The Ohio State Racing Commission has approved 2010 racing dates for two Thoroughbred tracks, but the facilities still have no agreement with horsemen on the schedules.
Friday, September 04, 2009
Jockeys throughout the United States and Canada will exhibit their unified show of support Sept. 5 for apprentice jockey Michael Straight, who was injured in a racing accident Aug. 26 at Arlington Park. On Sept. 6, River Downs in Ohio will raise money for disabled jockey Gary Birzer and jockey Justin Vitek, who continues to battle leukemia.
Thursday, September 03, 2009
Five of seven Ohio racetracks failed to have their 2010 applications for dates approved because they don't have an agreement with horsemen or have other conflicts; several requested fewer racing dates than were scheduled for this year; and one facility indicated it wouldn't mind closing its barn area.
Thursday, August 20, 2009
For most women with six children and six grandchildren, the next step in their life includes things like retirement and relaxation. But for Sherry Kirk, there will be no baking cakes, sewing, or taking strolls on the beach. Those things can wait another 20 years. For now, she is just getting started on the second half of her riding career.
Tuesday, August 04, 2009
It appears Ohio racetracks and horsemen's groups will have to negotiate the percentage of revenue that will go toward purses and breed development from video lottery terminals.
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
As Ohio racetracks are busy working on a plan for racetrack gaming, horsemen's groups are lobbying the state legislature to get behind Democratic Gov. Ted Strickland's proposal for video lottery terminals at tracks.
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
Ohio racing still has its supporters, who are finding ways to capitalize on declining purses and a shrinking foal crop in the face of competition from racetracks with gaming in neighboring states.
Tuesday, June 02, 2009
Trainer Wesley Ward, who plans a venture to the Royal Ascot meet in England this year, came away from River Downs very pleased with the performances of members of his stable that prepped in front of the public at the Ohio track May 24.
Monday, May 25, 2009
Veteran jockey Vernon Bush, who learned the art of race riding watching his father, Vernon Sr., who was one of New England's top riders in the 1940s and 1950s, won the 3,000th race of his career when he guided Loadthewagon to a front-running win in the eighth race at River Downs May 9.
Sunday, May 10, 2009
Thistledown, at the suggestion of the Ohio Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association, has suspended the $300,000 Ohio Derby (gr. II) for 3-year-olds. The race was to have its 75th running in 2009.
Wednesday, April 01, 2009
The Ohio State Racing Commission ruled March 19 that Thistledown's racing permit will be suspended as of March 28 if parent company Magna Entertainment Corp., which filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection March 5, fails to renew a $1-million bond.
Thursday, March 19, 2009
The marquee race at River Downs in Ohio will now be titled the $200,000 Budweiser Select Cradle Stakes. Since 1977, the Miller Brewing Co. had sponsored Ohio's richest race for 2-year-olds.
Tuesday, March 03, 2009
Requests by Beulah Park and River Downs to schedule their customary Thoroughbred meets for 2009 were officially granted Dec. 19 by the Ohio State Racing Commission.
Friday, December 19, 2008
Racetrack management and horsemen in Ohio struck an agreement Dec. 16 that will reinstate more than 160 Thoroughbred racing dates at Beulah Park and River Downs in 2009, and save more than 1,000 horses at Beulah Park from being forced out of the track's stable area by Dec. 27.
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
The Ohio Racing Commission has confirmed it is investigating a Nov. 19 incident at Beulah Park in which the track identifier failed to discover before the fourth race a different horse than was entered by trainer owner/trainer Enzo Canelo ran and crossed the wire first.
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
An Ohio lawmaker whose district includes River Downs said Nov. 26 he plans to introduce legislation in 2009 for casino-style gaming that would support the horse racing and breeding in the state.
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
Winter racing at Beulah Park was plowed under and the spring/summer meet at River Downs went up in flames Nov. 21 when the Ohio State Racing Commission awarded 2009 dates that represent a loss of more than 160 days of Thoroughbred racing at the two tracks.
Friday, November 21, 2008
Hoosier Park Racing & Casino and Indiana Downs have submitted requests for 2009 schedules that could significantly impact surrounding states.
Monday, November 03, 2008
Beulah Park, locked in a dispute that centers on revenue from advance deposit wagering, intends to resume live racing Oct. 22 but with greatly reduced purses and no export of its signal outside of Ohio.
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
Barring fruitful negotiations -- and that scenario currently doesn't appear possible -- it could be months before decisions on Thoroughbred racing dates in Ohio are made.
Friday, October 03, 2008
United States District Court Judge Michael Watson granted the Ohio Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association's motion for partial judgment on the pleadings in its lawsuit versus the Ohio State Racing Commission, Beulah Park, River Downs, Chester Downs, and others.
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
Officials with two Ohio racetracks indicated they hope to offer Thoroughbred meets in 2009 and could be close to a deal with local horsemen on revenue from advance deposit wagering.
Tuesday, September 02, 2008
A Jockeys' Guild official was verbally barred from River Downs after the Ohio State Racing Commission was notified of an incident in which the track's substitute ambulance caught fire on the racetrack and a pickup truck was used for emergency services for the final two races of a program.
Thursday, August 21, 2008
The Ohio State Racing Commission indicated Aug. 21 it will have a difficult time approving requests by two racetracks that call for only four total days of Thoroughbred racing in 2009.
Thursday, August 21, 2008
Beulah Park and River Downs, two Ohio Thoroughbred tracks that race more than 200 dates combined, have requested only Quarter Horse dates for 2009, a track official said Aug. 18.
