The first reported foal from the initial crop by 2018 Triple Crown winner Justify was born Jan. 3 at Amaroo Farm in Kentucky, owners Audley Farm reported the following afternoon.
Monthly Archives: January 2020
Wins Leader Broberg Reflects On a Decade Of Training
Karl Broberg, who topped all trainers in North America with 547 victories from 2,130 starts (26%) in 2019, embarked on his career in 2009 when he acquired the Texas-based stable of trainer John Locke.
Omaha Beach Stretches Legs at Gulfstream
Fox Hill Farm’s Omaha Beach took his first trip across the Gulfstream Park racetrack early Jan. 4 as he prepares for a start in the Jan. 25 Pegasus World Cup Invitational Stakes (G1).
Eclipse Award Finalists Topped by Bricks and Mortar
A Jan. 4 announcement of the finalists for the 2019 Eclipse Awards largely yielded the expected, including in the most coveted Horse of the Year category, where Bricks and Mortar, Maximum Security, and Mitole were selected by voters.
Lottery millionaires' 'dreams came true' after learning son is cancer free
A UK couple won a £2 million (US$2.6 million) lottery jackpot three days before finding out that their teenage son was clear of cancer.Winner Stories, UK National Lottery, Jackpots, General Interest
NYRA Handle Down Marginally in 2019
The New York Racing Association announced Jan. 3 that its 2019 race meets conducted at Aqueduct Racetrack, Belmont Park, and Saratoga Race Course generated all-sources handle of $2,108,126,369, a small drop from last year’s total of $2,113,408,494.
Leofric Heads Rockridge Stud's 2020 Roster
Leofric stands for $7,500, while fellow new sire Disco Partner stands for $5,000
Northwest Trainer Hilbern R. "Pat" Mullens Dies at 92
Hilbern R. “Pat” Mullens, a trainer in the Northwest for nearly a half-century, died Dec. 28 after a long illness. He was 92.
Handicapping: Santa Anita, Gulfstream Offer Key Stakes
Dave Litfin analyzes Saturday’s graded stakes.
Codere receives two credit lines to bolster gaming ops in Mexico
The man in charge of leading gaming operator Codere’s efforts in Latin America, along with a small group of cohorts, decided that it wasn’t necessary to actually report real figures on revenue statements. Codere uncovered the creative accounting late last year and discovered that full-year earnings could be forced to be lowered by as much as $22 million. Partly as a result of the misleading profit statements, Spain-based Codere had to make up the difference and has now worked out a solution. According to a filing by the company with the Spanish Comisión Nacional del Mercado de Valores (the National Securities Market Commission), it has secured about $40 million (€36 million) in corporate credit lines.
The availability of the funds will allow Codere to upgrade its operations in Mexico and Uruguay. The creative accounting debacle revealed that around $16.5 million of the $22 million was losses out of Mexico, and the new credit lines will be used to make improvements to existing facilities in the countries.
In Mexico, that includes 85 arcades and 90 betting locations. In Uruguay, Codere operates six arcades, 26 betting locations and two racetracks. Any improvements to the properties in Uruguay will be designed to make those venues more attractive to buyers, as Codere is currently looking to offload those operations to another company. It was reported in October of last year that the company was considering selling 50% of the in-country operations to Chile-based Sun Dreams.
Codere is already reportedly sitting on a revolving credit facility of about $100 million, of which it has pulled around $44.5 million. It also has a refinanced bond worth over $858.5 million, which will mature next year.
Belgium sounds alarm over “omnipresent” football betting ads
Belgium’s gambling operators are likely facing further advertising restrictions following a government survey that found gambling promos were “omnipresent” in professional football.
On Friday, the Belgian Gaming Commission (BGC) released a voluminous report (viewable here, in Dutch) on gambling advertising during the 2019 playoffs of the Jupiler Pro League, the top tier of Belgian football.
Belgium imposed tough new restrictions on gambling advertising in June 2019 that included a ban on betting promos during live sports broadcasts. But the BGC now says that prohibition doesn’t go far enough, citing evidence that football fans were exposed to “large scale” gambling ads “in every medium that can be linked to the football events and the surrounding experience.”
