The winner of this race will earn a starting berth in the 350-yard, $150,000 John Deere Juvenile Challenge Championship (G1) at Los Alamitos in November.

Our top selection for the Texas Juvenile Challenge is fifth-fastest qualifier Jess Ownt To, an undefeated daughter of Fly Jess Fly who scored a 1 1/2-length victory as the 11-10 favorite in the last of 10 trials on May 2. In her career debut at Remington Park on April 5, Jess Ownt To won an Oklahoma Futurity (G2) trial by three-quarters of a length but failed to make the $318,500 final. The filly prepped for her debut by winning a 250-yard training race at Retama Park in :13.60 in February.

Second-fastest qualifier Cristata earned an 84 TrackMaster speed rating in her 1 3/4-length victory in the first trial. A sorrel daughter of 1994 AQHA champion 2-year-old Mr Jess Perry, the filly ran a close second to the unbeaten Chief Coronas Charm in the April 13, 330-yard Sam Houston Juvenile Stakes.

Dont Text That, the fourth-fastest qualifier, is coming off of a half-length win over Sam Houston Futurity (G2) finalist Trace Seis in the fifth trial. A Texas-bred filly by the Corona Cartel stallion Jet Cartel, Dont Text That ran third as the 17-10 favorite in her Sam Houston Futurity trial, but she has since won both of her starts and appears to be heading in the right direction for trainer Jesse Yoakum, who has been winning with 16 percent of his 2-year-old starters.

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The John Deere Texas Juvenile Challenge shares Saturday's spotlight at Sam Houston Race Park with the 400-yard, $59,850 Adequan Texas Derby Challenge. The winner of this stakes will earn a berth in the Grade 1, $200,000 Adequan Derby Challenge Championship at Los Alamitos in November.

Our top choice for the Texas Derby Challenge is fastest qualifier Tejas Energy B a nicely bred colt by champion Tres Seis. Tejas Energy B has impressively won both of his 3-year-old starts, and his season record includes a visually impressive 3 1/2-length victory in what might have been the strongest of four trials on May 4. Also worth noting is that the colt broke stakes winner Sweet Oblivion's 300-yard track record in his nearly five-length win against maidens on April 4.

Dash Master Jess is just two weeks removed from a 2 1/2-length victory over Firecracker Futurity (G2) finalist Shakem Little Corona in the first trial. This well-bred colt by champion Mr Jess Perry is also undefeated in two starts at Sam Houston this season, and his record includes a three-quarter length win against entry-level allowance company on April 20.

Shakem Little Corona must also be respected, as this Texas-bred filly by the Corona Cartel stallion Tinys First Corona has won three of her five races, including a strong Sam Houston Derby (G3) trial in which her defeated opponents included stakes winner and 2012 West Texas Futurity (G1) runner-up Junior June Bug and Sam Houston Futurity (G2) winner Sassmaster.

The Scotch Is Dun ran second to Tejas Energy B as the 13-10 choice in the last of four Texas Derby Challenge trials. A Texas-bred gelding by the Streakin La Jolla stallion Hiclass La Jolla, The Scotch Is Dun has made the exacta in all five of his starts at this 400-yard distance, and his record at the trip includes a victory in last year's $190,000 Evangeline Downs Futurity in Louisiana.

Weeknight racing will begin at 6:30 p.m. (CDT), 30 minutes earlier than past seasons, while first post on weekends and holidays will be 1:30. The new amenities at the track include a 200-foot digital infield toteboard that includes an 800-square-foot video screen, and a new video board in the paddock area.

“The new toteboard and video screens will allow our guests to experience racing like never before,” said Canterbury Park president Randy Sampson. “The digital capability allows us to present information to the fans that was not possible in the past.”

Also, under a cooperative marketing and purse-enhancement agreement reached last year with the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community, the tribe that owns and operates Mystic Lake Casino Hotel will contribute $75 million to Canterbury's purse structure during the next 10 years. The agreement means that this season's purses will be double what they were just two years ago.

“This agreement was a life-saver for racing in Minnesota,” Sampson said. “Not only has the interest in racing dramatically increased, but breeding in the state is also resurging.”

The meet will be highlighted by the August 3 Mystic Lake Derby for 3-year-old Thoroughbreds. The race will feature a $200,000 purse, Canterbury Park's largest single purse since 1991, when the track was called Canterbury Downs under previous ownership.

Canterbury's Quarter Horse stakes schedule will feature 13 races worth approximately $355,000 in purse money. The richest sprint race of the meet, the 350-yard, $100,000-guaranteed Mystic Lake Northlands Futurity, will be run on July 5.

For more information on the Canterbury Park meet, including a complete stakes schedule, visit the track's website at www.canterburypark.com.

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Here is the report card on the two-day Santa Cruz County Fair meet at Sonoita, Arizona, which took place May 4-5.

Attendance for the meet totaled 5,090, including 3,350 for a May 4 program that included a simulcast of the $2-million Kentucky Derby (G1), the first leg of Thoroughbred racing's Triple Crown, from Churchill Downs.

Handle on the Sonoita meet's total of 16 races for the two days reached $79,061, a slight drop from the $79,630 wagered during last year's meet.International that she was thrilled with the community support for the races.

“The energy was unbelievable,” she said. “There were so many people you couldn't even walk through the crowd.”

Jim Cosbey, chairman of the race committee, pointed out the assistance of the University of Arizona Race Track Industry Program during the meet as “invaluable.” He also had special praise for Fairgrounds manager Kyle Etchart.

“We couldn't have done it without him,” Cosbey said. “The quality of the horses, the smoothness of the operation, and the quality of the track were all outstanding.”

On the track, the highlight of the Sonoita meet was the 350-yard, $22,600 Sonoita Ranchers Challenge on May 5. The race was won by Anastacio Mariscal's Jess Creek Manor, a 7-year-old Arizona-bred gelding by Feature Mr Jess trained by Omar Cruz. Ridden by Emilio Tapia and sent to post at odds of 24-1, Jess Creek Manor covered his 350-yard trip in :17.526 while earning a 99 speed index and his first career stakes victory.

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The North Dakota Racing Commission has given the North Dakota Horse Park in Fargo more money for a 2013 horse racing season than it promised in February.

Commission racing director Winston Satran told the Fargo Forum last week that the commission granted the Fargo track $80,000 in promotional funds that can be used for track operations and $88,500 in purse money.

At the commission’s Feb. 15 meeting, the Fargo track was awarded $61,684, about a third of what the track requested for 2013. Shortly after, Horse Race North Dakota, which operates the Fargo track, said it would host a three-day, one-weekend meet in July.

HRND officials had hoped to expand racing dates this season after a successful 2012 four-day meet. There was no racing in 2010 and 2011. The track faces about $2.1 million in debt, including construction costs.

Satran said the state commission granted the Horse Park only $18,000 in 2012, while out-of-state wagering companies donated an estimated $75,000.

NDHP manager Chris McConnell told the Forum that the track may still be short money to run two weekends, but donations and sponsorships could make up the shortfall.

“We want to run two weekends, but not at a loss,” said McConnell, who added that horsemen's groups have advocated for a two-weekend meet.

“They made a very good case, but it boiled down to money at that point,” he added. Chippewa Downs in Belcourt, North Dakota, will hold an eight-day meet on weekends from June 15-July 7.

Also, the North Dakota Racing Commission has hired Gunner LaCour, an attorney in Miami Beach, Florida, to be its new racing director. Satran announced earlier this year that he was retiring.

LaCour grew up on a Thoroughbred farm in Lexington, Kentucky, and he is familiar with the horse racing industry.

“This is the first opportunity he has had to get back into horse racing in an administrative position,” Satran said of LaCour. “He seemed to have the right combination of racing background and legal skills.”

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George Krikorian, who made his mark with a movie theater chain and in real estate, was appointed by Gov. Jerry Brown to the California Horse Racing Board.

A resident of Rancho Palos Verdes, Krikorian, 67, has been president and chief executive officer at Krikorian Premiere Theatres since 1983. He also has been president of George Krikorian Stables LLC since 1997. He was the president of Krikorian Enterprises Inc. from 1974-85 and the real estate branch manager for Tarbell Real Estate Co. from 1971-74.

The position, which pays $100 per diem, requires Senate confirmation. ----------------------------------------------------------------------
In other California news, claims at the state's racetracks will be voided beginning May 16, whenever a claimed horse suffers a fatality or is placed on the veterinarian’s list as lame or unsound after the race.

The change to California Horse Racing Board Rule 1658 was adopted by the CHRB after a public hearing in February. It was approved by the reviewing Office of Administrative Law on May 2.

Previously, CHRB Rule 1658 called for voiding a claim only “if the horse suffers a fatality during the running of the race (or) before the horse is returned to be unsaddled.” With the amendment, the stewards also will void a claim if “the racing or official veterinarian determines the horse will be placed on the veterinarian’s list as unsound or lame before the horse is released to the successful claimant.”

During the public hearing in February, CHRB vice chairman Chuck Winner, who along with commissioner Bo Derek serves on the Medication and Track Safety Committee, explained that the rule is designed to protect horses, jockeys, and the integrity of racing.

The CHRB delayed implementation of the amendment until May 16 to give the industry and the public advance notice and to make certain the stewards, veterinarians, and others involved in the process fully understand the change.

Under the new procedures, claimed horses will be examined after the race either by the CHRB official veterinarian in the receiving barn or by the track veterinarian in those instances when the horse is removed directly from the track by ambulance. If the CHRB official veterinarian or the track veterinarian determines a claimed horse is to be placed on the CHRB vet’s List as lame or unsound, the stewards will be notified and the claim voided by them.

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Sandys Jesse, a graded stakes winning daughter of Jesse James Jr racing for Chin S. Lee, tops a list of 12 state-bred 3-year-olds nominated to Sunday's 400-yard, $65,000 New Mexico Breeders' Stakes (RG3) at SunRay Park.

Trained by Ramon Rivera, Sandys Jesse has earned $157,115 from 11 starts, of which $116,716 has been banked this season. The filly won two stakes during the 2012-13 Sunland Park meet, including the 400-yard, $85,000 New Mexico Horse Breeders' Association Stakes (RG2) on February 17.

Other prominent nominees include Rex Hill, a Jesse James Jr colt racing for brothers Ross Hinkins and David Hinkins of Roosevelt, Utah. Rex Hill has won five of 10 races, including last year's 350-yard, $167,700 New Mexico Breeders' Futurity (RG3) at SunRay, and he has earned $149,770.

Entries for the New Mexico Breeders' Stakes will be drawn on Tuesday.

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Douglas O. Traylor's Rocky Mountain Fly will be making his first start of the season in Friday's $55,000 Delta 550 Championship (R) for Louisiana-breds at Delta Downs.

A 4-year-old gelding by champion Panther Mountain trained by Kenneth Roberts Sr., Rocky Mountain Fly is coming off of a head victory in the December 8, 400-yard Louisiana Champions Day Derby (RG2) at Fair Grounds Racecourse in New Orleans. The one-time $10,000 claimer has earned $80,435 from 11 starts.

Donell Blake will ride Rocky Mountain Fly from post 9 on Friday.

Rocky Mountain Fly's nine opponents include Blue Louisiana Jolla, an 8-year-old gelding by champion Jess Louisiana Blue who ran third, a half of a length behind winner Louisiana Ranngler, in last year's Delta 550 Championship. Rocky Mountain Fly is coming off of a third-place finish in the 350-yard, $50,000 John Alleman Stakes (R) for owners Elroy Potts Jr. and Paul Watson's Watson Land & Cattle.

The complete lineup for the Delta 550 Championship, in post position order including jockey and weight assignments – Blue Louisiana Jolla (Raul Ramirez Jr.), Political Option (Jesse Chavis), Streakin World (Lucas Constantin), AJs Fast Dash (John Hamilton), T Boy P (Antonio Alberto), Kokopelli Blues (Gilbert Ortiz), Pagan Stone (Saul Ramirez Jr.), Jessapatriot (Donald Watson), Rocky Mountain Fly (Donell Blake), and Worlds On High (Alfonso Lujan).

The winner of this race will earn a starting berth in the Grade 1, $350,000 Bank of America Challenge Championship at Los Alamitos in November.

The Oklahoma Challenge Championship was first contested in 1993, when Sound Dash, an Oklahoma-bred daughter of Dash For Cash racing for Leonelo Trevino and trained by Robert Madrigal, banked the winner's share of a $63,000 purse. Past winners of the race include AQHA champions Junos Request, Rare Bar, Kool Kue Baby, Tailor Fit, Jess You And I, and Stolis Winner.

Our top choice for this year's Oklahoma Challenge Championship is The Long Knife. A 4-year-old son of the First Down Dash stallion Tac It Like A Man, The Long Knife is coming off of a second-place finish as the 2-1 choice in the 400-yard, $100,000 Leo Stakes (G1) on March 30. However, the gelding won his most recent start at this distance, the November 10, $377,000 Texas Classic Derby (G1) at Lone Star Park, and a case can be made that he defeated a tougher group in that race than he's facing here.

Cold Cash 123 will be making his first start since February 17, when the 5-year-old Oak Tree Special gelding ran sixth in the 400-yard, $171,000 Los Alamitos Winter Championship (G1). It's worth noting that Cold Cash 123 has won nine of his 12 races at this longer distance, and he prepped for his first out in nearly three months with a 220-yard breeze in :11.20 on March 29, the fastest of 37 works at the distance that day.

The Sunday Assassin is making his first start past 400 yards, but this 4-year-old FDD Dynasty gelding was a 400-yard stakes winner last season, and he earned a solid 105 TrackMaster speed rating while running a close fourth against what might have been a tougher field in the 300-yard, $50,000 Bob Moore Memorial Stakes (G2) on April 20.

Wagons West is untested past 350 yards, but the 3-year-old colt is in good form and he's bred to like the distance – his sire, PYC Paint Your Wagon, won the 440-yard Texas Classic Derby (G1) at 3.

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Friday's 440-yard, $50,000 Sam Houston Classic (G2) has also drawn a full field of 10, headed by morning-line favorite Mr Truly Uno.

The Sam Houston Classic began its history in 1994, when Leonelo Trevino's Sound Dash earned the winner's share of a stakes-record $176,665 purse. Past winners of the stakes include AQHA world champions Tailor Fit (1999) and Streakin Sin Tacha (2002), and two-time champion aged mare Kool Kue Baby (1995 and '96). The 440-yard stakes record of :21.32 was set by Ray and Mercy Hinklin's Diamond Tres Seis in 2008.

Our top selection for this year's Sam Houston Classic is Mr Truly Uno, a 6-year-old gelding by Feature Mr Jess and the 4-1 morning-line choice. Mr Truly Uno made his season debut with a second-place finish in the March 16, 550-yard SLM Big Daddy Stakes at Remington Park, a race he won last year. However, the gelding ended his 2012 campaign by running second, a head behind winner Charal Kid, in the 440-yard, $75,000 Refrigerator Handicap (G1) at Lone Star Park, a race in which he earned a solid 113 TrackMaster speed rating, and he holds a slight class edge over the others in this field.

Runaway Wagon overcame a tough start to run third in the 440-yard, $102,000 Bank of America Sam Houston Challenge (G2) on April 20. A 4-year-old son of PYC Paint Your Wagon, the gelding has made the trifecta in five of his six starts at this quarter-mile distance, and his record at the trip includes a close second-place finish to champion Ochoa in a Texas Classic Derby (G1) trial at Lone Star Park last fall.

Bar Struck returns to what might be his best distance after his second-place run as the 13-10 favorite in an upper-level 330-yard allowance sprint on April 4. This 5-year-old stallion by the Corona Cartel stallion Corona For Me ended his 4-year-old campaign with a half-length victory in an open-condition 440-yard allowance race on November 10, and he earned a 109 speed rating while defeating a field that included graded stakes winner The Field Cricket and multiple stakes winner Executive Prince.

Lethal Volt is a 4-year-old gelding by Volcom who is dropping in class and making his first start against older sprinters. Lethal Volt is coming off of an eighth-place finish in the Grade 2, 400-yard Sunland Park Winter Derby on December 29, but he chased the country's best sophomores in Texas and New Mexico last year, and he made the final of both the 440-yard Texas Classic (G1) and Dash For Cash (G2) derbies at Lone Star Park.

The Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act was written by the lawmakers, Sen. Tom Udall (D-New Mexico) and Rep. Joe Pitts (R-Pennsylvania), and they plan to introduce it when Congress returns to session this week. The act would give the antidoping agency, known as USADA, the authority to develop rules for permitted and prohibited substances, and it also would create testing and stiffer penalty programs for horse racing nationally, replacing the patchwork state-by-state system currently in place.

USADA, a non-governmental organization, is the official antidoping agency for the United States Olympics team and has worked with Major League Baseball and other professional leagues to eliminate performance-enhancing drugs.

“We look forward to helping the industry clean itself up,” Travis Tygart, USADA's chief executive, told the New York Times last week. “We fully support, and have shown, that the independent model is the only truly effective way to regulate a sport.”

“The chronic abuse of race horses with painkillers and other drugs is dangerous and just plain wrong,” Sen. Udall said. “Racing groups have promised drug reform for decades, but this bill would bring in real standards and enforcement from an organization with a proven record for cleaning up sports.”

Unlike previous bills, which were not enacted, the new one would enable USADA to act as the anti-doping body without amending the Interstate Horseracing Act of 1978 or involve any federal agency or regulation, increasing hopes for its passage. According to the Times, it would be financed by the industry — racetracks, horsemen groups, breeders and owners — through either a percentage of the betting handle or a series of fees.

The horse racing industry sustains about 380,000 jobs nationwide, according to Udall’s office. Under the proposed bill, if states and their racing industry stakeholders decline to adopt and adhere to USADA’s rules and penalties, they would not be allowed to participate in interstate wagering.

Tygart said that his agency had an annual budget of $14 million to regulate and police Olympic, Pan American and Paralympic sports in the United States. The horse racing industry estimates that a total of $35 million is already spent on integrity issues on a state-by-state basis.

Horse racing officials have taken significant steps to clean up their sport, but Udall and Pitts say there needed to be more sweeping and severe rules in place to restore public confidence in horse racing.

“Last year, I chaired a hearing that took a deep look into the problems of both legal and illegal drugs in horse racing,” Pitts said. “We heard testimony about how abuse of drugs is killing horses and imperiling riders. Before more people and animals are hurt, we need to put a responsible national authority in charge of cleaning up racing. This is a sensible, bipartisan measure to restore trust in racing and protect lives.”

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Portland Meadows Racetrack has won House approval to add Instant Racing machines, a move the financially troubled track says is necessary to keep horse racing viable in Oregon.

Track representatives say the electronic machines will help attract new fans to the sport, and the extra revenue will increase purses for horse owners. The Instant Racing machines resemble slot machines and allow bettors to wager on actual horse races from the past. The old races are on video, but the names of the horses are withheld so bettors can't know the winner in advance.

As with live horse racing, Instant Racing is a pari-mutuel form of gambling in which bettors wager against other players rather than the house. Representatives from Portland Meadows say there are no plans to put the machines at off-track betting sites.

The bill now heads to the Senate.

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A total of 35 state-bred 2-year-olds has been entered in Friday's 350-yard New Mexico Breeders' Futurity (RG3) trials at SunRay Park.

Call Me Blazin, a finalist in the April 7, $231,438 New Mexican Spring Futurity (RG2) at Sunland Park, drew post 8 in the last of four trials. A brown daughter of the late Chicks A Blazin racing for Ruben and Samantha Leyba, Call Me Blazin broke her maiden with a three-quarter length victory in her career debut, a 300-yard Spring Futurity trial on March 15. Macario Rodriguez will once again ride the filly on Friday.

The second Breeders' Futurity trial heat will be topped by a pair of recent maiden winnes, First Place Moonfast and Posies K Won. A gray gelding by champion First Moonflash owned by Alberto R. Montoya, First Place Moonfast is coming off of a one-length win against open maiden company on April 26, while Posies K Won, a homebred gelding by champion Ketel Won, broke his maiden with a half-length victory against New Mexico-breds on April 19 for owners David Bloomer and Leighann Kovac.

Gary L. Thompson's Cashmere is the morning-line favorite in the third heat. Making her second career start on April 21 at SunRay Park, the bay filly by Chicks A Blazin scored a half-length win going 350 yards against New Mexico-bred maidens.

The New Mexico Breeders' Futurity began its history at San Juan Downs in 1985, when Shawn Clark's Say It Simple earned the winner's share of a $26,341 purse. The 10 fastest qualifiers from Friday's trials will meet in the $150,000-est. final on May 26.

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Also at SunRay Park, Saturday's 400-yard, $35,000 La Plata Stakes has drawn a full field of 10 runners. Likely favorite Feature Mr Who, a 4-year-old Feature Mr Jess gelding owned and trained by Jaime Dominguez, won two of his four starts during the 2012-13 Sunland Park meet, including the 440-yard, $100,000 Bank of America Sunland Challenge (G2) in his most recent race on April 7.

Feature Mr Who also finished third, three-quarters of a length behind winner Our First Corona, in the 400-yard Sunland Park Winter Derby (G2) in December. Esgar Ramirez has been named to ride the gelding from post 7 on Saturday.

Other La Plata Stakes contenders include Gabino Carrillo's LF Star Jumper, a one-time $5,000 claimer who is coming off of a 1 1/4-length win against 3-year-olds in the April 21, 400-yard Animas Stakes at SunRay, and Melvin and Mary Neugebauer's Unashamed, the runner-up to champion Noconi in last year's La Plata.

The complete lineup for the La Plata Stakes, in post position order including jockey and weight assignments – Sea Panther Run (Jarell James), 124), LF Star Jumper (Macario Rodriguez, 122), Klassic Strawfly (Larry Gamez, 124), Unashamed (Jaime Leos, 124), A Spring Snow (Tanner Thedford, 124), Teddy Turner (Alonso Rivera, 124), Feature Mr Who (Esgar Ramirez, 124), The Devils Rainbow (Efrain Vigi, 124), Money Hungry Cartel (Isaias Cardenas, 124), and Jump Down Azoom (Salvador Martinez, 124).

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Shakeemdontbreakem, a 3-year-old daughter of the Corona Cartel stallion Contend racing for Jakita Investments LLC of Richard A. Crosby and William C. Waller III, is one of 10 distaffers entered in Saturday's 350-yard, $25,000 Mother's Day Stakes at Delta Downs.

A winner of three of her four starts, Shakeemdontbreakem is coming off of a neck victory over Texas-bred fillies and mares in the 330-yard, $20,000 Silestone Stakes (R) at Sam Houston Race Park on April 6. Bobby Martinez trains the filly, who will be ridden by David Alvarez on Saturday.

The complete lineup for the Mother's Day Stakes, in post position order including jockey and weight assignments – Maxed Out Game (John Hamilton, 126), Im A Feature Girl (Alfonso Lujan, 126), Jetblack Gold Moment (Jesse Chavis, 124), She Is A Fast Dash (Bobby Ransom, 126), Lets Play Yacht Sea (Raul Ramirez Jr., 124), Patriots Toast (Saul Ramirez Jr., 126), Rebas A Rockin (Miguel Martinez, 126), Game Patriots Delux (Antonio Alberto, 126), Flamboyant Chick (Rene Gutierrez, 126), and Shakeemdontbreakem (David Alvarez, 124).

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Also at Delta Downs, racing secretary John Simon has received 25 nominations for the May 17, $55,000 Delta 550 Championship (R) for Louisiana-bred 3-year-olds and older.

Topping the list of nominations is defending champion Louisiana Wrangler. A 6-year-old gelding by champion Jess Louisiana Blue campaigned by Kim C. McKenzie, Louisiana Wrangler is a graded stakes winner who is coming off of a fifth-place finish in the 350-yard, $50,000 John Alleman Memorial Stakes (RG3) at Delta on April 27.

Other prominent nominees include Douglas O. Traylor's Rocky Mountain Fly, a 4-year-old gelding by champion Panther Mountain who scored a neck victory in last year's 400-yard, $100,000 Louisiana Champions Day Derby (RG3) at Fair Grounds; Blue Louisiana Jolla, a 8-year-old Jess Louisana Blue gelding who ran third in last year's Delta 550 Championship for owners Elroy Potts and Watson Land and Cattle; and James R. Mitchell's Martini Mountain, a graded stakes winning 7-year-old gelding by Panther Mountain who is coming off of a second-place finish in the John Alleman Stakes.

Entries for the Delta 550 Championship will be taken on Friday.

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This year's Grade 2, 440-yard Sam Houston Classic has drawn 27 nominations. The $50,000 stakes, whose past winners include champions AQHA world champions Tailor Fit and Streakin Sin Tacha, and two-time champion aged mare Kool Kue Baby, will be contested on Friday.

Nominee Charal Kid, a homebred 7-year-old Streakin La Jolla gelding racing for Malinche Cattle Co. of Floresville, Texas, ran second, a half of a length behind winner Nowurtalkin, in last year's Sam Houston Classic. Charal Kid has earned $481,219 from 46 outs, and his 18 wins include a head victory in last year's 440-yard, $75,000 Refrigerator Handicap (G1) at Lone Star Park.

Other nominees include Macedonio Lozano's Sassmaster, a 3-year-old gelding by TR Dasher and the winner of last year's $488,000 Sam Houston Futurity (G2); Tommy Hays and Bobby Barnett's Runaway Wagon, a graded stakes winning 4-year-old PYC Paint Your Wagon gelding who ran third in the 440-yard Bank of America Sam Houston Challenge (G1) on April 20; Sally Box's Mr Truly Uno, the runner-up to Charal Kid in last year's Refrigerator Handicap; Antonio Carrizales' Jess Fly With Me, the winner of last year's 400-yard, $147,000 Retama Park Derby (G3); and Clem D. Nava's JC My Diamond Man, the 3 1/2-length winner of the 550-yard Harris County Stakes (R) on March 29.

