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“We’re running the continued risk of our relevancy to the citizens of this Commonwealth.” That comment was made by Democratic Sen. Tim Shaughnessy Feb. 23 during the lead-up to a vote on a constitutional amendment on expanded gambling in Kentucky. The “let the people decide” measure failed on a 21-16 vote with one senator absent. Though the ...

Roy Steele was driving through western Ontario when he stopped at an estate sale of Standardbred horses. He wasn’t planning on purchasing a horse, but he couldn’t resist. The eventual result? A 3-year-old pacer who contributes financially to support retired Thoroughbreds that make their home at Michael Blowen’s Old Friends in Kentucky. “We ...

It’s safe to say Rapid Redux picked a good year to set the modern-day North American consecutive win record, because it has been one of those years: Good horses, good races, but no standouts. These things happen in horse racing; you move on and hope for something better the following year. So a former claimer that feasted on starter allowance ...

Some post-Breeders' Cup ramblings:  There were more than several tweets noting handicapping exhaustion and inability to keep track of horses given 15 Breeders’ Cup races this year. … So have we finally maxed out on the number of races? Hint: Yes. My reaction when the new Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Sprint was announced earlier this year wasn’t ...

A group of horse racing bloggers has launched “TURF,” a home page of sorts for their work. Many of the members have had industry-related blogs for several years. Founding members of TURF are Valerie Gash, Dana Byerly, Jessica Chapel, Teresa Genaro, Ted Grevelis, and Kevin Martin. “Our purpose in organizing this group is to gather the best the ...

There are big expectations for video lottery terminals at Aqueduct, but racetrack casinos aren’t a novelty in New York. Harness tracks wasted no time jumping in almost 10 years ago, and some folks with Thoroughbred ties are taking advantage of the opportunities. A stop at Vernon Downs Racing & Casino in central upstate New York the evening of ...

Nice to see experiments with reductions in pari-mutuel takeout, but this one really caught my eye. Mardi Gras West Virginia, a Greyhound racetrack and casino near Charleston, received approval recently to lower the takeout rate on win, place, and show bets from 16.3% to 9.4%. In effect, the rate is similar to that of the rate on video lottery ...

The Preakness Stakes must be just around the corner judging by the uproar over the Maryland Jockey Club’s latest advertising and marketing campaign. Love it. This year’s campaign, featuring the half-man-half-horse called “Kegasus,” drew instant response from all corners, including one Maryland lawmaker who publicly stated he believes it’s ...

Interesting but not unexpected reaction to comments from Peter Carlino, chief executive officer of Penn National Gaming Inc., regarding racetrack gaming. … The reference to horseplayers being dead was a red herring; slots players die, too. His overall point seems to have been missed: The slots welfare system is doomed to fail without ...

E-mail note from a friend and racing fan about the Eclipse Awards, “where the first African-American champion jockey since the 1800s doesn’t even get a mention … on Martin Luther King Day.” … That would be DeShawn Parker, who led all jockeys by wins in 2010 riding predominantly at Mountaineer Casino, Racetrack & Resort. DeShawn is a good story ...