Jayme LaRocca.
The last day of greyhound racing and simulcast operations will be Aug. 23, and the Woodlands will not conduct its 26-day Thoroughbred and Quarter Horse meet that was to open Sept. 20.
Fair Grounds has named Jason Boulet racing secretary at Fair Grounds beginning in September. Boulet has been racing secretary at Evangeline Downs since 2005.
Boulet, 39, has worked in horse racing since 1990, on the backstretch, in racing offices, and as a jockey agent. He worked at Fair Grounds from 2002-05 in various jobs, including racing secretary, just before Churchill Downs Inc.'s purchase of the track. He also served as assistant director of racing, stakes coordinator, and assistant racing secretary.
Total ontrack handle was up while all-sources handle was down at the recently concluded Belmont Park spring/summer meeting. With the cancellation of Sunday's final card, Belmont conducted 58 days of racing this year, compared with 59 cards in 2007.
Ontrack handle totaled $69,722,257 (for a daily average of $1,202,108), up 1.5 percent from the $68,718,518 (a daily average of $1,164,721) wagered in 2007.
BOSSIER CITY, La. - It seems the only thing hotter than the Louisiana weather these days is the stable of Brian House.
With a record of 8 wins from 24 starters, House entered this week in a tie for fifth in the trainer standings.
"Not bad considering the injuries we have had here this summer," House said Wednesday morning. "We have about 10 horses that are out right now, so we have been doing it with mostly second- and third-stringers."
VANCOUVER, British Columbia - Trainer Toni Cloutier was relieved to see Ookashada win a $50,000 optional race going 1 1/16 miles last Sunday. It was the first win for Ookashada since the B.C. Cup Stellar's Jay on Aug. 6, 2007. It was also one of the most exciting races at Hastings all year, with the photo-finish camera separating Ookashada, Enforcement, and Seminole Brave.
Ookashada looked like he was going to finish out of the money at the top of the stretch, but with Mario Gutierrez aboard, he made a strong late move in the middle of the track and got up just in time.
OCEANPORT, N.J. - Todd Pletcher will try to win the $1 million Haskell Invitational for a third straight year with a colt that consistently runs second.
Pletcher is pointing Atoned, owned by Cot Campbell's Dogwood Stable, toward the 3-year-old stakes that highlights the Monmouth Park meet on Aug. 3.
"I'm going to talk to Mr. Campbell again, but we spoke about it the other day and they are leaning towards running in the Haskell," Pletcher said Wednesday morning at Monmouth.
ETOBICOKE, Ontario - Jambalaya, whose comeback was put on hold recently, should be ready to resume training later next week.
A 6-year-old gelding who is trained by Catherine Day Phillips, Jambalaya last saw action when he won the Grade 1 Arlington Million last Aug. 11.
Sidelined by a deep bone bruise in his right front foot while preparing for an appearance in Belmont's Turf Classic Invitational, Jambalaya had a recurrence of that injury when he was training in Florida over the winter, and had just recorded his first breeze back here in June when a new problem surfaced.
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - As a horse owner who lives within 20 miles of Saratoga Race Course, this time of year is always special to Roddy Valente.
"This is Christmas for me," Valente said on the eve of the opening of Saratoga's 140th season. "Six weeks of Christmas."
DEL MAR, Calif. - The Del Mar meeting began in earnest on Wednesday for Zenyatta, the leading older female in the nation.
Unbeaten in six starts, Zenyatta had her first exercise over the track's Polytrack surface on Wednesday, preparing for a start in the $300,000 Clement Hirsch Handicap on Aug. 2. Trainer John Shirreffs left Zenyatta at his Hollywood Park base for an extra week after that track ended its spring-summer meeting on July 13, saying that he wanted to see how the Del Mar Polytrack surface played before committing the 4-year-old Zenyatta to a start here this summer.
GRAND PRAIRIE, Texas - Ernesto and Lone Star Special have accounted for three turf stakes wins this summer for trainer Danny Pish, who is just beginning to map out fall campaigns for the horses. Ernesto won his third straight race in the $50,000 Bob Johnson Memorial last weekend at Lone Star Park, and earned a career-best Beyer Speed Figure of 94.
"That was a big one there," Pish said. "He beat some nice horses. It looks like he's picked his game up to a new level."