Entries for this year's Sam Houston Classic will be taken on Tuesday.

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Also at Sam Houston Race Park, racing secretary Eric Johnston has received 12 nominations for Saturday's 870-yard, $25,000 Governor's Cup Marathon Stakes.

One of the nominees, Kite Flyer, scored a head victory as the odds-on favorite in last year's Governor's Cup Marathon. A 6-year-old stallion by champion Royal Quick Dash racing for Dark Horse Partnership from the barn of trainer J. Ryan Basham, Kite Flyer is coming off of a one-length win in the April 20, $23,000 Red Cell Houston Distance Challenge.

Nominee Wahoo made his 870-yard debut with an easy eight-length win against non-winners-of-three allowance company at Remington Park on April 20. Wahoo has won three of 12 starts and has banked $30,686 for owner Bobby D. Cox, who also bred the 4-year-old gelded son of Feature Mr Jess.

Entries for the Governor's Cup Marathon Stakes will be drawn on Wednesday.

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A total of 153 2-year-olds have been entered in this weekend's Heritage Place Futurity (G1) trials at Remington Park. The five fastest qualifiers from both Friday and Saturday night's trials will meet in the 350-yard, $1-million final on June 1.

Friday's nine heats are headed by Pronto Alex, a stakes-winning gelding by the Separatist stallion Inseperable bred and owned by Abel Flores. Trained by Eddie D. Willis, Pronto Alex is coming off of a half-length victory in the 330-yard, $52,250 Laico Bird Stakes (R) for Oklahoma-bred 2-year-olds on April 20. The gelding is the 6-5 morning-line favorite in Friday's fifth trial.

Another 2-year-old from Willis' barn, Walking Perry, is the 8-5 morning-line choice in the eighth heat. The homebred Walk Thru Fire colt has won two of three races for owner James Sills, and he was a finalist in the April 20, $720,000 Remington Park Futurity (R) for Oklahoma-breds.

On Saturday, even-money morning-line choices Wagon Tales and Fetching Beauty will race in the second and ninth trials, respectively. A PYC Paint Your Wagon colt owned by JNB Enterprises LLC and trained by Judd Kearl, Wagon Tales has earned $43,446 from two starts, and his race record includes a half-length victory in the 330-yard, $100,000 Remington Park Oklahoma-Bred Juvenile Stakes (R) on April 21. Rodrigo Vallejo has been named to ride the colt from post 5.

Fetching Beauty is a California-bred daughter of No Secrets Here campaigned by Alma V. Chavez from the barn of trainer Sacramento Chavez. The filly will be making her first start since March 23, when she scored a half-length win as the ninth-fastest qualifier in the 300-yard, $325,000 Oklahoma Futurity (G2).

Run every year at Remington Park or Blue Ribbon Downs since 1981, the Heritage Place Futurity became a $1-million race in 2008, when it was won by eventual AQHA world champion Stolis Winner. Other past winners include Vital Sign (1990), champion Dashin Is Easy ('97), Fast First Prize (2002), and First Carolina ('06).

The Sooner State Stakes began its history in 1991, when Shawne Savage, a homebred gelding by the Indian Hemp (TB) stallion Jungle Savage (TB) racing for Henry Bowlan and Robert Adams, earned the winner's share of a $24,400 purse. Shawne Savage also won this race in 1992 and '93, but the record for consecutive Sooner State Stakes wins is held by AQHA champion Country Chicks Man, who won the race from 2005-08. The 400-yard stakes record is held by A Toss Up, who won last year's Sooner State Stakes in :19.451.

Our top choice in this year's Sooner State Stakes is graded stakes winner Fast Prize Mike. A 4-year-old son of PYC Paint Your Wagon, Fast Prize Mike is taking a big class drop off of his neck victory against open company in the 350-yard, $50,000 Eastex Handicap (G2) on March 10. The stallion is also coming off of a solid 3-year-old campaign in which he won the first division of the 400-yard Evangeline Downs Derby in Louisiana and ran second, a half of a length behind Chicks Smart Money, in the 440-yard, $174,000 Dash For Cash Derby (G2) at Lone Star Park.

You Can Tell Mr Earl, a 10-1 morning-line longshot, has won all three of his outs at this 400-yard distance. A 4-year-old gelding by the First Down Dash stallion Sweet First Down, You Can Tell Mr Earl is coming off of a half-length win at odds of 15-1 in the 550-yard SLM Big Daddy Stakes, but his two 400-yard allowance wins over this track last year included a three-quarter length score with a solid 95 TrackMaster speed rating against open allowance company on May 12. Also, you Can Tell Mr Earl gets extra credit if the track should come up wet.

Another 4-year-old stallion by PYC Paint Your Wagon, Fast Prize Jordan, stretches out in distance after two consecutive stakes wins against Oklahoma-bred company. Fast Prize Jordan should be able to handle the extra ground just fine, as he earned his best career TrackMaster speed rating – 101 – in his convincing 2 1/2-length win in a Texas Classic Futurity (G1) trial at Lone Star Park in 2011.

Priceless Feature ran third, a neck behind Fast Prize Jordan, as the odds-on favorite in the April 6 , 350-yard Mr Jet Moore Handicap (R). However, this 4-year-old gelding by Grade 1 winner Feature Mr Jess deserves another chance, as he was making his first start in six months and might have needed the out, and his three wins in six starts at this longer distance includes last year's Grade 2, $248,000 Heritage Place Derby.

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A full field of 10 fillies and mares has been entered in the 400-yard, $22,000 Merial Texas Distaff Challenge at Sam Houston Race Park on Friday.

The Texas Distaff Challenge was originally scheduled to be run on April 27, but inclement weather conditions forced Sam Houston Race Park to cancel its card that day, and the race was postponed to May 3. The winner of this race will earn a starting berth in the November 9, 400-yard Merial Distaff Challenge Championship (G1) at Los Alamitos.

Our top selection in this year's Texas Distaff Challenge is Sweet Oblivion, a gray 4-year-old daughter of Mr Jess Perry who is making a class drop off of a second-place finish against a solid field of Texas-breds in the 330-yard, $20,000 Silestone Stakes (R) on April 6. Sweet Oblivion will likely enjoy this added ground, as the mare has made the exacta in both of her starts at this longer distance, and she's won two of her four outs on this track.

Bertha Venation stumbled and lost her rider in the March 23 Streakin La Jolla Stakes at Louisiana Downs, but this graded stakes winning 6-year-old mare by Corona Caliente had a solid 2012 campaign that included three stakes wins at Texas tracks and a runner-up finish to Surprise Ending in the $29,000 Sam Houston Distaff Challenge.

Sarah Must was the beaten favorite in the Silestone Stakes, but that was her first race in five months so she might have needed the start. A 4-year-old daughter of the Corona Cartel stallion Jet Cartel, Sarah Must ended her sophomore campaign by running second, three-quarters of a length behind winner The Long Knife, in the 440-yard, $377,000 Texas Classic Derby (G1) at Lone Star Park.

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The Merial Texas Distaff Challenge shares Friday's Sam Houston Race Park spotlight with the 350-yard, $18,000 Zoetis Texas Starter Allowance Challenge, the winner of which will earn a spot in the $75,000 Zoetis Starter Allowance Challenge Championship at Los Alamitos on November 9.

Top contenders in the Texas Starter Allowance Challenge include Kabappo, a 5-year-old Rare Bar gelding who ended his 4-year-old season with three consecutive wins at Texas tracks and ran fifth as the 8-5 favorite in the second of two trials on April 12, and trial winners DW Runaway B and Freddies Crash.

The winner of this race will earn a starting berth in the November 9, 400-yard Merial Distaff Challenge Championship (G1) at Los Alamitos.

Our top selection in this year's Texas Distaff Challenge is Sweet Oblivion, a gray 4-year-old daughter of Mr Jess Perry who is making a class drop off of a second-place finish against a solid field of Texas-breds in the 330-yard, $20,000 Silestone Stakes (R) on April 6. Sweet Oblivion will likely enjoy this added ground, as the mare has made the exacta in both of her starts at this longer distance, and she's won two of her four outs on this track.

Bertha Venation stumbled and lost her rider in the March 23 Streakin La Jolla Stakes at Louisiana Downs, but this graded stakes winning 6-year-old mare by Corona Caliente had a solid 2012 campaign that included three stakes wins at Texas tracks and a runner-up finish to Surprise Ending in the $29,000 Sam Houston Distaff Challenge.

Sarah Must was the beaten favorite in the Silestone Stakes, but that was her first race in five months so she might have needed the start. A 4-year-old daughter of the Corona Cartel stallion Jet Cartel, Sarah Must ended her sophomore campaign by running second, three-quarters of a length behind winner The Long Knife, in the 440-yard, $377,000 Texas Classic Derby (G1) at Lone Star Park.

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The Merial Texas Distaff Challenge shares Saturday night's spotlight with the 350-yard, $18,000 Zoetis Texas Starter Allowance Challenge, the winner of which will earn a spot in the $75,000 Zoetis Starter Allowance Challenge Championship at Los Alamitos on November 9.

Top contenders in the Texas Starter Allowance Challenge include Kabappo, a 5-year-old Rare Bar gelding who ended his 4-year-old season with three consecutive wins at Texas tracks and ran fifth as the 8-5 favorite in the second of two trials on April 12, and trial winners DW Runaway B and Freddies Crash.

Located in Vinton, Louisiana, Delta Downs will race on a Wednesday-Saturday schedule through closing night, July 13. The track's stakes schedule features a total of 28 races worth more than $2.6 million in purses, topped by the meet's richest race, the 350-yard, $550,000-est. Lee Berwick Futurity (RG1) for Louisiana-breds on closing night.

The Lee Berwick, named in honor of Delta Downs' founder, was first run in 1981 as the Delta Downs Louisiana Breeders' Futurity. Its past winners include Flashy Hemp (1985), champion Vals Fortune (2003), and eventual All American Futurity (G1) runner-up Jet Black Patriot.

The Lee Berwick Futurity is one of eight stakes for Louisiana-breds scheduled for closing night, which is billed as Louisiana Showcase Night. Other major stakes that night include the 400-yard, $100,000-added Delta Downs Derby (RG2), and the 440-yard, $100,000 Louisiana Classic Stakes (RG2).

Another highlight of Delta Downs' Quarter Horse meet, the 350-yard, $325,000-est. Firecracker Futurity (G2), is the season's richest open stakes. Appropriately, the Firecracker Futurity will be run on July 4.

Delta Downs' opening-night program includes two stakes and two 400-yard trials for the Old South Derby. A full field of 10 state-bred 3-year-olds has been entered in Friday's 400-yard, $50,000 Vinton Stakes (RG3). Likely favorite T Boy C, a gelding by Sir Runaway Dash racing for Jose Guzman and trained by Miguel Rodriguez, is coming off of a one-length victory as the fastest qualifier in the $84,000 Mardi Gras Derby (R) at Louisiana Downs.

The complete field for the Vinton Stakes, in post position order including jockey assignments – Fast Dashin Man (Jesse Chavis), Freakin Big Time (Antonio Alberto), Jethro Almitey (Jose Vega), Lets Play Yacht Sea (Saul Ramirez Jr.), Lets Jess Do It (David Alvarez), T Boy C (Raul Ramirez Jr.), Pantherisland (Bobby Ransom), Big Timer (Gilbert Ortiz), Fance Oak Tree (Alfonso Lujan), and Heza Fast Glass (John Hamilton).

Friday's 250-yard, $20,000 Delta Dash Stakes has also drawn a full field of 10, including KK Horse Racing's Feudist. A Louisiana-bred 4-year-old daughter of the Mr Jess Perry stallion Jonathan Perry trained by Jose A. Garcia, Feudist won all three of her starts at Louisiana Downs, including two at this 250-yard distance. Bobby Ransom will ride the mare from post 7.

Sparrow Contender, a 4-year-old stallion by the Corona Cartel stallion Contend racing for Israel Soliz Jr. and trained by Rodolfo Sanchez, won two stakes during the Louisiana Downs meet, including the 250-yard, $15,000 Harrah's Dash. Santos Carrizales has the call from post 10.

The complete lineup for the Delta Dash, in post position order including jockey and weight assignments – Logans Dash (Jesse Chavis, 126), Sheezespeciallyfast (Donald Watson, 126), Dashnbug (Danny Lavergne, 126), Wacky And Restless (Saul Ramirez Jr., 126), Champions Passage (Antonio Alberto, 124), Rumbulling Knight (Eleazar Guillen, 126), Feudist (Bobby Ransom, 126), Aint Eye Corona (Gilbert Ortiz, 126), The Lizzard King (John Hamilton, 126), and Sparrow Contender (Santos Carrizales, 126).

The Old South Derby trials have attracted 18 sophomores, including FDD Going Grand. A homebred gelding by FDD Dynasty campaigned by Mercy Hinklin's Horse Farm LLC, FDD Going Grand placed second in last year's Grade 2, $426,000 Dash For Cash Futurity at Lone Star Park.

The 10 fastest qualifiers will meet in the May 18, $25,000-added Old South Derby final.

For more information on Delta Downs' Quarter Horse meet, including condition books, stakes nomination forms, and a complete stakes schedule, visit www.deltadownsracing.com.

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Indiana Downs in Shelbyville will open its long Thoroughbred and Quarter Horse meet on Tuesday. The track's 12-race opening-night card will begin at 6 p.m. (EDT) and includes two Quarter Horse races.

Indiana Downs' 120-day season will run through October 19, with racing on a Tuesday-Wednesday and Friday-Saturday schedule through June 29. Monday racing will be added to the weekly schedule starting on July 1.

Indiana Downs' live racing schedule includes six all Quarter Horse dates – May 25, June 21, July 6, August 10, September 21, and October 12. The track's Quarter Horse stakes schedule consists of 10 races worth $675,000 in added money, topped by the 300-yard, $100,000-added Gordon Mobley Futurity (R) for 2-year-olds sired by Indiana sires, and the 400-yard, $100,000-added Born Runner Classic (R) for Indiana-sired 3-year-olds and older, both of which will be run on June 8; the 400-yard, $100,000 Blue River Derby (R) for Indiana-bred 3-year-olds on July 6; and the 300-yard, $100,000-added Jaguar Rocket Futurity (R) for state-bred 2-year-olds on July 17.

This will be Indiana Downs' first-ever meet under the ownership of Centaur Gaming. An Indiana-based company, Centaur also owns Hoosier Park in Anderson, and it received permission from the Indiana Racing Commission to run Thoroughbred and Quarter Horse races at Indiana Downs and Standardbred racing at Hoosier Park.

Indiana Downs will also have a new voice in the announcer's booth, as Bill Downes has taken over the microphone. Downes has called races at several tracks in the midwest region, most recently at Ellis Park in Henderson, Kentucky, and Beulah Park near Columbus, Ohio.

Fore more information on the Indiana Downs meet, visit the track's website at www.indianadowns.com. Also, information on the track's stakes schedule can be found at the Quarter Horse Racing Association of Indiana's website at www.qhrai.net.

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The Tri-Cities Horse Racing Association began its 26th season of racing at Sun Downs in Kennewick, Washington, last Saturday. The six-day meet runs weekends through May 5.

A total of $65,587 was wagered on the 10-race opening-day program. By comparison, last year's opening-day card handled $68,123 for the same number of races.

The opening-day feature, a $2,100 open allowance race for Quarter Horses, was won by Vodka Soda No Fruit. An Idaho-bred 7-year-old gelding by Shazoom racing for Idahoans Bob Giltner and Scott Giltner and trained by Kurt Calton, Vodka Soda No Fruit covered 250 yards in :13.410 and earned a 94 speed index under jockey Never Marin.

A stakes winner who ran second in two stakes races at Los Alamitos last year, Vodka Soda No Fruit has earned $63,793 from 25 starts.

“We (also) have some (Quarter Horse) Challenge races,” TCHRA representative Nancy Sorick told the Tri-Cities Herald last week. “I don't think most people understand the magnitude of those. It's like the Kentucky Derby to the Thoroughbreds. These are the first steps toward that.”

Sun Downs racing secretary Shorty Martin said the track will have two of the Challenge series qualifiers, in which the winners qualify for the Bank of America Challenge Championships at Los Alamitos in November.

Another highlight of the Sun Downs meet will be the $30,000-est. Pot O' Gold Futurity. The final weekend of the season will feature the meet's major races and will offer fans a chance to wager on the Kentucky Derby (G1) on May 4.

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The Southern Oregon Horse Racing Association has officially taken over Grants Pass Downs racetrack, temporarily ending concerns that the Josephine County Fairgrounds' difficult financial situation could spell doom for the track's nine-day race meet.

According to a report in the Grants Pass Mail Tribune dated April 20, the SOHRA has agreed to lease the track for $6,000 a month for May, June and July. After exchanging letters of intent and negotiations, the deal was formalized with a contract on April 4.

“We are now full-bore ahead with getting things ready,” said SOHRA president Rod Lowe.

Last year's Grants Pass Downs meet lost about $22,000, compared to a $50,000 loss in 2011, according to county records. County commissioners said they would not use taxpayer money to subsidize horse racing for another season.

In January, the Josephine County Fair Board and the SOHRA exchanged letters of intent so that the SOHRA could take over. Lowe told the Mail Tribune that the goal for this season is to generate $395,000 in revenue and make a profit of $30,000. The association received $240,000 from the Oregon Racing Commission, about the same amount it did last year.

Lowe said it cost around $365,000 to stage the races in 2012. Mary Groves, the interim fairgrounds manager, said the change makes sense.

"That is who should be running the races, the people who know how to," she said.

The Grants Pass Downs race meet runs from June 15-July 7, with six race days in June and three in July. Eight races will be run every day, with post time for the first race set for 1 p.m. (PDT).

The SOHRA, which has collected about $10,000 in sponsorships, will save money by using volunteers and hiring some workers at lower wages, Lowe said. The association owns nearly all the equipment at the track, including the starting gate, tractors, portable stalls and harrows.

"The money (from the ORC) doesn't pay all the bills and purses, but it helps us pay purses and pay some of bills," Lowe said. "As we generate money from races and vendors, that will pay the rest of the bills and make a profit."

Lowe said the association seeks to improve the meet's image and provide a fun and inexpensive experience for the community. With those goals in mind, the SOHRA brought back Tag Wotherspoon, Grants Pass Downs' former director of communications and marketing, and is forming several committees.

"It's about bringing people back who were maybe not happy with things the past couple of years," Lowe said. "(It's about) bringing the horsemen and horses back. We need to have about 300 horses to put on a good race meet, and we are at about 233 right now and well on our way to reaching the 300-horse goal.

“Then of course there are all the other things, like having enough jockeys and making sure that when they are here we can accommodate them and make them happy,” he added.

For his part, Wotherspoon told the Mail Tribune that he is excited about being involved again in Grants Pass Downs racing.

"We'll do everything we can to make sure they are taken care of,” said Wotherspoon of the horsemen. “Without the horsemen, whether it is owners, trainers or jockeys, we would be hard pressed to have the success we've had through the years. The two things that make Grants Pass go are the horsemen and the fans."

Wotherspoon said he plans to roll out a host of different promotions, including the win, place and show contest where $200 is given away each day. The meet's signature Quarter Horse race, the $27,500-est. Grants Pass Firecracker Futurity, will be run in July.

The SOHRA will host a charity dinner with Friends of the Fair at R-Haus restaurant in Grants Pass on June 6. They are selling 200 tickets for $50 each, and donations are also being accepted for a silent auction. For more information call (541) 401-3961.

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The California Horse Racing Board has announced that a new ad hoc committee on racing and marketing initiatives will be working with the industry on creative ways to enhance the sport in the state.

The committee also will work with the industry in California to find additional incentives to encourage trainers and owners from other parts of the country to race their horses more often in the state.

CHRB chairman David Israel named vice chairman Chuck Winner to chair the new committee and named commissioner Richard Rosenberg a member. They have an open agenda and will be actively seeking input from any source with suggestions that could benefit the California horse racing industry.

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It looks as though the shuttered Yavapai Downs Racetrack in Prescott Valley, Arizona, won't reopen in June after all.

"It's going to be difficult," new track owner Gary Miller told the Prescott Daily Courier on April 15.

Miller continues to work on getting the financing he needs for repairs to open the track after finalizing the purchase in February. He had financing back in February but things changed, he said. He declined to comment further, citing a confidentiality agreement that prevented him from divulging more details. He wouldn't disclose how much financing he needs, but said he's willing to take on partners and give them some say in the track operations.

"The one or two offers I've had are not satisfactory to give up control," Miller said. "They weren't good for me or the horsemen."

Miller broke the news about the latest delay to the Arizona Racing Commission earlier this month, and then to horsemen at Turf Paradise during the second week of April. Turf Paradise's season ends on May 7.

"He wanted to explain what's going on, and that's the best thing to do," said trainer Jacque Guerra, who caught part of the meeting at Turf Paradise and who used to race at Yavapai Downs. “We miss going up there.”

Miller said he also told the ARC and horsemen that he still has hopes he can open the track for a short season in August and open the track for training as early as July, when some of the out-of-state tracks close for the season.

If Yavapai Downs doesn't get open by August, it won't reopen until next year, Miller told the Daily Courier.

"There's a lot of people disappointed because they wanted to stay in Arizona," Guerra said. "We're hoping something still comes together."

While financing was the major issue, Miller said he was concerned about not having enough horses to reopen in June, too. Most Arizona horsemen already have made commitments to run elsewhere when Turf Paradise closes for the season.

One of the closest tracks, SunRay Park in Farmington, New Mexico, opened its 39-day meet on Friday, and it runs through June 23. Guerra and her husband, jockey Vince Guerra, will be going to Arapahoe Park near Denver, whose meet runs May 26-August 18.

Miller said he has completed his application for a state racing permit except for the financing section. When financing is settled and he files that information, he's been told he could get a permit as quickly as four to six weeks.

Yavapai Downs' traditional racing season is Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day weekend. Last month, Miller announced he wouldn't be able to open on schedule and said he hoped to get the track open by mid-June.

"He's been very up front," Guerra said. "He didn't want anything to happen like before, when we were lied to."

The Yavapai County Farm & Agriculture Association's board of directors abruptly shuttered the track in May 2011 without warning, leaving many horsemen stranded there. The board said the track didn't have enough money to open, and less than two months later it filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy.

Miller bought the track by assuming a $5.5 million federal loan and faced the daunting task of trying to clean up the grounds and replace the roof on the 93,000-square-foot grandstand. He said he's already invested more than $1 million of his own money.

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The New Mexico Racing Commission will discuss reopening the application process for the state's sixth and final racino license during their meeting this Thursday. The consideration of restarting the application process follows a state Court of Appeals decision on March 21, which upheld the commission's decision to pull the license once held by the La Mesa racino in Raton.

The commission will be monitoring La Mesa developer Michael Moldenhauer, to see if he files an appeal in the state Supreme Court, commission executive director Vince Mares told the Quay County Sun.

Mares said Moldenhauer had 30 days from the March 21 to file an appeal to New Mexico's highest court.

"There is still no indication if Moldenhauer will appeal," Mares said. "His actions will dictate the direction the commission will take."

La Mesa's final appeal argued there was no final written order or action taken during the New Mexico Racing Commission's May 2010 meeting to revoke the racing license. Mares said the commission decided it did not have to take action at the meeting because the license had already expired. He added that La Mesa's racing license was null once it expired and there was no need to revoke the license at that point.

The decision by Court of Appeals Judge Michael D. Bustamante upheld the commission's decision, ruling there was no appealable final order, and the court declined to review La Mesa's arguments saying they were moot.

Acting on the Court of Appeals ruling and anticipating the re-start of the application process, the Quay County Gaming Authority has begun to review and update the 2011 application submitted by Coronado Partners LLC, which would like to build a racino in Tucumcari, off of Interstate 40 about 160 miles east of Albuquerque.

The majority owner of Coronado Partners, LLC, Albuquerque businessman Don Chalmers, has an agreement with the communities of Quay County to support his application for the license. The communities are contractually obligated to support Chalmers application, in return for 5 percent of net profits, said Warren Frost, executive director Quay County Gaming Authority.

In that contract, Tucumcari will receive 2 percent while, Logan, San Jon and Quay County will receive 1 percent each. Frost said the authority is in the process of updating income projections, which updates current information, which is now two years old. He said they are also considering a revision of proposed race dates.

"The information contained in the application is stale," Frost said. "We want to provide the commission with an up to date picture."

Frost told the Sun that the possibility of the application process being re-opened has sparked interest from other entities looking to land the racetrack and casino. For example, Zia Park in Hobbs, which is owned by Penn National Gaming Inc., has expressed interest in the racing license for the purpose of expanding its Black Gold Casino. The additional racing license would be needed to obtain a second gaming license to permit the additional slot machines.

In 2012, then-Raton City Manager Pete Kampfer stated a new group of investors said they will submit an application should Moldenhauer's attempts to save La Mesa fail. Kampfer said the three-member group has spoken with a Las Vegas-based company that has experience in racetracks and casinos.

According to an article in the Raton Range newspaper, one of the investors, Santa Fe attorney Frank M. Bond, said his group remains "absolutely" interested in its Raton racino project, believing that Raton's connection to horseracing in New Mexico — it was home to the state's first track — and distance away from the state's existing five tracks make the city a good spot for a new racino.

The Raton City Commission recently passed a resolution to support bringing a race track and casino back to the city, said Butch McGowen, interim city manager. McGowen said the resolution did not specify which group the city would support, only that any effort to bring horse racing back to Raton would be supported.

