After the Maryland House of Delegates initially passed the legislation unanimously, the bill was subsequently amended by the Senate. This amended bill was then sent back to the House for Monday's concurrence vote.

The legislation will now go to the desk of Maryland governor, Wes Moore, for a final signature, with a veto seemingly unlikely.

“I've worked with governors going back to the mid- to late-1970s in Maryland, and most were very supportive of the industry in one shape or form. But Governor Moore was absolutely committed to this project. His support was instrumental in getting this passed,” said Alan Foreman, voting member of the non-profit Maryland Thoroughbred Racetrack Operating Authority (MTROA), about passage of HB 1524, otherwise known as “Pimlico Plus.”

The MTROA is an industry-led non-profit created last year by the legislature to essentially oversee and help facilitate the Pimlico Plus plan. Pending gubernatorial approval, the rollout of the plan will be a multi-year project beginning June 1, when the law goes into effect.

Among key provisions of the plan, the legislation requires the formation of a non-profit to manage daily operations of Maryland's new industry infrastructure. Those responsibilities are currently filled by the Maryland Jockey Club, owned and operated by 1/ST Racing. The MTROA will have ultimate oversight of this new entity.

“Like the [New York Racing Association] reports to the franchise oversight board, the entity to be created in Maryland will report to the MTROA,” said Foreman.

Though much-needed renovations to Pimlico could begin later this year, said Foreman, the 2025 Preakness is still expected to be staged at the Baltimore track, with the 2026 edition set to be hosted temporarily at Laurel Park.

“After Preakness 2025, Pimlico will undergo full construction, and the plan is that the 2027 Preakness will be at Pimlico under the auspices of the new non-for-profit.” said Foreman. “For the horsemen, racing will be conducted at Laurel for the next three years.”

Like Pimlico, Laurel is currently operated by 1/ST Racing under the umbrella of The Stronach Group (TSG). Transfer of Pimlico from 1/ST Racing to the state comes at a nominal one-dollar price-tag.

The MTROA has already negotiated a licensing agreement with 1/ST Racing to operate and promote the GI Preakness S. and the GII Black-Eyed Susan S., Maryland's two signature races.

“It's a 10-year agreement with five-year renewals,” said Foreman. “After ten years, if the state wanted to buy it out, it could. But any renewals would be for five-year intervals.”

Complementing a revamped Pimlico will be the selection of a year-round companion training facility to accommodate the horses not stabled at Pimlico. According to Foreman, some 1,300 horses are expected to be split evenly between the two facilities.

The MTROA has identified eight potential training facilities for purchase, rating them by several criteria, including their location, size, cost to purchase and cost of redevelopment. According to this rating system, two facilities come out jointly on top: Shamrock Farm and Mitchell Farm Training Center.

Shamrock Farm Training Center is a 155-acre facility just over 20 miles from Pimlico. Mitchell Farm Training Center is a 97-acre facility near the Aberdeen Proving Ground. The third-rated facility is the Bowie Race Track, a 131-acre training facility.

The legislation also allows the Maryland Stadium Authority–a state-founded entity to help fund and operate key building projects in Maryland–to issue $400 million in bonds to help bankroll the Pimlico Plus plan.

Ultimately, ownership of Laurel Park will be transferred fully to TSG for redevelopment at the beginning of 2028, “unless we have to extend the lease,” said Foreman.

According to Foreman, state taxpayers won't be on the hook should the non-profit formed to manage daily operations going forward run into operating deficits.

“If there's an operating loss when the non-for-profit takes over, the Thoroughbred purse dedication account has to backstop the losses. It will not come from taxpayer dollars,” said Foreman.

“I can't overstate the historical moment this is for Maryland racing. It's historical for the City of Baltimore. This is great for the City of Baltimore. It stops decades of worries about Pimlico and the future of the Preakness in Maryland and Baltimore. It's great for the Park Heights community. And I think it's great for the racing industry overall,” said Foreman.

