Aussie jockey banned again in tips for bets case
(Mon, 01 Dec 2008 02:19:53 PST)
Weeks after being released from jail, former Melbourne Cup-winning jockey Chris Munce has been handed another 30-month ban by the Hong Kong Jockey Club. Munce participated in a hearing via video link Monday from Sydney and was found guilty of additional charges in the "tips for bets" case that had already resulted in him serving 20 months in jail in Hong Kong and Australia.

Somebeachsomewhere wins Breeders Crown race
(Sat, 29 Nov 2008 20:37:23 PST)
Somebeachsomewhere clinched Horse of the Year honors with a dazzling victory in the Breeders Crown on Saturday night at the Meadowlands Racetrack. Somebeachsomewhere led all the way in a 1:48 3/5 victory in the 3-year-old Colt Pace. He paid $2.40 to win, the lowest-priced winner of the night, in the $500,000 race.

Beethoven wins Grade II race at Churchill Downs
(Sat, 29 Nov 2008 15:22:52 PST)
Beethoven won by a neck in a three-way fight to the wire over Giant Oak and Capt. Candyman Can in Saturday's Grade II $168,000 Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes for 2-year-olds at Churchill Downs. Jockey Calvin Borel squeezed Beethoven on the inside to even with Capt. Candyman Can at the head of the stretch.

Tale of Ekati wins Cigar Mile on a DQ
(Sat, 29 Nov 2008 14:10:45 PST)
Tale of Ekati won the $300,000 Cigar Mile on a disqualification Saturday at Aqueduct. Harlem Rocker was first under the wire, a nose in front of Tale of Ekati. The result was reversed, with Harlem Rocker dropped into the place spot following a stewards' inquiry. In midstretch, Harlem Rocker surged to the lead and appeared on his way to the victory before ducking sharply to his left, into the path of...

Retiring record-setter Curlin honored at Churchill
(Sat, 29 Nov 2008 12:26:13 PST)
Horse of the Year Curlin closed out his record-setting career at Churchill Downs on Saturday during a parade on the final day of the track's Fall Meet. The 4-year-old colt, whose career earnings of $10.5 million set a North American racing record, made his final bow in a procession from the barn of trainer Steve Asmussen to the paddock at Churchill, where he circled with the starters for the fifth...

Einstein wins Clark Handicap
(Fri, 28 Nov 2008 19:37:16 PST)
Maybe Einstein should get a three-month vacation more often. The 6-year-old horse stormed past heavy favorite Commentator to win the $400,000 Clark Handicap at Churchill Downs on Friday, his first race since finishing a disappointing fifth in the Arlington Million in August. That race was on turf, Einstein's surface of choice.

Leparoux sets Churchill Downs win record
(Fri, 28 Nov 2008 16:08:49 PST)
Jockey Julien Leparoux has broken a 23-year-old Churchill Downs record for wins at a Fall Meet previously held by Hall of Fame jockey Pat Day. Leparoux rode home five winners Friday, bringing his total to 59 during the five-week meet that concludes Saturday. Day previously established the Fall Meet mark in 1985 when he rode 55 winners in a 30-day meet.

Jamaludin wins Churchill Downs feature
(Wed, 26 Nov 2008 16:55:32 PST)
Jamaludin took the lead on the final turn and raced to a 5 1/2 -length win in the $44,620 allowance feature at Churchill Downs on Wednesday. Ridden by Julien Leparoux, the 4-year-old son of Chester House covered the 1 1/8 miles on the turf in 1:51.72 and paid $6.80, $4.20 and $3.40. Don'twait Toolong returned $9.20 and $5.20, while My Happiness was three-quarters of a length back and paid $6.60.

Hold order lifted at Laurel Park barn
(Wed, 26 Nov 2008 14:21:12 PST)
State agriculture officials have lifted a hold order on a Laurel Park barn after all 25 horses there tested negative for neurologic equine herpesvirus in a second round of tests. Maryland Department of Agriculture officials lifted the order Wednesday, 11 days after the last known viral exposure in the barn.

6 races bumped to Grade I status in 2009
(Tue, 25 Nov 2008 12:13:22 PST)
Two Breeders' Cup events were among the six 2009 races elevated to Grade I stakes status by the American Graded Stakes Committee of the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association. The $1 million Filly and Mare Sprint and $1 million Dirt Mile were upgraded from Grade II to Grade I by the committee, which gave 488 races graded-stakes status next year, an increase of seven.

Trainer breaks own record for wins with No. 556
(Sun, 23 Nov 2008 13:27:33 PST)
Steve Asmussen broke his own record for most wins in a year Sunday when Prophesy won the first race at Remington Park to give the trainer victory No. 556. Asmussen, who trains reigning Horse of the Year Curlin, set the record of 555 wins in 2004. On Saturday, he equaled the mark with two winners, and topped the record after Prophesy, a 3-year-old gray filly won by a half-length as the even-money...

Kentucky tracks battle economy and slots
(Sat, 22 Nov 2008 10:03:52 PST)
Ron Geary thought he'd made it through the worst of it. The owner of tiny Ellis Park in western Kentucky salvaged the racetrack's summer 2008 meet with a bit of showmanship. Nontraditional events like "Wiener dog" and ostrich racing turned Ellis Park into a modest success story, and brought a little buzz to the tidy dirt oval hard by the Ohio River in Henderson, about two hours west of Louisville.

Lady On Holiday wins Churchill feature race
(Fri, 21 Nov 2008 16:54:19 PST)
Lady On Holiday beat favored Rustic Flame by a nose Friday in the $46,000 feature race for fillies and mares at Churchill Downs. Ridden by Kent Desormeaux, Lady on Holiday ran 1 1-8 miles on the firm turf in 1:51.23, and paid $10, $4.40 and $3.20. Rustic Flame returned $3.80 and $3, and Silver Chest paid $5.40 to show.

Curlin to stand stud at Lane's End Farm in 2009
(Fri, 21 Nov 2008 12:45:03 PST)
Reigning Horse of the Year Curlin will stand at stud next year at Lane's End, a Kentucky horse farm owned by a former U.S. ambassador to Britain. Will Farish announced Friday the richest racehorse in North America will become a stallion at his Versailles farm, where Curlin's sire, Smart Strike, is already a breeding star.

NY racing stumbles amid weak economy
(Fri, 21 Nov 2008 11:29:59 PST)
Betting is down at New York's horse tracks and Off-Track Betting parlors this year amid a weak economy. The amount bet on races, called handle, is down 4 percent to $527 million through October at New York's thoroughbred and harness tracks compared to the same period last year. The state Racing and Wagering Board said three thoroughbred tracks, Aqueduct, Belmont and Saratoga, had a 4 percent drop.

27 horses killed in blaze at western Ky. stable
(Thu, 20 Nov 2008 12:57:29 PST)
A pre-dawn blaze raced through a barn at a former race track in western Kentucky on Thursday, killing 27 horses and wiping out the dreams of at least one owner. It was the second deadly fire in less than a year at Riverside Downs outside Henderson, Ky., near the Indiana border. Investigators did not know the cause.