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A big project is about to begin at historic Rillito Park in Tucson, one that will return some historic structures on the property back to their original glory.

The Rillito Park Foundation plans to restore the J.Rukin Jelks Stud Farm and also set up a new Museum of the Western Horse and Rider. Jelks was one of the pioneers of Quarter Horse racing in Arizona. His home was built in 1940, designed by Frederic O. Knipe, a local rancher and architect, in the simple Sonoran Revival style.

The racetrack on Jelks' stud farm opened in 1943, and it included many racing innovations at that time, including the photo finish. Jelks sold the property to John and Mary Shoemaker in 1953. The Shoemakers raised thoroughbreds, and Mary was a champion hunter jumper.

Pima County bought the home in 2007, following Mary's death, along with memorabilia left in the home and stables. The 1,850 square foot home consists of a living room, dining room, kitchen, hallway and two bedroom suites, along with an adjacent guest home. It has never been remodeled and still includes original hand-hewn mesquite beams, saguaro-ribbed ceilings, intricate ironwork from Mexico, brick floors, plastered burnt-adobe walls and hand-painted ceramic tiles.

"Ranch houses of the last century are a record of the migration to Tucson of people of ability whose imaginations were caught by the romance of the West,” said Frederic O. Knipe III, grandson of the ranch's architect. “The Jelks house, ideally situated near the Rillito, is a lovely expression of that time.”

The stable features a mural by artist Hughlette "Tex" Wheeler, who created the famous sculpture of the racehorse Seabiscuit at Santa Anita Park Racetrack in California. Parts of the original retaque-style corral also still stand just north of the stable.

The Rillito Park Foundation, established in 2011, has committed $100,000 to launch the project in cooperation with Pima County, which owns the home, surrounding buildings, the park and Rillito Racetrack. The property was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in February 2012.

Initial plans call for a private investment of $300,000 to restore the structures and re-landscape the four-acre site next to the racetrack and to open it to the public. Ultimately, the Foundation intends to build gallery space for the new Museum of the Western Horse and Rider on the site.

The agreement is similar to those under which other Pima County-owned properties are managed, including Old Tucson Studios, the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum, and Colossal Cave Mountain Park.

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The American Horse Council has announced that its theme for this year’s National Issues Forum is “A Healthy Horse, A Healthy Industry.”

“These two concepts are co-dependent,” said AHC president Jay Hickey. “Our horses need a viable, growing industry, supported by the public, to ensure they are enjoyed and can get the best care; and fundamental to our industry is a healthy horse that can be moved interstate and internationally for breeding, showing, racing, sale and recreational riding. There are a number of continuing efforts to accomplish these goals that will be the focus of the National Issues Forum.”

This year’s National Issues Forum will be held on Tuesday, June 18, during the AHC's annual convention, which will run June 16-19 at the Washington Court Hotel in Washington, DC. The convention will include the AHC’s Congressional Reception, the annual Congressional Ride-In, meetings of all AHC committees, the meeting of the Unwanted Horse Coalition and the AHC’s Breed Roundtable, which brings together leaders of the horse industry to discus common issues of importance.

This year’s Issues Forum will focus on the progress of the National Equine Health Plan. The plan will spell-out the issues surrounding the prevention and control of diseases and the responsibilities and roles of the federal and state authorities and the industry to keep our horses healthy and our industry viable in the face of disease outbreaks, which seem to be occurring more frequently.

The AHC Breed Roundtable will be held on Monday, June 17. This event was reinstated several years ago and has proven to be very popular, as it allows leaders of varied horse organizations and varied disciplines to visit with each other and discuss issues of common concern.

  The annual Congressional Ride-In will take place all day Wednesday, June 19. The Ride-In allows members of the horse community to meet with their elected representatives and federal officials to discuss important issues affecting them. All members of the horse community are encouraged to participate, even if they don’t attend the AHC convention.

“The Ride-In puts a face on the $102-billion horse industry and the millions of Americans who are part of it,” said Hickey. “Congress deals with various issues that impact the horse industry, including taxes, gaming, immigration, welfare, access to trails and public lands, diseases, and interstate and international movement of horses.

“This is an opportunity for the horse community to come to Washington in force and meet with their senators and representatives and their staffs,” he added. “The Ride-In literally illustrates the goal of the AHC to ‘Put More Horsepower in Congress.’”

The AHC will conduct a free briefing for Ride-In participants. Anyone wanting to participate in the Ride-In is encouraged to contact AHC Legislative Director Ben Pendergrass at bpendergrass@horsecouncil.org or (202) 296-4031.

More information on the AHC annual meeting, including registration and hotel information, can be found on the AHC’s website http://horsecouncil.org/events.php, or by contacting the AHC.

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Also, the American Horse Council has elected John Long, Scott Wells and Don Treadway to its board of trustees.

“This is a great class – the AHC is pleased to have John Long, Scott Wells and Don Treadway join its board,” AHC president Jay Hickey said in a release. “The experience they have from a lifelong involvement and dedication to the various segments of the horse industry is outstanding. Our members are pleased to have them working in yet another capacity to keep our industry strong.”

John Long comes to the board as the first chief executive officer of the United States Equestrian Federation, which is the national governing body for equestrian sport in the United States. The USEF supports a membership of over 90,000, and 28 breeds and disciplines are represented in the Federation.

Internationally, Long serves as secretary general to the International Equestrian Federation. He was chairman of the World Games 2010 Foundation board of directors, which developed the planning process for the FEI World Equestrian Games held in Lexington,Kentucky in 2010.

Prior to assuming his position at the USEF, Long served as executive vice president and chief operating officer of Churchill Downs, home of the Kentucky Derby.

As current president of the Thoroughbred Racing Associations, Scott Wells is no stranger to the horse industry. He is a third generation horseman from New Mexico and has been a licensed trainer in 14 states. In addition, he has managed racetracks and racetrack openings both in the U.S. and abroad, as he was project manager in the reopening of the national racetrack in Mexico in 2001, and later in Uruguay in 2005.

Wells currently serves as general manager of Remington Park Racetrack and Casino in Oklahoma City.

“The board of trustees of the American Horse Council has always been comprised of thoughtful, experienced people who share a passion for horses and horse activities,” Wells said. “I consider it an honor to serve on the board, and I look forward to it as an opportunity to learn from my colleagues and to collaborate with them on issues which affect horse lovers everywhere.”

Don Treadway is the executive vice president of the American Quarter Horse Association. During his 38-year tenure at AQHA, and prior to become executive vice president, he was responsible for directing all marketing, communications, and development plans for association programs including publicity, advertising, membership and customer service, youth activities, the American Quarter Horse Youth Association, corporate sponsors, AQHA-sponsored programs, AQHA affiliates and public policy.

Under Treadway’s leadership, AQHA’s corporate partner program grew from zero to more than $9 million in contributions to association programs and services. He also was responsible for developing the AQHA Animal Welfare Commission, which has greatly intensified the association’s focus on the welfare of the horse by defining and then managing key issues related to animal welfare.

A native of Kaw City, Oklahoma, where his family farmed and ranched, Treadway graduated from Oklahoma State University in 1974 with a degree in agricultural journalism.

“The American Quarter Horse Association has been actively involved with the American Horse Council since its formation in 1969,” said Treadway. “Over those many years, the legislative issues facing horse owners and our industry have changed dramatically, and now more than ever it’s critical for us to be involved in Washington.

“As an AHC trustee, I am dedicated to facing the challenges ahead and representing the members of AQHA, as well as working closer with our Q-Contacts and Public Policy Committee, to ensure the horse industry is represented in Washington,” he added. “Being an AHC trustee facilitates this.”

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SunRay Park racing secretary Jim Collins has received nine nominations for Sunday's 400-yard, $65,000 Four Corners Senora Stakes (RG3) for New Mexico-bred fillies and mares.

One of the nominees, WDC Wendys Wine, is coming off of a third-place finish in the 440-yard, $100,000 Bank of America Sunland Challenge Championship (G2) at Sunland Park on April 7. Racing for Alonso and Sylvia Aranda and trained by Isidro Rodriguez, the 4-year-old mare by Woodbridge has won two of three starts and has earned $38,037 this season.

Sandys Jesse, a 3-year-old daughter of Jesse James Jr campaigned by Chin S. Lee from the barn of Alonso Orozco, scored a neck victory as the 2-1 favorite in the 350-yard, $85,000 Sunburst Stakes (R) for state-bred sophomore fillies at Sunland Park. The filly won two stakes during the Sunland meet, including the 400-yard, $85,000 New Mexico Horse Breeders' Association Stakes (RG2) in February, and she ran third, a half of a length behind winner Bet On Ballou, in the March 10, 350-yard Mesilla Valley Speed Handicap (RG2).

Past winners of the Four Corners Senora Stakes include Blazin N Shakin (2009) and Jenuine Joy ('10). Entries for this year's race will be drawn on Tuesday.

Remington's Saturday card includes five stakes, two of which – the 330-yard, $720,000 Remington Park Futurity (R), and the 400-yard, $253,000 Remington Park Derby (R) – we will analyze in this blog update.

Now restricted to Oklahoma-breds, the Remington Park Futurity began its history as an open stakes in 1989, when Roy Browning's Dela Creme Smash earned the winner's share of a $295,065 purse. Past winners of the race include Send Me The Candy (1996), Chicks Call Me ('99), and Eye Yin You (2004).

Our top selection for this year's Remington Park Futurity is Coronado Cartel, a nicely bred son of Corona Cartel and two-time graded stakes winner First Carolina who is undefeated in two starts. One of two finalists from the barn of trainer Eddie D. Willis, Coronado Cartel has been a prompt odds-on favorite in both of his races, including his two-length win in his trial on April 6. Also worth noting is that Coronado Cartel won a 250-yard training race by three-quarters of a length under a hand ride on February 14; his time of :13.45 was the fastest winning clocking from 13 schooling races that day.

Quik Shooter, a bay son of Valiant Hero and 2003 West Texas Futurity (G1) winner Quik Jolla, sold for $22,000 at last year's Heritage Place Yearling Sale. The colt won his trial by 1 ½ lengths while recording a TrackMaster speed rating of 86, and he is a half brother to stakes winner and the Grade 2-placed Quik Brew. Quik Shooter also showed early promise before his career debut, as he won a 250-yard training race against a 6-mph head wind in :13.47 on March 6.

Send Me This Wagon, a 15-1 morning-line longshot, finished second as the 17-10 favorite in her trial. A bay daughter of PYC Paint Your Wagon, this filly was making her career debut in that race, but she won a February 28 training race by three-quarters of a length in :13.51, the fastest winning clocking from 12 such races that morning.

Houdini, a well-bred son of Valiant Hero and graded stakes winner Pure Oklahoma, has also won both of his outs. The gelding earned a solid TrackMaster speed rating of 84 in his 1 1/2-length trial win.

Another contender from the Willis barn, Walking Perry, was a prompt 7-10 favorite in his trial. A colt by Walk Thru Fire out of the multiple graded stakes placed Mr Jess Perry mare Perry Story, Walking Perry also scored a head victory as the 9-5 choice in his career debut on March 15, and he rallied to win a February 28 training race by 1 ¼ lengths after a slow start.

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The Remington Park Derby also started as an open stakes in '89, when Fabulous Figure, a Texas-bred daughter of Streakin Six racing for Betty Bryson and Betty Dillard, banked the winner's share of a $293,250 pot. Past winners of the stakes include AQHA champions Rare Form (1992), Winalota Cash ('96), Especially Rare ('97), Dashin Is Easy ('98), A Real Man (2002), and Oak Tree Special ('03), as well as First Carolina, the dam of Remington Park Futurity contender Coronado Cartel.

Our top choice in this year's Remington Park Derby is fastest qualifier and morning-line favorite Brace For Bernal, a colt by Furyofthewind who has a three-race winning streak. Brace For Bernal is coming off of a visually impressive 2 1/2-length victory in what might have been the toughest of the five trials; his defeated opponents included 2012 Heritage Place Futurity (G1) winner BP Cartels Alibi, stakes winner SS Calendar Girl, and the graded stakes placed Eyem Unstopable.

Fifth-fastest qualifier Feature Hero had some success against the best 2-year-olds in the country last year; the Valiant Hero gelding ran fourth as the 5-2 choice in the 400-yard, $700,000 Rainbow Futurity (G1) at Ruidoso Downs. Feature Hero made his sophomore debut with a two-length win in his Remington Derby trial, as his defeated opponents included graded stakes winner Eyegotitgoinon, stakes winner Oklahoma Cartel, and 2012 Black Gold Futurity Championship (RG3) runner-up Specialscountrychick.

Bon Accord marked his debut against Oklahoma-breds with a neck victory in his trial. This chestnut son of Shazoom won two of his three outs against open company in California last year. A Will And Away ran second to Bon Accord in his trial, but this brown son of Spit Curl Jess is coming off of a solid 2-year-old campaign in which he ran second to Lota PYC as the fastest qualifier in the Remington Park Futurity (R), and he was a finalist in the prestigious Grade 1, $1-million Texas Classic Futurity at Lone Star Park.

SunRay's stakes schedule will feature 22 races worth more than $1.3 million, equally divided between Thoroughbreds and Quarter Horses. The meet's richest race, the 350-yard, $150,000-est. New Mexico Breeders' Futurity (RG3) for state-bred 2-year-olds, is slated for May 26. The Four Corners Futurity (G3), a 350-yard sprint for open 2-year-olds worth an estimated $100,000, will be run on June 16.

SunRay Park's meet has always attracted some of the best Quarter Horses in the country. Feature Mr Bojangles, the winner of the 2011 Four Corners Futurity, went on to win the 400-yard, $700,000 Rainbow Futurity (G1) at Ruidoso Downs and 400-yard, $259,943 Hobbs America Futurity (G2) at Zia Park and was voted that year's AQHA champion 2-year-old colt.

Also, SunRay Park will be holding a benefit for Kenny “Puff” Moore on April 27. A New Mexico native and familiar face around the state's racetracks, Moore was an assistant starter who was killed in a gate accident at Hialeah Park in January. On April 27, SunRay Park will donate the proceeds from its live racing, including food and beverage sales, to a fund to benefit his wife, Skeeter, and their three children. Fans will be able to contribute to the fund as well.

“Kenny's father, Ken Sr., was my assistant back in the 1970s when I was training,” recalled SunRay Park director of racing Lonnie Barber recalled. “I knew Kenny since he was a child. He was part of our racetrack family.”

SunRay Park's meet runs through June 23. For more information, including a complete stakes schedule, visit the track's website at www.sunraygaming.com.

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Meanwhile, SunRay Park racing secretary Jim Collins has received 14 nominations for Sunday's 400-yard, $35,000 Animas Stakes for 3-year-olds, the first Quarter Horse stakes of the track's 39-day meet.

Francisco Acevedo's Secret Courage, a Texas-bred gelding by Captain Courage trained by Ramon Ronquillo, is coming off of a fifth-place finish in the March 30, $203,000 West Texas Derby (G3) at Sunland Park, which was won by 2012 AQHA champion 2-year-old filly PJ Chick In Black. Secret Courage has earned $167,297 from nine starts, and his four wins include a neck score at odds of 22-1 in last year's 440-yard, $200,000 Southwest Juvenile Championship (G1) at Zia Park.

Another prominent Animas nominee, Rex Hill, is a Jesse James Jr colt racing for brothers Ross Hinkins and David Hinkins of Roosevelt, Utah. Trained by Dick Powell, Rex Hill won both of his starts at SunRay Park last year, including the 350-yard, $168,000 New Mexico Breeders' Futurity (RG3).

Entries for the Animas Stakes will be drawn on Tuesday.

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At least four groups are interested in applying for New Mexico's sixth and final racino license, if the state racing commission reopens the application process that has been stalled since 2009..

According to a report in the April 12 edition of the Albuquerque Journal, pitches appear likely from investors who would like to build racinos in Raton, Hobbs, Tucumcari, and Lordsburg. A recent state Court of Appeals ruling upheld the expiration of Canadian developer Michael Moldenhauer's gaming and racing licenses for the unfinished La Mesa Racetrack and Casino in Raton. New Mexico's compacts with the state's casino-operating tribes, which expire in 2037, allow a total of six racinos, and five are already in operation.

Moldenhauer, who failed to complete the planned $50-planned La Mesa racino and conduct live horse racing by Memorial Day 2010, has until April 22 to appeal the appeals court to the state Supreme Court. Racing Commission chairman Rob Doughty III told the Journal that the issue of the sixth racino license will be discussed at the commission’s next regular meeting, scheduled for April 25.

When the sixth racino license first became available in 2008, Moldenhauer and three other groups applied for it. One of the other groups, Coronado Partners – a group headed by Albuquerque businessman Don Chalmers – sought a license to open a $50-million racino off of Interstate 40 in Tucumcari.

Tucumcari attorney Warren Frost said last week that the group will apply again.

“We’re in the process of putting together an updated application, and we’ll file that at some point — in six weeks or so — when they open that (process) up.,” Frost said.

Penn National Gaming, which owns Zia Park and its Black Gold Casino in Hobbs, did not apply in 2008, but is considering doing so.

“Yes, we are still interested,” Penn National spokeswoman Karen Bailey said on April 10. She declined, however, to say what the Pennsylvania-based gaming conglomerate would do with a second New Mexico license.

David Norvell, chief counsel and former chairman of the New Mexico Gaming Control Board — which issues state gaming licenses — said that if an existing racino, such as Zia Park, obtained a second license, it could double its maximum number of slots, currently set at 750. Racinos must obtain a racing license from the racing commission before applying for a gaming license from the gaming control board.

Moldenhauer’s troubles has not deterred the city of Raton from trying to revive racing there. Two years ago, then-Raton Mayor Scott Berry told the racing commission that an investor was interested in applying for the sixth license.

“The same investor group is still interested,” current mayor Bobby Ledoux told the Journal last wee. He said the investors are from Texas and New Mexico, and he added that Raton “is completely behind any group that tries to bring a track here.”

On April 9, the Raton city commission, citing the area's location, climate, and horse racing history as the site of New Mexico's first permanent racetrack (La Mesa Park), adopted a resolution in support of returning horse racing to the city in hopes of “stimulating local and regional economic development.”

The city commission's most recent resolution is similar to the one it adopted several years ago when Moldenhauer was working on his Raton racino plans, which ended up including the city selling him property for one dollar.

“We are going to do everything in our power to entice people to invest in our city,” Ledoux said.

Hidalgo County in southwestern New Mexico, where the city of Lordsburg is located, backed an unsuccessful license application in 2008, hoping to build Hidalgo Downs adjacent to Interstate 10. Lordsburg mayor Frank M. Rodriguez said last Thursday he still supports a racino for Lordsburg.

“I think it would be a great asset that would increase our tourism and benefit our economy in general,” he added.

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Dan Fick, a longtime executive in the Quarter Horse racing industry, has been named associate commission steward by the Massachusetts Gaming Commission, effective May 13.

A nationally established and accredited steward who served as executive director of racing for the American Quarter Horse Association from 1984-2003, Fick has more than 30 years of experience in the racing industry.

“The Massachusetts Gaming Commission is privileged to have a long-time industry contributor of Mr. Fick's caliber join us, as we continue to strengthen our regulatory structure in anticipation of increased monies for purses related to casino gaming,” said MGC director of racing Jennifer Durenberger. “His depth of experience with model medication rules is a particularly timely addition in light of the new regulations recently adopted by the Commission.”

Prior to accepting his current post with the MCG, Fick served in several high-profile position in the racing industry, including chief executive officer and chairman of the Racing Medication and Testing Consortium (RMTC) and executive director and vice president of the Jockey Club. He is a Racetrack Officials Accreditation Program (ROAP) accredited steward and has served as a steward in Indiana, Kentucky, and most recently Iowa. He also served as the director of racing and racing secretary at Remington Park in Oklahoma City.

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A total of 31 sprinters have been nominated to Saturday's $50,000 Bob Moore Memorial Stakes (G2) at Remington Park.

Bryon Gardner's Valiant Lil Lady, one of only eight distaffers nominated to the 300-yard race, has won four of her five outs, including last year's 400-yard, $1-million Texas Classic Futurity (G1) at Lone Star Park. The filly by Valiant Hero, who is trained by Judd Kearl, also was a finalist in last season's $1.1-million Heritage Place Futurity (G1) at Remington Park.

Nominee Priceless Feature, a 4-year-old son of Feature Mr Jess racing for Ed Melzer and conditioned by Eddie D. Willis, won last year's 400-yard, $248,000 Heritage Place Derby (G2) and ran second, a head behind AQHA champion Ochoa, in the $904,000 Rainbow Derby (G1) at Ruidoso Downs. The gelding is coming off of consecutive third-place finishes in the April 6, 350-yard Mr Jet Moore Handicap (R) for Oklahoma-breds at Remington, and the October 6, 440-yard Refrigerator Handicap (G1) at Lone Star Park.

Other prominent nominees include graded stakes winners A Toss Up, Wicked Courage, and Llano Teller. Entries for the Bob Moore Memorial Stakes will be drawn on Saturday.

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Saturday's 330-yard, $50,000-added Laico Bird Stakes for 2-year-olds at Remington has drawn 29 nominations, including Weetona Stanley's Sassy Spit Curl. A homebred daughter of Spit Curl Jess trained by Rodney Reed, Sassy Spit Curl ran fourth, one length behind winner Fetching Beauty, in the 300-yard, $325,000 Oklahoma Futurity (G2) on March 23.

Other Laico Bird nominees include recent maiden winners Azoom Diamond, BP Southern Dynasty, Cartel Chica, Fantastic Follies, General Lee, Money Honey K, Painted Laico Bird, Rdustys Fury, Regard Watah, Santavo, Spit Curl Daisy, and Stroller.

The Laico Bird Stakes is named in honor of Laico Bird, an Oklahoma-bred mare who was the AQHA world champion in 1967. Entries for the stakes will be taken on Saturday.

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Grade 1 winner BP Cartels Alibi is one of 27 Oklahoma-bred 3-year-olds nominated to Sunday's 350-yard, $50,000-added Mr Master Bug Stakes (R) at Remington Park.

A Corona Cartel colt owned by Raymundo Villarreal Jr. and trained by Trey Wood, BP Cartels Alibi has banked $532,635 from seven races, and his three wins include a head victory in last year's Heritage Place Futurity (G1). The colt also ran seventh, 3 ½ lengths behind winner One Dashing Eagle, in the 440-yard, $2.4-million All American Futurity (G1) at Ruidoso Downs.

Another Mr Master Bug nominee, Alexia Mehrle's Last First Kiss, is coming off of a second-place finish to Big Boi in the March 23, $136,000 Oklahoma Derby. Trained by Kasey Willis, the homebred daughter of Shazoom has won four of seven races and has earned $68,241.

The Mr Master Bug Stakes honors the Oklahoma-bred colt by the Bold Ruler (TB) stallion Master Hand (TB) who was a two-time AQHA champion in the early 1980s. Entries for the race will be drawn on Thursday.

The 330-yard, $452,800 Sam Houston Futurity (G2) is the richest race of the track's spring Quarter Horse meet. The stakes dates back to 1994, when Pearl B. Cox's A Touch Of Victory earned the winner's share of a $525,523 purse. Past winners include Royal Shake Em (1996) and Azoom (2004).

Our top selection in this year's Sam Houston Futurity is Jess A Dashin Man, a Texas-bred gelding by Dashin Man, the fourth-fastest qualifier, and one of two finalists qualified by jockey Santos Carrizales. Jess A Dashin Man is coming off of a three-quarter length victory in the ninth of 15 trials on March 30, and he prepped for his debut with two solid morning moves at Retama Park, including a 250-yard training race victory in :13.70 on March 1.

Fastest qualifier Trace Seis is a nicely bred daughter of 2001 champion 2-year-old colt Tres Seis and 2003 Rainbow Derby (G1) finalist Sing And Pray. Trace Seis earned a TrackMaster speed rating of 87 in her head victory over Paint Bug in the third trial, and the filly won a February 15 training race at Retama in :13.60 for 250 yards.

Jockey Esgar Ramirez, one of the leading Quarter Horse jockeys in New Mexico, flies in to ride fifth-fastest qualifier Bedouin In View, a Texas-bred son of the Corona Cartel stallion Bedouin Cartel. Handled by Carrizales in the 14th trial, the colt scored a 1 1/4-length victory as the 17-10 favorite, and he prepped for his debut with a March 1 Retama Park 250-yard training race victory in :13.60, the fastest winning time of the day.

A $6,700 purchase at last year's Heritage Place Quarter Horse Yearling Sale, Especially Tres made her debut with a 2 3/4-length win in the 15th trial. The filly by the First Down Dash stallion Dashair earned an 87 speed rating and posted the third-fastest qualifying time, and she prepped for her first-ever out with a 250-yard bullet gate drill over the track on March 13.

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A full field of 10 sophomores has been entered back in Saturday's 350-yard, $197,000 Sam Houston Derby (G3). Like the Sam Houston Futurity, the Derby began in 1994, when champion Develop A Plan, a Coup de Kas (TB) gelding owned and trained by the late Steve Van Bebber, banked the winner's share of a $291,125 purse, the largest in the stakes' 20-year history.

Past winners of the Sam Houston Derby include AQHA world champions Tailor Fit (1998) and Streakin Sin Tacha ('01), and 1995 AQHA champion 3-year-old gelding Mars Blackman. Gary Kurz's Charmin Chief Corona holds the 350-yard stakes record of :17.68, which the homebred Chief Corona filly set last year.