The post Maryland Legislature Approves Plan to Reform State Racing Industry appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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The aim of the partnership is to create links between historic races in the UK and high-profile U.S. turf races over two different distances. The winner of the May 4 $200,000 GII Charles Whittingham S. at Santa Anita will gain an automatic berth and travel incentive to run in the £750,000 G1 Coral-Eclipse over the same 10-furlong distance at Sandown Park on July 6. Whichever horse wins the Eclipse, will receive an automatic entry and a travel incentive to run in the $750,000 GII California Crown John Henry Turf at Santa Anita on Sept. 28.

Turf Sprinters are also catered to in the new partnership, with the May 18 $100,000 Listed Jim McKay S. at Pimlico over five furlongs receiving a berth and travel money in the £600,000 G1 My Pension Expert July Cup over six furlongs at Newmarket on July 6. The July Cup winner will receive an automatic entry in the $750,000 GII California Crown Eddie D Turf Sprint over 6 1/2 furlongs at Santa Anita, the same day as the John Henry Turf.

Aidan Butler, President of 1/ST, said, “A special thank you to our friends at The Jockey Club on launching this innovative partnership. We look forward to welcoming in competitors to the inaugural California Crown at Santa Anita Park this autumn.

“This partnership with The Jockey Club is part of our wider global strategy for improving international interest and top-class participation in the world's biggest races–as evidenced by a similar alliance we have with Royal Ascot, via our Royal Palm juvenile series at Gulfstream Park, which delivered Crimson Advocate (Nyquist), the winner of the prestigious [G2] Queen Mary S., in its inaugural year.”

Matt Woolston, The Jockey Club's assistant racing and international director, added, “We are delighted to announce this great new initiative today and I would like to thank everyone at 1/ST for helping to make it happen.

“By pairing two of the UK's most famous and prestigious Group 1 contests in the summer with a quartet of valuable North American turf contests in the spring and autumn, we feel we have the perfect race schedule for transatlantic runners.

“In addition, British and other European trainers now have the chance of an incentivised trip to North America in the autumn for races at Santa Anita's exciting new California Crown meeting.

“We feel we have highlighted a race schedule that incentivises runners to travel across the Atlantic.”

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The winning artwork was announced at an honorary ceremony in the Brown Center at the Maryland Institute College of Art. Senior Advisor of Arts & Culture for the City of Baltimore Tonya Miller Hall was in attendance, representing Mayor Brandon Scott. MICA dignitaries, Park Heights's City Council representatives and 1/ST RACING leadership also attended the announcement alongside participating artists.

The submission deadline for the third annual competition was Mar. 12, at which point the public was encouraged to visit preakness.com/the-art-of-racing to peruse the digital gallery and cast a vote for their favorite work of art. The top 10 vote-getters were then judged by a panel that included elected officials, community leaders and art professionals to select the winner.

“My objective was to capture the colors, excitement and festive mood of Pimlico Race Course and the Preakness S.,” said Kahl. “I chose the loose and romantic medium of watercolor to depict this scene as it best depicts the movement and drama of the day.”

Kahl received a $4,000 prize and two VIP tickets to Preakness 149. His work will be reproduced on a curated collection of Preakness 149 merchandise that will be available for purchase online and onsite during Preakness weekend. Proceeds from the sale of merchandise will be used to advance the activities of Park Heights Renaissance as it pursues affordable housing for families and provides employment opportunities to people of Park Heights.

“The platform given to rising artists, both amateur and professional, who have entered Preakness: The Art of Racing competition over the past three years underscores the vibrancy of the Preakness S. and its unique cultural footprint,” said Audra Madison, Director of Marketing, Maryland Jockey Club. “It brings me joy to see the diverse array of artwork entered into the competition each year, and I hope community members share the same sense of celebration.”

The post Leo Kahl Wins Preakness Art Award appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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The entire state has been trying to come to grips with the looming June 9 closure of Golden Gate Fields, the lone commercial track in the region, and the Mar. 21 vote by the CHRB was viewed as a NorCal racing lifeline by the estimated 250 supporters in attendance.

