A deal that would allow horsemen to lease Suffolk Downs and operate a live race meet in 2015 and 2016 appears to be close at hand, representatives said at a hearing of the Massachusetts Gaming Commission Feb. 19.
Philip Hanrahan, chief executive officer of the National Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association, will step down in mid-February after the organization's winter convention in Carefree, Ariz.
Horsemen owed $2.2 million in purses and owner rewards and an unknown amount from claiming transactions from the Presque Isle Downs meeting completed Sept. 25 are awaiting checks and looking for answers.
There may be a reprieve for live racing at Suffolk Downs even though the track's ownership group announced that they would not apply for dates in 2015.
While no agreement is in place and the two sides still disagree on some important details, Colonial Downs and the Virginia Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association have moved closer to an agreement.
While acknowledging its decision could jeopardize Thoroughbred racing in the state for this year or even several years, Colonial Downs says it has ceased negotiations with the Virginia HBPA.
The pros and cons of exchange wagering were among the highlights of the Jan. 24 session of the Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association winter convention in Pasadena, Calif.
The Racing Officials Accreditation Program board of directors has endorsed the Penalty Guidelines for Multiple Medication Violations passed by the RCI board in July.
The 10th annual New Vocations Charity Horse Show was a huge success with more than 1,100 entries and $50,000 raised to support racehorse aftercare.
Though Calder Casino & Race Course can't export its signal outside of Florida, the Florida HBPA indicated it doesn't expect other horsemen's groups to immediately pull their consent for signals to be sent to Calder.
The Ohio State Racing Commission tabled almost all items on its agenda during its April 24 meeting in Columbus because a resolution on running this year's River Downs dates at Beulah Park has not been reached.
Racing Commissioners International gave final approval April 2 to the "RCI Controlled Therapeutic Medication Schedule," setting the stage for uniform implementation of racing medication rules in the U.S.
The Claiming Crown comes to Gulfstream Park for the south Florida oval's season opener Dec. 1, and local horsemen have responded enthusiastically with 97 entrants in the seven-race series worth a total of $850,000 in purses.
The schedule shifts September racing dates from Turfway Park in Northern Kentucky to Churchill in Louisville. February will offer just four race dates in the state, at Turfway Park.
Remington Park gate crewman Jeremy Best has been selected as the Race Track Chaplaincy of America's 2011 White Horse Award recipient for rescuing Quarter Horse jockey Roy Brooks during an incident last spring.
After 10 years, Remi Bellocq is leaving the National HBPA to oversee a college equine industry training program and the North American Racing Academy.
Long-time HBPA executive Bryant McAfee touched and changed a lot of lives.
The board of directors of the New England Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association met on the night of Feb. 20 to consider the latest counterproposal of Suffolk Downs, but a consensus was not reached.
Suffolk Downs and the New England Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association continued to negotiate Feb. 18 and indications are that the two sides are creeping closer to common ground on a contract for 2011.
While the New England Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association board of directors held a closed door meeting the night of Feb. 8, others were feeling the fallout from the ongoing and bitter dispute with Suffolk Downs.
The horsemen in Oregon have joined the list of groups supporting the New England chapter of the Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association as dispute over a 2011 live racing contract at Suffolk Downs continues.
The Jockeys' Guild and representatives of Kentucky's horsemen's groups have agreed to increase how much jockeys are paid for losing mounts at the state's tracks.
A Kentucky legislative subcommittee has deferred for a month action on Kentucky Horse Racing Commission rules requiring safety vests for jockeys, exercise riders, and anyone else on horseback at the track.
The Michigan HBPA has helped Pinnacle Race Course restore its racing dates by paying a reglator through the MGCB.
The 2009 National Horsemen's Benevolence and Protective Association will hold its Winter Convention in conjunction with the Symposium on Racing & Gaming at the Westin La Paloma Resort in Tucson, Arizona this year.