Our top choice in this year's Sam Houston Derby is Spartocus, a well-bred son of Shazoom and the multiple graded stakes winning Dashin Bye mare First Dashin Bye. A lightly raced colt, Spartocus has won two of his four starts, and he made his sophomore debut with a solid three-quarter length victory in the fourth of seven trials on March 29. Also worth noting is that Spartocus has won two of his three outs over the track, and he was the fastest qualifier to last year's Grade 2, $488,000 Sam Houston Futurity.

SS Poker Face Dream had a rough trip when he ran third as the 2-1 favorite in the fifth trial. A gray son of the two-time graded stakes winning Royal Shake Em stallion Primetime Dream, SS Poker Face Dream raced against some of the best 2-year-olds in the country,, and he scored a 1 1/4-length victory as the even-money favorite and fastest qualifier in the 350-yard, $102,000 TQHA Sires' Cup Futurity (RG2) at Retama Park.

Second-fastest qualifier CC Wants It All is coming off of a three-quarter length win in the first trial. A bay gelding by graded stakes placed Corona Czech stallion Chief Corona, CC Wants It All posted a lifetime-best 90 TrackMaster speed rating while defeating a field that included 2012 Kindergarten Futurity (G1) runner-up The Cartel Straw, 2012 Heritage Place Futurity (G1) finalist CC Seis, and the multiple stakes placed Sheaintcrynrealtears.

Toppping Canterbury's sprint stakes schedule will be the 350-yard, $100,000-guaranteed Mystic Lake Northlands Futurity on July 5. Last year's Northlands Futurity, won by Brenda Reiswig's Midnight Sunlight, was worth $59,800.

The Northlands Futurity began in 1986, when T.L.Culver's Ms Gold Bug earned the winner's share of a $60,550 purse. The race has been run every year since, except for 1993 and '94.

“The Northlands Futurity has a long history and has always attracted quality Quarter Horses,” said Canterbury Park president Randy Sampson. “The increase to a $100,000 purse will ensure that history continues. We will see the quality improve in all facets of Quarter Horse racing this year and into the future, as new stables race here and breeding across the state of Minnesota expands.”

Other major Canterbury Quarter Horse stakes include the 400-yard, $40,000-est. Canterbury Park Derby on July 13, and the 400-yard, $25,000-added Race for Hope Fillies and Mares Bonus Challenge Stakes on August 17.

Also, there will be two Quarter Horse stakes on September 1, Minnesota Festival of Champions Day. State-bred 2-year-olds will be matched in the 350-yard, $30,000-added Minnesota Futurity (R), and state-bred sophomores will be featured in the 400-yard, $30,000-added Minnesota Derby (R).

Canterbury Park opens 2013 meet on May 17. The 69-day season will run through September 14. For more information, visit the track's website at www.canterburypark.com.

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Delta Downs Racetrack in Vinton, Louisiana, ended its 87-day Thoroughbred meet on March 23, as the track produced a double-digit increase in daily average all-sources handle.

Delta's all-sources handle reached $141,735,025, a 12.5-percent increase over the $125,963,850 figure during the track's 2011-12 meet. The largest portion of increased handle came off track, as the daily average simulcast handle during the meet was $1,599,553, an increase of 14 percent over the 2011-12 average of $1,402,708.

Delta Downs' average daily on-track handle for 2012-13 was $29,584, an increase of 3 percent over the 2011-12 figure of $28,699.

“Our entire team worked tirelessly to make this season one of the best in track history,” said Delta Downs vice president and general manager Steve Kuypers. “Local fans have enjoyed live racing for years at Delta Downs, but now the entire racing world is realizing the tremendous product we offer. We look forward to building upon this year's success even more in the future.”

The future isn't actually that far away, as Delta Downs opens its 46-day Quarter Horse season on April 26. Racing will be presented on a Wednesday-Saturday schedule, with post time for the first race every night scheduled for 6:45 p.m. (CDT).

For more information, visit Delta Downs' website at www.deltadownsracing.com.

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Officials from the historic Santa Cruz County Fair meet at Sonoita, Arizona, have released the condition book for the two-day stand, which runs May 4-5.

A total of 16 races, plus six extras, are in the book. The meet's richest race, the 350-yard, $20,000 Sonoita Ranchers Challenge Stakes, is part of the AQHA Bonus Challenge racing program. The stakes will be run on May 5.

As in years past, the highlight of the Santa Cruz County Fair meet will be the simulcast of the 1 1/4-mile, $2-million Kentucky Derby (G1) from Churchill Downs, on May 4. There will be a special Derby hat contest, and Mint Juleps, the official drink of the Kentucky Derby, will be available at concession stands. Simulcast wagering will also be offered both days on races from Turf Paradise.

For more information on the meet, visit www.sonoitafairgrounds.com, and click on the “Sonoita Races” link at the top of the homepage.

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Graded stakes winner Slew By You will make her return in Saturday's 350-yard, $85,000 Sunburst Stakes (R) for New Mexico-bred 3-year-old fillies at Sunland Park.

A brown filly by the late Dash Ta Fame out of the Slewacide (TB) mare Slew A Po (TB) and a full sister to multiple stakes winner Slewacidal, Slew By You has earned $146,790 from nine starts, and her three wins include a nose score in the January 5, $253,000 Shue Fly Stakes (RG2) at Sunland. Juan M. Gonzalez trains Slew By You for owner Valle Guadiana Corp.

Another Sunburst contender, Chin S. Lee's Sandys Jesse, is coming off of a third-place finish against older sprinters in the 350-yard, $85,000 Mesilla Valley Speed Handicap (RG2) on March 10. Trained by Alonso Orozco, the sorrel daughter of Jesse James Jr won the 400-yard, $85,000 New Mexico Horse Breeders' Association Stakes (RG2) for state-bred sophomores on February 17.

Brookstones Chick, a filly by Brookstone Bay racing for Don Reynolds and Lane Reynolds from the barn of trainer Fred Danley, will be making her first start since June 16, when she ran second to Junior June Bug in the 350-yard, $296,000 Mountain Top Futurity (R) at Ruidoso Downs.

The complete lineup for the Sunburst, in post position order including also-eligible entries and jockey assignments – Runin Sixes (Jaime Leos), Get Down Bambi (Adrian Ramos), Brookstones Chick (Bonifacio Perez), Posies Desiria (Oscar Rincon), Fames Magic (Alonso Rivera), Jess A Satin Chicks (Esgar Ramirez), Cmon Jessies Girl (L. Salvador Martinez), Sandys Jesse (Tanner Thedford), Coronas Hot Pink (Larry Gamez), Slew By You (Jesse Levario), AE-Ms James (Manuel Gutierrez), and AE-Afame (Macario Rodriguez).

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Larry Strain's Awise Hero is one of 16 3-year-old Quarter Horses and Thoroughbreds nominated to the 870-yard, $50,000 Getaway Stakes at Sunland Park on April 16, closing day of the track's 76-day meet.

A son of Valiant Hero out of the stakes-winning Special Leader mare Mia Jones, Awise Hero made his 870 debut with a 4 1/4-length victory in a maiden race at Sunland on March 19. The Oklahoma-bred colt has earned $11,983 from three starts, all in New Mexico.

Other prominent Getaway nominees include Edmundo Juarez's Captain Wallace, a Texas-bred gelding by Feature Mr Jess who won his 870 debut, a $19,600 maiden race on March 10, by three-quarters of a length; and Francisco Javier Arreola's First Ghost Blazin, a New Mexico-bred son of First To Blaze who is coming off of a 1 3/4-length victory going 870 yards against state-bred maiden company on March 30.

Entries for the Getaway Stakes will be drawn on Friday.

The La Primera del Ano began its history in 1978, when Vinewood Farms' Jeanifer Jet earned the winner's share of a $175,000 purse. The stakes first earned graded status in '84, and for most of its history it was run at Los Alamitos; the only exception was in 1987-88 and '90, when it was held at Bay Meadows.

Past winners of the La Primera include AQHA champions Florentine (1987), Ah Sigh ('95), Mini Rock (2002), and Alice K White ('09). The 400-yard stakes record of :19.35 was set by Brian C. Hyde's Fall For It two years ago.

Our top selection for this year's La Primera del Ano Derby is Revv It Up, the fastest qualifier and 9-5 morning-line favorite. A sorrel daughter of the Corona Cartel stallion Stel Corona, Revv It Up scored a three-quarter length victory and earned a TrackMaster speed rating of 102 in what might have been the strongest of four trials on March 16. Revv It Up also likes Los Alamitos, as the filly has made the exacta in seven of her nine starts over the track.

Third-fastest qualifier Secretly Hot is coming off of a second-place finish to Revv It Up in his trial. A two-time stakes winner over the track, the bay filly by the First Down Dash stallion Walk Thru Fire has won four of her 10 races at Los Alamitos, including last year's 350-yard, $20,000 Holiday Handicap, and the 350-yard, $380,000 Governor's Cup Futurity (RG2) as the 2-1 favorite.

Lavish Susan races out of the high-percentage barn of trainer Jose de la Torre. A sorrel daughter of champion Separatist, Lavish Susan is coming off of a half-length win in the second La Primera trial; her defeated opponents included Watch Linda Ballet, a three-time winner at age 2. The filly was a finalist in the December 16, 400-yard Los Alamitos Two-Million Futurity (G1).

Another starter from the de la Torre barn, the well-bred Tac It Like A Man filly Slightys Mac A Tac, ran second as the 4-5 favorite in the third trial. A finalist in last year's Grade 2, $392,000 PCQHRA Breeders' Futurity at Los Alamitos, Slightys Mac A Tac is a half sister to 2010 Rainbow Futurity (G1) winner and West Texas Futurity (G1) finalist Hes Too Icy For Me.

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The El Primero del Ano Derby started its longer history in 1973, when B.E. Swindler's Rebel Della banked the winner's share of a $114,000 purse. The race first achieved graded status in 1983, and its past winners include Dash Ta Fame (1992), and champions Tolltac ('84), Takin On The Cash ('91), and Bono Jazz ('99). The 400-yard stakes record of :19.39 was set by Mike Abraham and Alfonzo Pasque's PK Fire in 2011.

Our top choice for Sunday's El Primero del Ano Derby, third-fastest qualifier Mr Ease Cartel, has won three consecutive races, all with 100-plus TrackMaster speed ratings. A bay colt by Corona Cartel trained by high-percentage conditioner Jose Flores, Mr Ease Cartel is coming off of a half-length win as the even-money favorite in his trial on March 17, as he defeated a field that included Los Alamitos Winter Derby (G1) runner-up Perrys Affair last-out winner Patron Platinum, and January 4 allowance winner Tres Primeros.

High-percentage trainer Arnoldo Pulido sends out Perrys Affair, a bay son of Mr Jess Perry who ran second, a nose behind multiple stakes winner Remembering Spence, in the 400-yard, $231,650 Los Alamitos Winter Derby (G1) on February 16. Perrys Affair ran a half of a length behind our top selection in his trial, but the gelding has made the trifecta in three of his four outs at this distance, and he has kept his solid form early in his sophomore campaign.

Second-fastest qualifier Freedom Choice was a prompt 1-5 favorite in his trial. A California-bred colt by the First Down Dash stallion A Regal Choice, Freedom Choice has won two of his three outs at the 400-yard trip, with his only setback being a solid third-place finish in the $2.1-million Los Alamitos Two-Million Futurity (G1) back in December.

Henoshersecret also must be respected, as the fastest qualifier is coming off of a 1 1/2-length win as the 13-10 choice in his trial. The bay colt by No Secrets Here is trained by Paul Jones, who has won the El Primero del Ano Derby five times – most recently with Royal Proclamation in 2009 – and he defeated a field in his trial that included stakes winner Sugarbear Sax Man and Tahma Hawk Chop, the runner-up to Dashaway Eagle in the December 9, $52,772 AQRA Futurity at Turf Paradise.

In denying the appeal, Judge Michael Bustamante said the Racing Commission, despite its announced intent to take disciplinary action against La Mesa for not meeting its obligation to host live racing by Memorial Day weekend 2010, never issued a “final written order.”

The decision regarding New Mexico's final racino license that was issued to Canadian developer Michael Moldenhauer in 2009 frees the Racing Commission to accept applications for the license that Moldenhauer claimed he still had a right to. However, Moldenhauer has 30 days from the March 21 issuance of the Court of Appeals decision to appeal to the state Supreme Court.

According to a report in the Raton Range newspaper, a group of three investors — two men from New Mexico and one from Texas — that wants to build a racino in Raton continues to prepare an application to be ready when the Racing Commission opens the application period.

The Racing Commission met last Thursday but did not address the La Mesa situation, as the court ruling was issued after the meeting agenda was announced. Commission executive director Vince Mares told the Range that the commission will likely discuss the matter at its next meeting on April 25 in Albuquerque.

Mares said if Moldenhauer appeals to the Supreme Court, the commission may choose to wait on taking license applications until the high court has ruled on what it will do with the case. The Supreme Court must first decide whether it will accept a case before it actually reviews the merits of the case and the arguments being made. If Moldenhauer does not appeal, Mares said, the commission will likely discuss on April 25 how it wants to proceed with the process of accepting license applications.

The group pursuing a Raton racino is made up of Ernie Wood, a rancher from Colorado City, Texas, rancher Lyle Burns of Alto, New Mexico, and Santa Fe attorney Frank Bond. Wood and his wife, Brenda, have bred and raced several successful Quarter Horses, including graded stakes winner EBW Obsession.

Coronado Partners, an investment group that wants to build a racino in the Tucumcari area, has also indicated it will seek the sixth racino license. Also, Pennsylvania-based Penn National Gaming has indicated it will pursue the racing license for the purpose of expanding its Black Gold Casino at Zia Park Racetrack in Hobbs. The company has said it does not plan to expand racing there, but by law must obtain another racing license if it wants to acquire another gaming license needed for more slot machines.

Bond told the Range last week that his group remains “absolutely” interested in its Raton racino project, believing that the area's connection to horseracing in New Mexico — it was home to the state’s first track — and distance away from the state’s existing five tracks make the city a good spot for a new racino.

Wood has estimated the group’s planned racino project would cost between $50 million-$75 million to construct, with the final cost dependent on things such as whether a turf track is included and whether an events center gets into the final plans.

Under gaming compacts the state signed with New Mexico's Native American tribes, the state is limited to six non-reservation racinos, and five are already operating. The compacts run through 2037.

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Centaur Gaming LLC has moved a step closer to expanding the number of barns at its Indiana Downs racetrack in Shelbyville, which opens its 2013 Thoroughbred and Quarter Horse meet on April 23.

On March 27, the Shelbyville News reported that Centaur Gaming's acquisition company, Centaur Acquisition LLC, is purchasing 10 ½ acres of land adjacent to Indiana Downs' existing barns through the Robert E. Miller 1998 irrevocable trust, which is in the process of being annexed by the City of Shelbyville.

The Indiana Horse Racing Commission has required that four new barns with 300 stalls be built at Indiana Downs, with two barns to be completed by July 29 and two in 2014. The commission made the requirement as a condition of the sale of the Indiana Grand and Indiana Downs racino to Centaur, which was finalized in February.

Shelbyville attorney Dennis Harrold, representing Centaur in the transaction, asked Shelby County Commissioners on March 25 to waive its jurisdiction of the property's building and development so Centaur may begin site work before the annexation's completion.

"That's kind of a short time here before we have to build," Harrold told the Shelby County Commission. "That's the reason for the petition, and we've prepared a proposed resolution for your signatures."

Commissions president Kevin Nigh said the county had done the same thing when the original barns were installed.

"I think it makes good sense for them since its going to be annexed," he said.

The resolution was read and approved by all three commissioners.

Indiana Downs will conduct all of the state's Thoroughbred and Quarter Horse racing this year. The track's 120-date meet will run through October 19, with six special Quarter Horse-only programs scheduled for May 25, June 21, July 6, August 10, September 21, and October 12.

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SunRay Park Racetrack and Casino in Farmington, New Mexico, will host a benefit dinner and silent auction for the family of the late Kenneth “Puff” Moore on Saturday, April 27.

The dinner will be held in the track's High Desert Club, located on the top floor of the grandstand building.

A New Mexico native and a familiar face around the state's racetracks, Moore was an assistant starter who was killed in a gate accident at Hialeah Park in January. Proceeds from the dinner and silent auction will benefit Moore's wife, Skeeter, and their three children.

Donors to the auction will be recognized in the event program, and the items they donate will be on display throughout the event.

“By donating an item, you will be making a contribution that will directly benefit Kenny's children and support SunRay Park's objective – to commemorate the life of Kenneth Moore,” said SunRay Park director of racing Lonnie Barber.

If you would like to contribute to the auction or make a donation, contact SunRay Park marketing manager Tony Montano at (505) 566-1200. Track management requests that all donated items be received or are ready to be picked up by Monday, April 22.

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Ed Melzer's Priceless Feature is the 2-1 morning-line favorite for Saturday's 350-yard, $50,000 Mr Jet Moore Stakes (R) for Oklahoma-breds at Remington Park.

A 4-year-old son of the Mr Jess Perry stallion Feature Mr Jess, Priceless Feature was entered in but scratched from last Saturday's 400-yard, $100,000 Leo Stakes (G1) at Remington. The gelding earned $329,689 from nine starts last season, and his six victories included a win in the 400-yard, $248,000 Heritage Place Derby (G2). He also ran second, a head behind champion Ochoa, in the 440-yard Rainbow Derby (G1) at Ruidoso Downs, and third in the 440-yard Refrigerator Handicap (G1) at Lone Star Park.

Another Mr Jet Moore contender, Tom Maher's Painted Lies, is a 4-year-old gelding by PYC Paint Your Wagon who won five races from 11 outs last season, including the 400-yard, $39,000 AQHA Prairie Meadows Derby Challenge in Iowa.

Fast Prize Jordan, the 3-1 morning-line second choice in the field of nine, is coming off of a three-quarter length victory in the 250-yard, $55,000 Mighty Deck Three Handicap (R) for Oklahoma-breds on March 10.

The Mr Jet Moore stakes honors the accomplishments of Mr Jet Moore, a Kansas-bred son of Jet Deck who was the AQHA world champion in 1972. The complete lineup, in program-number order including jockey and weight assignments and morning-line odds – 1: Wagons West (O. Reyes, 124), 9-2; 1A: Colby Cartel (O. Reyes, 124), 9-2; 2: Blazen Getaway (Ivan Carnero, 126), 15-1; 3: Send Me A Candy Tree (Tony Bennett, 126), 8-1; 4: Painted Lies (Cody Smith, 126), 6-1; 5: Priceless Feature (Jimmy D. Brooks, 126), 2-1; 6: Katillac Man (Ricky Ramirez, 126), 8-1; 7: Fast Prize Jordan (G.R. Carter Jr., 126), 3-1; and 8: Arbeka Raincloud (Cody Jensen, 126), 15-1.

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A full field of 10 state-bred 2-year-olds, plus two also-eligible entries, has been entered back in Saturday's 300-yard, $50,000-added New Mexican Spring Fling Stakes (R) at Sunland Park.

Gary L. Thompson's Rimein N Singin, a sorrel son of Jesse James Jr, is the only previous winner in the group. The gelding made his career debut with a head victory at odds of 3-1 in a 300-yard New Mexican Spring Futurity (RG2) trial on March 15. Manuel Gutierrez will ride Rimein N Singin from post 2.

R.K. McGehee's My Chunk Of Change drew post 1 and will be ridden by Francisco Calderon. The daughter of Jesse James Jr ran second to Rimein N Singin in her debut.

The complete lineup for the New Mexican Spring Fling Stakes, in post position order including jockey assignments – My Chunk Of Change (Francisco Calderon), Rimein N Singin (Manuel Gutierrez), Royal Guardians (Oscar Rincon), Kia Won (Ramon Sanchez), Kaydns Krusader (Esgar Ramirez), James D Man (Larry Gamez), Jesses Serenade (Luis A. Gutierrez Jr.), El Caguamon (Felipe Garcia-Luna), Jess Corona Jr (Jesse Levario), Sally Jesse Rafaela (Jaime Leos), AE-Tylerate (Dusty Shepherd), and AE-DC Milk Shake (Efrain Vigi).

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Champion De Passem Okey has been assigned to carry top weight of 126 pounds in Sunday's 870-yard, $50,000 Pauls Valley Handicap (G3) at Remington Park.

A 7-year-old son of champion Okey Dokey Dale, De Passem Okey has won 19 of 39 starts – including 18 of 32 at the 870-yard distance – and has earned $423,755 for his owner, Steve A. Holt of Guthrie, Oklahoma. The gelding has won 10 stakes at six different tracks, and he was the AQHA champion distance horse in 2010 and '11.

Docs Dusty Okie and Emperor Valerian have each been assigned 125 pounds by Remington Park racing secretary Mike Shamburg. A total of 23 distance specialists have been nominated to the Pauls Valley, whose past winners include Miami Prince (1996), Four Six Dash ('99), King Rick Rack (2002), champion Snowbound Superstar ('09), and De Passem Okey ('12). Entries for this year's Pauls Valley will be drawn on Thursday.

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Sam Houston Race Park racing secretary Eric Johnston has received 24 nominations for Saturday's 330-yard, $20,000 Silestone Stakes (R) for Texas-bred fillies and mares.

One of the nominees, Sarah Must, is a 4-year-old daughter of the Corona Cartel stallion Jet Cartel racing for J.T. Hooten and trainer Jesse Yoakum. The mare earned $104,060 from eight starts last season, and her race record included a second-place finish to The Long Knife in the 440-yard, $377,000 Texas Classic Derby (G1) at Lone Star Park.

Other prominent Silestone nominees include G. Sue Fikes' Loves Brown Sugar, a 4-year-old mare by the Corona Cartel stallion Prime Talent who ran second in last year's 400-yard TQHA Sires' Cup Derby (RG3) at Retama Park; Cesar Rosales' Mi Angela, a 3-year-old daughter of Jet Black Patriot who finished fourth in the February 17, 440-yard South Florida Derby at Hialeah Park; and Felipe Barron's Hot Tickin, a 4-year-old mare by Hotdoggin who scored a head victory in last year's Silestone Stakes.

Entries for the Silestone Stakes will be taken on Wednesday.

Named to honor Leo, a son of Joe Reed II and one of American Quarter Horse racing's most influential early sires, the Leo Stakes began in 1997, when that season's AQHA world champion, Steve and Lindsey Mitchell's SLM Big Daddy, earned the winner's share of a $100,000 purse. The stakes achieved Grade 1 status the following year.

Past winners of the Leo Stakes include champions Dashin Is Easy (1999), Joanna Kate (2000), Country Chicks Man ('06), and Cold Cash 123 ('12). The 400-yard stakes record of :19.10 was set in 2011 by Louisiana Senator.

Our top selection for this year's Leo Stakes is Jess Cuervo, a 4-year-old stallion by Corona Cartel who is coming off of a solid second-place finish as the 6-5 favorite in the March 2, 400-yard West Texas Maturity (G3) at Sunland Park. Jess Cuervo ships in from New Mexico, where he posted three consecutive 100-plus TrackMaster speed ratings at this 400-yard distance.

Eufaula Me is a 4-year-old Okey Dokey Dale gelding from the high-percentage barn of trainer Brent Clay. Eufaula Me is two weeks removed from a second-place finish in the 350-yard, $50,000 Eastex Handicap (G2) on March 10, but he won two 400-yard stakes at Prairie Meadows and ran second to Grade 1 winner Send Me A Candy Tree in a 400-yard Heritage Place Derby (G2) trial at Remington last season, so he appears to be better suited for this longer distance.

A Toss Up prepped for the Leo Stakes with a fourth-place finish in the Eastex Handicap. A 4-year-old gelding by the First Down Dash stallion Sweet First Down, A Toss Up won two graded stakes at this longer distance at Remington last season, including the $100,000 Sooner State Stakes (RG1) for Oklahoma-breds.

The Long Knife has been working well for this start, his first since December 30, when he ran a troubled sixth in the 400-yard, $350,000 Championship at Sunland Park (G1). A 4-year-old son of Tac It Like A Man, the gelding earned a 110 speed rating when he scored a three-quarter length victory in the 440-yard, $377,000 Texas Classic Derby (G1) at Lone Star Park in November, and his work tab over the Remington surface includes a 220-yard drill in :11.80, the third-fastest of 53 at the distance on March 16.

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A field of 10 sophomores, including 2012 AQHA champion 2-year-old filly PJ Chick In Black, has been entered back in Saturday's $204,148 West Texas Derby (G3) at Sunland Park.

A stakes with a rich history, the West Texas Derby began in 1964, when Double Bid 2, a homebred stallion owned and trained by Leck Pack, banked the winner's share of a $2,500 purse. The race was contested at distances ranging from 330-440 yards until '72, when it was first run at its current distance of 400 yards.

The West Texas Derby first achieved graded status in 1983. The 400-yard stakes record of :18.61 was set by Vanessa Bartoo's Double Down Special in 2010, the year the gelding by The Down Side was voted AQHA champion 3-year-old gelding.

Our top choice for this year's West Texas Derby is PJ Chick In Black, a New Mexico-bred daughter of the Strawfly Special stallion Desirio who made her sophomore debut with a one-length victory in the third of seven trials on March 8. The fastest qualifier to the West Texas Derby, the filly is undefeated over the Sunland Park surface, and her three wins in as many outs over the track include a one-length win in last year's 300-yard New Mexican Spring Futurity (RG2).

Third-fastest qualifier ICU Deity is coming off of a one-length victory in what might have been the strongest trial – his defeated opponents included last-out Grade 2 winner Wasting No Corona and the graded stakes placed Jess Like Stoli. A sorrel gelding by champion FDD Dynasty, ICU Deity has won three of his last four outs, including two at this distance, and he was a finalist in Wasting No Corona's Sunland Park Winter Futurity (G2).