Those very vocal and at times emotional NorCal racing advocates greatly outnumbered proponents of a plan that would have instead consolidated all commercial-track racing in the state in Southern California.

The NorCal supporters consisted of horsemen who have called the circuit home for decades, plus a contingent of statewide breeding interests.

Those individuals had the group backing of the California Authority of Racing Fairs (CARF), which will operate the expanded Oct. 16-Dec. 25 Pleasanton meet under the auspices of a new management entity called Golden State Racing.

The California Thoroughbred Trainers (CTT), whose board of directors had unanimously voted to back the initiative that also calls for three other fairs venues to pick up other dates that will be abandoned by Golden Gate's closure, was also behind the Pleasanton idea.

1/ST Racing and Gaming–which owns both the closing Golden Gate and the financially struggling Santa Anita Park–had teamed with Del Mar Thoroughbred Club and the Thoroughbred Owners of California (TOC) to try an convince the CHRB that its alternate plan would be in the best long-term interests of the state as a whole.

That SoCal concept instead focused on redirecting simulcast revenue from the northern circuit to the southern tracks. It was further based on a premise that would have attempted to accommodate displaced Golden Gate outfits by creating more opportunities for lower-level horses to race at Los Alamitos Race Course, dropping the “claiming floors” at both Santa Anita and Del Mar, and establishing “relocation allowances” for stables that had to pack up and move while only short summer fairs meets were conducted in NorCal.

In the middle were the CHRB commissioners, who repeatedly expressed frustrations during the Mar. 21 meeting that because the NorCal and SoCal factions couldn't cooperate to come up with a joint plan, they had been placed in the unenviable position of having to choose one option over the other while knowing that they'd be making some constituents unhappy no matter how they voted on the measure.

Yet while the CHRB did ask pointed questions about CARF's plans for Pleasanton and how the new operation would be funded, commissioners saved their most barbed criticisms for 1/ST Racing's executive vice-chairman Craig Fravel, who only 48 hours before the meeting had penned an open letter that warned of potential consequences that might occur if the CHRB voted against the SoCal plan.

In his Mar. 19 letter–which backers of the Pleasanton plan clearly took as an ultimatum–Fravel had written that “should the Board allocate dates in the north per the CARF proposal Santa Anita will immediately meet with the TOC to implement purse cuts for the balance of 2024.”

Fravel also wrote that “Further planned investments in capital projects at Santa Anita will be reevaluated [and] further operation of Santa Anita and San Luis Rey [Downs] as training and stabling facilities may be in jeopardy.”

In response, CHRB commissioner Damascus Castellanos openly called out 1/ST Racing during Thursday's meeting for being too coercively demanding and for making an already complicated situation more difficult. Castellanos said over the past two days since Fravel's letter was made public, the CHRB has been inundated with calls from concerned constituents.

“I'm not upset because of the calls,” Castellanos told Fravel. “I'm upset because I don't do well with bullies. That's the problem. I'm upset that you [put this burden on] the CHRB. And that's not right. But, if that's the way you felt [you needed to] play the game, then that's what you're going to do…. You want to be the bully? You want to take your ball and run? Then that's up to you. I'm not advocating that. But what I'm saying is don't put that burden on us…. Everybody in this room has a responsibility to take care of themselves and each other. And I believe that that hasn't been done.”

CHRB commissioner Wendy Mitchell told Fravel that she was bothered by 1/ST Racing announcing Golden Gate's closure, not working constructively with NorCal interests to present a workable alternative, then responding with threats of closure when 1/ST Racing didn't like the concept that CARF came up with.

“That's not fair and that's not right,” Mitchell said. “And that's not a good business strategy…. You can't just throw out all these threats to us and say the industry is going to collapse in California [if you don't get your way].”

Mitchell continued: “We're expected, as regulators, to pick sides. To pick north against south. To pick fairs, versus, you know, the Southern California tracks. I don't like the way this was handled. I don't appreciate it. I think we need to have a different attitude and strategy for how to save horse racing in the state of California versus what we have seen so far.”

