From the Illinois Racing Board yesterday: “Today the Illinois Racing Board made a very difficult decision to suspend the operating license of Suburban Downs [which takes place at Hawthorne; see our recent post]. On Jan. 15, IRB requested bank statements…
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…
To paraphrase an old legal adage, if you have the facts, pound the facts; if you have the truth, pound the truth; if you have neither, pound the table and yell like hell. We (see this website) have the facts,…
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…
While I don’t typically report on Canada (though I plan on changing that soon), I wanted to share some good news. Fraser Downs, the only harness track in British Columbia, is being shuttered effective immediately. According to a CBC report,…
First, the latest out of Saratoga: yet another kill. Stop Giggling, says the Gaming Commission, “was injured training Jul 25 and euthanized Jul 31.” She was five years old. Horseracing Wrongs is, of course, a national organization. It just so…
A reminder, as the most-celebrated meet in the country begins… Saratoga Race Course proudly bills itself “the oldest sporting venue in the nation” – one of the more blatant manifestations of The Big Lie. What you won’t see in all…
Among a slew of whipping “violations” (for “excessive or indiscriminate use” and the like) reported by the U.S. Trotting Association last week, were these (all emphases mine): Yonkers, May 13: “Driver Jason Bartlett, while driving #7 Ayr Corleon Gb, did…
Around Derby time last month, there was much talk of Churchill Downs’ supposed improvement – in dead horses, that is – in 2024 relative to the year before, when they last faced a PR nightmare. I, of course, informed media…
Cal Expo officially shuttered its doors after the last race Friday. It – and with it, harness racing in California – is no more. A day to celebrate. Not all, of course, think so, with local news reports replete with…
Excellent news from Northern California. Not only is it highly unlikely that any of the five county fairs will be whipping horses this summer (and beyond), but Cal Expo is canceling its lease with the harness operation as of May…
It’s been six years since the national media descended upon Santa Anita to report on the happenings – dead racehorses – at that storied track during the winter-spring meet of 2019. As I repeatedly told media then, the killing at…