Rockin Disco, the second-fastest qualifier, won the third trial by a neck while earning a 103 TrackMaster speed index. The sorrel son of Rock Solid Jess defeated a field that included Hobbs America Futurity (G2) runner-up Whiteface Eagle. Secret Courage, a bay gelding by the Mr Jess Perry stallion Captain Courage, brings in a two-race win streak that includes a half-length win in the second trial.

Daily purses at Sam Houston reached $170,000, an increase of 5 percent from 2012. Track officials also reported increases in attendance and handle from the previous Thoroughbred meet. Total handle was up 2 percent, as $43,917,000 was wagered during the meet, compared to $43,071,000 last year, and attendance increased 10 percent from 2012.

Sam Houston Race Park's Quarter Horse stakes schedule features 19 races worth more than $1 million in total purse money. The schedule is headed by the 350-yard, $500,000-est. Sam Houston Futurity (G2), and the 350-yard, $200,000-est. Sam Houston Derby (G3) on April 13, and the 440-yard, $100,000-added Bank of America Sam Houston Challenge Championship (G1) on April 20.

Sam Houston's stakes schedule gets underway with the $20,000 Harris County Stakes on Friday. Racing secretary Eric Johnston as received 18 nominations for the 550-yard race.

Topping the list of nominations for the Harris County Stakes is Clem D. Nava III's JC My Diamond Man. An 8-year-old gray gelding by Streakin La Jolla, JC My Diamond Man has won 10 of his 20 races at Sam Houston Race Park and eight of his 15 starts at the 550 distance. The gelding ran second, 1 ½ lengths behind winner Mr Truly Uno, in last year's $30,000 TQHA 550 Stakes (R) for Texas-breds at Retama Park.

Other prominent Harris County nominees include Julie Irwin Cotton's Cash At The Line, a seven-time winner at the 550-yard distance who ran third in the January 20, 660-yard Crystal River Stakes at Hialeah Park; Dark Horse Partnership's Kite Flyer, the winner of last year's 870-yard Governor's Cup Marathon Stakes (G3) at Sam Houston; and Lethal Volt, a 4-year-old Volcom gelding who ran third in last season's 440-yard, $174,000 Dash For Cash Derby (G2) at Lone Star Park for owners Dan Adams, P.K. Thomas, and Gene White.

Entries for the Harris County Stakes will be drawn on Tuesday.

Sam Houston Race Park will present live racing primarily on a Thursday-through-Saturday schedule through May 18. The lone exception to the schedule will be May 10-12, when live racing will be presented on a Friday-through-Sunday schedule. For more information, visit Sam Houston Race Park's website at www.shrp.com.

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A hearing on a House bill to revive horse and greyhound racing in Kansas was scheduled to be held last Friday at the state capitol in Topeka.

Rep. John Barker (R-Abilene) is the sponsor of HB 2168, which is designed to re-open the state's horse and greyhound tracks, including The Woodlands in Kansas City and Eureka Downs in southeastern Kansas. According to a report in the March 20 edition of the Abilene Reflector-Chronicle, HB 2168 would change the formula of how revenue from slot machines at three now-closed racetracks would be allocated,

Kansas currently has laws that allow slot machines at three tracks – The Woodlands, Camptown at Frontenac, and Wichita Greyhound Park. However, the owners of the tracks have said that the amount of revenue currently designated to the tracks isn't enough to make the tracks profitable. All three tracks have been closed for several years.

HB 2168, which is currently before the Federal and State Affairs Committee, would change that formula by giving more slot revenue to the tracks and less to the state.

Barker told the Reflector-Chronicle that representatives from all stakeholders have met with him to work out the differences in the bill. He added that one of the clauses that the greyhound track owners object to is the requirement that each track run at least 25 weeks of live racing per year.

“They (track owners) have anticipated opening Camptown so they would have two facilities, and what they envision is running at Wichita and Camptown,” Barker said. “That would comply with the law because they can't have slot machines unless they are running dogs either in Wichita or Camptown. They are allowed to open for slot machines 90 days prior to the first race.” Under HB 2168, horse racing could resume at The Woodlands. The bill requires the track to run a 60-day meet with at least 10 races on the card per day. Proponents of the bill say that re-opening the tracks would create jobs as well as increase the number of racing horses and greyhounds in Kansas.

The Woodlands has been closed since 2008.

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This year's spring meet at Sun Downs in Kennewick, Washington, is a go.

Last Thursday, the Tri-City Horse Racing Association, which operates the meet, and the Benton-Franklin County Fair Board Association signed a contract to make it official. The race meet will take place during three weekends from April 20-May 6.

And though the agreement was reached just one month before the start of the meet, TCHRA officials say they're prepared for the opener.

“I've got all the contracts ready to go,” Nancy Sorick of the TCHRA told the Tri-City Herald. “I've got to get all of the contracts signed for the tote board and insurance policies and the ambulance. We've got the starting gate contract, Truform for the programs, and Trident, which is the video people. I have to contact Churchill Downs (so that local fans can wager on the Kentucky Derby on May 5).”

Sun Downs racing secretary Shorty Martin told the Herald that he's confident he'll be able to assemble some good racing programs.

“Our first day, we will have the two Challenge race trials,” he added. >”The Maiden Challenge and Starter Allowance (Challenge) should have two trials each.”

Sun Downs' race meet should help horsemen throughout the Northwest region. Portland Meadows was scheduled to open its barn area and track by April 1, but that start date has been delayed, and Martin said he's received phone calls from trainers in Oregon requesting to work their horses at Sun Downs.

Kennewick-based trainer Bill Hoburg has been running the training facility at Sun Downs this year, and he says he’s ready for the meet.

“I’m really happy,” said Hoburg, who will race 12 of his own horses at the meet. “I’ve raced horses all over the United States, and maybe the smart people have gone on to (places like) Oklahoma and California, but my kids and grandkids live here in the Northwest and I’d like to race close to home.”

Hoburg currently has 50 to 60 head of horses on the grounds training.

“The track is in really good condition,” he said. “And we’re also open to barrel horses, not just race horses.”

Meanwhile, Sorick and the TCHRA have begun the countdown to April 16, when they can get onto the track officially.

“We’ve got get all of our sellers and personnel,” Sorick said. “We have 75 people on the payroll. And the horsemen, we have to let them know. These people are waiting for (the meet).”

Martin said the TCHRA has been together for 26 years, so being ready for the April 20 opening won’t be a problem.

“It’ll take a team effort and be a sprint to the wire, but we'll be ready,” he said.

Sun Downs' Quarter Horse stakes schedule will be headed by the 350-yard, $10,000-added Bank of America Sun Downs Maiden Challenge, and the 350-yard, $12,500-added Zoetis Sun Downs Starter Allowance Challenge on May 4. The Starter Allowance Challenge has attracted a total of 26 nominations.

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Implementation of exchange wagering in California will be delayed after the state's Office of Administrative Law rejected provisions approved earlier this year by the California Horse Racing Board.

In an 18-page report issued by the OAL on March 21, senior counsel George C. Shaw found problems with the manner in which the CHRB would assess its licensing fee to conduct exchange wagering. He also cited 18 different instances from subsection provisions found in the regulations that failed to comply with government rule-making standards for clarity, consistency, and administrative procedures.

A spokesman for the OAL told Bloodhorse.com that the racing board would have 120 days to submit the required changes to the document. The revisions, once approved by the CHRB, would require at least a follow-up 15-day comment period.

Legislation that would make California the first state to allow exchange wagering was approved and signed into law in 2010. Following a process that began in August 2011, the CHRB gave approval to 25 sections of new rules and submitted those to the OAL on January 31, 2013. They were rejected on March 15.

Conducted electronically via betting platforms, exchange wagering is popular in Great Britain. It would allow California bettors to wager head-to-head on horses to win or lose, and it could also be used to allow wagering on races in progress. Advance deposit wagering provider TVG, which is owned by British bookmaking Betfair, has been a major proponent for exchange wagering in California.

CHRB executive director Kirk Breed told Bloodhorse.com that he didn't anticipate the board having any difficulty complying with the OAL's objections, but he said it would be a time-consuming process to resubmit the amended rules.

“I think they're easy enough to get through,” he said. “It's just going to take time to do it. We might need the entire 120 days.”

Exchange wagering providers are required to reach agreements with the tracks and horsemen involved before offering races on their exchange platforms. In its license application, TVG indicated it had reached agreements with Los Alamitos and Standardbred track Cal Expo, as well as the respective horsemen's groups, and would be ready to launch in March. Del Mar has indicated it hoped to have exchange wagering for its summer Thoroughbred meet, which opens in July, although that now appears to be unlikely.

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The Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors has asked Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer for state support of its 98th annual race meet in Sonoita, which is scheduled for Kentucky Derby weekend, May 4-5.

State funding was cut a few years ago, and organizers are having trouble raising the money they need to conduct the meet.

“Santa Cruz County is really showing a leadership position in this effort to restore funding,” Jim Cosbey, treasurer of the Santa Cruz County Fair and Rodeo Association and chairman of that organization’s race committee, said at the regular meeting of the Board of Supervisors on Wednesday, March 13.

“So hats off to the Board of Supervisors of Santa Cruz County for taking this leadership, and I think very courageous, position to restore something which has been a part of the historical fabric of the state,” Cosbey added.

The Arizona Department of Racing cut funding for county horse racing in 2010. Since then, the number of counties holding race events has dwindled from 10 to three. The races in Sonoita are the only ones held at a non-commercial track, the letter to Gov. Brewer states.

Last year’s Sonoita races were funded entirely by private donations and this year the costs have increased, the letter states.

“If there is any funding your office can allocate to support this year’s horse races, it would be greatly appreciated,” the letter asks of the governor.

According to a report in the March 20 edition of the Nogales International newspaper, the letter also lists some of the local economic benefits of holding horse races: “A weekend of horse racing has a great impact upon our county. The entire community gets involved in this event. Small businesses like Bed and Breakfasts (B&B), gas stations, restaurants, feed stores and many local family owned businesses benefit from the annual races.

“Nonprofit organizations like The Elgin Club serve lunch during the two-day event and use the money to provide scholarships for local high school students to go on to our state universities,” the letter continues.

Horse races also bring other, more intangible benefits to the county, according to the letter. “Our point is that this event is more than money and economic development; it is also about community and a lifestyle we treasure in rural Arizona.”

Cosbey said that he expects the letter to spark a statewide movement to restore funding to all county horse races.

“Because of this effort that you are making today by signing the letter and forwarding it to the governor and the Legislature, 14 other counties are going to be following suit,” he said to the supervisors.

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Beginning Monday, April 1, TVG will drop the 25-cents-per-wager charged to some customers and offer free wagering. TVG had charged the fee since its launch in 1999.

Also effective April 1, TVG customers will receive 10 hours of free streaming video per month, with the opportunity to earn ongoing free service based on activity. For example, customers will earn an additional hour with every $25 they wager.

“Moving to a free pricing structure is in direct response to customer sentiment,” said TVG vice president of marketing Don Scott.

For more information, visit TVG's website at www.tvg.com.

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The Minnesota Racing Commission has acted quickly on a request from horsemen based at Canterbury Park to revoke the gambling license at Running Aces harness track.

The Canterbury horsemen claimed that Running Aces stopped making about $400,000 in purse contributions last August in violation of their gambling license. However, officials at Running Aces say they stopped making the payments when Canterbury Park entered into a 10-year, $80 million purse and marketing deal with the owners of Mystic Lake Casino.

Last Thursday, the Racing Commission voted 5-4 to dismiss the request to revoke Running Aces' license, which allows the track to open its live race meet as scheduled on June 1. Canterbury Park opens its live Thoroughbred and Quarter Horse meet on May 17.

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Kevin Greely has been named the director of racing at Indiana Downs. For the past three years, Greely has been the racing secretary at Hoosier Park. He is currently the assistant racing secretary at Gulfstream Park.

Centaur Gaming, which owns Hoosier Park, recently acquired Indiana Downs and casino and has received permission from the Indiana Racing Commission to run all of the state’s Thoroughbred and Quarter Horse dates at Indiana Downs this year. The Indiana Downs meet will begin April 23 and run four days a week – Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays – until July 1. The track will then add Monday evenings through closing day, October 19. First post will be 6 p.m. (EDT) daily.

Indiana Downs also announced that starter Johnnie Jamison will serve as track superintendent. Jamison will be in charge of both the main track and turf course.

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Remington Park racing secretary Mike Shamburg has received 20 nominations for Saturday's 400-yard, $100,000 Leo Stakes (G1) for 3-year-old and older sprinters.

One of the nominees, Cold Cash 123, was the AQHA world champion in 2011. A homebred 5-year-old gelding by '03 world champion Oak Tree Special racing for T-Bill Stables Inc. and trained by C. Dwayne “Sleepy” Gilbreath, Cold Cash 123 won last year's Leo Stakes in the middle of a six-race win streak that included the $350,000 Championship at Sunland Park and $250,000 Remington Park Invitational Championship (G1).

Other prominent Leo Stakes nominees include Ed Melzer's Priceless Feature, a 4-year-old Feature Mr Jess gelding who won last year's $247,800 Heritage Place Derby (G2); A Toss Up, a homebred 4-year-old gelding by Sweet First Down who won three graded stakes at Remington last season for co-owners James Sills and Abel Flores; and Andrew T. Smith's Wicked Courage, a 3-year-old gelding by the Mr Jess Perry stallion Captain Courage who won two stakes at Will Rogers Downs last fall.

Past winners of the Leo Stakes include AQHA champions SLM Big Daddy (1997 and '98), Dashin Is Easy ('99), Joanna Kate (2000) and Country Chicks Man ('06). Entries for this year's Leo Stakes will be drawn on Wednesday.

A race with great historic significance, the Oklahoma Futurity began in Tulsa in 1947, when Bud Warren's Leota W. earned the winner's share of a purse that wasn't recorded. The race has been run at distances ranging from 330-440 yards, but it was shortened to its current distance five years ago. The 300-yard stakes record was set by Sara Leann Morgan's First Painted Sign in 2010.

Our top selection for the 67th running of the Oklahoma Futurity on Saturday is tenth-fastest qualifier and 4-1 morning-line second choice Preying For Ivory. A bay son of Ivory James and the unraced Panther Mountain mare Prey, Preying For Ivory is coming off of a solid 1 1/2-length victory as the 6-5 favorite in the third of 12 trials on March 19. Also worth noting is that the colt also for his trial with a convincing 2 3/4-length win in a 250-yard training race on February 14.

Eighth-fastest qualifier Sassy Spit Curl is a nicely bred daughter of Spit Curl Jess who made her debut with a nose victory over longshot Fetching Beauty in the seventh trial. The filly is one of the first starters produced by the winning Corona Cartel mare First Prize Corona, who is a half sister to five graded stakes winners, including Grade 1 futurity winners First Prize Leesa, First Carolina, First Prize Robin, and Fast First Prize.

Royal Rythm scored a half-length win from Shakeitdontbreakit in the ninth heat. A gray gelding by Royal Blue Chew Chew, Royal Rythm recovered from a tough start and rallied to win a February 14 training race by a nose from Marcar, a Carters Cartel gelding who ran second against maidens in his debut on March 14.

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A full field of 10 2-year-olds, including fastest qualifier and morning-line favorite Secrets Fly, has been entered back in the Harrah's Entertainment Futurity.

The history of the Harrah's Futurity dates back to 2004, when Carol D. Kimbrough's Bugs Mega Jet, a homebred daughter of the Sixarun stallion Rare Jet Extremes, banked the winner's share of a $255,241 purse. The race first achieved graded status in 2007. The 300-yard stakes record of :15.30 was established that year by Eusevio Huitron's Eyesa Jumpin.

Our top choice for this year's Harrah's Entertainment Futurity is Secrets Fly, a bay gelding by No Secrets Here who made his debut with a half-length win as the 2-1 choice in the fourth of five trials on March 2. Secrets Fly earned a solid 84 TrackMaster speed rating in that race, and he prepped for his first career out with a pair of nice gate works over the track.Separatist Firstdown is coming off of a one-length victory in the first trial. A sorrel son of 1999 AQHA champion 2-year-old Separatist, the colt is the first starter produced by the winning First Down Dash mare Shesa Firstdown Jess. His second dam, the Mr Jess Perry mare Kerrys Lil Jess, won all five of her 2-year-old starts in 2001, including two graded futurities.

Imkeepingscore ran second to Oldsmobile Hill as the 19-10 favorite in heat 3. A nicely bred son of First Down Dash out of the Special Effort mare My Special Phoebe, Imkeepingscore prepped for his debut by breezing 220 yards over the track in :11.50, the fastest of 16 works at the distance on January 19.

Second-fastest qualifier Bux For Bricks also must be respected; this chestnut daughter of Zoomin For Bux is coming off of a half-length win in her trial. This filly showed her talent early, as she scored a training race victory at Retama Park on February 1, going 250 yards in :13.80.

Rep. Joe Harrison (R-Napoleonville) said his House Bill 100 would create the Horse Industry Economic Sustainability Fund, which would temporarily hold the gaming proceeds that are sent directly to three groups:

*The Horsemen’s Benevolent and Protective Association, which serves as the financial house and bookkeeper for Louisiana’s major racetracks and provides benefits to horsemen.

*The Louisiana Thoroughbred Breeders Association, which conducts auctions, performs outreach and advocacy, and represents more than 1,500 horse owners and breeders.

*The Louisiana Quarter Horse Breeders Association, which shares a similar mission with the thoroughbred association and is the smallest of three.

Harrison told the Thibodaux, Louisiana-based Daily Comet that HB 100 would force the associations to present a budget to the House Appropriations and Senate Finance committees and justify expenses. He added that the percentage of gaming proceeds the associations receive each year and how the money can be used are not being altered under the proposed legislation.

“The money would have to go the treasury first and then into the new fund, and they would have to present a budget each year,” Harrison said. “They are getting millions (of dollars) annually and we need to make sure everything is in good order.”

The money that is being paid directly to the associations by the state comes from horse racing, the resulting purses, offtrack wagering, slots at racetracks and video poker at offtrack betting facilities. By creating a fund to hold the money until it is appropriated, Harrison told the Daily Comet that a new layer of accountability is established.

“They have never had this level of oversight,” he added. “It’s long overdue.”

Harrison pointed to past controversies as his motivation for filing the legislation, including the federal investigation from roughly three years ago of the Horsemen’s Benevolent and Protective Association. The investigation uncovered wrongdoing ranging from financial irregularities like salary increases and business travel-turned-vacations to other findings such as a sexual harassment suit and luxury clothing expenses, among other charges.

Louisiana HBPA president Stanley Seelig said those activities took place during the group’s previous administration.

“Those individuals did jail time and paid civil penalties,” Seelig said, adding that a number of fiscal oversight measures have been adopted since then. “We even switched accounting firms.”

The Legislature has also passed a law allowing the state auditor to access the Louisiana HBPA's books, a law which Seelig said his organization supported.

Seelig added that the creation of a new fund to hold gaming proceeds is his biggest problem with the bill, because it creates an opportunity for the administration or future ones to take money from it when there are holes in the state budget. For next year’s budget, Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal’s administration is taking money from nearly 60 different dedicated funds to prop up health care and education as a $1.3-billion shortfall looms.

“That could result in smaller purses and have an adverse affect on the industry,” Seelig said.

The Louisiana Thoroughbred Breeders Association, which had $12.2 million in revenues last fiscal year, according to a recent state audit, has not yet taken a stance on the legislation.

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Trainers of horses who sustain catastrophic injuries at racetracks owned by Penn National Gaming Inc. will be required to participate in a “mortality review” with track officials and veterinarians under new house rules the company has put into effect for all of its tracks this year.

According to a report in the March 13 edition of Daily Racing Form, the requirement is an expansion of an existing policy that has been at place at Penn National Racetrack in Pennsylvania since 2010 and Charles Town in West Virginia since 2011, according to Chris McErlean, PNGI's vice president of racing. In 2013, the requirement also will apply to Beulah Park in Ohio and two tracks that regularly race Quarter Horses, Zia Park in New Mexico and Sam Houston Race Park in Texas.

McErlean told Daily Racing Form that previous reviews of catastrophic injuries have consisted of interviews with the trainer of the horse about the fitness of the horse, veterinary records, training patterns, the horse’s history of injuries, and necropsy records, if available. Although the reviews have not produced any “smoking guns,” McErlean said, the examination of the factors that could have played a role in an injury has “identified some problems with certain individuals and practices” that the company has sought to rectify.

“The biggest thing it’s been able to accomplish is to let people know we’re watching, that they will be held accountable,” McErlean said.

The requirement was listed in PNGI's latest edition of its “Horse Racing Guide,” a document it has produced since 2011 listing “practices and procedures designed to foster integrity and accountability” for licensees at the company's racetracks. The document is an extension of a racetrack’s power to subject licensees to additional rules that are not covered by state regulations.

McErlean said that the rules have been enforceable because PNGI's tracks refer to the guide in their stall applications and make the guides available at its racetracks. He added that the rules have so far not been successfully challenged.

The new racing guide also says that PNGI’s tracks will refuse to take an entry for a horse who has tested positive for a Class 1 or Class 2 medication within the previous 30 days. In addition, the guide says that Penn National “may deny privileges” to an owner if one of the owner’s horses has tested positive for a Class 1 or Class 2 medication.

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The March 9 edition of the Salt Lake Tribune included a story on the state of the horse racing industry in Wyoming, which is expected to change positively after the Wyoming legislature passed a bill in February that would allow the state's racetracks and off-track wagering facilities to operate Instant Racing machines.

Wyoming Downs owner Eric Nelson has announced he will reopen his race track, located just across the state line in Evanston and about 80 miles northeast of Salt Lake City, for a 16-day meet in 2014. This is big news for Utah breeders, owners, trainers, and racing fans, whose options are limited due to their state's stance on parimutuel wagering and gambling of any kind.

"Frankly, the Utah guys have been hanging on by their fingernails," says Eugene Joyce of Wyoming Horse Racing LLC. "Actually, I don’t know how they’ve done it. But I think – I hope – they’re now going to be rewarded for sticking with it."

Joyce’s family owned Wyoming Downs through most of the 1990s. Today, Wyoming Horse Racing LLC operates four off-track betting sites around the state. In recent years, he also served as general manager of Turf Paradise Racetrack in Phoenix.

Since 2011, Joyce has also conducted live four-day race meets in Rock Springs — a 3 1/2-hour drive from downtown Salt Lake City. Like Nelson at Wyoming Downs, Joyce wants to expand the Rock Springs meet and possibly start racing at tracks in Casper, the state's largest city, and Cheyenne, the state capital, in the not-too-distant future.

"We hope this is the beginning of a renaissance for racing in Wyoming and Utah," Joyce said.

He includes Utah in his optimistic forecast because "the majority of our participants – horsemen and fans – come from there.”

Instant Racing machines allow players to wager on historic races. The bill passed by the Wyoming legislature goes into effect on July 1, when the state will join Arkansas and Kentucky as the only three states offering such wagering.

"This will have profound effects on the horse racing industry throughout Wyoming, Utah and surrounding states," said Nelson.

Joyce estimated the parimutuel handle from historic racing could be as much as $100 million annually, or 10 times what the four existing off-track betting sites now generate. The new revenue will be dedicated to live racing.

"This gives a track operator like myself the ability to run more days and offer more purse money," Joyce said. "The intent of the governor and legislators is to see an increase in live racing. That’s what I’m dedicated to do."

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The Cascade (Montana) County Commission on February 27 voted to bring horse racing back to Great Falls, and the non-profit Great Falls Turf Club has gone straight to work on fixing up the track.

KRTV-TV, the CBS affiliate in the Great Falls area, reported on March 10 that the club started by digging for the post holes to set up one of the safety rails. They must make repairs to other rails, as well as level the track and test the soil to make sure it's ready for the races. The club also hopes to refurbish the grandstand and paddock area.

"We're working on a bid right now to see how much that will cost us," Great Falls Turf Club treasurer and board member Sparky Kottke said. "We had a contractor guy come in on Wednesday, I think, and look over the place, so that will give us an idea of what that's going to cost. We'll just have to go from there."

Kottke said they aren't sure how much repairs will cost, but they are responsible for generating the funds needed. He said the club has set a tenative budget, but its about $30,000 in the hole and will need the community's support.

"My dream is that there's enough people in the Great Falls area who are horse racing enthusiasts, and they will get out and donate whatever they can to get this thing back going,” Kottke said.

The last race meet at Great Falls was held in 2011. This year's meet is scheduled to begin on July 20. Kottke said he believes bringing back the sport could give an economic boost to the area.

"I think if we can get it like it was in the past, it's an opportunity for people to come in, spend money in town, and those kind of things," he added.

Anyone interested in helping can contact Kottke at (406) 727-4249, or visit the Great Falls Turf Club's Facebook page for more information.

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Louisiana Downs' Saturday program features two stakes, including the 300-yard, $191,650 Harrah's Entertainment Futurity (G3).

Fastest qualifier Secrets Fly drew post 9 and will be ridden by Bobby Ransom. An Oklahoma-bred gelding by No Secrets Here owned by Cynthia Allen and trained by Vann Haywood, Secrets Fly made his career debut with a half-length victory as the 2-1 favorite in the fourth of five trials on March 2.

Second-fastest qualifier Bux For Bricks, a chestnut daughter of the Shazoom stallion Zoomin For Bux, is coming off of a half-length win in her trial. Bux For Bricks races for Victor M. Silva from the barn of trainer Fructuoso Huitron. Luis Vivanco will ride the filly from post 7.

