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Though the numbers certainly can't be considered robust, average field size at racetracks in five states in the Mid-Atlantic region and neighboring New York is up from the comparable period in 2014. It's a surprise given the continued impact from smaller Thoroughbred foal crops and a glut of racing dates in a compact region in which shipping from ...

As the Maryland Jockey Club prepares for the May 16 Preakness Stakes at Pimlico Race Course, there's a lot going on behind the scenes--and much of it involves the status of the historic track in suburban Baltimore. Officials with the MJC and its owner, The Stronach Group, said they expect a decision after the Pimlico spring meet ends in early ...

The following appears in a 10-page bill that has been introduced in the West Virginia legislature. “The legislature finds that legislative cutbacks in deposits to the Greyhound track purses and to the Greyhound Development Fund for workers’ compensation debt reduction, for balancing the West Virginia state budget, and for helping to safeguard the ...

The following situation, though hardly new to the pari-mutuel racing business, struck a nerve. The dispute between Monarch Content Management and Nevada race books that led to a brief blackout of Monarch-controlled simulcast signals is predicated on a monthly $120 video fee, not the host fees the race books pay to tracks in the consortium. It's ...

By Tom LaMarra Crown Queen, who has done nothing wrong in four starts this year, came out of the Oct. 11 Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup (gr. IT) at Keeneland in good order but remained on the fence for the Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf (gr. I) Nov. 1 at Santa Anita Park. The 3-year-old Smart Strike filly owned by Besilu Stables has been ...

[brightcove videoid=''3821747626001''] By Tom LaMarra Does it really matter in which race Wise Dan enters in the Breeders' Cup World Championships? Not really. This is a horse that recovered from mid-season colic surgery to win two races, including the $1 million Shadwell Turf Mile (gr. IT) at Keeneland Oct. 4 in impressive style. Wise Dan ...

By Tom LaMarra There could be as many eyes on the racing surface as the horses when Keeneland begins its fall meet Oct.3 and the first races are run on its new dirt track. The new dirt surface at Keeneland - Anne M. Eberhardt Photo The main surface at Keeneland has been synthetic since the 2006 fall meet. The Polytrack was removed soon after ...

By Tom LaMarra For the record, the final Polytrack race run at Keeneland was won by Longitude Farm's Contessa B., trained by Al Stall Jr., ridden by Rosie Napravnik, and bred by Patricia Morange. The 3-year-old Kentucky-bred filly by Good Reward many end up being a historical footnote, but the synthetic Polytrack employed by Keeneland since the ...

By Tom LaMarra Last year Keeneland filled seven 2-year-old races during its spring meet. Through April 23 there were two, with two more to come before the meet ends April 25. The 2-year-old races during the 2013 spring meet averaged 9.71 horses per race. The two races run through April 23 averaged 7 horses per race, according to The Jockey Club ...

It's a critical, fundamental element of pari-mutuel horse racing that never gets its just due. We hear repeatedly from those who call the shots in the industry that growth and long-term sustainability of racing is predicated not only on developing fans, but cultivating bettors. Given the fact hardly anything is done to examine the pari-mutuel ...