Fravel then attempted to explain what he meant in the letter using a more moderate tone while underscoring that 1/ST Racing's chairwoman and chief executive officer, Belinda Stronach, remains fully committed to making sure Santa Anita doesn't suffer the same going-out-of-business fate as Golden Gate.

Racing at Santa Anita | Benoit

“The letter didn't say we're shutting down,” Fravel said. “The letter said we have to sit down and figure out what we're going to be able to invest with the prospect of continuing to lose money. I can say one thing: I was on the phone with Belinda yesterday. She does not want to close Santa Anita. We've had offers over and over again from people wanting to [buy it], but [upper management's response has consistently been] 'not for sale.' So the commitment is to continue racing. To make racing thrive at Santa Anita, and to try and reinvest our efforts in this product.”

According to plans for the Pleasanton proposal submitted by CARF that were included in the CHRB meeting packet, “In order to provide for the additional horses expected to run at this meet, more than 300 portable stalls will be moved to [Pleasanton's] Alameda County Fairgrounds. No other improvements to the facilities are needed at this time. However, future investments could include additional permanent stalls, improvements to the grandstand and the installation of a turf course.”

Larry Swartzlander, the executive director for CARF, later put an approximate $7-million projected price tag on the turf course, noting that it wouldn't be undertaken until at least year two of the Pleasanton phase-in.

CARF's plan further called for other dates formerly run at Golden Gate to be reallocated this year between Sonoma County Fair (July 31-Aug. 20), Humboldt County Fair (Aug. 21-Sept. 17) and the Big Fresno Fair (Sept. 18-Oct. 15).

CARF and Alameda County Fair have drafted a licensing agreement that will cover five years, the written materials stated.

Back in January, the TOC had previously articulated in front of the CHRB that even though it was in support of any “feasible and viable” plan to keep year-round racing afloat in NorCal, a danger existed in the form of that move increasing economic pressures in the south that the TOC believes would erode the overall California product.

On Thursday, Bill Nader, the TOC's president and chief executive officer, said that while agreement among its board members wasn't unanimous about not backing the Pleasanton plan, “in terms viability, there just wasn't enough assurance that this was a viable plan.”

Nader said the TOC had difficulty with the extended Pleasanton meet using the higher California takeout structure that applies to fairs (instead of the lower commercial takeout scheme that Golden Gate would have been required to use), because, he explained, that form of bet pricing would be burdensome to horseplayers.

Nader also said that he wasn't sure CARF's proposed daily purses (which are still a work in progress) reflected an accurate projection, because Pleasanton would basically have to match what the better-established, lower-takeout Golden Gate meet generated in betting handle to achieve it. The TOC, he said, has come up with slightly different and lower figures.

Nader made it clear that he wasn't arguing which projection was right and which was wrong. But he did state concerns that within a few months, the CHRB will have to make decisions on 2025 dates allocations, and that even then, the Pleasanton meet won't yet be completed, so no one will have “the real truth” on whether the numbers make sense or not.

“The TOC does represent the north. It does represent the south,” Nader said, which elicited catcalls and boos from many in attendance who have accused the TOC of not being representative of the NorCal interests. “What we want is just reliable, accurate information to understand what puts California in the best position going forward.”

Nader continued: “No matter what we do, no matter what decisions are made, there's going to be some pain, and there's going to be some who are going to walk away disappointed. And unfortunately, that's inevitable. I don't care what decision is made–no matter what we do, it's going to have impact to the detriment of some. Frankly, I just think it's unavoidable.”

Alan Balch, the executive director of the CTT, explained prior to the CHRB's vote why his organization backed the NorCal plan.

“Our board, nine people south and north, are unanimous in supporting the effort to keep Northern California racing going,” Balch said. “We believe that racing is California is not going to survive in any meaningful, important way without California breeding, [and] we just need to have a chance to keep breeders interested and motivated to breed, and to provide hope for the future.