The complete lineup for the Harrah's Entertainment Futurity, in post position order including jockey assignments – Will Flash Me (Jose Alvarez), Oldsmobile Hill (Martin Rubalcava), A Noble Jess Elie (Jesse Chavis), Chucha Pia (Jose Vega), BB Risk (Eleazar Guillen), Imkeepingscore (Alfonso Lujan), Bux For Bricks (Luis Vivanco), BBs First Flame (Antonio Alberto), Secrets Fly (Bobby Ransom), and Separatist Firstdown (Saul Ramirez Jr.).

The other stakes on Louisiana Downs' program, the 400-yard, $20,000 Streakin La Jolla Stakes, has drawn a field of nine. Probable post-time favorite Sparrow Contender, has won both of his starts during the current meet for owner Israel Soliz Jr. A 4-year-old stallion by the Corona Cartel stallion Contend trained by Fructuoso Huitron, Sparrow Contender will be making his first start since February 2, when he scored a nose victory in the 350-yard, $15,000 Swift Stakes.

Another Streakin La Jolla contender, Jose Luis Salazar's Bertha Venation, won three stakes in Texas last year, including the 400-yard, $41,760 Lone Star Distaff Challenge at Lone Star Park. The 6-year-old mare by Corona Caliente mare is coming off of a half-length win in a 330-yard, $10,000 allowance race at Louisiana Downs on February 2.

The complete lineup for the Streakin La Jolla Stakes, in post position order including jockey assignments – King Of The Bunnys (Stevie Gillum), Bertha Venation (Martin Rubalcava), Katillac Man (Alfonso Lujan), A Royal Treatment (Jarrod Deschamp), Sparrow Contender (Santos Carrizales), Eyesa Feature (Donell Blake), Jessapatriot (Donald Watson), Feature My News (Shanley Jackson), and Martini Mountain (Danny Lavergne).

The history of the Mardi Gras Futurity dates back to 1988, when Ruth Ann McDonald's Bad Firecracker earned the winner's share of a $96,523 purse. The race first achieved graded status three years later.

Past winners of the Mardi Gras Futurity include AQHA champion Vals Fortune (2003) and Jet Black Patriot, the eventual runner-up in the '08 All American Futurity (G1) at Ruidoso Downs. Jet Black Patriot holds the 300-yard stakes record of :15.20.

This year's Mardi Gras Futurity is worth a stakes-record $281,796 purse. Our top selection to bank the lion's share of that record pot is Yagouti. A nicely bred colt by Jet Black Patriot out of the winnnig and productive Fishers Dash mare Afri, Yagouti made his career debut with a visually impressive 1 3/4-length victory as the 11-10 favorite in the fifth of 14 trials on February 25. Also, Yagouti prepared for his first race with two solid drills, including a 220-yard gate work in :12.40, the 13th fastest of more than 100 on February 1.

Bradys March Madness posted the fourth-fastest qualifying time despite a difficult trip in the final trial. A gray gelding by champion Jess Louisiana Blue, Bradys March Madness ran third in that race, one length behind fastest qualifier Kerrys Special Crown, despite a chart comment line that read, “bumped early, forced out, bumped inside 220 pole, altered in late.” A cleaner trip in the final might help him at least made the exacta.

Second-fastest qualifier Struttinthedayaway scored a solid three-length victory at odds of nearly 4-1 in heat 11. The sorrel colt by the Chicks Beduino stallion Struttin To Beduino out of the winning Stoli mare Stol The Baby, Struttinthedayaway is one of two finalists qualified by jockey Eddie Cox, and this is the one the veteran rider has chosen to ride in the final.Kerrys Special Crown, Cox's other qualifier, also must be respected. A colt by the Chicks Beduino stallion Special Crown Royal, he was a prompt 5-2 choice in the final heat. Gilbert Ortiz, a three-time winner of the Mardi Gras Futurity, picks up the mount here.

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The Mardi Gras Futurity shares the spotlight with the 400-yard, $84,404 Mardi Gras Derby on Louisiana Downs' Saturday program. A field of 11 state-bred 3-year-olds have been entered back in the final, including fastest qualifier and 3-1 morning-line favorite T Boy C.

Our top selection is T Boy C, a gelding by the First Down Dash stallion Sir Runaway Dash and a prompt 3-1 favorite in the second of two trials on February 26. T Boy C has won two of his three starts at this 400-yard distance, and he was the fastest qualifier for last year's 400-yard, $1-million LQHBA Futurity (RG1) at Louisiana Downs.

Fance Oak Tree made his sophomore debut with a second-place finish in the first trial. This gelding by world champion Oak Tree Special has a solid record at this 400-yard distance, as he ended his 2-year-old season with a one-length victory in an open 400-yard non-winners-of-two-lifetime allowance at Evangeline Downs on December 12; his defeated opponents in that race included last-out winner Changing The Course and TQHA Sires' Futurity (RG2) finalist Chickie Kool.

Lets Jess Do It outran his 17-1 odds to run second to T Boy C in the second heat. A gray son of the Mr Jess Perry stallion First Prize Perry, the gelding has made the trifecta in all three of his outs over this track, and he scored a one-length victory in last year's 350-yard, $29,000 LQHBA Sale Invitational Stakes (R) at Evangeline Downs.

Located near San Antonio, Retama Park will run 22 Quarter Horse and Paint and Appaloosa stakes worth more than $750,000 in total purse money. Topping the track's schedule will be the 350-yard, $100,000-added TQHA Sales Futurity (RG2), and the 400-yard, $75,000-added Retama Park Derby (G3), both of which will be run on Saturday, July 27.

Other Retama Park meet highlights include the 350-yard, $50,000-added TQHA Sires' Cup Futurity (RG2) on Saturday, June 29; and the 350-yard, $25,000-added John Deere Retama Juvenile Challenge and 400-yard, $25,000-added Adequan Retama Derby Challenge, both of which are scheduled for closing night.

Also, Retama Park will honor the memory of longtime Texas horseman Benny Pennington with the running of the 870-yard, $20,000-added Benny Pennington Memorial Stakes on Friday, July 26. Pennington trained several stakes winners during his long career, including 1998 AQHA champion distance horse Windville.

Retama Park is coming off of a 2012 Thoroughbred meet which saw on-track handle increase 22 percent over 2011. Export handle – money wagered on Retama's live races at off-track sites – increased 49 percent. Also, average daily purses for the 26-day meet reached $109,000, the highest level since the track's 1995 inaugural season.

“It was great for our owners and trainers to see purses climb past the $100,000 level,”said Retama Park racing secretary James Leatherman. “It gives us all a positive attitude as we prepare for 2013.

Live racing will be conducted on a Friday-Saturday schedule, with first post time each night slated for 6:45 p.m. (CDT). For more information, including a complete stakes schedule, visit the track's website at www.retamapark.com.

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Gambling activity in New Mexico grew by nearly 4 percent last year, and – for the first time ever – the state’s tribal, racino and nonprofits posted collective “net win” figures of more than $1 billion.

But, according to a report in the March 7 edition of the Albuquerque Journal, New Mexico's five racinos saw a roughly 3-percent drop in net win. Net win, which is the amount wagered on slot machines at the state’s gambling venues minus payouts and approved regulatory fees, is an indicator of overall gambling activity.

Collectively, New Mexico's gambling venues reported $1.01 billion in net win last year, a 3.9 percent increase over 2011. They also paid the state $131.4 million in gaming taxes, a 0.9 percent increase from the previous year.

Although the 14 New Mexico tribes that have revenue-sharing gambling compacts with the state report their revenues quarterly to the state Gaming Control Board, they are not required to make those exact figures public. The Gaming Control Board does, however, report “net win” figures. Money from games other than slots at tribal casinos, such as table games and keno, is not included in the net win figure.

Tribally owned casinos pay the state between 3 percent and 9.25 percent of their net win based on their revenue-sharing agreements with the state. Tribal casinos reported a total net win of $759.6 million in 2012, a 6.4 percent increase over 2011. Collectively, those casinos paid the state $68.3 million in gaming taxes, a nearly 5-percent increase over the previous year.

Most of that growth was achieved by the Navajo Nation, which opened its third casino – Northern Edge Navajo Casino just west of Farmington – in January 2012. The Northern Edge Casino is located just 10 miles west of SunRay Park Racetrack and Casino, and it's opening cut into SunRay's revenues from gaming last year. SunRay's net win dropped more than 34 percent last year compared with 2011.

The Navajo casinos had a collective net win of more than $81.2 million last year compared with $46.2 million in 2011, according to Gaming Control Board figures.

New Mexico's five racinos had a total net win from their slot machines of $241.4 million last year, a 3-percent decrease from 2011, according to the New Mexico Taxation and Revenue Department. The racinos paid the state just over $62 million last year, or 3 percent less than 2011.

The Downs at Albuquerque and Sunland Park Racetrack and Casino saw single-digit declines in net win last year, while net win at Ruidoso Downs/Billy the Kid Casino and Zia Park/Black Gold Casino in Hobbs increased 14 percent and 12 percent, respectively.

Holly Wetzel, director of communications for the American Gaming Association, told the Journal that the decrease in gaming activity at New Mexico’s racinos last year runs counter to the rest of the nation. The AGA tracks gross gaming revenues, not net win, of the 22 states that offer non-Indian and/or racino gambling.

Wetzel said unaudited reports collected from state gaming control boards show a nearly 4.4 percent increase in gross revenues in 2012 compared with 2011.

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Officials at Running Aces Harness Park in Minnesota have made a plea to the state racing commission to keep the track open, as it faces a petition from 1,500 racehorse owners and trainers to revoke its gaming license.

KTSP-TV, the ABC affiliate in Minneapolis-St. Paul, reported that the owners and trainers say that Running Aces isn't living up to its revenue-sharing deals. The track's gaming license requires it to share 3 percent of its card table money with owners and trainers at nearby Canterbury Park, which has previously said that competition from Running Aces had cut into its business.

Running Aces argues that the deal was voided by a separate agreement between Canterbury Park and Mystic Lake Casino, which agreed to pay Canterbury almost $80 million during a 10-year period in exchange for Canterbury not adding slot machines.

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A total of 91 state-bred 2-year-olds have been entered in Friday's 300-yard New Mexican Spring Futurity (RG2) trials at Sunland Park.

Queen But A King, a brown son of the late Chicks A Blazin racing for Solitaire Stable and Machelle Vanecek and trained by Henry Dominguez, is the 2-1 morning-line favorite in the sixth of 10 trials. The colt made his career debut with a 2 1/2-length victory as the 5-2 choice in a 300-yard maiden special weight race for state-breds on March 1.

Other prominent 2-year-olds entered in the trials include recent maiden winners Penny Snatchin and Moonifisant. A homebred filly by Gone To The Mountain campaigned by Jill B. Giles, Penny Snatchin is coming off of a 1 1/4-length win in a 300-yard maiden sprint on March 1. Wes Giles trains Penny Snatchin, who drew post 6 in the eighth trial.

The morning-line favorite in the 10th trial, Moonifisant was a prompt 2-1 favorite in his March 1 debut for owners Peter B. Gallegos, Robert D. Sanchez, and J. Patricia Gonzalez. The brown colt by Sixes Royal is trained by Juan M. Gonzalez, and he is a half brother to 2009 AQHA champion aged stallion First Moonflash.

The 10 fastest qualifiers will meet in the $100,000-added New Mexican Spring Futurity final on April 7. Horses with the 11-20th fastest trial times will have first preference to enter the 300-yard, $50,000-added New Mexican Spring Fling Stakes (R) on April 6. Past winners of the New Mexican Spring Futurity include PJ Chick In Black, who won the race last year and was last season's AQHA champion 2-year-old filly.

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Remington Park racing secretary Mike Shamburg has received 22 nominations to Saturday's 550-yard, $35,000 SLM Big Daddy Stakes.

One of the nominees, Sally Box's Mr Truly Uno, scored a neck victory in last year's SLM Big Daddy Stakes. A 6-year-old gelding by Feature Mr Jess trained by C. Dwayne “Sleepy” Gilbreath, Mr Truly Uno is undefeated in two starts at the 550 distance. He is coming off of a second-place finish to Charal Kid in the 440-yard, $75,000 Refrigerator Handicap (G1) at Lone Star Park on October 6.

Other prominent nominees include Wootan Racing's Big Chop, a homebred 4-year-old son of champion Jess Louisiana Blue who scored a 550-yard allowance victory at Zia Park in November; Horton Racing LLC's Call Her Hero, a 4-year-old Valiant Hero mare who won two 870-yard stakes at Prairie Meadows last year; Ken and Reba George's Dean Price, a homebred 5-year-old gelding by Dean Miracle who won a 550-yard non-winners-of-three allowance race at Remington last year; Mary Passmore Kirby's Jesse In Town, a 6-year-old Feature Mr Jess gelding who has won four stakes since being claimed for $10,000 back in July 2011; and Rancho Los Dos Potrillos LLC”s Sstrickortreat, a 4-year-old gelding by the Shazoom stallion Zoomin For Bux who is coming off of a second-place finish to Mr Comando in the 440-yard, $75,000 Hialeah Invitational Championship Stakes on February 17.

The SLM Big Daddy Stakes honors SLM Big Daddy, a homebred gelding racing for Steve and Lindsey Mitchell and a two-time AQHA world champion in the late 1990s. Entries for the race will be drawn on Wednesday.

In this update, we're going to take a look at the 350-yard, $50,000 Eastex Handicap (G2), and the 250-yard, $50,000 Mighty Deck Three Handicap (R) for Oklahoma-breds. Named in honor of the 1984 AQHA champion 2-year-old, the Eastex began its long history in 1990, when Jim Ed Davis' Racin Vike earned the winner's share of a $44,050 purse.

Past winners of the Eastex Handicap, which first earned graded status in '91, include champions SLM Big Daddy, Kool Kue Baby, and Country Chicks Man. Separate Bet holds the 350-yard stakes record of :17.27, which the California-bred Separatist gelding set in 2009.

After much deliberation, our top selection in this year's Eastex is Teller More Bourbon, a 5-year-old gelding by Teller Cartel who will be making his first start at Remington Park in two years. Teller More Bourbon is coming off of a sixth-place finish in the Grade 3, $50,000 KOFX-FM Radio Handicap at Remington Park, but he had a rough start as the 19-10 favorite in that race. The gelding has won two of his last three starts at this distance, including a stakes-quality $40,000 allowance race against a field that included multiple graded stakes winner JD Baccarat.

A Toss Up, the 7-5 morning-line favorite, scored a 1 3/4-length victory in last year's Eastex Handicap. A 4-year-old gelding by the First Down Dash stallion Sweet First Down, A Toss Up might have a class edge over his opponents, as his three wins over the track have all come in graded stakes, and he posted 100-plus TrackMaster speed ratings in six consecutive races last season at Remington, Ruidoso Downs, and Lone Star Park.

An 8-year-old son of the First Down Dash stallion With Honors, Honor Me Good will be making his first-ever start at Remington. However, the gelding ships in from a solid winter campaign at Hialeah Park, and he has made the exacta in 10 of his 12 starts at 350 yards, and his record at the distance includes a close second-place finish to two-time champion Noconi in last year's Grade 3, $30,000 Higheasterjet Handicap at Ruidoso Downs.

Other Eastex contenders include Eufaula Me, an Iowa-bred 4-year-old Okey Dokey Dale gelding who made the trifecta in all seven of his starts last season, including the 350-yard, $135,000 Oklahoma Derby at Remington; Zoomandkicken, a 5-year-old gelding by Azoom who ran second in the 2011 Dash For Cash Derby (G2) at Lone Star Park; and champion First Klas Fred, a 6-year-old gelded son of Fredricksburg who scored a 350-yard stakes victory during last year's Lone Star Park meet.

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The Mighty Deck Three has also drawn an evenly matched full field of 10, including morning-line favorite Cruzin The Wagon. The race is named in honor of Mighty Deck Three, an Oklahoma-bred gelding by the Top Deck stallion Mighty Deck who was the AQHA champion 2-year-old in 1980. Facing the best competition in the country from 1980-82, Mighty Deck Three won 10 of 18 starts and earned $444,679.

Our top choice in this year's stakes is Senor Fish, a gray 5-year-old gelding by Fishers Dash. Senor Fish will be making his first start since October 27, when he scored a head victory in the 350-yard, $75,000 Pfizer Starter Allowance Challenge Championship at Prairie Meadows, but he won two races at this shorter distance at Remington last season. The gelding prepped for his first start in more than four months by working 220 yard in :12.10 on February 15.

Finche is moving up in class and shortening up in distance off of his head victory in the October 17, 400-yard Fort Erie Maturity. However, this 8-year-old gelding by Tres Seis has made the trifecta in nine of his 10 outs at Remington, and he ran third as the odds-on favorite in last year's Mighty Deck Three. Also, he prepped for this start with a 220-yard work in :11.20, the fastest of 73 drills at the distance on February 15.

Cruzin The Wagon will be making her first-ever start at this distance, but the mare's back class and affinity for Remington Park can't be overlooked. A 4-year-old daughter of PYC Paint Your Wagon, Cruzin The Wagon won four of her five outs over the track last year, including the 350-yard Oklahoma Derby and Jack Brooks Stakes (G3), and she prepped for her first start in more than four months with a 220-yard breeze in :11.80 on February 19.

According to a report in the February 26 edition of the Shelbyville News, new Gov. Mike Pence announced on his second day in office that he would like to cut the racing subsidy completely. His budget proposes putting the money toward Medicaid.

“It will hurt the industry if it gets cut, no question,” said Indiana Downs general manager Jon Schuster.

In 2011, Indiana lawmakers passed a two-year budget that reduced the amount of subsides to the racing industry by approximately $3 million, though initial budget proposals had funds and purses dropping by 23 percent for 2012. Subsidies for the thoroughbred industry were slated to drop from $26.1 million to $18.1 million.

Senate Appropriations Committee chairman Luke Kenley (R-Noblesville), who is among the top budget authorities in the Statehouse, said the subsidies were a commitment made to the horse breeders as part of the rationale for authorizing racing in the first place more a decade ago.

Indiana Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association executive director Mike Brown told the that, at this point, Pence's cuts are just a proposal. However, he warned, the implications would be serious if the proposal is included in the new state budget and passed.

"We recognize that we have a challenge with the legislature,” Brown said. “It is important to the entire state that the funds are not cut. The horse racing industry provides a direct economic impact to the state and is a billion-dollar industry."

In 1993, Indiana opened its borders to riverboat casinos, and lawmakers mandated the horse racing industry should get a share of the admission cost charged to patrons of the boats. In recent years, money from the admission charge amounted to $17 million annually for the racing industry, Brown said.

In 2007, the General Assembly allowed expanded gambling inland -- casinos to be built at the sites as the horse tracks -- and agreed to give the horse racing industry 15 percent of what racinos brought in.

A 2010 Purdue University study showed that 10,000 people are employed by Indiana's horse racing industry each year, and that the industry generates $733 million annually, with an additional $69 million generated in taxes.

Brown said that revenue and those jobs would be gone if the subsidies are cut.

"We think it is important, and we will be working to convince the legislature how important this is,” he added. “It would be devastating and it would be the end of the horse racing industry if the cuts go through. We have to do a better job of making people understand how important the impact of our industry is.”

Brown acknowledged the horse racing industry has a "great friend" in Sen. Kenley, but he said the industry needs more support.

"We have an awful lot of legislators who understand the industry,” he said. “The legislators have a hard job. They are in session for three to four months and have to tackle a lot of issues. We have to do a better job of educating them."

Indiana Downs' 2013 Thoroughbred and Quarter Horse meet runs from April 23-October 19. The track will conduct six all-Quarter Horse dates – May 25, June 21, July 6, August 10, September 21, and October 12. For more information, visit Indiana Downs' website at www.indianadowns.com

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A bill to allow slot machine wagering at Running Aces harness track in Minnesota has been introduced by Rep. Tom Hackbarth (R-Cedar).

Similar legislation has been defeated by the legislature in the past, but because electronic pull-tab wagering has not been generating enough revenue as was first hoped, some political observers believe the new racino legislation will help pay for a new Twin Cities-area stadium for the Minnesota Vikings of the National Football League.

"I reintroduced the bill this year because we are going to have a shortfall in the pull-tabs situation, which is going to be a burden on the (state's) general fund,” Hackbarth said. "There's a lot of people that are still saying that electronic pull tabs are going to come into their own, (that) we have to get more machines out there. I don't think that's going to happen."

"The general fund of the state of Minnesota is backing the bonds on the stadium, and there's going to be a hole in the stadium if these electronic pull tabs don't bring in the money," he added.

Running Aces board member John Derus said he believes the bill is right on track and will help revive the Minnesota's harness racing industry.

"The principle of fairness for harness racing and a facility that employs over 600 Minnesotans is real, and we renew our call for an honest discussion on how slots at horse tracks can help the state," Derus said in a news release.

Canterbury Park management said it is not pursuing slots for its track, which opens its 2013 Thoroughbred and Quarter Horse meet on May 17. Last year, Canterbury entered into a 10-year cooperative purse enhancement and marketing agreement with nearby Mystic Lake Casino, which will inject $75 million into the track's purse account. Part of the agreement states that track management will not back racino legislation for the life of the contract.

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Horse racing will return to the North Dakota Horse Park in Fargo with a three-day meet in July.

Horse Race North Dakota, the nonprofit group that operates NDHP, decided last week to operate a meet from July 19-21 after the North Dakota Racing Commission granted the track only a third of its requested funding on February 15.

Horse Race North Dakota initially requested 12 days of racing, $220,000 in purse money and $300,000 in promotional funds. The commission granted $61,684 in promotional funds, but a purse money award was delayed until April.

“This year we expect to have a great meet again,” Horse Race North Dakota vice president Wes Heinert told the Fargo Forum newspaper. “We're generating as many dollars as we can for the city of Fargo.

“We wanted to go three weekends so we could pump dollars into the local economy,” he added. “There’s really no other way to do it and be fiscally responsible with the lack of funds they give us.”

Horse Race North Dakota has also hired a full-time general manager for NDHP. Chris McConnell, president of Racing Consulting Group in Miami, started his job on February 1.

The racing commission also awarded $142,000 to Chippewa Downs in Belcourt for its planned eight-day meet.

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The horse racing industry in Idaho is hoping for help from the state legislature to keep it competitive with neighboring states when it comes to legal wagers.

On February 27, Wyoming Gov. Matt Mead signed into law legislation permitting pari-mutuel wagering on historic horse races, also known as Instant Racing. The following day, the Idaho House State Affairs Committee approved a bill to make Instant Racing machines legal in Idaho.

Citing competitive factors, Jim Bernard, the general manager at the Ida Racing horse track near Idaho Falls, said he hopes the bill, House Bill 220, becomes law. According to Bernard, HB 220 would give the Idaho racing industry a better chance to keep pace with the industry in Wyoming, which is betting that Instant Racing will allow its tracks to offer higher purses than the recent past.

“The fear is, if they don’t pass this, that with Wyoming passing it, the (region's horsemen) will go to other states where the money is better, and that's going to put us in a worse position when it comes to competing,” Bernard said. Wyoming's bill permitting Instant Racing was signed into law by Mead on the final day of the state's legislative session. It has an effective date of July 1, the same as Idaho's HB 220 would if it becomes law.

“We’re hoping to level the playing field a little bit if we can have a little income from (Instant Racing) too,” Bernard said.

HB 220’s sponsor, Rep. Christy Perry (R-Nampa), said economic considerations that included the Idaho Falls track went into the crafting of the bill.

“We did mention that Wyoming was passing this (similar) bill, and I think it was mentioned that we want to stay competitive,” Perry said, recalling the House State Affairs Committee’s discussion on HB 220.

HB 220 is supported by several industry organizations in the state, including the racing division of the Idaho Quarter Horse Association.

Idaho's 2013 racing season begins with a three-day meet at the Gem County Fair in Emmett, April 13-14-27. Les Bois Park in Boise, the state's flagship track, will run a 31-day season from May 1-August 10. Live racing at Les Bois Park will take place primarily on Wednesdays and Saturdays, with special holiday racing scheduled for Memorial Day Monday, May 27, and Thursday, July 4.

Les Bois Park's Quarter Horse stakes scheduled is topped by the 350-yard, $100,000-est. Bitterroot Futurity (RG3) on Memorial Day. For more information on the meet, visit the track's website at www.lesboispark.com.

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Wyoming Downs, which has not conducted live racing since 2009, is looking to run a 16-day meet in 2004.

The change comes with the new legislation – House Bill 25 – passed February 27, which allows pari-mutuel wagering on historic races, also known as Instant Racing. Wyoming is the second state in the country to statutorily allow this type of wagering. Arkansas passed similar legislation in 2001.

“The law will have profound effects on the horse racing industry throughout Wyoming, Utah and surrounding states," said Wyoming Downs owner Eric Nelson, who re-acquired the track for $450,000 in November 2011.

According to Nelson, current plans include 16 racing dates during the summer of 2014 and the reopening of off-track betting sites throughout Wyoming. Nelson says these actions will bring jobs, higher purses and a more robust bottom line.

“Greater volume in wagering on both live and historic races will result in more and better racing, and make it more profitable for horse trainers and owners," Nelson said. "Exciting times are ahead at Wyoming Downs, and (they) will benefit the entire equine industry."

Wyoming Downs is located in Evanston, in the southwest corner of the state near the Utah border. Sweetwater Downs in Rock Springs, about 100 miles to the northeast, resumed live racing in 2011 after an 18-year absence and conducted four-day meets the last two years.

In addition to its live race meet, Sweetwater Downs currently operates in-state off-track wagering sites in Buffalo, Casper, Cheyenne, Evanston, Riverton, and Rock Springs.

