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The 4-year-old filly Dance to Bristol has come a long way. And so has Hollywood Casino at Charles Town Races. A $42,000 purchase at the Fasig-Tipton Midlantic 2-year-olds in training sale, Dance to Bristol made her career debut at Charles Town in September 2011, and finished second, beaten a nose, in a maiden special weight event. Two years ...

Overshadowed by equine medication issues at the Aug. 11 Jockey Club Round Table was a presentation on Thoroughbred racing in Ireland by Horse Racing Ireland chief executive Brian Kavanagh, who signaled increased competition for the Breeders' Cup World Championships. Though not designed to compete with the Breeders' Cup, the ''Irish Champions ...

The good: Social media outlets made the industry aware of a situation that begged for further examination. The bad: Before the facts were gathered, people rushed to judgment with a lynch-mob mentality. Such is the case of Monzante, the grade I stakes winner that broke down at Evangeline Downs during a $4,000 claiming race July 20, and after ...

By Tom LaMarra If you bet Java's War in the grade I Toyota Blue Grass Stakes, you probably let out a groan when the 3-year-old War Pass colt missed the break. But Java's War is one of a growing number of horses that have overcome such starts to win races at the Keeneland spring meet. Last-to-first victories haven't been unusual on the ...

By Tom LaMarra LEXINGTON, Ky (April 3, 2013) --  Dan Blacker has been at Keeneland for meets as an assistant trainer, but this spring will be his first with his own stable. Blacker, a very young-looking 31 who was born in England, is based in Southern California but has four horses at Keeneland. His first two are entered for April 6: ...

The following stemmed from a morning editorial meeting when the question was asked whether Wise Dan is the first Horse of the Year to have broken his maiden at Turfway Park. (He did so March 27, 2010, as a 3-year-old.) He isn't the only one, however. Alysheba notched his first victory at Turfway (then called Latonia Race Course) in 1986 as a ...

Another year has passed with surprisingly little industry discussion about the price of a wager. You would think that with pari-mutuel handle on U.S. Thoroughbred racing having dropped about 25% from 2006 to 2012, there would be a comprehensive study on maximizing takeout rates to generate more handle and reward the customer. ... Nothing else ...

One would think a state whose racing and breeding industry is struggling to regain its footing wouldn't be involved in a battle over racing dates, but such is the case in Kentucky. This one is hard to figure out, particularly given what's at stake: a viable, organized year-round Thoroughbred racing circuit that accommodates horses–and their owners ...

With Delaware Park and Monmouth Park both kicking off their live meets May 12, a question came to mind again: What is the status of a Mid-Atlantic racing circuit? The status is on-again, off-again talks among some racetracks that are interested in creating a circuit that wouldn’t eliminate overlapping meets but at least capitalize on the ...

In reporting record fourth-quarter revenue in 2011, Churchill Downs Inc. noted live horse racing and full-card simulcasts continue to lose money, while the gaming and online wagering sectors are profitable. … Not mentioned is the fact the company’s online wagering operation currently is based solely on the horse racing product, and that two of its ...