“We can all disagree about the viability of any particular northern plan,” Balch said. “But with no plan and no racing in the north, there is very little incentive for California breeders to continue.”

Balch said that his constituents have heard too much rhetoric from the TOC and 1/ST Racing along the lines of, “If this northern money doesn't come to the south, we'll have to cut purses in the south.”

But, Balch postulated, “Do these people realize that if there is no Northern California racing, the Northern California purses will be cut to zero? Does that make sense? Not if we're all in the same state. We have to work together.”

Prior to the CHRB's unanimous vote in favor of the NorCal plan, CHRB chairman Gregory Ferraro, DVM, pointed out that, “This is a serious fiduciary responsibility that the board is taking on here, [and] it's increasingly clear to me that if racing is going to survive in California at all, we can't make two circuits. We have to make one circuit [in which tracks] are not conflicting with each other, where you're benefitting each other.”

CHRB vice-chair Oscar Gonzales added that even if the NorCal interests get what they want out of the vote, they, too, must realize that SoCal does need some form of cooperation and financial help.

“I believe that this [vote] should be an opportunity to reset, [and] the start of mending fences,” Gonzales said. “And [then] let's get on with making California racing the best in the nation.”

Castellanos concurred.

“We need to work together. We need to figure out how to keep racing in California. Not just northern, not just southern–in California. Because if we keep on going at this rate, we're going to implode. There's no reason for us to cannibalize each other,” Castellanos said.

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Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance will be honored with a named race on the Florida Derby Day undercard. Following the running of the race, a presentation will be made to the winning connections, including a Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance branded blanket and gift bag branded merchandise. 1/ST RACING will promote accredited aftercare throughout the day.

A representative from Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance will be on-site to host the winners of the “Off to the Races” VIP Experience online benefit auction. 1/ST RACING has donated the Florida Derby Day VIP Experience where the winners will enjoy premium dining, access to the paddock, and more.

Additionally, Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance is also the co-beneficiary for the Florida Derby Charity Golf Tournament alongside the Permanently Disabled Jockeys Fund. The charity golf tournament, hosted by 1/ST RACING, will be held on Monday, Mar. 25, at the Plantation Preserve Golf Course & Club.

“1/ST RACING and Gulfstream Park are thrilled to have Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance return for Florida Derby Day,” said Steve Screnci, President of Racing and Business Development, 1/ST RACING. “We take great pride in supporting accredited aftercare and aim to further raise awareness and aid in the care of retired Thoroughbred racehorses.”

“Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance is honored to count supporters like 1/ST RACING and Gulfstream among our allies in advancing our mission,” said Emily Dresen, Director of Funding & Events at Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance. “We eagerly anticipate a day filled with exciting races and the opportunity to enlighten racing fans about the importance of accredited aftercare.”

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Bred and raced by Ballymacoll Stud and trained by Sir Michael Stoute, the son of G1 Prix du Cadran heroine Sought Out (Ire) (Rainbow Quest) won one of two starts at two, and added the G2 Dante S. and G1 Derby in succession during the spring of 2004. A half-brother to multiple group winner Cover Up (Ire) (Machiavellian), he then found only Grey Swallow (Ire) (Daylami {Ire}) too good in the G1 Irish Derby and ended his season with a fifth in the G1 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe. At four, he was second in the G3 Brigadier Gerard S., and ended his career with a mark of 7-3-3-0 and $1,989,577 in earnings.

Upon retirement, a majority interest in North Light was purchased by Frank Stronach, who stood the bay at his Adena Springs in Kentucky beginning in 2006. Moved to Adena North in Canada for his fifth season in 2010, he was leased to Kirsten Rausing's Lanwades Stud in England for one season in 2014. Repatriated to Canada beginning in 2015, he was pensioned in October of 2019 and lived out the rest of his days at Adena South.

