Jim Hannon, known as the voice of New England racing for 40 years, and a member of the New England Turf Writers Association Hall of Fame, died at age 92 at the Kaplan Family Hospice House in Danvers, Massachusetts.
Monthly Archives: August 2020
Golden Award Aims to Shine Again in Shuvee
One year after securing the first stakes win of her career with a front-end score in the Shuvee Stakes (G3), Golden Award will try to defend that win when she faces an expected eight other fillies and mares Aug. 30 at Saratoga Race Course.
Fly On Angel Takes Wing in Charles Town Oaks
Joseph Besecker’s Fly On Angel, a $50,000 claim at Parx Aug. 10, went wire-to-wire in the Aug. 28 Charles Town Oaks (G3) at Hollywood Casino at Charles Town Races. The 3-year-old Palace Malice filly covered seven furlongs in 1:26.15.
Breeze On By, Go Jo Jo Go Head Florida Sire Stakes
Breeze On By will seek his second straight Florida Sire Stakes victory Aug. 29 in the $200,000 Affirmed Stakes at Gulfstream Park, while Desert Vixen winner Go Jo Jo Go is also ready to rumble in the $200,000 Susan’s Girl.
Cohen Steps in and Wins Lake George With Selflessly
Having spent more of his 16-year career riding against trainer Chad Brown’s horses than for him, jockey David Cohen knows it’s much better to get a leg up in the saddle from the four-time Eclipse Award-winning trainer than to try to beat him.
O'Brien to Unleash Full Sister to Group 1 Winner Maybe
Aidan O’Brien will take the wraps off yet another of the most beautifully bred 2-year-olds in training at Navan Aug. 29.
Jockey Club winner Mishriff to Bypass Arc
Mishriff will not be supplemented for the Qatar Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe (G1), with connections preferring a crack at the QIPCO Champion Stakes (G1) at Ascot in October.
UK National Lottery license cage match officially underway
The UK’s gambling regulator has formally opened the competition to operate the National Lottery, while announcing staff cuts that are prompting further criticism from anti-gambling parliamentarians.
On Friday, the UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) announced the start of the cage match to determine who gets to run the National Lottery when the current licensee’s contract expires in 2023. The license is currently held by Camelot UK Lotteries Ltd, a subsidiary of the Camelot Group, which has operated the Lottery since its launch in 1994.
Whoever the recipient of the fourth license is, they’ll have a fixed 10-year term, which the UKGC believes will offer “a clear period for investment planning.” The licensee will also enjoy an incentive mechanism to ensure “the licensee’s incentives and delivery are closely aligned with returns to good causes.”
In June, Camelot reported sales of £7.9b in its most recent fiscal year, up 10% on the previous year, with digital sales topping the £2b mark for the first time. Returns to good causes were up 12% to £1.85b, but the new licensee will enjoy “greater flexibility to maximize returns to good causes, hand in hand with ensuring safe and fair play.”
Belmont Winner Birdstone Retired to Old Friends
Belmont Stakes (G1) winner Birdstone, who sired two American classic winners in his first crop, has been retired from stud duty at Gainesway and taken up residency at Old Friends Thoroughbred Retirement Center near Georgetown, Ky.
Lukas a Welcome Sight for Churchill Downs Training
Though some of the usual Derby Week sights were missing on the Churchill Downs backstretch Aug. 28, as horses completed their final drills for the Sept. 5 Kentucky Derby (G1), one constant remained: 84-year-old D. Wayne Lukas on his stable pony.
NJ Lottery mistakenly printed malicious website address on lottery tickets
The New Jersey Lottery misspelled the address of their second-chance website on lottery tickets, leading players to visit a malicious look-alike website with the potential to install malware on their computer.New Jersey, Error, Systems Problem, Technology, Lottery Tickets, Second chance drawing
Restofthestory Becomes First Winner for Jess's Dream
Karl and Cathi Glassman’s filly won by 5 3/4 lengths Aug. 28 at Gulfstream Park.
Appeals Court Ruling Backs Derby DQ of Maximum Security
More than 15 months after the 2019 Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve (G1), the race outcome, in which Country House was placed first after first-to-the-wire Maximum Security was disqualified for interference, may finally be official.
MGM laying off 18k staff as casinos struggle to regain pre-pandemic form
Casino operator MGM Resorts is laying off 18k staff as the US land-based gambling market struggles to regain its pre-pandemic form.
On Friday, MGM CEO Bill Horbuckle issued a memo to staff advising them on what most of them already knew: “our industry – and country – continues to be impacted by the pandemic, and we have not returned to full operating capacity.”
The specific cuts won’t be detailed until Monday, the official ‘date of separation’ under federal law for staff not recalled to work after six months’ furlough. Investors apparently liked what they heard, as MGM’s shares are currently trading up around 5% from Thursday’s closing price.