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Melvin Neugebauer's Here Kittykittykitty has been assigned the top weight of 126 pounds for Sunday's 350-yard, $85,000 Mesilla Valley Speed Handicap (RG2) for New Mexico-breds at Sunland Park.

A 6-year-old son of Genuine Strawfly, Here Kittykittykitty scored a neck victory as the 9-10 favorite in last year's Mesilla Valley Speed Handicap. The gelding has won six of 19 starts and has earned $424,924 while racing exclusively in New Mexico.

Other noteworthy nominees include Paul C. Jones' Erasmus B Dragon, who has been assigned by racing secretary Robbie Junk to carry 125 pounds. The 4-year-old gelding by the Corona Cartel stallion Stel Corona has won two 400-yard state-bred allowance sprints during the current Sunland Park meet.

Entries for the Mesilla Valley Speed Handicap will be taken on Tuesday. ----------------------------------------------------------------------
Remington Park in Oklahoma City opens its 50-date Quarter Horse meet on Friday, but the track's stakes action gets underway on Sunday with the 350-yard, $50,000-guaranteed Eastex Handicap (G2) and the 250-yard, $50,000-added Mighty Deck Three Handicap (R) for state-breds.

Racing secretary Mike Shamburg has made Priceless Feature the 126-pound highweight for the Eastex, a race whose past winners include AQHA champions SLM Big Daddy, Kool Kue Baby, and Country Chicks Man. A 4-year-old Feature Mr Jess gelding campaigned by Ed Melzer, Priceless Feature hasn't raced since October 6, when he ran third, a half of a length behind winner Charal Kid, in the 440-yard, $75,000 Refrigerator Handicap (G1) at Lone Star Park.

Racing primarily in Oklahoma and New Mexico last season, Priceless Feature earned $329,689 from nine outs, and his six wins included a head victory in the 400-yard, $248,000 Heritage Place Derby (G2) at Remington. The gelding also ran second, a head behind champion Ochoa, in the 440-yard, $904,000 Rainbow Derby (G1) at Ruidoso Downs.

Two Eastex nominees, Steve Denny's The Long Knife and James Sills and Abel Flores' A Toss Up, have been assigned 125 pounds. A 4-year-old gelding by the First Down Dash stallion Tac It Like A Man, The Long Knife scored an upset victory in last year's 440-yard, $377,000 Texas Classic Derby (G1) at Lone Star Park.

A Toss Up won three graded stakes during the 2012 Remington Park meet, including the Eastex. All told, the 4-year-old Sweet First Down gelding has won eight of 15 starts and has banked $350,857.

Oklahoma breds, Priceless Feature and A Toss Up have been nominated to the Mighty Deck Three Handicap and have been assigned to tote 126 pounds. The stakes has drawn a total of 18 nominations, including Bill Price's BPS Jumpin Frisco and Terry and Mary Louise Pursel's Cruzin The Wagon.

BPS Jumpin Frisco is a homebred 4-year-old gelding by the Chicks Beduino stallion Jumpn. Raced at Hialeah Park in Florida this winter, BPS Jumpin Frisco scored neck victories in both the 220-yard, $20,000 Tallahassee Stakes and the 250-yard, $20,000 Beautiful Prairie Stakes.

Cruzin The Wagon earned $166,577 from nine races last year. The 4-year-old daughter of PYC Paint Your Wagon won three stakes in 2012, including the 350-yard, $135,000 Oklahoma Derby (G3) and 350-yard, $50,000 Jack Brooks Stakes (RG3), both at Remington Park.

Entries for both the Eastex and Mighty Deck Three handicaps will be drawn on Thursday.

A race with a rich history, the West Texas Maturity dates back to its first running in 1988, when Eddie and Karen Jacobs' Up Front Runner banked the winner's share of a $41,986 purse. Past winners include AQHA champions Cash Legacy (1989), Treacherously ('96), and Gotta Get (2007). The 400-yard stakes record of :18.91 was set by Juniors Quarter Horses Inc.'s Perrys Queen Bug in 2009.

Our top selection in this year's West Texas Maturity is Jess Cuervo, a Grade 1-placed 4-year-old stallion by Corona Cartel and the 7-2 morning-line favorite. Jess Cuervo brings a two-race win streak that includes a three-quarter length score as the 7-5 choice in the second of three trials on February 8. Esgar Ramirez, who qualified three finalists – including fastest qualifier Jump Down Azoom – will ride Jess Cuervo on Saturday.

Our First Corona has won two of his three starts at Sunland this season, all at this 400-yard distance, including the Grade 2, $126,513 Sunland Park Winter Derby on December 29. A 4-year-old Corona Cartel gelding, Our First Corona ran second as the 17-10 favorite in the first trial.

Really A Fantasy is a 4-year-old stallion by all-time leading sire First Down Dash who is in good form and who likes this distance, as he has made the exacta in seven of his nine outs going 400. A finalist in the Sunland Park Winter Derby, Really A Fantasy made his debut against older runners with a head victory over Our First Corona in the first trial heat.

Tres Seis Nueve hasn't won a race since the Fourth of July, but this 4-year-old gray son of champion Tres Seis has finished second or third in all four of his starts at Sunland this season. Tres Seis Nueve ran second, a half of a length behind fastest qualifier Jump Down Azoom, in the last trial.

A native of York, Nebraska, Volzke rode his first winner at Agua Caliente Racetrack in Tijuana, Mexico, in 1942. He won back-to-back riding championships in 1947 and '48 at Longacres Racetrack near Seattle, and he was voted the George Woolf Memorial Jockey Award by his peers in 1958, and the Jack Robinson Memorial Award at Bay Meadows in 1975.

Volzke's major stakes victories included the 1970 Hollywood Derby (with Hanalei Bay), the 1969 Frank E. Kilroe Mile (Rivet), the 1969 San Miguel Stakes (Mr. Joe F.), the 1968 San Gabriel Handicap (Rivet), and the 1954 San Pasqual Stakes (Phil D.).

Volzke began his career as a racing official when he retired from riding in 1979. He served as a steward for 26 years, working at Bay Meadows and Los Alamitos before stepping down in 2005.

Volzke is survived by his wife, Catherine Volzke; a daughter, Eileen Miller; a granddaughter and grandson, and three great grandsons. Services will be private.

Oregon Rep. Brian Clem (D-Salem) has introduced a bill that would allow Portland Meadows Racetrack to install Instant Racing machines, in the hope that the machines will attract more customers and generate more revenue.

The bill, House Bill 2613, is supported by track owners, Oregon's Thoroughbred owners and breeders, and the Oregon Quarter Horse Racing Association.

“This (bill) is definitely about helping Portland Meadows do better, which helps the entire horse racing community do better,” Clem told the Oregonian newspaper.

If the bill passes, a number of Instant Racing machines would be installed at Portland Meadows. Based on pari-mutuel wagering, the machines would allow players to pick races from the past, get some past performances and information about the trainers and jockeys, and then make wagers the way they would any live race.

"Horse racing, we're told, hasn't adapted to technology," said Portland Meadows general manager William Alempijevic. "It's a sport supported by older men and doesn't appeal to a younger demographic."

An experiment with Instant Racing machines in Oregon several years ago ended when they were deemed illegal by the state attorney general.

The California Horse Racing Board has given a conditional license to a mini-satellite wagering facility in the Orange County city of Lake Forest.

The facility, which will be called “Sammy's,” will be at the site of a former Black Angus Restaurant. Longtime Quarter Horse racing executive Brad McKinzie, along with five golfing buddies, bought the 10,000-square foot restaurant in 2009. The satellite wagering facility could be open for simulcasting by late summer.

In 2007, the California legislature passed a law allowing satellite wagering facilities at restaurants and bars. According to the law, the facilities must be located at least 20 miles from a racetrack and at least 10 miles from another satellite wagering facility. Lake Forest is located about 20 miles southeast of Los Alamitos Racecourse.

In other California news, a claim made on a horse running in the state will be voided by the stewards if the animal is placed on the official veterinarian's list as lame or unsound after the race, under a rule adopted by the CHRB last Thursday.

By a unanimous 6-0 vote, the board gave final approval to the proposed rule change on claiming races. The rule has already undergone its 45-day public comment period after its initial passage last September, and it will take effect later this year pending approval by the state office of administrative law.

According to a report in Daily Racing Form, the CHRB has since 2011 been trying to find a way to prevent trainers from dumping unwanted or unsound horses on unsuspecting buyers in lower-level claiming races. Trying to protect horses in such circumstances as well as their jockeys, the board initially passed a rule that voided a claim if an injured horse died during a race or before being removed from the track.

“This is the rule that the stewards and veterinarians are comfortable with,” said commissioner Bo Derek, who chairs the CHRB's medication and track safety committee. “I think it's essential to the future of racing. The claim will be voided if a horse is put on the vet's list after the race.”

“The objective is to try to protect the integrity of racing and protect the jockeys,” added commissioner and committee member Chuck Winner. “No rule is going to be perfect. I do believe we have gone around and around on this, and there are always going to be problems. It's never going to be perfect, no matter what we do. But this is the best solution we can come up with.”

Dr. Rick Arthur, the CHRB's medical director, said that a horse who is claimed will be taken to the receiving barn after the race, where it will receive an inspection from the racing vet or state vet. A horse will be put on the vet's list only if it is found to be lame or unsound. The rule would not apply to a horse who is vanned off the track for other reasons, such as heat exhaustion or bleeding from the lungs.

Barry Broad, an attorney representing the Jockeys' Guild, said the organization is strongly in favor of the rule change.

Also, David Israel was voted chairman of the CHRB for 2013. The former vice chair replaces Keith Brackpool, who resigned from the board last month to become part of The Stronach Group, which owns Santa Anita Park and Golden Gate Fields in California. Winner is the new vice chairman.

Israel, 61, has been on the board since 2008, when he was appointed by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger. A native of New York, he is a film producer and writer and a former syndicated columnist and sports reporter.

The Indiana Horse Racing Commission has approved 2013 live race dates for Indiana Grand Casino and Downs and Hoosier Park Racetrack and Casino.

Indiana Downs will conduct a 120-day Thoroughbred and Quarter Horse meet from April 23-October 19. Live racing will be run on a Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday schedule until July 1. After that date, the track will move to a five day a week schedule by adding Monday. Post time for the first race will be 6 p.m. (Central).

Hoosier Park will host a 160-day standardbred meet from April 2-November 9. In previous years, both tracks ran flat and harness meets, but a new “one breed, one track” plan will save the tracks' owner, Centaur Holdings LLC, the costs of modifying the racing surfaces for each meet. Standardbreds, for example, need a firmer track than Thoroughbreds and Quarter Horses.

“This is really the best thing,” said Centaur vice president of racing Brian Elmore. “It's safer for both the horses and the participants. Now, we'll be able to set up each (track) specifically for the horses they race. We're bringing in a pretty good team to do that.”

Dr. Mick Peterson, executive director of the Racing Surfaces Testing Laboratory, will serve as lead consultant for the Indiana Downs redesign. Hoosier Park's redesign will be directed by Greg Coon, a track designer from Florida.

Emerald Downs Racetrack in Auburn, Washington, has released its stakes schedule for its 2013 season, and it includes at least one Quarter Horse race. The 440-yard Bank of America Emerald Downs Challenge will be run on Sunday, September 1. The purse will be announced at a later date.

The winner of the Emerald Downs Challenge will earn a berth in the 440-yard, $350,000 Bank of America Challenge Championship (G1) at Los Alamitos on November 9. Last year's $67,320 Emerald Downs Challenge was won by A Royal Dervish, a 5-year-old gelding by Royal Miracle Dip racing for Bob Giltner and Scott Giltner of Idaho.

Multiple graded stakes winner JLS Mr Bigtime will head a field of 10 aged state-bred runners in Saturday's 350-yard, $35,000 Mr Jess Perry Stakes (RG3) at Louisiana Downs.

A homebred 5-year-old Bigtime Favorite gelding racing for John Soileau's JLS Speed Horse Ranch Inc., JLS Mr Bigtime will be making his first start since December 8, when he ran fifth as the odds-on favorite in the 440-yard, $100,000 Louisiana Champions Day Classic (RG1) at Fair Grounds. JLS Mr Bigtime has won 10 of 19 races and has earned $957,547, and his stakes record includes a second-place finish to 2011 AQHA world champion Cold Cash 123 in the 440-yard, $250,000 Remington Park Invitational Championship (G1).

JLS Mr Bigtime's nine opponents include James R. Mitchell's Martini Mountain, a 7-year-old gelding by champion Panther Mountain and the upset winner of the Louisiana Champions Day Classic, and Mac Sumpter and Christopher Gautreaux's Mossy Oak Tree, a 4-year-old Oak Tree Special gelding who won three races during the 2012 Louisiana Downs meet, including the 400-yard, $96,000 Mardi Gras Derby (RG3).

The complete lineup for the Mr Jess Perry Stakes, in post position order including jockey assignments – Haystretcher (Alfonso Lujan), Political Option (John Hamilton), Lil Jess Oak (David Alvarez), JLS Mr Bigtime (Raul Ramirez Jr.), A Solid Dash (Jarrod Deschamp), Intriguing Jess Blue (Saul Ramirez Jr.), Mossy Oak Tree (Donald Watson), Martini Mountain (Danny Lavergne), Blue Louisiana Jolla (Randy Edison), and Heza Gand Ds Dash (Bobby Ransom).

The Maiden Stakes will be run as the last race on Los Alamitos' nine-race program. Estimated post time for the 350-yard race is 8:12 p.m. (PST).

Our top selection is in fact Nellie Delaney, an Oklahoma-bred daughter of two-time AQHA champion FDD Dynasty. Nellie Delaney is coming off of a three-quarter length victory as the 6-5 favorite in the second of five trials on February 2, a race in which the filly posted a TrackMaster speed rating of 105. Also, Nellie Delaney faced the best 2-year-olds in the country in Oklahoma and New Mexico last season, finishing third in the 350-yard, $75,000 Heritage Place Juvenile Stakes at Remington Park, and qualifying for the 400-yard, $700,000 Rainbow Futurity (G1) at Ruidoso Downs.

Fourth-fastest qualifier French Fury earned a 95 speed rating in his three-quarter length win in the first trial. A Texas-bred gelding by 2001 champion 3-year-old Stoli, French Fury has shown an affection for Los Alamitos since he shipped in from New Mexico, as he is undefeated in two starts over the track, and he posted two bullet works over the surface before he made his California debut on January 5.

Required Fire, the fifth-fastest qualifier, is a New Mexico-bred daughter of Walk Thru Fire who scored a neck victory as the odds-on choice in the last trial heat. The filly is two-for-two at Los Alamitos, and she prepped for her racing debut at the track with a 350-yard work in :17.80 on December 27.

SFR Stuck On You has made the exacta in four of her five outs. A California-bred daughter of Stel Corona and the stakes-placed Proudest Effort mare LDS Good Goin Gracie, SFR Stuck On You broke her maiden with a convincing 1 ¼-length win in the fourth trial.

Downs general manager Darren White told the Albuquerque Journal last week that no final decision on night racing has been made, but the installation of lights, which the track purchased in 2008 after the closure of Bay Meadows Racetrack in California, has gone out to bid.

“The plan, obviously, is to put the lights up and do night racing,” White said. “It’s part of the overall plan that coincides with the new casino and renovation of the grandstand.”

However, the idea of night racing has taken neighborhoods adjacent to the state-owned Expo New Mexico fairgrounds, where The Downs is located, by surprise. Nancy Bearce, president of the District 6 Coalition of Neighborhood Associations, which represents neighborhoods surrounding the fairgrounds, said no one in the association had heard of the plan before last Wednesday.

“The Downs at Albuquerque, while a state-contracted private business, continues to exclude property owners abutting their operations, yet encroach on the surrounding area’s quality of life with animal waste smells, traffic, noise and crime,” Bearce said in a statement.

She said the residents and businesses around the fairgrounds have a vested interest in what goes on there, and should be involved in each step of the decision-making process instead of being ignored. White said that if a decision to light the track and hold nighttime races is ultimately made, Downs officials will meet with neighborhood representatives to discuss potential impacts.

New Mexico Racing Commission chairman Rob Doughty III said that, to conduct nighttime races, the Downs would have to request a change in its racing license application, which would then come before the board for consideration. That process would also require a public hearing at which interested parties could express their support or objections to lighting the track and running night races.

White has been overseeing construction of The Downs' new $20-million, 65,000-square-foot casino. He said night racing could could bring new customers to the racino.

“Everybody knows horse racing is declining substantially, not just in New Mexico, but across the country,” White said. “We think this will bring in new customers who are looking for a different entertainment option. Maybe they’ve never been to a horse race, but if they hear we’re having night racing, maybe they’ll come. We could be opening up to a whole new clientele.

“We’ve actually owned the lights for a few years now, and they’ve been in storage,” he added.

Horsemen appear to be in favor of the project, largely because a portion of the millions of dollars generated by the slot machines in the state’s five racinos supplement horse racing purses.

“I think that could be a real revenue producer,” McGrail said at the Racing Commission's January meeting. “You could really increase your simulcast handle and maybe your on-track handle as well. The horsemen are open to that. It’s a little bit of a hardship on horsemen running at night, but they do it in many other places and we’re open to that.”

White said The Downs hopes to open its new casino in May or June.

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The North Dakota Racing Commission on Friday granted Horse Racing North Dakota, the nonprofit organization that runs the race meet at North Dakota Horse Park, $61,684 in promotional funds to run its 2013 season.

In 2012, NDHP received about $18,000 of promotion funds to run a four-day meet.

HRND president Wes Heinert told the Fargo Forum newspaper that the track is hoping to conduct a nine-day season sometime between July 26-August 18. HRND initially requested 12 days of racing, $220,000 in purse money, and $300,000 in promotional funds.

Winston Satran, director of racing for the commission, said that the commission delayed the decision to award purse money for NDHP until May.

“By that time, we’ll have collected more tax revenue, and we will be able to reward them (with) more funds,” Satran told the Forum. “We would be looking at a minimum of $85,000 in purse money.”

The racing commission funds both the North Dakota Horse Park in Fargo and Chippewa Downs in Belcourt by using taxes paid by account wagering deposit companies and on simulcast betting. Satran said the commission has $183,773 in its purse fund, and it has awarded $142,000 to Chippewa Downs for its planned eight-day meet.

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TVG, which bills itself as America’s Horseracing Network, has launched a multi-platform promotional campaign titled, “TVG Good For The Game.” Featured on the company's website (www.tvg.com) and telecasts, the campaign includes testimonials delivered by prominent members of the racing industry.

“TVG is proud of the fact that since our launch we have become a major racing industry partner, both as a link between racing fans and the sport, and as a significant industry revenue generator,” said Don Scott, TVG’s vice president of marketing. “This campaign offers an opportunity to highlight the role we have played within the industry and affirms our commitment to expanding that role in the future.”

Helping tell the TVG story via a series of “TVG Good For The Game” testimonials are several major racing industry figures, including Dale Romans, who won the 2012 Eclipse Award as the nation’s top Thoroughbred trainer; Terry Finley, the founder and president of West Point Thoroughbreds; Madeline Auerbach, a leading California Thoroughbred owner and breeder; and Mike Maloney, vice president of the Horseplayers Association of North America (HANA).

According to a press release distributed by the company, “TVG Good For The Game” examines four key areas of TVG’s involvement with horseracing – as a major financial contributor, as a provider of a significant amount of live racing coverage to a sizeable TV audience, as a strong corporate citizen and as an industry employer.

The release stated that, since it began broadcasting on July 1, 1999, TVG has contributed over $700 million to its racing industry partners (including racetracks, breeders, trainers, owners), with 2012 contributions exceeding $95 million.

In 2012 TVG delivered over 1,400 hours of programming to more than 63 million homes, including simulcasts on many of the country’s largest regional sports networks. TVG features Quarter Horse racing from Los Alamitos Racecourse on its “The Quarters” telecasts Friday-Sunday nights.

Between August 2011 and September 2012, TVG’s in-house charitable arm, TVG Cares, supported some of the racing industry’s most important causes, including NTRA Charities, the Permanently Disabled Jockey Fund and Race Track Chaplaincy, to the tune of more than $275,000 in donated air-time.

In 2012, 560 people in 10 states, including California, Colorado, Oregon, Kentucky, New Jersey, Arkansas, Iowa, New Mexico, New York and Washington, worked for TVG.

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Several one-time charges and costs associated with the opening of a hotel-casino in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, caused gaming operator Pinnacle Entertainment to suffer a net loss during the fourth quarter of 2012.

The Las Vegas-based company said last Wednesday that its net loss during the quarter that ended December 31 was $42.3 million, compared with net income of nearly $25 million during the same quarter of 2011. The loss translated in a net loss of 71 cents per share, compared to a profit of 28 cents per share last year.

The largest charge Pinnacle took in the quarter was a non-cash write down of approximately $25 million related to the company's investment in a casino project in Vietnam. Pinnacle also reported one-time charges surrounding casino expansion projects in St. Louis and the opening of the L'Auberge Baton Rouge in September.

Pinnacle said revenues for the quarter grew 9 percent to $301.6 million and the company's full-year revenues increased 5 percent to $1.197 billion. According to chief executive officer Anthony Sanfilippo, the company made progress in advancing several key financial, growth, and strategic initiatives during the year.

In December, Pinnacle announced it was purchasing rival regional casino operator Ameristar Casinos for an enterprise value of $2.8 billion. The two companies recently announced they had received a request for additional information on the transaction from the Federal Trade Commission under the notification requirements of the Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Act.

Pinnacle and Ameristar expect the transaction to close during the second or third quarter of 2013. Pinnacle said an agreement to sell the company's land holdings in Atlantic City for $30.6 million was expected to close by the end of March.

In late January, Pinnacle closed a deal to acquire a majority stake in the owner of the racing license for Retama Park Racetrack near San Antonio, Texas. In addition, Pinnacle struck a deal with Retama Development Corp. to manage the track, which opened in 1995 and conducts separate Quarter Horse and Thoroughbred meets.

Pinnacle is also redeveloping River Downs Racetrack in Cincinnati, Ohio, into a gaming entertainment facility.

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It's been reported elsewhere on this site that Keeneland Racetrack and Sales Company is looking into the purchase of a harness track in Prestonburg, Kentucky, with the intention of creating a short summer Quarter Horse meet.

Keeneland executives told the Lexington Herald-Leader that they expect to be able to offer “premium purses” through revenue from a multi-breed simulcasting and Instant Racing machines, which are slot-like electronic pari-mutuel games. Instant Racing machines are considered pari-mutuel because the outcome of each play is determined by the result of a previously run horse race and the wagering is pooled.

Currently, only two of Kentucky's four Thoroughbred tracks – Ellis Park in Henderson and Kentucky Downs in Franklin. The February 13 edition of the Louisville Courier-Journal, citing a report from the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission, said that a total of $18.86 million was bet on Instant Racing during the month of January, a 9-percent drop from the $20.68 million wagered the previous month.

The Instant Racing games are seen by state officials as a pari-mutuel alternative to the more lucrative traditional slot machines, which would require legislative approval. However, the games are the subject of an appeal now before the Kentucky Supreme Court. The racetracks and state agencies argue that the games are legal pari-mutuel gambling, but opponents, including the Family Foundation of Kentucky, claim that they are illegal slot machines.

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Louisiana Downs racing secretary David Heitzmann has received 31 nominations for the March 2, 350-yard Mr Jess Perry Stakes (RG3) for state-bred aged runners.

Topping the list of nominees for the eighth running of the $35,000-guaranteed stakes is Oscar Rohne's La Mos Chingono, a 6-year-old mare by Heza Fast Dash and one of only four distaffers on the list. La Mos Chingono is coming off of a neck victory in the 350-yard, $35,000 Party Girl Stakes (R) for Louisiana-bred fillies and mares on February 2.

Other prominent nominees include JLS Mr Bigtime, a homebred 5-year-old Bigtime Favorite gelding racing for John Soileau's JLS Speed Horse Racing Inc. An earner of $957,547 from 19 starts, JLS Mr Bigtime won last year's 440-yard, $100,000 Louisiana Classic Stakes (RG1) at Delta Downs, and he ran second, three-quarters of a length behind 2011 world champion Cold Cash 123, in the 440-yard, $250,000 Remington Park Invitational Championship (G1).

Entries for the Mr Jess Perry Stakes will be taken this Saturday.

The first race we'll analyze, the Winter Derby, was first contested in 2001, when AQHA world champion Whosleavingwho earned the winner's share of a $260,500 purse. Past winners of the stakes include champions Panther Mountain and Be A Bono. The stakes record is held by Fawna Knight and Ronald Skeen's Oatman, who went 400 yards in :19.16 two years ago.

Our top selection in this year's Winter Derby is the consistent Remembering Spence, the fastest qualifier and 9-5 morning-line favorite. A bay gelding by the First Down Dash stallion TR Dasher, Remembering Spence handled a wet track with skill on January 26, as he won the first of six trials by 1 ½ lengths and earned a career-best 116 TrackMaster speed rating. The stakes-winning gelding has made the trifecta in all six of his outs, and his race record includes a solid third-place finish against California-breds in last year's 350-yard Governor's Cup Futurity (RG2).

Creole Williams, a sorrel son of champion Jess Louisiana Blue, has won two of his three starts at this distance, including the third Winter Derby trial as the 7-10 choice. The gelding rallied nicely to score a half-length victory in the 400-yard, $25,000 Corona Chick Handicap back in November, and he's kept his form nicely since then.

