The Biz | Horse Racing Free Tips

Maryland Jockey Club Announces Intent Write No-Lasix 2-Year-Old Races

The Maryland Jockey Club sent a letter to the Maryland Racing Commission this week indicating the intent to begin writing 2-year-old races which prohibit the administration of Lasix withing 24 hours of the race, according to the Thoroughbred Daily News.

“The time has come to phase out Lasix beginning with 2-year-old horses,” said Belinda Stronach, Chairman and President, The Stronach Group and 1/ST. “We are following through on 1/ST Racing's commitment to put horse and rider safety and welfare at the forefront. We believe in the principle that horses should only be racing free of medication. By taking this important step together, the Maryland racing community will become stronger and provide the right foundation for our sport to progress into the future.”

The Maryland Commission told the Daily Racing Form it would have no comment on the letter until it determined the legality of the decision.

“The fundamental question is whether they have the authority to do this under current Maryland law,” Alan Foreman, the general counsel to the Maryland Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association, told drf.com.

Read more at the Thoroughbred Daily News and the Daily Racing Form.

The post Maryland Jockey Club Announces Intent Write No-Lasix 2-Year-Old Races appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

Kentucky HBPA Requests Judge Alter Ruling In 2-Year-Old Lasix Case

Two weeks after a judge denied a motion for a temporary injunction from the Kentucky Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association (KHBPA) to halt Lasix-free 2-year-old racing in the state, the organization is asking him to reconsider. Earlier this month, Franklin County Circuit Judge Thomas Wingate denied the motion for temporary injunction and also granted a motion to dismiss the case against the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission, Churchill Downs, and Keeneland for a lack of standing.

Now, the KHBPA's attorneys say, that decision was unfair. Part of Judge Wingate's order focused on the organization's standing, which had been questioned by the defendants just before a hearing in late May. The KHBPA says the judge's order referred to affidavits from KHBPA members which were never intended to address the legal question of standing. The question of standing can include questions about the identity of a party, as well as whether a plaintiff can demonstrate they have suffered an injury as the result of actions by defendants.

In this case, Judge Wingate's order echoed a motion by the defendants, who say the “alleged injury” to KHBPA was speculative and not concrete. He also questioned why the KHBPA did not bring forth the name of an individual owner or trainer claiming to have been injured by the Lasix ban. The KHBPA said that it can do so, and simply wasn't given the opportunity before.

Parties in the case are expected to appear before the court on July 29 to hear arguments surrounding the KHBPA's latest motion. Prior to the June dismissal of the case, The Jockey Club, the Kentucky Thoroughbred Association and the Breeders' Cup were all permitted to file amicus briefs in support of the defendants in the case.

At a meeting of the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission this week, equine medical director Dr. Bruce Howard reported that so far this meet, Churchill Downs has held eleven 2-year-old races without race-day Lasix. Those races have included a total of 107 starters. None of them experienced epistaxis (bleeding from the nostrils), according to the commission's records.

The post Kentucky HBPA Requests Judge Alter Ruling In 2-Year-Old Lasix Case appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

Down To The Wire: Arlington, Horsemen Still Working On Deal For 2020-21

After both sides announced they had reached a tentative deal for a 2020 race meet late Wednesday, representatives from Arlington Park and the Illinois Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association agreed Thursday they needed just a little more time to hammer out some more minor points.

At a teleconference meeting of the Illinois Racing Board Thursday, the two groups revealed they have agreed to a total of 30 race dates beginning July 23 and racing Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays with daily post times of 2 p.m. or 2:30 p.m. Sept. 27 through 30 would be considered dark days for Arlington.

According to testimony before the board Thursday, the sticking point is now 2021. Arlington wants a two-year agreement with the horsemen's group, which was initially opposed to making a deal beyond 2020. Now, the two sides have agreed to make a two-year deal but disagree on what to do if their projections for revenue or planned number of race dates assigned turn out to be incorrect. It seemed Thursday as though Arlington was willing to leave the contingencies fairly open with an intent to renegotiate for 2021 if necessary, while the horsemen want everything spelled out before signing a deal.

The board took a 15-minute recess in hopes these last points could be cleared up in that time, but upon return decided to recess the meeting until Friday at 1 p.m. local time. Board executive director Domenic DiCera and commissioner Thomas McCauley are scheduled to conduct a phone meeting with the two sides beforehand to help iron out any further disagreements, with the hope that the 1 p.m. board meeting will result in an allocation of dates and signed agreement for the 2020 meet at Arlington.

All seemed to concur that if a contract could not be agreed upon by Friday, it seemed unlikely the two parties would be able to reach an agreement for 2020 at all.

Two callers in Thursday's meeting expressed concern and confusion that Arlington OTB facilities did not seem to be operating as expected — being closed when they were supposed to be open, lacking the ability to make cash payouts or sell programs. Hawthorne's OTBs have, by contrast, been busy and pulling in considerably more money for horsemen, according to Tony Somone from the Illinois Harness Horsemen's Association. Somone also pointed out that Arlington OTBs were showing only TVG races during a recent visit and did not include a feed from Hawthorne, which is not carried by TVG.

Arlington Park president Tony Petrillo said the OTB's open hours had been submitted to the board and customers should have been able to make in-and-out wagers during that time.

Friday's meeting of the Illinois Racing Board will be livestreamed on the board's website.

The post Down To The Wire: Arlington, Horsemen Still Working On Deal For 2020-21 appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

Keefe: Maryland Racing Able To Maintain Purse Structure, Relax Some Backstretch Restrictions

Maryland Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association president Tim Keefe sent out the following letter to Maryland horsemen on Thursday:

Dear Horsemen,

As we get back into the swing of things with the return of live racing in Maryland after a two-and-a-half-month absence, the MTHA would like to sincerely thank the entire racing community for its patience and commitment under extremely difficult economic circumstances.

Please be confident, MTHA is working to ensure that Maryland-based owners and trainers have as many racing opportunities as possible while being mindful of the need to stretch purse funds as far as possible while revenue sources such as casino gaming, off-track betting and on-track betting are gradually restored.

After crunching our numbers with Maryland Jockey Club, we are pleased to be able to resume operations with the same purse structure for all overnight races throughout the rest of the summer while continuing running two days a week. Please know, the rumors of us being forced to cease racing the end of June are completely unfounded.

Moving forward, as revenues increase, we plan to add as many days to the calendar as feasible.

Additionally, Governor Hogan brought us some fantastic news by relaxing some restrictions in place and permitting Casinos to open June 19. Starting Saturday, MJC will be relaxing restrictions of owner's access to the backstretch as well as allowing all licensed personal access to the Backstretch. This is part of a gradual transition to more normal operations which we hope will lead to the opening of our facilities to the general public soon.

Maryland horsemen's resolve and fortitude has been remarkable, and we appreciate enormously your patience as we navigate these uncharted waters.

Again, thank you for staying the course, and success to all going forward. See you at the races.

Best of racing luck and be safe,

Timothy L. Keefe
President, MTHA

The post Keefe: Maryland Racing Able To Maintain Purse Structure, Relax Some Backstretch Restrictions appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post