With strong support from its clientele, ELiTE emerged from last year’s Fasig-Tipton Selected Horses of Racing Age Sale on top the leader board, with 11 of 12 offered selling for $2.799 million.
Monthly Archives: July 2018
Former BC Executive Blatz-Murff Dies at 70
Pamela Blatz-Murff, former senior vice president of operations for Breeders’ Cup Limited, died July 5 in Dallas after a short battle with cancer, her daughter, Tiffany Wesley, confirmed.
Roaring Lion Defeats Saxon Warrior in Coral-Eclipse
By consensus this was not going to be one of the great Coral-Eclipses (G1), but try telling that to Oisin Murphy, for whom Roaring Lion was a first domestic group 1 winner at just 22.
Former BC Executive Blatz-Murff Dies at Age 70
Pamela Blatz-Murff, former Senior Vice President of Operations for Breeders’ Cup Limited, died July 5 in Dallas, Texas, after a short battle with cancer, her daughter Tiffany Wesley confirmed.
Do It Again Does It in Durban July
Do It Again (SAF) emerged from behind a dawdling pace to win the Vodacom Durban July (G1) July 7 at Greyville by 1 1/4 lengths over Made To Conquer (SAF), giving jockey Anton Marcus his record fifth win in the South African test.
Gentry's Death Leaves Void at VanMeter/Gentry
With The July Sale the first auction since the death of Olin Gentry, there is a void at VanMeter/Gentry’s consignment to Fasig-Tipton’s annual summer selected yearling sale.
Connecticut Lottery hires director of Illinois Lottery as new CEO
The Connecticut Lottery Corp.’s governing board voted Thursday to hire Gregory Smith, acting director of the Illinois Lottery, as its new CEO — in hopes of stability after nearly two years of turmoil, recriminations and investigations at the quasi-public agency with a $1.2 billion annual budget.Connecticut, Illinois, Administration, Director
Michigan lottery ticket plant prospering
An instant ticket factory in Ypsilanti, Michigan, is the second-largest producer of scratch-off tickets in the world and prints up to 30 different “games,” or ticket designs, a month.Insider Buzz, Michigan, Scratch Games, General Interest, Lottery Tickets
High North Holds Off Mr Freeze in Iowa Derby
With an opening on the inside in the stretch run of the $250,000 Iowa Derby, Shortleaf Stable’s High North moved to the front and held off a late challenge from Mr Freeze to win the 1 1/16-mile test by a half-length under jockey Florent Geroux.
Remembering Rita Springs 19-1 Upset in Cornhusker 'Cap
Something changed when Jeral Keith Adams’ Remembering Rita arrived at Prairie Meadows in the spring.
Pennsylvania’s iLottery sales top $21m in first month
Pennsylvania’s online lottery sales are off to a brisk start, despite increasingly vocal opposition from the state’s land-based gaming operators.
This week, local media quoted Pennsylvania Department of Revenue communications director Jeffrey Johnson saying that the Pennsylvania Lottery’s new PA iLottery games, which made their debut on June 4, had generated sales of $21.6m as of June 30 while paying out winnings of $18.7m from a customer base of around 45k unique players.
The 11 PA iLottery games offer players the chance to win up to $250k, but the website doesn’t offer traditional draw games, fast-play games or scratch cards so as not to compete with the Lottery’s retail partners.
All well and good, but the state’s brick-and-mortar casino operators have raised a ruckus about the iLottery games, saying the games (a) too closely resemble casino-style slot machines and (b) can be accessed by anyone 18 years or older, while casino slots are off-limits to anyone under 21.
Ray Romano Bags Chips, Grinder Goes Wild, Galfonds Tumble, Former Champs Remain: Welcome to Day2AB of WSOP Main Event
Day 2AB of the 2018 WSOP Main Event felt like a Hollywood home game. Actors Ray Romano and Kevin Pollak appeared at televised feature tables, and filmmaker Randall Emmett bought […]
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2018 GUKPT Goliath Keeping Pace with WSOP Main Event Massiveness
The Grosvenor UK Poker Tour (GUKPT) Goliath is set to get underway at the end of July and this year those involved will be hoping for another world record. Kicking […]
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Los Alamitos Cancels Final Six Daytime Races July 6
After meeting with jockeys to address concerns about triple-digit heat, track management at Los Alamitos Race Course decided to cancel the final six races of its July 6 card.
Increased Purses Announced for 2018 Saratoga Meet
The New York Racing Association, Inc. (NYRA) announced July 6 a $2,000 across-the-board purse increase for all maiden and allowance races, as well as some claiming races, for the 2018 meet at Saratoga Race Course.
Longtime president of MTBA George Brown Dies at 82
George Brown, the longtime president of the Massachusetts Thoroughbred Breeders Association (MTBA) and one of New England racing’s most ardent advocates, passed away late in the evening July 5 after a protracted battle with cancer. He was 81.
First-Crop Sires to Watch at Fasig-Tipton July
Several sires are getting attention as their first foals have matured to yearlings.
Tom Hamm Joins Team at Three Chimneys
Three Chimneys Farm announced July 6 that seasoned horseman Tom Hamm will assume the role of director of stallion nominations to handle season sales and bloodstock activity at the farm.
WSOP Main Event Inside Data: Fields Growing, Women Underrepresented, California Dreams
Numbers can be misleading, but they do not lie. The 2018 WSOP Main Event proved at least two things: Thousands still dream of becoming a poker world champion, but women […]
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Maryland casinos have solid, albeit non-record-breaking June
Maryland casinos failed to set another revenue record in the month of June but all six venues posted year-on-year growth.
Figures released Friday by the Maryland Lottery and Gaming Agency show statewide casino gaming revenue hit $148.9m in June, up 14.1% from the same month last year. However, the figure was well back of the record $156.5m the state reported in May 2018.
Slot machine revenue was up 16% year-on-year to $93.7m, while table games revenue improved 11% to $55.2m. It’s again worth noting that June’s slots revenue alone was $1.7m higher than the overall casino market revenue generated in November 2016, the last month before MGM Resorts’ new National Harbor venue opened to the public.
National Harbor has never relinquished its role as the state’s top casino earner, earning $59.3m (+18.3%) in June, easily beating out former #1 property Live! Casino & Hotel’s $48.2m (+15.1%). Caesars Entertainment’s Horseshoe Casino Baltimore had its second straight month of year-on-year growth, rising 3.3% to $22.8m.