Approximately 10,000 people visited Saratoga Gaming and Raceway on Wednesday, opening day of the harness track's slot-machine operation, officials for the track said Thursday.
Saratoga opened Wednesday at 10 a.m. and took bets at slot machines until 2 a.m. Thursday. The racetrack spent $15 million over the past several months renovating part of its grandstand to house 1,300 machines.
VANCOUVER, British Columbia - Because of a purse supplement of $2.1 million from the British Columbia Lottery Corporation, overnight purses at Hastings will go up roughly 30 percent in 2004. None of the money will go toward stakes purses.
"This will help keep our local horses here and shows the government is seriously committed to revitalizing the horse racing industry in B.C.," said Phil Heard, the general manager of Hastings, who made the announcement Thursday.
A year after nearly sweeping the stakes races for 3-year-old males at Turfway with Champali, trainer Greg Foley is back with another promising 3-year-old. His latest up-and-comer, Silver Minister, heads 14 entrants, including two also-eligibles, in Saturday's $50,000 WEBN Stakes at Turfway Park.
Champali and Silver Minister share many similarities. Both were purchased for moderate prices as yearlings, and each won the Turfway Prevue leading up to the WEBN for separate ownership syndicates under the management of Lloyd Madison Farms.
Trainer Tom Amoss will start the probable favorites in stakes at Delta Downs and Sam Houston Race Park on Saturday night. Amoss will send out Cat Genius in the $40,000 Cheval at Delta and Jimmy Cracked Corn in the $30,000 Bucharest at Sam Houston.
Cat Genius's excellent speed makes him a standout in the Cheval, a five-furlong race that drew nine horses, including stakes winner Joyful Tune. In his last start, Cat Genius wired the opposition in a six-furlong optional claimer at Fair Grounds, covering the distance in 1:09.60.
In the Bucharest, a six-furlong race for 3-year-olds, Jimmy Cracked Corn could be the controlling speed. He is looking for his third straight win, following scores in a maiden race at Turfway Park and an entry-level allowance at Fair Grounds. He has won his last two starts by a combined 13 1/2 lengths for owner Temple Webber Jr. Don Simington has the call from Amoss.
HOT SPRINGS, Ark. - Beau's Town will not be here Saturday to defend his title in the King Cotton Stakes, but could see action at Oaklawn as early as March.
Following his win in last summer's Bing Crosby Handicap at Del Mar, Beau's Town was regarded as one of the top contenders for the Breeders' Cup Sprint. He was injured in his final Breeders' Cup prep, and underwent surgery to have a small bone chip removed from his ankle. Beau's Town is scheduled to have his first work since the surgery this weekend, at his training center base in Louisiana.
HOT SPRINGS, Ark. - The $50,000 King Cotton at Oaklawn Park on Saturday might not be as much a test of talent as it will be a test of fitness. Of the 10 horses in the six-furlong race, eight are coming off layoffs ranging from six weeks to a little more than one year. Those making up the classy field include Baileys Edge, who last raced in January 2003 and won the Grade 3 Mr. Prospector at Gulfstream Park.
HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. - How wide-open is Saturday's $100,000 Suwannee River Handicap? Just ask Gulfstream Park's racing secretary, Dave Bailey, who assigned four of the 12 starters high weight of 116 pounds for the 1 1/8-mile turf fixture. The race shares top billing on the card with the Grade 3 Canadian Turf Handicap.
HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. - A full gate is the rule in turf stakes during the Gulfstream Park winter meeting, which makes it a bit surprising that just nine horses were entered in Saturday's $100,000 Canadian Turf Handicap. Only seven will start if the race goes as scheduled on the grass.
Rain in the forecast both Friday and Saturday might change the complexion of the Grade 3 Canadian Turf, which features the 2004 debut of Hard Buck and the return of Millennium Dragon, who has already won the one-mile Appleton Handicap this meet.