Daily Racing Form Hazel Park Raceway announced a 5 percent purse reduction on Tuesday, effective July 10, marking the track’s second purse cut in the last month. The Detroit-area racetrack previously scaled back overnight purses by 15 percent on June 12, citing a decline in purse-fund revenue from simulcast wagering. “It’s the same basic reason,” [...]

Daily Racing Form A welcome rite of summer returns Friday to Ellis Park when the western Kentucky track begins its 2015 meet with an eight-race card. Turf racing and 2-year-old racing – often at the same time – will characterize a 31-day meet that runs through Labor Day, Sept. 7. Purses will be better than [...]

Blood-Horse Pennsylvania lawmakers are examining legislation that would lower the minimum number of live racing days required at racetrack gaming facilities, and also allow each track to install slot machines at up to four off-track wagering parlors. The legislation was subject to a June 9 hearing and remains in the Senate Community, Economic, and Recreational [...]

Blood-Horse The Kentucky Horse Racing Commission on June 29 delayed taking a vote on proposed rules on medication testing, withdrawal guidelines, and disciplinary measures and penalties that included rules on the mineral cobalt. KHRC chairman Bob Beck said the proposals needed more work and will now be sent back to the Kentucky Equine Drug Research [...]

Blood-Horse With the latest Thoroughbred racing rule changes now in place, West Virginia has now fully adopted the National Uniform Medication Program. The updates took effect June 28, said Kelli Talbott, senior deputy attorney general for the West Virginia Racing Commission. They include the multiple medication violation penalty system, which targets repeat offenders of medication [...]

Blood-Horse Churchill Downs' 141st spring meet, which was highlighted by American Pharoah's victory in the Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (gr. I), came to a close June 27 and saw increases in average field size and average purses, along with a down-to-the-wire contest for the jockey title. A total of 2,867 horses competed in [...]

Blood-Horse Arlington International Racecourse has cut overnight purses by 10% and trimmed the purses of most of its few remaining graded stakes. The cuts come in response to an Illinois Racing Board vote denying Arlington's request to reduce the number of races on some days. Overnight purses drop from about $127,000 a day to about [...]

Blood-Horse Included in a bill approved by the U.S. Senate Appropriations Committee are provisions that would block some provisions in a just adopted federal rule regulating the H-2B temporary guest worker program, according to the American Horse Council. That rule was opposed by the AHC and other industries that rely on the H-2B program. The [...]

Blood-Horse After multiple extensions of their old contract, Hollywood Casino at Charles Town Races and the Charles Town Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association have struck a new contract for a minimum of three years. The announcement was made June 24. The previous contract between the West Virginia track and horsemen's group was entered into in [...]

Blood-Horse Critics of a decision by Gov. John Kasich to legalize video lottery terminals at seven Ohio horse tracks and share proceeds with casino operators running the facilities asked the state Supreme Court to allow a lawsuit against the move to go forward. Kasich improperly expanded the Ohio Lottery by allowing VLTs without getting voter [...]