Hornbuckle informed staff that the company would continue to pay health care benefits to affected staff until the end of September. Laid-off staff who are recalled will retain their seniority, although it remains to be seen what level of customer activity would have to be reached before any recall notices would be issued.
Keep an Eye Toward the Sky at Saratoga
Remnants of Hurricane Laura might be a factor at the Spa Aug. 29
Art Collector Leads Cast of Kentucky Derby Workers
Art Collector solidified his status as one of the leading contenders for the Sept. 5 Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve (G1) with a smooth five-furlong breeze Aug. 28 in 1:00 4/5 at Churchill Downs.
Caracaro Withdrawn From Kentucky Derby Consideration
The 146th Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve (G1) lost one of its key figures Aug. 28 when Runhappy Travers Stakes (G1) runner-up Caracaro was removed from consideration after a morning workout at Saratoga Race Course.
2019 Derby May Be Official After Appeals Court Ruling
More than 15 months after the 2019 Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve (G1), the race outcome, in which Country House was placed first after first-to-the-wire Maximum Security was disqualified for interference, may finally be official.
FanDuel Par-A-Dice Sportsbook Debuts in Illinois
FanDuel Group today announced the launch of the FanDuel Par-A-Dice Sportsbook app and online experience in Illinois. In partnership with Boyd Gaming, Illinois is the sixth state in the United States where the industry-leading FanDuel Sportsbook online and mobile platform is available. FanDuel is bringing its best-in-class online sports betting experience to sports fans who can now place wagers across professional football, basketball, baseball, golf, MMA, soccer, darts and tennis with a multitude of betting and payment options available.
The FanDuel Par-A-Dice Sportsbook is available for download via iOS and Android for residents and visitors to Illinois.
“We have been waiting for this day for quite some time,” said Mike Raffensperger, CMO of FanDuel Group. “Sports are back, so we are going to show sports fans in Illinois an innovative sports betting app experience with industry leading promotions and consumer protections that have made FanDuel the #1 sportsbook in the U.S.”
The FanDuel Par-A-Dice Sportsbook in Illinois is simple, secure and convenient, with a number of key features, including:
Industry-leading promotions: Any customer that doesn’t win their first bet is refunded their wager, up to $500. Plus, if you refer a friend, you’ll both get $50 more.
Hometown Heroes: The FanDuel Par-A-Dice Sportsbook will offer markets on hometown teams with extremely generous odds to give new customers More Ways to Win.
Innovative Spirit: FanDuel was the first US Sportsbook to offer live streaming of sporting events inside a betting app and the first to offer Same Game Parlays, which is the ability to build a parlay utilizing betting markets from the same game.
FanDuel Group’s Account and Wallet Technology: FanDuel Group developed its own account and wallet technology in-house that is the backbone of the new operating system on the FanDuel Par-A-Dice Sportsbook app in Illinois. The FanDuel Par-A-Dice Sportsbook now connects to FanDuel’s popular fantasy sports app, so customers can use fantasy sports and sportsbook winnings interchangeably.
Cash Out: FanDuel offers fast, secure payouts enabling customers to withdraw their winnings in as little as 24 hours. The new Cash Out feature allows you to settle a bet for a certain value before the sporting event bet on has finished.
In addition, the FanDuel Par-A-Dice Sportsbook offers a range of payment options, safe and secure banking, lightning fast payouts usually within twenty four hours, 24/7 customer service, and in-game wagering allowing users to bet on live games as they’re being played. FanDuel utilizes its proprietary risk and trading technology that leverages the IGT PlaySports platform. The FanDuel Par-A-Dice Sportsbook also has account protections in place and a global reputation for responsible wagering.
Sports fans in Illinois can download the FanDuel Par-A-Dice Sportsbook app today on iOS and Android or visit https://il.sportsbook.fanduel.com/sports. For more on the FanDuel Sportsbook and sports betting content, follow @FDSportsbook on Twitter.
Don C’s Jackie Robinson TOPPS Project 2020 Card Posts On Jackie Robinson Day
A commemorative TOPPS Project 2020 card celebrating Jackie Robinson Day Friday across MLB posted today at http://topps.com/project2020. Artist Don C‘s interpretation of the classic 1952 Topps Robinson card is available through 1 p.m. ET on Sunday.
The Robinson card, issued today along with Jacob Rochester’s reimagining of the iconic 1955 Roberto Clemente, is one of a series of 20 cards posted by each of 20 commissioned pop artists, two each weekday since the originally scheduled opening of the 2020 season in March. The series has been extremely popular with fans and collectors, and is now more than halfway through the full set of 400.
Don C’s Robinson work places the all-time great in front of his retired #42, which will be worn by all Major Leaguers in games today, with “In Loving Memory” in script above and his signature below the legendary pose from the original card, on a light blue background.