Top News | Horse Racing Free Tips

Churchill Downs Race And Sports Book Opens Thursday

Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear will place the state's first ceremonial sports wager Thursday during the grand opening ceremony of the Churchill Downs Race & Sports Book. The ceremony begins at 9:45 a.m. and the governor will place his wager at 10 a.m.

Other dignitaries expected to be in attendance include Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg and the First Lady of Louisville Rachel Greenberg; Ray A. Perry, Secretary, Kentucky Public Protection Cabinet; Jonathan Rabinowitz, Chairman, Kentucky Horse Racing Commission; Representative Al Gentry; and Cleo Battle, President & CEO of Louisville Tourism.

Area sports celebrities Darrell Griffith, Bobby Perry, Dale Romans, Will Wolford and Eric Wood are expected to be on hand as well.

The Churchill Downs Race & Sports Book is located in the remodeled Aristides Lounge on the second floor of the track's Clubhouse. The 8,755 sq. ft. space showcases a massive TV wall, including a new 7′ x 24′ LED video screen and a dozen 90″ televisions. The large area has an additional 16 large-format TVs for sports and horse racing, 15 sports betting kiosks, seven horse betting kiosks, six betting windows with tellers, a bar and seating for more than 280 guests.

The Churchill Downs Race & Sports Book will be open to the general public Thursday at 11 a.m. and betting will continue until 11:30 p.m. Guests must be at least 18 years old to wager and enter the Churchill Downs Race & Sports Book.

Online sports betting in Kentucky will begin Sept. 28. Churchill Downs Incorporated has partnered with FanDuel, Penn Sports Interactive and Fanatics as its three online sports wagering service providers.

The post Churchill Downs Race And Sports Book Opens Thursday appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

NYTB, SUNY Cobleskill Course Kicks Off at Saratoga

The New York Thoroughbred Breeders, Inc. and the State University of New York College of Agriculture and Technology at Cobleskill's accredited course designed to expose upper-class students in the Animal Science program to various segments of the Thoroughbred industry started last weekend at Saratoga Race Course.

The visit by students focused on the culmination of the breeding and racing industries and allowed for observation of the finished product during morning training and afternoon races. Students received a behind-the-scenes tour of the Oklahoma Training Track Saturday during training hours led by NYTB President Tom Gallo.

The group spent the afternoon at the races, with visits to the paddock, watching from the rooftop and helping the Backstretch Employee Service Team (B.E.S.T.) selected the “Best Turned Out Award” for the day.

“The NYTB, through Tom Gallo's leadership, provided SUNY Cobleskill students an experience at Saratoga Race Course that was second to none,” said Raymond Whelihan, SUNY Cobleskill Associate Professor in Animal Science who collaborated with Gallo to develop the program. “Time spent observing training at the Oklahoma track, lengthy discussion with a Hall of Fame trainer, comped racetrack entry and seats, a roof top view and the opportunity to enter the paddock and select the groom of the day. Every student was enthusiastic and appreciative. What a wonderful way to kick off the new Thoroughbred Industry course at SUNY Cobleskill.”

The pilot program is offered to 15-20 junior undergraduate students that have met prerequisites. The course, which runs from late August to early December, falls in line with the NYTB's goals to make outreach with upper-level science students majoring in equine studies and finding the next generation of the industry's workforce and leaders in racing and breeding.

“When I first introduced the idea of the NYTB educational seminars years ago, along with raising the standard of care and awareness for the general population of the New York breeders, my ultimate goal was to use these seminars for the education of young people who may be interested in coming into our industry,” Gallo said. “This could not have been done without the help of NYTB Executive Director Najja Thompson and our forward-thinking board members. With the help of my longtime friend, Ray Whelihan, we were able to put together a program which not only exposes these students to many different aspects of the horse industry in New York, but also allows them to gain college credits for their participation. These are seniors in college, and they have participated in the equine studies program for the length of their college career. This is a targeted-interested and engaged group of students, who hopefully will find one aspect of our industry interesting enough for them to enter with career expectations. I can't tell you how happy I am that this is finally happening.”

The post NYTB, SUNY Cobleskill Course Kicks Off at Saratoga appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

Cigar Mile Anchors Aqueduct Fall Meet

Aqueduct Racetrack's 31-day fall meet will feature 33 stakes–10 of them graded–worth $6.385 million. The stakes scheduled is once again headlined by the $500,000 GII Cigar Mile, which will be held Dec. 2. The Cigar Mile card also includes the $250,000 GII Remsen S. and $250,000 GII Demoiselle S., as well as the $200,000 GIII Go For Wand S.

Graded stakes action during the meet also includes the $200,000 GIII Pebbles S.–previously run at Belmont's fall meet–and the $300,000 GII Red Smith S. on Nov. 11 and the $300,000 GIII Long Island S. on Nov. 12. The $250,000 GII Hill Prince S. will be run Nov. 18.

Thanksgiving weekend at Aqueduct will feature a pair of Grade III events worth $200,000: the Nov. 24 GIII Fall Highweight H. and the Nov. 25 GIII Comely S.

The New York Stallion Stakes Series (NYSSS), open to progeny of eligible New York sires, returns to the Big A with four divisions offered in December. The Dec. 3 card will feature the $125,000 NYSSS Thunder Rumble for 3-year-olds and up sprinting seven furlongs on the main track, as well as the $125,000 NYSSS Staten Island for fillies and mares 3-years-old and up at the same distance.

The NYSSS returns with a pair of $500,000 stakes for juveniles Dec. 16 with a lucrative card that will see eligible New York-sired fillies contest the NYSSS Fifth Avenue at seven furlongs, alongside the NYSSS Great White Way going the same distance.

Following the conclusion of Belmont at the Big A fall meet, which runs from Sept. 14 through Oct. 29, the 31-day Aqueduct fall meet will run from Nov. 2 through Dec. 31.

The post Cigar Mile Anchors Aqueduct Fall Meet appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

Timonium Meet Concludes with Handle Increases

The Maryland State Fair meet at Timonium concluded Monday with increases in on-track and total handle. Total wagering at the fair, including money wagered at Timonium on live and simulcast races and simulcast handle on Timonium racing, totaled $7,827,083, up 11.11% from last year. A total of $716,384 was wagered on-track on Timonium racing, up 11.25% from last year, while export handle jumped to $4,103,198, a 39.66% rise from last season.

For the second consecutive year, 63 races were conducted, with more than $2 million in purse money distributed. A total of 400 horses raced at the meet, the highest since 2018 and up 8.85% from last year. There were no equine fatalities during the seven-day meet.

“On behalf of the Maryland State Fair and Agricultural Society, we appreciate the support from our racing staff, participants, horsemen and fans during our race meeting,” said Bill Marlow, the chairman of the Maryland State Fair race committee. “The historic gains we have achieved would not have been possible without their support.”

The post Timonium Meet Concludes with Handle Increases appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post