Churchill Downs’ May 2 “Thurby” program offers the $125,000 Unbridled Sidney Stakes and $115,000 Opening Verse Overnight Stakes on its 11-race card leading up to the Longines Kentucky Oaks (G1) and Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve (G1).
Monthly Archives: April 2019
Plus Que Parfait Trainer Walsh Keeps Rolling Along
Less than a month after losing his father, trainer Brendan Walsh prepares to send out his first Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve (G1) starter Plus Que Parfait.
Derby/Oaks Notes: Roadster, Game Winner Set to Arrive
Scheduled to arrive the afternoon of April 27 at Churchill Downs from California is the Bob Baffert-trained duo of Santa Anita Derby (G1) winner Roadster and 2018 Eclipse Award winner Game Winner.
Altior Sets World Record at Sandown With 19th Win
Scrapping like a streetfighter has become the hallmark of Altior over two miles
Gray Magician Set for Kentucky Derby Trip After Work
Gray Magician got the green light April 27 to head to Kentucky after breezing five furlongs in 1:00 2/5 at San Luis Rey Training Center in preparation for the May 4 Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve (G1).
War of Will Impresses in Bullet Work for Kentucky Derby
Striding out beneath the Twin Spires, Gary Barber’s War of Will earned the bullet when he was clocked through four furlongs in a swift :47 3/5 at Churchill Downs, fastest of 78 moves at the distance on the day.
'Still Improving' Plus Que Parfait Turns in Derby Work
Plus Que Parfait tuned up for the Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve (G1) with a five-furlong move April 27 at Churchill Downs, one week out from the first leg of the Triple Crown. It was his second work since returning from Dubai.
Ward Duo Aims to Give Trainer Third Kentucky Juvenile
Trainer Wesley Ward has entered a pair of fillies in the $125,000 Kentucky Juvenile Stakes May 1, Churchill Downs’ first stakes of the year for 2-year-olds, in recent maiden winners Marva and Nayibeth.
Omaha Beach Delivers Flawless Work at Churchill Downs
Waiting an extra day for his final serious move before the Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve (G1) appeared just fine with Omaha Beach as the Arkansas Derby (G1) winner delivered a powerful five-furlong move April 27 at Churchill Downs.
Vietnam busts massive online betting ring linked to Fun88
Vietnamese authorities are celebrating the dismantling of a massive illegal online sports betting ring linked to the Fun88 brand.
On Thursday, the Thanh Nien news outlet reported that Vietnam’s Ministry of Public Security had arrested 22 individuals suspected of involvement in an illegal online gambling ring that authorities are describing as one of the biggest ever rumbled in the country.
Two days earlier, police staged simultaneous raids in several cities, including Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, seizing “hundreds” of electronic devices and other tools of the gambling trade, along with numerous luxury vehicles and “large amounts of cash and bank accounts with large account balances.”
The Agence France Presse wire service reported that the gambling operation handled wagers totaling US$1.28b, although the time frame in which this sum was processed went unspecified. The authorities said the betting ring’s customers were asked to deposit cash into bank accounts in exchange for virtual credits that could be used for wagering purposes.
Alabama Senate passes lottery bill
Without a vote to spare, a plan to let Alabama voters have their say on a state lottery for the first time in 20 years stayed alive today.Legislation, Starting a Lottery, Alabama, Government
Texas Lottery to add new Fireball feature to Pick 3 and Daily 4
Texas Lottery players will soon have more chances to win when they play Pick 3 and Daily 4 by purchasing Fireball, a new add-on feature for both daily draw games.Texas, Changing Game, Pick 3, Pick 4
UK Lottery refuses to pay out £4 million win on suspicions ticket was bought with stolen bank card
UK Lottery officials have refused to pay out a £4 million (US$5.2 million) jackpot to two players who they suspect had purchased the winning ticket with a stolen debit card.Winner Stories, UK National Lottery, Scratch Games, Theft, Investigation, Crime
Tennessee man hits $2 million lottery, says 'I'm still a redneck'
Timothy Seratt has lived paycheck to paycheck his whole life, but after winning $2 million dollars in the Tennessee Lottery this week, he said he’d like to invest and not just “blow of all it”.Tennessee, Winner Stories, Scratch Games
North Carolina grandfather gives lottery winnings to granddaughter
A North Carolina woman will be ‘lucky for life’ and be able to pay for college, thanks to her grandfather.Winner Stories, North Carolina, Education, Lucky for Life
California Focus of Saturday's Graded Stakes Schedule
Each Saturday NTRA and BloodHorse provide a one-stop guide to the day’s top stakes races in North America and beyond. Races are listed in chronological order (all times Eastern). For full preview, click race link.
Ickymasho Scores First North American Win in Bewitch
Triton Stable’s Ickymasho made the most of her return to Keeneland’s Bewitch Stakes (G3) on closing day of the spring meet April 26, scoring by a diminishing one-length margin over the aptly named Gaining.
Keeneland Spring Meet Closes With Strong Statistics
Keeneland concluded its 2019 Spring Meet April 26 with robust attendance and wagering results driven by outstanding racing with full fields of top-quality horses.
Into Mischief Colt Steals Spotlight at Record OBS Sale
A speedy son of Into Mischief stole the spotlight at the record-setting Ocala Breeders’ Sales Spring Sale of 2-Year-Olds in Training during the waning hours of the auction, bringing a sale-topping $1.3 million bid from Team Casse.
Ex-casino staff push Ecuador to reverse gambling ban
Ecuador could witness the return of its shuttered casino industry if a local advocacy group’s economic arguments can win the public relations war.
In 2012, the last of Ecuador’s licensed casinos and bingo halls shut their doors, following a 2011 referendum that empowered President Rafael Correa to eliminate the nation’s land-based gaming industry. Illegal gaming halls were ordered to immediately close in September 2011 and the last of the 32 legal venues followed six months later.
But hope dies eternal, and this week saw a push to reopen those shuttered gaming venues by a new group calling itself the Association of Former Casinos Workers of Ecuador (ETCE). Led by Mauricio Villacís, ETCE has submitted proposals to several government departments in the hope that the issue will gain some traction in the halls of power.
The government justified its gambling crackdown by dwelling on the “social problems” gambling can cause while Villacís is focusing on the economic gains gambling can produce. Local media quoted Villacís arguing that legalizing casinos, bingo halls and sports betting operations – both land-based and online – could produce over 20k new jobs, bring $400m in new investment and hundreds more millions in gambling taxes.