(North Light)
Vodafone Derby 2004 pic.twitter.com/HmppDndrqQ

— Racing Tales (@Racing_Tales) May 5, 2020

Among his nine worldwide stakes winners were G1 St Leger hero Arctic Cosmos, who also was placed in three other group races, GII Del Mar H. hero Celtic New Year, Grade III winners Chips All In and Go Forth North, and Brazilian Group 2 winner Gol Tricolor (Brz). His daughters have produced five stakes winners, three of them Grade/Group 1 scorers–triple top-level winner War Like Goddess (English Channel), G1 Coolmore Classic heroine Lighthouse (Mizzen Mast), and Olympic Jolteon (Brz) (Elmustanser {GB}).

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While he did not argue the fact that the horse tested positive, he has said that it is grossly unfair that the HISA/HIWU continues to suspended trainers for minute amounts of drugs that aren't considered performance-enhancing.

Advocating for a major change in how these infractions are dealt with, Arnold was this week's guest on the TDN Writers' Room podcast presented by Keeneland. He was the Green Group Guest of the week.

“I can't deny that the horse raced on Tramadol,” Arnold said. “I took my positive and I didn't argue it. I didn't say anything. But after taking it, I wanted to point out that I don't think it's fair. I don't think the system is right on these trace limits. I'm trying to create some positive movement to change the rules and bring about some positive changes.”

Arnold said the only way the drug could have gotten into the horse's system is through environmental contamination and that HIWU's zero tolerance stand on drug positives is unrealistic.

Rusty Arnold Joins the TDN Writers' Room from Thoroughbred Daily News on Vimeo.

“I have no doubt that it came from contamination,” he said. “But my major objection is that in today's society, there is no such thing as zero tolerance. There needs to be a level and if the medication is under that level it won't be a drug positive. I'm trying to move forward and trying to make a positive change. Too many people are getting involved in similar situations right now. It's one every day or one every few days. And I disagree with it.”

Arnold said he heard from over 300 people since his ordeal became public and said the overwhelming sentiment was that he was being treated unfairly.

“The response has been very good, a little bit overwhelming actually,” he said. “I answered over 300 emails and texts over the next 48 hours. I would say 99.9% were positive and that included support I received from several Jockey Club members, which very much surprised me. The one thing that was the theme that echoed between every one of them was, 'this isn't what we signed up for with HISA. This isn't what we thought it was going to be. We thought we were going to catch guys that were clearly cheating. We didn't know that the everyday guy that's out there trying to do his job was going to be snared by the gotcha mentality.'”

In our breeding spotlight section we looked at the Coolmore stallion Tiz the Law and the WinStar stallion Audible.

Domestic Product | SV Photography

Elsewhere on the podcast, which is also sponsored by the Kentucky Thoroughbred Association, Coolmore, 1/ST Racing, West Point Thoroughbreds, WinStar https://www.winstarfarm.com/and XBTV.com, the team of Randy Moss, Bill Finley and Zoe Cadman reviewed the major races from last week, which included the one nobody could bet on–the GIII Tampa Bay Derby–won by Domestic Product (Practical Joke). Cadman said she was impressed by the performance of the Chad Brown-trainee, while Finley said he was underwhelmed because of the weak field.

There was also talk of the win by Kinza (Carpe Diem) in the GIII Santa Ysabel S. Kinza is arguably the best 3-year-old filly in training but because she is trained by Bob Baffert she cannot run in the GI Kentucky Oaks. Cadman was in Ocala for the March OBS 2-Year-Old Sale and gave a scouting report on which freshman sires she thinks will stand out during the sale.

To watch the Writers' Room, click here. To view the show as a podcast, click here.

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The event will be called the California Crown and the premier race on the afternoon will be a revamped GI Awesome Again S. It was previously reported that the Awesome Again will be restricted to 3-year-olds, which will not be the case. It will remain a race for 3-year-olds and older.

1/ST Racing President Aidan Butler said that the company is looking to include the GII Eddie D. S., run at 6 1/2 furlongs on the downhill turf course, and the GII John Henry Turf Championship S., run at a mile-and-a-quarter on the turf, as part of the California Crown series. Other races traditionally run that weekend at Santa Anita include the GII Santa Anita Sprint Championship S., the GII City of Hope Mile S., the GII Zenyatta S., the GIII Tokyo City Cup and the $100,000 Unzip Me S.

