At the risk of stating the obvious, horseracing is at its core a gambling business. For decades, the proverbial $2 bet funded this industry. As competition – lotteries, casinos, sports betting – began to arise at the end of the…
The Yonkers Times recently published an article on how to bet the Belmont Stakes; the article had nary a word on the treatment of the horses. So, I wrote this LTE in response. Also: Friday, Kentucky Sports Radio ran a…
While New York has the most tracks, I think it fair to call Kentucky the heart and soul of American horseracing. From breeding to tracks like Churchill and Keeneland to the Kentucky Derby itself, KY is ground zero. In fact,…
Over the course of just 7 days at Turfway (Feb 5-14), 13 horses were scratched by the regulatory vet – i.e., their exploiters had every intention of racing them – for being “injured” or “unsound,” another 17 by private vets…
According to the chartwriter at Aqueduct Thursday, The Golden Gorilla (quite a name, huh?) “suffered an injury to the left front leg near the half-mile pole and was placed to a protective hold…before being expertly pulled up…and transported off the…
Friday, the province of British Columbia posted a public letter announcing an end to the subsidies for Hastings Racecourse as of Jan 31, 2026. Apparently, the decision was precipitated by the industry’s request for even more public money than it…
A few years back, Nebraska green-lit racinos partly to save the light, moribund horseracing industry there. Although there are six racing licenses, save for Fonner Park the tracks have been running a bare minimum of races – just enough to…
From an article in Horse Racing Nation last week: “California’s already reeling breeding industry will take a big hit starting next Thursday when Harris Farms sells off 90 horses after last month’s death of legendary breeder John Harris. … The…
As reported yesterday, the 3rd at Parx Wednesday was declared a “no contest due to a spill.” Now, as I fully anticipated, we have confirmation that at least one of those involved, 4-year-old Sudoku Terry, died. (The other, Alma Brilha,…
It is no secret that I hold the likes of Ray Paulick in contempt. Because they are seen as respectable journalists, and because they are often critical of the racing industry, Paulick, Joe Drape of The NY Times, and others…
All racing in Kentucky is now being subsidized. In addition to boosting total purse money, this unearned cash helps allow the tracks there to pay first through last. Here are some results from Oct 30 at Churchill Downs: Seas of…
Delaware Park is being (taxpayer) subsidized by the on-site slot machines and table games funneling cash into race purses. (It’s a subsidy because that portion of the gaming revenue going to horseracing would otherwise be going back to state coffers…