After going a month with no fatalities, Turfway Park in Northern Kentucky was the site of five catastrophic injuries during an eight-day period in February, according to state veterinarian Dr. Bryce Peckham.
The Kentucky Thoroughbred Association and its executive director have been dismissed from the federal antitrust lawsuit brought by Churchill Downs Inc. against multiple horsemen's groups.
Youbet.com has reached an agreement to take bets on Gulfstream Park for that track's meet which begins on Jan. 3, Sam Gordon, president of the Florida Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association, said Dec. 30.
The Florida Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association said Dec. 22 it has reached agreements on advance deposit wagering contracts with Calder Race Course and Gulfstream Park.
The owners of Fort Erie Race Track, which is the home of the second leg of the Canadian Triple Crown, have announced they will likely close the Ontario location by March 31, 2009.
Wagering on Tampa Bay Downs' 83rd live meet, which opens Dec. 13, will be available to most advance deposit wagering outlets, the Oldsmar, Fla., track announced Dec. 12.
A recent deal that allowed expanded distribution of the Fair Grounds racing signal was hailed by some as a step forward in the months-long nationwide dispute between horsemen, racetracks, and advance deposit wagering entities. But some horsemen's groups are categorizing the development as a step backwards in an overall plan to secure higher revenue shares for purses from a growing wagering segment.
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.
The Portland Meadows meet, which looked for a time like it might be canceled, is scheduled to kick off Oct. 5, despite ongoing issues in Oregon.
Churchill Downs Inc. has fired back at horsemen's groups it has sued over alleged federal antitrust violations, calling their collective actions "price-fixing, pure and simple."
Churchill Downs Inc. said Aug. 6 it was pleased with its second quarter results despite various challenges that left the company with flat earnings in year-over-year comparison, claiming a high-profile dispute with horsemen had "little impact" on certain aspects of its financial performance.
The Kentucky Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association has formally filed a counterclaim in the federal antitrust lawsuit brought by Churchill Downs Inc. and affiliates, and has joined with other defendants asking for their dismissal from the case.
Handle jumped more than 50% in the first three days of the Ellis Park meet, which started a week late due to a disagreement over revenue sharing.
A federal judge has dismissed a case involving a dispute between a company owned by an American Indian tribe and a Kentucky horsemen's group over simulcast signals from Churchill Downs.
Colonial Downs and Virginia horsemen have filed a lawsuit claiming Youbet.com is operating illegally without a license in the commonwealth, and want the advance deposit wagering company to pay back hundreds of thousands of dollars in lost source-market fees.
The president of a Louisiana horsemen's group has promised legal and legislative action if a solution isn't soon realized in the fractured advance deposit wagering industry.
TVG said July 26 it will televise the Old National Bank Claiming Crown, to be held Aug. 4 at Ellis Park in Henderson, Ky., and will accept all wagers on the event on a non-profit basis.
As Churchill Downs Inc. continues to assess whether Fair Grounds will be ready to host its 2006-07 meet beginning in late November, the president of the Louisiana Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association said anything less than a live meet in New Orleans would bring "strong opposition" from the organization.
The National Horse Center, which is a collection of two dozen national and regional equine organizations located at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington, Ky., together with the park are sending out a plea for items to help the horses and horsemen who are victims of Hurricane Katrina.
In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, horse industry groups are mobilizing to provide assistance to people and horses impacted by the devastating storm and are seeking financial support for the efforts.
Racing and breeding news and information.
Canadian racing officials have formed a committee to develop a rehabilitation program for drug and alcohol abuse as part of the Ontario Racing Commission's regulatory structure.
The Kentucky Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association has set up a fund in the name of injured jockey Mike Rowland to provide financial assistance to his family.
By Ray Paulick -- The governors of New York and California may strike deals that will hurt the racing industry.
Two separate horsemen's groups representing Playfair Race Course appeared at a Washington Horse Racing Commission meeting on Wednesday, preventing the commission from granting any of the 40 requested racing dates to the track.