Monday, August 18, 2008
At least two racetrack operators aren't pleased with recent developments concerning advance deposit wagering revenue, and one indicated closure of his track isn't out of the question should the conflict continue.
Thursday, July 10, 2008
Ellis Park's owner said the western Kentucky racetrack won't hold its meet this summer, though horsemen want the Kentucky Horse Racing Authority to intervene. Could another track get the dates?
Thursday, July 03, 2008
Two horses that escaped from the backside of River Downs Racetrack were struck and killed by a truck in the early morning hours of June 26, according to John Englehardt, director of publicity at the Cincinnati, Ohio-area oval.
Thursday, June 26, 2008
Jessica Oldham Stith, the first graduate of Chris McCarron's North American Racing Academy, failed to emulate her parents but got a lot of experience in her first ride as a jockey June 17 at River Downs in Ohio.
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
Chris McCarron will be on hand at River Downs in Ohio June 17 to "pony" a graduate of the North American Riding Academy in her debut as a professional jockey.
Wednesday, June 11, 2008
Declines in on-track wagering, a dispute with the New York Racing Association over signal fees, and horsemen's refusal to allow six major advance deposit wagering outlets to take its signal has led River Downs to cut purses 15%-18% effective May 8.
Friday, May 02, 2008
TrackNet Media Group said April 22 it doesn't like a proposal from horsemen that would allow advance deposit wagering companies the cards of the Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (gr. I) and the Kentucky Oaks (gr. I), locking in place a stalemate over broader revenue sharing models.
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
Live racing returns to River Downs near Cincinnati, Ohio, on April 11 for a 102-day meet that extends through Labor Day.
Thursday, April 10, 2008
Veteran Thoroughbred trainer Hulon "H.L." Womack, who led the standings at River Downs and Latonia in the late 1960s and early 1970s, passed away Jan. 17.
Saturday, January 19, 2008
A Franklin County, Ohio, Common Pleas Court judge has ruled that slot machine-like devices are legal at Ohio's racetracks and bars.
Monday, September 24, 2007
The Miller Lite Cradle Stakes has long been known as the first major two-turn test for 2-year-olds. And though it will be run as usual at 1 1/16 miles Sept. 3, there's a major change that reflects expansion of the Breeders' Cup World Championships.
Sunday, September 02, 2007
Jockey Perry Ouzts won the 5,000th race of his career Aug. 21 when he booted Kandinsky home in the first race at River Downs in Ohio.
Tuesday, August 21, 2007
All pro wide receiver Chad Johnson lived up to his pre-race predictions June 9 when he sprinted one-sixteenth of a mile in 11.1 seconds to defeat Thoroughbred racehorse Restore the Roar on the turf at River Downs in Ohio in the "Man versus Beast" promotion.
Sunday, June 10, 2007
Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Chad Johnson defeated Restore the Roar in a sixteenth of a mile match race Saturday at River Downs.
Sunday, June 10, 2007
Joe Judice, one of seven jockeys banned from Tampa Bay Downs this past December because of an investigation into alleged race-fixing, returned to the saddle June 3 at River Downs and promptly won with his first two mounts of the meet.
Sunday, June 03, 2007
Retired jockey Patti Cooksey will return to the saddle June 9 at River Downs for a special race in which her mount will square off against Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Chad Johnson, who will be on foot.
Thursday, May 31, 2007
The addition of a Breeders' Cup turf event for 2-year-olds has led River Downs to move its $200,000 Miller Lite Cradle Stakes from the dirt to the turf in 2007.
Monday, March 19, 2007
Alfred J. "Alfie" Bellew, believed to be Thoroughbred racing's oldest licensed official, died Jan. 13 at the age of 96.
Tuesday, January 16, 2007
Ohio's Thoroughbred tracks will race 24 fewer days in 2007 in keeping with a plan to increase average daily purses and boost field size by offering fewer races. The schedule, agreed to by tracks and horsemen's groups, will be voted on Dec. 15 by the Ohio State Racing Commission.
Thursday, November 30, 2006
Ohio racing interests, stung by the failure of a Nov. 7 referendum that would have allowed video lottery terminals at the state's seven tracks, didn't rule out another attempt and said there could be legislative assistance for the industry in the interim.
Tuesday, November 14, 2006
Jason Beem has been named the new announcer at Portland Meadows, taking over for Michael O'Brien, the voice of the Delta Park oval for the past five seasons who has taken a sabbatical for the meet in order to tend to responsibilities of his private business interests.
Saturday, October 07, 2006
A referendum to allow video lottery terminals at seven racetracks and two stand-alone casinos in Ohio will be on the November ballot because supporters of the measure have obtained the required number of certified signatures.
Tuesday, September 19, 2006
The similarities between last year's Miller Lite Cradle Stakes winner and this year's were striking. Both were owned and bred by Claiborne Farm, both were trained by Frank Brothers, Corey Lanerie rode both, and both share the same sire -- Pulpit.
Monday, September 04, 2006
A petition drive to allow a vote on video lottery terminals at Ohio racetracks was 8,716 signatures short as of Aug. 30, but more will be submitted within the next two weeks.
Thursday, August 31, 2006
The Jockeys' Guild added a regional manager to its ranks Aug. 14 when Jeff Johnston became an employee of the organization only a day after he wrapped up his 20-year career as a jockey based in Kentucky and Ohio.
Monday, August 14, 2006