The key detail that has yet to be announced is what will the purses for the races be. When announcing Saturday on NBC the formation of the California Crown, 1/ST CEO Belinda Stronach said it would be the richest non-Breeders' Cup Day of racing in the history of Southern California racing. The purse of the 2023 Awesome Again was just $300,000, one tenth the amount given away in the Pegasus.

With so much uncertainty in California racing right now, including how simulcasting revenue in the state will be divided up once Golden Gate Fields closes in June, Butler said it's too early to announce purses.

“We still have a lot of work out there to figure out what the purses will be,” he said. “There are a lot of decisions that have to be made.  We are hoping we can get everything sorted out soon. But we don't want to jump the gun and announce purses when we don't know exactly what is going to happen with the CHRB, with the Northern circuit and with the Southern circuit. There are a lot of things we still have to work on.”

As is the case with the Pegasus, the California Crown will be about more than racing. 1/ST has turned Pegasus Day into a party that attracts a younger crowd and many people who are not regular racing fans.

“The intent is to create a great experience for anyone who is currently a racing fan and for potential new customers,” Butler said.  “There will be entertainment, things to elevate the customer experience. Los Angeles is such a huge market to draw from. People are used to a level of experience at sporting events with lots of entertainment and that's what we will try to replicate. Everybody thoroughly enjoyed the Pegasus. It was a really cracking day and people had a lot of fun. We want to do the same at Santa Anita. The good thing about Santa Anita is that it is such a big venue you can create an even bigger day. At Gulfstream, we struggle with how many people we can get in the building. We won't have that issue at Santa Anita.”

The post New Details Emerge on California Crown appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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“We have an amazing relationship with the folks here in Miami, but we're going to move it out West,” Stronach said. “Not the Pegasus, but a new race called the California Crown. We're going do something that's unique to California, something old school with a Hollywood vibe. It will be tremendous racing. It will be the richest day of racing in California. We're going to be bi-coastal. The Pegasus will remain here in Miami and continue to grow. We'll be doing something very similar but very 'California' at Santa Anita Sept. 28 this year.”

The Associated Press reported that the California Crown would replace the GI Awesome Again S., a race for 3-year-olds and up. The AP reported that the California Crown will be for 3-year-olds.

“(Santa Anita) doesn't have a marquee, special-event date,” Stronach told The AP.

Few details were available at deadline for this story, including the intended purse or what would consist of the undercard.

1/ST Racing and Gaming President Aidan Butler told the Associated Press that the purse would depend on the division of revenue between northern and southern California this year after the closing of Golden Gate Fields in June.

The post 1/ST Racing Unveils Marquee Event For Santa Anita appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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According to a release, the expansion of Butler's role into president 'reflects and supports Stronach's mandate of continued growth in the company's racing and gaming assets.' Stronach, the daughter of Frank Stronach, has held the position of president in addition to her other roles since the introduction of 1/ST in 2020.

Butler's primary focus will be on the innovation and diversification of the company's industry leading wagering and gaming assets. He will work closely with the Chief Executive Officers and leadership of the 1/ST RACING AND GAMING, 1/ST TECHNOLOGY, 1/ST CONTENT and 1/ST EXPERIENCE businesses to drive growth and performance and to achieve strategic objectives.

As the CEO of 1/ST RACING AND GAMING, Butler has overseen racing operations at the tracks within the 1/ST portfolio and its training centers while endeavoring to expand the company's gaming footprint to capitalize on the future of sports wagering and gaming. Craig Fravel, Executive Vice-Chairman, 1/ST RACING AND GAMING together with Stephen Screnci, President of Racing & Business Development, 1/ST Racing and Gaming, will assume responsibility for day-to-day racing and training operations.

Butler previously served as Chief Operating Officer, 1/ST RACING and as Chief Strategy Officer for The Stronach Group.

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