In just her second race in 20 months, Monomoy Girl tuned up for her upcoming return to grade 1 competition by taking the $145,500 Ruffian Stakes (G2) for fillies and mares July 11 at Belmont Park.
Monthly Archives: July 2020
Art Collector Outruns Swiss Skydiver to Win Blue Grass
Art Collector rallied past the 3-year-old filly Swiss Skydiver in the stretch July 11 to win the $600,000 Toyota Blue Grass Stakes (G2) at Keeneland.
Maximum Security to Get New Rider for San Diego Start
Maximum Security is likely to have a California-based jockey aboard him when he returns in the July 18 San Diego Handicap (G2) at Del Mar, trainer Bob Baffert said July 11.
Fancy Liquor to be Maker's Only Transylvania Starter
Trainer Mike Maker’s 1-2 punch in the $100,000 Kentucky Utilities Transylvania Stakes (G3T) at Keeneland is down to a single jab.
Enola Gay Ekes Out Record Appalachian Stakes Victory
Allen Stable’s lightly raced Enola Gay nabbed a nose victory and set a stakes record in the $150,000 Appalachian Stakes Presented by Japan Racing Association (G2T) July 11 at Keeneland.
Speech Takes Ashland for First Graded Stakes Win
Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners and Madaket Stables’ Speech took charge in the stretch to record a three-length victory in the $400,000 Central Bank Ashland Stakes (G1) for 3-year-old fillies July 11 at Keeneland.
Rushing Fall Extends Legacy With Jenny Wiley Repeat
The daughter of More Than Ready defended her title in the 1 1/16-mile turf test for older fillies and mares and set a course and stakes record when she finished in 1:39.02 over pacesetter Jolie Olimpica.
Fancy Liquor to be Maker's Only Starter in Transylvania
Trainer Mike Maker’s 1-2 punch in the $100,000 Kentucky Utilities Transylvania Stakes (G3T) at Keeneland is down to a single jab.
Guarana Outduels Mia Mischief to Capture Madison
Guarana battled back after being passed in early stretch by Mia Mischief to win the $250,000 Madison Stakes (G1) July 11 at Keeneland, providing Chad Brown with the 100th grade 1 victory of his training career.
Monarch of Egypt Stars in Rescheduled Ballysax Stakes
The star turn of the feature is undoubtedly recent Jersey Stakes (G3) second Monarch of Egypt, a son of American Pharoah. Should he run well here, a trip to Churchill Downs for the rescheduled Kentucky Derby (G1) in September could be on the cards.
Enola Gay Just in Time to Set Appalachian Stakes Record
Allen Stable’s lightly raced Enola Gay nabbed a nose victory and set a stakes record in the $150,000 Appalachian Stakes Presented by Japan Racing Association (G2T) July 11 at Keeneland.
Woolworths pokies unit fined AU$172k for plying gamblers with booze
The video poker (pokies) operations of Australian retail giant Woolworths have been penalized by New South Wales regulators for plying customers with free booze in a bid to keep them gambling.
On Thursday, the New South Wales Independent Liquor & Gaming Authority (ILGA) announced a AU$172,692 (US$118,600) penalty against Australian Leisure and Hospitality Group (ALHG), which is majority owned by Woolworths, for plying pokies players with complimentary alcohol at two of its NSW hotels.
The ILGA received a complaint against ALHG in June 2019 alleging that the Woolworths-owned Westower Tavern and South Tweed Tavern were violating NSW laws regarding “the supply of free or discounted liquor as an inducement to gaming machine players.” The suspect activity in question dates back to 2017.
The ILGA subsequently inspected 50 venues operated by ALHG, Australia’s third-largest pokies operator, leading to a formal investigation of four venues. The ILGA concluded that the Westower and South Tweed pubs were employing “tactics specifically designed to encourage gambling,” including offering free booze to “regular and high-bidding gamblers” to keep them seated at the machines.
Whitmore Faces Large Cast in Keeneland Sprint
Before grade 1-winning millionaires Zulu Alpha and Arklow compete in the $175,000 TVG Elkhorn Stakes (G2T) July 12 at Keeneland, another such type, Whitmore, heads an overflow field in the eighth race, an $80,000 allowance optional claimer.
Recent Stakes Winners Added to Fasig-Tipton HRA Sale
Six horses have been added to Fasig-Tipton’s July Horses of Racing Age Sale, increasing the size of the catalog to 182 entries.
Hui Comes to Town as Zulu Alpha Tackles Elkhorn
With former claimer turned grade 1 winner Zulu Alpha entered in the July 12 TVG Elkhorn Stakes (G2T) at Keeneland, Michael Hui and his wife, Paige, were on an 8 1/2-hour trek from their home state of Arkansas to cheer on the gelding.
Nevada closes small gaming ops, casinos’ fears mount
Nevada casino operators fear that they could be forced to close their venues a second time as the state struggles with a resurgence of COVID-19 infections.
On Thursday, Nevada Gov. Steve Sisolak ordered a number of the state’s ‘restricted’ gaming licensees – bars, pubs and other small venues that host a handful of electronic gaming machines but aren’t licensed to serve food to customers – to close their venues following a spike in COVID-19 infections in certain counties.
Under Sisolak’s Declaration of Emergency Directive 027, as of midnight Friday, restricted licensees “in a county with an Elevated Disease Transmission” – which includes Clark county, home to both Las Vegas and Reno – were ordered to close. The order will remain in effect until Sisolak orders otherwise.
All Nevada gaming venues were ordered closed in March as the pandemic took hold and the gaming sector’s reopening didn’t begin until June 4. But despite taking health & safety precautions, supplemented by Sisolak imposing a mandatory mask order for casino customers last month, the state’s COVID-19 infections have spiked, including a new daily record of 1,004 new cases on Thursday.
The Star fails to secure 30-year Gold Coast casino monopoly
Australian casino operator The Star Entertainment Group’s bid for a 30-year Gold Coast casino monopoly has come to naught after failed negotiations with Queensland’s state government.
On Friday, State Development Minister Kate Jones announced that Queensland’s government had failed to “reach consensus around the terms for long-term casino licence exclusivity” for The Star. Jones added that the government had “worked really hard to extract value from The Star, but the deal on the table did not stack up for taxpayers.”
The Star operates two Queensland casinos, including one in Gold Coast. The company is currently expanding its Gold Coast property and pledged last October to dramatically boost that investment if the state granted The Star a 30-year local monopoly on casino operations.
While The Star may have lost its bid to formalize its existing monopoly, Jones said Friday that COVID-19’s impact on current economic conditions meant the state “has no intention of reviving the market process for a new integrated resort – including a second casino – on the Gold Coast.”
Final OBS Under Tack Show Postponed
As a result of lightning damage to the electronic timing equipment, the July 11 final session of the under tack show for the Ocala Breeders’ Sales July 2-Year-Olds in Training and Horses of Racing Age Sale has been postponed until July 12.
Jockeys Saez, Garcia, Espinoza Positive for COVID-19
Top rider Luis Saez tested positive for COVID-19 July 10 at Keeneland. He was removed from his mounts after the second race. Since the Fourth of July, he had ridden in New York, California, and Indiana.
Saez Positive for COVID-19; Espinoza Awaiting Results
Top rider Luis Saez tested positive for COVID-19 July 10 at Keeneland. He was removed from his mounts after the second race. Since the Fourth of July, he had ridden in New York, California, and Indiana.