Tag: The Biz

The familiar words “There They Go!”  from Hall of Fame track announcer Dan Jukich will again be rebounding off the backdrop of the North Shore Mountains with the return of thoroughbred racing at Hastings Racecourse in Vancouver, British Columbia, on Sunday, April 30.

The season will run for 45 live racing dates, including the highly anticipated return of four popular Friday night cards this summer along with two Monday night dates during the annual Fair at the Pacific National Exhibition. The schedule includes 28 stakes races with purse money totaling $1.75 million highlighted by the 76^th running of the $125,000 Grade 3 BC Derby and 58^th running of the $75,000 BC Oaks on Saturday, Sept. 16.

Besides several other marquee stakes, one of the city's most fashionable events of the summer – The Cup – is set for Saturday, July 22.  It will be 13^th edition of an exciting day at the races when guests dress Derby-style to enjoy premier seating and popular live music, together with special food and beverage offerings in a party atmosphere that traditionally attracts 10,000 patrons.

Other highlights during the season include BC Cup Day on the Aug. 7 holiday Monday with six stakes races restricted to BC-breds offering a total of $300,000 in purses. That's followed by the four CTHS stakes on Monday, Aug. 21, the first night card during the PNE Fair. The final two stakes of the season will run on Saturday, Oct. 14, both with new names and purses increased to $75,000:  The Glen Todd Fantasy for 2-year-old fillies and The Glen Todd Ascot for 2-year-old colts & geldings.

Hastings Racecourse is also excited to be bringing back the ever-popular dog races, including the beloved wiener dogs, and will feature several other special promotional days throughout the summer.

“Our team has been working tirelessly to create an unforgettable experience for everyone who comes through our gates,” says Nichelle Milner, regional manager of racing operations.  “The track is in excellent condition and our horse population continues to grow.  We know that our fans are in for a great time.”

The Hastings Racecourse 2023 Live Racing Calendar and Stakes Schedule are available at hastingsracecourse.com.

The post Hastings Racecourse Gears Up For April 30 Opening Of 45-Day Meet appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

Lone Star Park's plans to resume interstate simulcasting with the opening of its 44-date season Thursday night were dealt a blow after a federal judge ruled against the Grand Prairie, Texas, track's request for a temporary restraining order that would have enjoined the federal law creating the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority from being enforced.

Officials at Lone Star Park planned to send their simulcast signal to out-of-state locations on Thursday after getting approval from the Texas Racing Commission, which has taken the position that state law takes precedent over the federal law passed by Congress in December 2020 and amended in December 2022. The law, the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act, requires Thoroughbred racetracks engaging in interstate simulcasting to comply with HISA regulations. The Texas Racing Commission said the state constitution requires TRC to regulate horse racing in the state.

Matt Vance, executive vice president of Lone Star, told Daily Racing Form track owner Global Gaming Solutions LLC – a division of the Chickasaw Nation – filed a motion for a temporary restraining order (TRO) in federal court “to ensure that our signal is not interrupted this season.”

The TRO motion was filed in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas, Amarillo Division, but Judge Matthew J. Kacsmaryk (who has been in the news recently for his ruling halting approval for an abortion pill) ordered the case transferred to the court's Lubbock Division, where Global Gaming and three other track owners filed a suit challenging HISA's authority in 2022.

On Monday, Judge James Wesley Hendrix – who last week ordered a 30-day delay in the startup of HISA's Anti-Doping and Medication Control program in response to a separate lawsuit – denied Lone Star's application for a TRO that would have green-lighted simulcasting.

In his order, Hendrix stated several reasons for denying the TRO, not the least of which was the fact an amended complaint filed by Global Gaming that would have added the Texas Horsemen's Partnership as a plaintiff did not meet the timeline required by the Federal Rule of Civil Procedure. With no horsemen included as parties to the litigation, many of the perceived damages claimed by Global Gaming were moot.

Hendrix also said plaintiffs have “not shown a substantial likelihood of success on the merits” of their lawsuit and that they have “not established irreparable harm” in the event HISA rules and financial requirements were to be imposed on Texas racing.

Injunctive relief sought by plaintiffs was also denied by Hendrix, whose ruling in support of HISA's constitutionality in a separate lawsuit was overturned by the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals, which remanded the case back to his courtroom. In his ruling denying the TRO, Hendrix wrote that plaintiffs “will get a chance to fully develop the complex, constitutional issues in this case because the Court intends to expedite the pending motion for summary judgment.”

The Texas Racing Commission also granted approval to Sam Houston Race Park to export their simulcast signal earlier this year, but the owners of the Houston track – publicly traded Penn Entertainment – opted to wait for additional clarification of HISA's constitutionality.

Lone Star Park suffered a precipitous decline in handle after having to shut down its interstate simulcast signal last July when HISA's racetrack safety program went into effect. Handle also declined without interstate simulcasting during Sam Houston's meet earlier this year.

Vance or other Lone Star Park officials could not be reached for comment concerning their plans in the wake of the court ruling denying a TRO.

The post Will Judge’s Ruling Throw Wrench Into Lone Star Park’s Plans For Simulcasting? appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

Legislation that will create the Maryland Thoroughbred Racetrack Operating Authority, an entity that will participate in the development of racing and training facilities in the state, passed the state Senate by a 47-0 vote April 6 and the House of Representatives by a vote of 132-2 on April 10, the last day of the 2023 General Assembly session.