The report notes that football fans are exposed to betting promos from the moment they purchase a match ticket, thanks to their teams’ sponsorship relationships with betting firms. The BGC further notes that the Kindred Group’s Unibet brand sponsors the Jupiler league as a whole, giving the brand a presence on each match ticket.
Online casino affiliates gaming UK GamStop self-exclusion scheme
Online gambling affiliates have been publicly shamed for pitching offers at individuals searching online for the UK’s GamStop gambling self-exclusion scheme.
On Thursday, a Twitter user who’d signed up with the UK’s GamStop self-exclusion scheme for problem gamblers reported that Google searches for GamStop were returning results from affiliate marketing partners of several sketchy Curacao-licensed online casino operators.
In some of these search results, the affiliates pitched readers on sites that weren’t part of the GamStop program. The affiliates justified this service by claiming that some gamblers may have “made an impulsive decision” to sign up for the self-exclusion program and might now be having second thoughts.
These sites offered UK gamblers ways to “bypass” GamStop and get back to the gambling action, with a somewhat pathetic caveat that gamblers should “promise us that you don’t have any addiction problems.”
Leofric Heads Rockridge Stud's 2020 Roster
Leofric stands for $7,500, while fellow new sire Disco Partner stands for $5,000
Irish Mias Headlines Upgraded Kitten's Joy Stakes
As a race on the Road to the Kentucky Derby, the Mucho Macho Man Stakes is the headliner of five stakes for 3-year-olds at Gulfstream Park Jan. 4, though it is the $100,000 Kitten’s Joy Stakes (G3T) that carries the graded weight.
Breeders' Cup Names Operations and Strategy Executives
Breeders’ Cup has announced the appointment of two new executive team members: John Keitt as chief operating officer and Rogers Beasley as chief strategy officer.
Fair Grounds Cancels Racing Jan. 3 Due to Heavy Rain
Due to heavy rains, inclement weather, and safety concerns, stewards cancelled the nine-race card Jan. 3 at Fair Grounds Race Course, the track announced.
Independence Hall: From Sale RNA to Grade 3 Winner
Independence Hall, a son of Constitution who was bought back when offered at auction as a 2-year-old, took a first step toward the Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve (G1) with a victory in the Jerome Stakes.
Bast Leads Three Baffert Fillies in Santa Ynez
Baoma Corporation’s Bast heads a trio of speedy fillies entered by Bob Baffert into the $200,000 Santa Ynez Stakes (G2), which carries points toward a start in the Longines Kentucky Oaks (G1) in May.
Torsilieri to Step Down as NSA President
Guy J. Torsilieri announced Jan. 3 that he will step down from the National Steeplechase Association presidency on Jan. 17 at the next meeting of the organization’s board of directors.
Codere receives two credit lines to bolster gaming ops in Mexico
The man in charge of leading gaming operator Codere’s efforts in Latin America, along with a small group of cohorts, decided that it wasn’t necessary to actually report real figures on revenue statements. Codere uncovered the creative accounting late last year and discovered that full-year earnings could be forced to be lowered by as much as $22 million. Partly as a result of the misleading profit statements, Spain-based Codere had to make up the difference and has now worked out a solution. According to a filing by the company with the Spanish Comisión Nacional del Mercado de Valores (the National Securities Market Commission), it has secured about $40 million (€36 million) in corporate credit lines.
The availability of the funds will allow Codere to upgrade its operations in Mexico and Uruguay. The creative accounting debacle revealed that around $16.5 million of the $22 million was losses out of Mexico, and the new credit lines will be used to make improvements to existing facilities in the countries.
In Mexico, that includes 85 arcades and 90 betting locations. In Uruguay, Codere operates six arcades, 26 betting locations and two racetracks. Any improvements to the properties in Uruguay will be designed to make those venues more attractive to buyers, as Codere is currently looking to offload those operations to another company. It was reported in October of last year that the company was considering selling 50% of the in-country operations to Chile-based Sun Dreams.
Codere is already reportedly sitting on a revolving credit facility of about $100 million, of which it has pulled around $44.5 million. It also has a refinanced bond worth over $858.5 million, which will mature next year.