If signed into law by Gov. Wes Moore—he is expected to do so—the legislation will take effect June 1, one month before the end of an extended negotiating period for a new racing agreement among the Maryland Jockey Club, Maryland Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association and Maryland Horse Breeders Association. The 10-year racing agreement expired Dec. 31, 2022, and the negotiations were extended through June 30.

The legislation also comes amid a lengthly delay in the redevelopment of Laurel Park and Pimlico Race Course as authorized by the 2020 Racing and Community Development Act. The new MTROA would take the lead on that in conjunction with the Maryland Stadium Authority.

The House Ways and Means Committee April 7 held a brief hearing on Senate Bill 720 and sent it to the full House with a favorable vote. MSA member Bill Cole, who has been involved in the racetrack redevelopment plan since 2019, briefed the committee on the bill.

Cole said the MTROA will be similar to the MSA as a state agency and that, if necessary, would “prop up a new ownership group for racing and training” should the The Stronach Group (1/ST Racing), which owns the MJC, opts to exit Maryland racing. He said the legislation creates the framework to facilitate any new operating structure.

“Clearly, there is a lot going on in this industry,” Cole said.

The legislation states the MTROA will study and make recommendations it finds are in the best interests of Thoroughbred racing, and develop new and existing racing and training facilities. If necessary, the authority will manage and oversee day-to-day racing operations and live racing days and, in coordination with the Maryland Economic Development Corp., acquire property for operations; enter into any agreements, leases, partnerships or contracts needed for pari-mutuel wagering and compliance with rules and regulations.

The MTROA will be in place for four years and one month but, as noted during the committee hearing, could be extended through statutory changes if necessary.

Five members of the MTROA will be appointed by the governor: one of two nominated by the MTHA; one of two nominated by the MHBA; and three other members who possess relevant industry, business or government experience (one in real estate or financial services). Others are the Chair or Executive Director of the both the MSA and MEDCO; one who is not an elected official appointed by the Senate President; and one who is not an elected official appointed by the Speaker of the House.

Three non-voting ex-officio members will be appointed by the governor: one who resides near Laurel, one who resides near Pimlico, and one who resides near the old Bowie Training Center, which is being given to the city of Bowie and University of Bowie. The other non-voting ex-officio member will come from the Maryland Racing Commission.

The MRTOA on or before Dec. 1, 2023, must report to the Senate Budget and Taxation Committee, House Appropriations Committee, and House Ways and Means Committee on “the feasibility of establishing at least two alternative Thoroughbred training centers in the state, a review of best practices for Thoroughbred racing industry operating models and recommendations for operating models in the state, and the progress of the Pimlico and Laurel Park racing facility redevelopment plans.”

The Racing and Community Development Act authorized about $375 million in bonds to pay for the rebuilds of Laurel and Pimlico. That cost has almost doubled for multiple reasons, and it remains to be seen what the model will look like going forward.

The post Maryland Legislature Passes Bill To Create Racetrack Operating Authority appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

Richard L. Connelley, former president and board member for the Kentucky Quarter Horse Racing Association, was removed from his post with the organization March 27 after he was hit with multiple criminal charges unrelated to the horse industry.

Connelley, who is a dentist with offices in Paintsville and Salyersville in eastern Kentucky, was arrested in Johnson County, Ky., on March 17 and charged with operating a motor vehicle under the influence, impersonating a peace officer, possession of marijuana, excessive windshield or window tinting and failure to provide an insurance card.

According to the citation filed in Johnson District Court, Connelley was approached by officers in a shopping center parking lot after they received a call that a man was trying to convince a young female to smoke “Hawaiian Pineapple Express marijuana” with him. Officers found Connelley in a vehicle matching the caller's description. He showed them a badge, told them he was a deputy sheriff in Magoffin County and said had been with the department for 12 years.

According to the Salyersville Independent newspaper, Connelley was a deputy under a previous sheriff in Magoffin County, but it's not clear when that was. The arrest citation indicated that officers made contact with the current Magoffin County sheriff, who told them “Connelley was not a deputy and he had no idea how he even got the badge because he didn't give the badge to Mr. Connelley.”

Officers noted a strong smell of marijuana coming from Connelley and discovered a marijuana roach in his vehicle. Connelley was described in the arrest citation as having “glossy red eye[s], dry mouth, and coordination was very off.”

The citation also described a conversation officers had with a young woman who had received a Facebook message from Connelley, who she said was her dentist. She said Connelley first asked if she was brushing her teeth, and then sent her a photo of a large amount of marijuana and then indicated that he didn't mean to send her the image. The woman expressed concern that Connelley had access to her and other women's personal information through his dental practice.

On March 27, the Kentucky Quarter Horse Racing Association released the following statement on its Facebook page and disabled comments on the post:

The board of directors of the Kentucky Quarter Horse Association have removed Richard Connelley as president and from the board of directors. Longtime KyQHRA vice president Graham Martin will assume those duties on an interim basis and together with executive director Adam Koenig, will ensure our organization remains focused on supporting Kentucky Quarter Horse racing.” 

Kentucky saw its first Quarter Horse meet in years just a few days later, running Sandy Ridge dates at The Red Mile from April 1 to April 6.

On April 4, stewards in Kentucky suspended the owner and trainer licenses for Connelley pending an appearance before the board of stewards “regarding the disposition of his current pending criminal charges.” During that suspension, the ruling noted he would be denied access to all facilities under the commission's jurisdiction.

Connelley has owned and trained both Thoroughbreds and Quarter Horses through the years, but has not saddled a horse since 2004 and made his most recent start as an owner at Belterra Park in October 2022.

The post KQHA President Removed From Position, Racing Licenses Suspended With Criminal Charges Pending appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post