A bay son of the Corona Cartel stallion Stel Corona, Stel My Corona is the lone graded stakes winner among these finalists. The gelding ran second as the 2-1 favorite to our top choice in his trial, but he's made the exacta in all of his last four races, a streak that includes a half-length victory in the 350-yard, $392,000 PCQHRA Breeders' Futurity (G2).

Longshot seekers might want to consider 10th-fastest qualifier and 20-1 morning-line longshot Buy Buy, a sorrel daughter of Stel Corona who outran her 25-1 odds to win the second trial. A $10,000 claim last year, Buy Buy was making her first start at this extended distance in that race, and she defeated a solid field that included Los Alamitos Two-Million Futurity (G1) runner-up The August Heat and the graded stakes placed Far Niente and JR Dynasty Mountain.

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The Los Alamitos Winter Championship also began in 2001, when champion Hawkinson banked the winner's share of a $258,000 pot. Whosleavingwho is the stakes lone two-time winner, as the Chicks Beduino gelding took the race in 2003 and '05. World champion Freaky holds the stakes record of :19.24, set in 2010.

Our top choice is Hez Our Secret, a 4-year-old stallion by First Down Dash and the third-fastest qualifier. Hez Our Secret scored a half-length win and posted a 108 TrackMaster speed rating in the second of two trials on January 27, his first start against older horses. He also has the best record of all the finalists at 400 yards, as he has won five of seven at the distance, with one of his setbacks being a second-place finish to Deniro in last year's Grade 1, $948,000 Los Alamitos Super Derby.

Rylees Boy is coming off of a third-place finish in the first of two trials on January 27. An 8-year-old gelding by the Heza Fast Man stallion Heza Motor Scooter, Rylees Boy is the reigning AQHA champion aged gelding. He should be given another chance in this spot, as he ended his 2012 campaign with victories in the 440-yard, $354,000 Bank of America Challenge Championship (G1) at Prairie Meadows, and the 440-yard, $750,000 Champion of Champions (G1) at Los Alamitos.

Another 4-year-old contender, Check My Thoughts, is coming off of a solid sophomore campaign that included half-length victories in the 400-yard Golden State Derby (G1) and 400-yard Southern California Derby (G1). The Check Him Out gelding overcame a tough trip in his trial to qualify for this spot.

Passage of the bill, Senate Bill 265, would secure the future impact horse racing has on New Mexico's economy. With the state reporting a net loss of more than 4,500 jobs in 2012, Griego is seeking to align with Gov. Susana Martinez’s job-creation initiative by strengthening the racing industry,which has been a significant contributor of tax revenues to New Mexico’s economy and job creator for the state since 1938.

“This bill would benefit all racetracks throughout New Mexico and would stabilize the nearly 13,000 jobs in the racing industry, in addition to the economic trickle-down effect horseracing has on jobs in rural communities,” Griego said.

An integral part of New Mexico’s tourism and agriculture industries, the racehorse industry contributes $535 million annually to the state’s economy.

SB 265 will be heard Wednesday at 2 p.m. (MST) during the Senate Corporations and Transportation Committee (SCORC). If it is passed, it would take effect on July 1, 2014.

Griego said that SB 265 has the support of the owners of New Mexico's five racetracks, as well as the state's breeders and trainers.

“Horse racing in New Mexico has proven itself as a very successful tax revenue producer for 75 years,” Griego said. “The expense offset by adding racing days to all of the racetracks would secure the viability of racing in New Mexico for the future.”

In summary, SB 265 would allow a live horse race gaming tax credit to offset the expense of each day that live horse racing is conducted at the premises of a gaming operator licensee that is a racetrack and to promote more live horse racing days in New Mexico. Beginning July 1, 2014 and prior to July 1, 2020, a taxpayer that is a gaming operator licensee that is a racetrack may claim, and the taxation and revenue department may allow, a tax credit in an amount equal to $20,000 for each day that live horse racing is conducted at the licensee's premises during a fiscal year, provided that the maximum credit amount shall not exceed 75 percent of the gaming tax liability due from the taxpayer in the fiscal year.

To be eligible for the live horse race gaming tax credit, a gaming operator licensee that is a racetrack must conduct at least one more day of live racing in current the fiscal year immediately prior to the fiscal year in which the credit is being claimed.

Shaun Hubbard, general manager of Ruidoso Downs Racetrack, said that he supports SB 265 as a key initiative to ensure the vitality of racing at all New Mexico tracks.

“We recognize the history and full economic impact the 75-year history of horse racing has on job creation and economic sustainability at the local and state level,” Hubbard said. “All New Mexico Racetracks and their respective communities will benefit from this bill.”

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The board of directors at Prairie Meadows Racetrack and Casino on Friday voted unanimously to pay $1,000,001 for the naming rights to a 50-meter pool at a proposed YMCA in downtown Des Moines, Iowa.

Project organizers say that the donation pushes fundraising for the YMCA project, which will be located at the former Polk County Convention Center complex, over the final hurdle necessary to make the deal go. The payment will be spread over five years and paid for outside the casino's normal pot of charitable gifts.

According to a report in the Des Moines Register, the Prairie Meadows board's vote is being presented as a way to give the racino and entertainment complex in suburban Altoona a presence in downtown Des Moines and brand “Prairie Meadows Pool” as the future home for an expected group of regional and national swimming competitions.

Prairie Meadows board member Martha Willits called the proposal “really a perfect project for Prairie Meadows to look at” and a major economic development initiative given the scope of the swimming competitions that will be pursued.

“I think there will be precious few if any better naming opportunities than this one,” Willits said.

The 50-meter indoor pool, to be built on a lot just west of the Polk County Convention Complex, is planned to be the centerpiece of the new “Wellmark YMCA,” which could open as early as January 2015.

Another Prairie Meadows board member, John Rowen, called the donation a great move for Prairie Meadows because “it puts the name of Prairie Meadows down there forever.” Rowen added that it also could foster a link between downtown convention operations and recently built casino convention space.

Vernon Delpesce, president and chief executive of the Greater Des Moines YMCA, said he expects downtown YMCA membership to swell from 5,000 to 15,000 when the new facility opens. Swimming competitions would be held weekly, he said.

“Our intention is that this will be a world-class facility,” Delpesce added.

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Seiswho, a homebred gelding by champion Tres Seis owned by Walter R. “Dick” Harrison, was the Great Lakes Quarter Horse Association champion 3-year-old male for the 2012 season.

Trained by Carol Rettele, Seiswho won two races last year, including the 440-yard, $24,746 All American Congress Derby at Beulah Park near Columbus, Ohio. The gelding is a half brother to Grade 3 winners Ida Snow Man and Fearles Fred, and stakes winner Mr Corona To You.

Other 2012 GLQHA award winners were David and Shirley Gates' Request And Achieve (champion 2-year-old female), Kim Gates' Im A Money Maker (champion 2-year-old male), Coronet Farm's Princess Royal Blew (champion 3-year-old male), and David and Tammy Lewis' Rise Above The Trees (champion aged female).

The GLQHA also distributed awards to the following Michigan-bred champions: Sue Belden's Lads Concept (3-year-old filly), T Bill Stables Inc.'s Jimmy James 123 (3-year-old male), Rise Above The Trees (aged female), and Kim Gates' Justa Toolin (aged male).

The 2012 GLQHA Paint champions were David and Shirley Gates' Uno Machine (3-year-old or older female) and Dar Howard's Love That Shotgun (3-year-old or older male). The association also distributed awards to Anthony Cunningham (champion high-point trainer), Lee Gates (champion high-point jockey), and David and Shirley Gates (champion high-point owners).

The GLQHA championships were restricted to horses who made at least three starts at Mt. Pleasant Meadows Racetrack in 2012.

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Penn National Gaming has announced that plans are underway for a new 150-room hotel at Zia Park Racetrack and its Black Gold Casino in Hobbs, New Mexico.

Construction is projected to begin during the second half of this year. The $26.2-million hotel will feature six suites, business and meeting space, and an exercise and fitness facility. The hotel will be within walking distance of the racetrack and casino and other local attractions such as the Lea County Event Center and the Western Heritage Museum and Lea County Cowboy Hall of Fame.

“Our new hotel will give guests an on-site hotel experience, which we haven't been able to offer before to our racing and casino patrons from regional markets,” said Zia Park vice president and general manager Rafael Verde. “This is an important step in our plan to provide the area with a complete racing and gaming entertainment experience.”

Penn National Gaming's hotel announcement comes on the heels of a successful 2012 at Zia Park and its Black Gold Casino. Casino revenues were nearly 12 percent higher than in 2011 and generated $19.2 million in racing purse money, an increase of 12 percent from the $17.1 million in purse money generated from casino revenue the previous year.

Also in 2012, the facility generated $25 million in gaming taxes for the state and $632,000 in local taxes. The racino invested $634,000 to expand its Centennial Steakhouse restaurant, nearly doubling its size from 44 to 80 seats.

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Hialeah Park ends its 30-day meet this weekend with six official stakes races, two on Saturday and four on Sunday.

A full field of 10 has been entered in Saturday's 400-yard, $30,000 Sunshine State Derby. Gettin Famous, the 3-1 morning-line favorite, is coming off of a half-length victory as the 9-5 choice in a 350-yard maiden dash at Hialeah on January 11. Donnie Strickland trains the One Famous Eagle gelding for owner Gene Cox.

The complete lineup for the Sunshine State Derby, in post position order including jockey assignments and morning-line odds – Aforgone Conclusion (Omar Reyes), 10-1; Pat Hand (Brian Theriot), 8-1; Toast To First (Raul Gutierrez), 15-1; Azyouseeirap (Ruben Saenz), 10-1; Smokin Habanero (F.R. Ramirez Jr.), 4-1; Lynch Full Flight (Juan F. Garcia), 20-1; Gettin Famous (Freddie Martinez), 3-1; Channelislandsflyer (Osdany Leal), 8-1; Ahs Ironsmash (Shanley Jackson), 5-1; and Piranhaaa (Robert Cummings), 6-1.

Also on Saturday, recent allowance winner Tampico heads a field of 10 in the $20,000 South Florida Invitational Stakes for 3-year-olds. A gelding by champion FDD Dynasty campaigned by the partnership of Fernandez, Yamilet, and Santiago, and trained by Eddy Malagon, Tampico has won four of eight outs and has banked $27,432 while racing primarily in Florida and Louisiana.

Other contenders in the 440-yard stakes include Kathy Pruitt Germany's Fast N Furious B, the winner of last year's Grade 3 Four Corners Futurity at SunRay Park; Dan I. Frazier's Hez Snow Quick, the runner-up to Joker On Jack in last year's Hialeah Laddie Futurity; Sam W. Green's Ms Southern Dynasty, the longshot winner of the December 30, 400-yard Hialeah Lassie Futurity; and Alejandro Medina's Stormy Cartel, the runner-up to Habits Secret in last season's Governor's Stakes at Hoosier Park in Indiana. On closing day, Sunday, Hialeah Park will offer a total of 10 races worth at least $303,200 in purses, topped by four stakes – the 440-yard, $100,000 South Florida Derby; the 440-yard, $75,000 Hialeah Invitational Championship; the 1,000-yard, $25,000 Sailfish Stakes; and the 300-yard, $20,000 Roble Rojo Bonus Challenge Stakes.

Fastest qualifier Carverson drew post 6 for the South Florida Derby. An Oklahoma-bred colt by world champion Wave Carver owned by Jose R. Herrera and trained by Rogelio Martinez, Carverson is coming off of a one-length victory in the last of four trials on January 26. The colt ran fourth, 1 ¼ lengths behind winner Joker On Jack, in the $204,440 Hialeah Laddie Futurity on December 30.

The complete lineup for the South Florida Derby, in post position order including jockey assignments – Habits Secret (Alejandro Luna), James On The Run (Oscar Rincon), Panther Speed (Omar Reyes), Mi Angela (Agustin Silva), Rawhide Creek (Freddie Martinez), Carverson (Manuel Gutierrez), Nomomonkeybizness (Raul Gutierrez), Streakin Carter (Francisco Ramirez Jr.), Jessaraceaway (Alex Baldillez Jr.), and Hey List (Gerardo Garrido).

Alicia L. Hill Smith's Feature My News will put his three-race win streak on the line in the Hialeah Invitational Championship. A 4-year-old son of Feature Mr Jess trained by Matt Frazier, Feature My News will be facing older horses for the first time. The gelding has won two races during the current meet, including the 440-yard, $100,000 Hialeah Derby on December 30.

Another contender from the Frazier barn, Glenn L. Graff's Joltin Jess, has won a pair of stakes this season. The 5-year-old gelding by Take Off Jess is coming off of a 1 3/4-length win as the odds-on favorite in the 440-yard, $20,000 Sawgrass Stakes on February 3.

The complete lineup for the Hialeah Invitational Championship, in post position order including jockey assignments – BPs Jumpin Frisco (Troy Crissup), Nowurtalkin (Rodrigo Vallejo), Mr Comando (Agustin Silva), Freaking (Alejandro Luna), Sstrickortreat (Francisco Ramirez Jr.), Joltin Jess (Alex Baldillez Jr.), Jess A Runner (Osdany Leal), Arbeka Raincloud (Brian Theriot), Honor Me Good (Oscar Rincon), and Feature My News (Shanley Jackson).

The Sailfish Stakes has drawn a field of eight distance specialists, all of whom will be making their first career starts at the 1,000-yard trip. Airizon, a homebred 4-year-old mare by Tale Of The Cat (TB) racing for the late Robert Gentry, is coming off of a second-place finish to Doyles Dashing Star in the 660-yard, $20,000 Moonstone Stakes on February 3.

The complete lineup for the Sailfish, in post position order including jockey assignments – Classy Cora (Robert Cummings), Airizon (Andrew Samaniego), Eye See You Dipping (Francisco Ramirez Jr.), Takin The High Road (Shanley Jackson), Streakin King Corona (Freddie Martinez), Sassy Suzze (Ruben Saenz), Trs Hotshot Adam (Djalma Macedo), and Louisianas Last (Troy Crissup).

J. Garvan Kelly's Shanachee brings a two-race win streak into the Roble Rojo Bonus Challenge. A 4-year-old mare by champion Country Chicks Man trained by Judd Kearl, Shanachee scored a neck victory in a 300-yard, $16,000 open conditioned allowance sprint on January 18.

Shanachee's nine opponents include J.B. and Sherrie Morace's Sixes Quick Jolla, a 4-year-old daughter of Streakin La Jolla who ran second in the 220-yard, $20,000 Tallahassee Stakes on December 30.

The complete lineup for the Roble Rojo Bonus Challenge, in post position order including jockey assignments – Rebas A Rockin (Osdany Leal), Jess On A High (Robert Cummings), Speed Smith (Manuel Gutierrez), Sixes Quick Jolla (Rodrigo Vallejo), Shanachee (Agustin Silva), Hesa Winner (Gerardo Garrido), Gold Rrrush (Oscar Rincon), Jazzy Sixes (Freddie Martinez), Waving At The Chicks (Shanley Jackson), and Logans Dash (Alex Baldillez Jr.).

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Sunland Park racing secretary Robbie Junk has received 23 nominations for Sunday's 350-yard, $85,000 New Mexico Horse Breeders' Association Stakes (RG2) for state-bred 3-year-olds.

One of the nominees, Rex Hill, has earned $147,220 from nine races for his owners, Ross Hinkins and David Hinkins of Roosevelt, Utah. The Jesse James Jr colt has won five races, including last year's 350-yard, $167,700 New Mexico Breeders' Futurity (RG3) at SunRay Park, and 300-yard, $50,500 New Mexican Spring Fling Stakes (R) at Sunland.

Nominee Slew By You, a daughter of Dash Ta Fame racing for Valle Guadiana Corporation, has won three consecutive starts, including the 400-yard, $252,796 Shue Fly Stakes (RG2) on January 5. The filly has banked $145,940 from eight outs.

Other prominent nominees include The Four Js, a graded stakes placed gelding by Get Down Perry racing for David E. Barrett and J & SM Inc., Runin Sixes, a filly by Sixes Royal who ran third in last year's Zia Futurity (RG1) for owners Peter Gallegos, Valle Guadiana Corporation, and J. Patricia Gonzalez, and Posies Desiria, a Desirio filly campaigned by Leighann Kovac and David Bloomer who won last year's 400-yard, $82,070 New Mexico State Fair Senorita Futurity (RG3) at The Downs at Albuquerque.

Entries for the NMHBA Stakes will be taken on Tuesday. Past winners of the stakes include Namehimastreaker (1997) and Blazin N Shakin (2008).

The Magnolia Stakes has drawn a full field of eight, including 5-2 morning-line favorite Panther Warrior. Our top selection is Mr Fallen Angel, a 4-year-old son of world champion Oak Tree Special who has been a solid distance performer since his first try around a turn last October. Mr Fallen Angel benefited from a ground-saving trip when he scored a nose victory and earned a TrackMaster speed rating of 87 in an allowance race on January 20, and he figures to get a good journey from post 3 in this spot.

Direct Zach Attack faces restricted Louisiana-bred company after his 1 1/4-length win from an outside post in the 870-yard, $15,000 Marathon Stakes on January 12. A one-time $3,500 claimer, this 7-year-old gelding by the Mamaison (TB) stallion Direct Hit (TB) as won three of his last four outs, all at this distance, and he gets extra points if the track comes up wet.

Panther Warrior must also be respected, as he has made the exacta in all six of his starts over the track. The 6-year-old gelding by champion Panther Mountain ran a close second to Mr Fallen Angel from post 4 in that January 20 allowance race, but he figures to get a better trip as he moves in to post 2 for this try.

Slinkys Fortune is another who likes Louisiana Downs – this 8-year-old gelding by Dashs Slinky has made the exacta in nine of his 11 races at the track. Slinkys Fortune is coming off of a second-place finish to Direct Zach Attack in the Marathon, but he'll have to overcome an outside post in this spot.

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A full field of 10 state-breds has been entered back in the Louisiana Downs Maiden Stakes, an unofficial stakes restricted to horses who were maidens as of December 3. Fastest qualifier and morning-line choice Seza Fast Alysa drew post 6 for the 350-yard dash.

Our top selection is second-fastest qualifier Jet Black Delta, a 3-year-old daughter of Jet Black Patriot and $5,000 claim by owner Donald Guedry and trainer Willie Simien Jr. in November. Making her first start for her new connections, the filly scored a visually impressive 1 1/2-length victory and earned a 79 TrackMaster speed rating in what might have been the toughest of the four trials on January 19.

The connections of third-fastest qualifier Un D Niable thought enough of the Jet Black Patriot gelding to try him against the best 2-year-olds in the 350-yard Heritage Place Futurity (G1) trials in Oklahoma last spring. Since his return to Louisiana in the fall, Un D Niable has hit the board in all three of his races. He ran second, a half of a length behind the fastest qualifier, as the 6-5 favorite in the last of the four heats on January 19.

Cosino Winner is coming off of a 1 1/2-length win and posted a 76 speed rating in the second trial. A sophomore gelding by the Corona Cartel stallion Cosino, Cosino Winner is the most lightly raced of the finalists with just two career outs, and he might have the most upside of any of his opponents.

During the 2011-12 fiscal year, from July 1, 2011-June 30, 2012, equine fatalities at Los Alamitos dropped to 35 from 37 during the 2010-11 fiscal year. In the 2011-12 fiscal year, there were a total of 278 horses euthanized in California as a result of injuries during racing and training, or deaths attributed to a wide array of illnesses, including colic and respiratory and neurological diseases. Of those 278, 207 were euthanized as a result of injuries from racing and training, and 71 were classified as having died from illnesses.

During the previous fiscal year, ending June 30, 2011, there were 265 horses euthanized in California, 186 from racing and training injuries and 79 from illnesses.

The report also included data on mutuel handle in California, which had an all-sources total of $3,077,584,646 for the fiscal year. This marked a 6-percent increase from the $2,903,905,682 wagered during the 2010-2011 fiscal year. Handle for the 2009-10 fiscal year was $3,441,290,099.

Los Alamitos was one of three California tracks that reported a decline in equine fatalities. At Hollywood Park, the number of equine fatalities dropped from 42 to 36, while at Fairplex Park in Pomona the number dropped from six to two. The numbers increased at Del Mar (from eight to 12), Golden Gate Fields (37 to 38), and Santa Anita (30 to 59).

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Montana's five racetracks, located in Billings, Miles City, Great Falls, Missoula, and Kalispell, have been awarded 25 dates for 2013, according to Tom Tucker, the new executive director of the Montana Board of Horse Racing.

The state's racing industry, which is run by the financially strapped MBHR, is looking to mount a comeback this year after most of the tracks were inactive in 2012 due to the board's money problems.

However, it's likely that some of Montana's tracks will not have the financial means or personnel to run this year. For example, the tracks at Missoula and Great Falls haven't held race meets in recent years.

Tucker told the Billings Gazette that the MBHR is hoping to have enough funding on hand this year to conduct at least eight to 10 days of live races statewide. Last year, the three-day meet at Miles City was Montana's only live racing.

“I would love to see as many days as possible, but we also want to be fiscally responsible,” Tucker said.

After covering the costs for track officials and the test barn, Tucker is anticipating having around $90,000 left over to distribute to the tracks for purses and other expenses. The bulk of the money comes from the sport's main revenue sources in Montana – simulcast racing, advance-deposit wagering, and fantasy sports.

“Ninety thousand is not enough (to run all of the 25 race dates),” Tucker said. “I don't want to squelch enthusiasm, but I also want to be realistic.”

Yellowstone Downs in Billings was awarded an eight-day meet, scheduled for August 24-25-31 and September 1-7-8-14-15. Those eight days would once again make Yellowstone Downs the state's longest meet.

Tucker told the Gazette that he would be happy if the Yellowstone Horse Racing Alliance, which runs the Yellowstone Downs meet, could run at least six days this summer. However, with the likelihood of limited financial support from the MBHR, alliance director Ben Carlson said “it's too early to tell” if there will be any racing at the track.

“I wouldn't rule it in, but I wouldn't rule it out,” Carlson said.

All of Montana's tracks granted race days for 2013 will also be undergoing scrutiny over the next month. Each group is required to submit written answers to about 20 questions – also covering contracts and personnel – by March 1. The MBHR will then conduct a conference call on March 2 to verify the 2013 racing dates, according to Tucker.

That's when a much clearer picture will emerge of which tracks will likely be racing.

Yellowstone Downs' usual eight-day, four-weekend race meet in 2012 was canceled in early June last year due the MBHR’s financial hardships. While the racing industry has struggled statewide, the 2011 Yellowstone Downs meet was relatively successful, with daily averages of 3,957 for attendance and $87,034 for betting handle.

With limited state money this summer, Tucker suggested that the YHRA could possibly "get through this tough time" by also mustering some financial support from the community.

Besides Yellowstone Downs, Great Falls was awarded six race days in 2013, followed by Kalispell with five and Missoula and Miles City with three days apiece. Miles City is scheduled to get the season started on May 12.

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Net income for Penn National Gaming Inc. fell 12 percent during the 2012 calendar year, according to financial statements released by the company last week.

PNGI's net income reached $212 million, compared to $242.4 million for 2011. The company's net income for the final quarter of 2012 dropped 54 percent to $20.2 million, compared to $44 million during the same period the previous year.

“It was a tough last quarter, much tougher than we would have liked,” said PNGI chairman and chief executive officer Peter Carlino. “But at Penn we always like to take the long view, and long view looks very good.”

PNGI's projects include the relocation of two Ohio racetracks from Columbus (Beulah Park [Thoroughbred]) and Toledo (Raceway Park [Harness]) to Dayton and Youngstown, two untapped gaming markets. The next step for relocation is approval by the Ohio State Racing Commission, an action that could be taken in either March or April.

As a result of its 2012 results, PNGI set its net income projections for this year at $263.9 million, down from the earlier projection of $281.1 million.

PNGI operates several racetracks and gaming facilities in the United States, including Zia Park and its Black Gold Casino in Hobbs, New Mexico.

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The horse racing industry in Indiana might be undergoing a review to assess whether it is worth the state's investment. A portion of the slot machine revenue from Hoosier Park in Anderson and Indiana Downs in Shelbyville goes to track purses and breeders' awards, and Gov. Mike Pence's proposed budget supports ending the subsidy and putting the money toward Medicaid.

Indiana Senate Appropriations Chairman Luke Kenley (R-Noblesville) has called the subsidy a commitment made to the horse racing industry as part of the rationale for authorizing the racinos in the first place. Recently, Kenley said it's time the state had solid information on whether it's getting its money's worth from those efforts, and he's authored a bill calling for an independent study of horse racing's economic impact in Indiana. The Appropriations Committee unanimously supported the bill, sending it to the full Senate for a possible vote next week. Horsemen's groups are endorsing the proposal, predicting a study will prove their value to the state.

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The Jockeys' Guild on January 28 honored four people for outstanding achievements and contributions to the horse racing industry. The awards were presented during a luncheon in their honor at the Guild's assembly in Hollywood, Florida.

One of the honorees, G.R. Carter Jr., received the Jacky Martin Award, given to the outstanding Quarter Horse jockey the previous year. Carter is the all-time purse-earning Quarter Horse rider at more than $60 million, and he is a 10-time AQHA champion jockey.

Other awards were presented to Ramon Dominguez (Laffit Pincay Jr. Award for Thoroughbred jockeys) and Jerry and Nancy LaSala, (Eddie Arcaro Award for exceptional commitment to the industry).

“These four have brought tremendous honor to the sport of horse racing,” said Jockeys' Guild national manager Terry Meyocks. “Each has shown a lifelong commitment to excellence in racing, and they are extremely deserving of their accolades.”

Also at the assembly, Guild membership voted to support tightening of medication rules and penalties, citing the potential to improve safety for riders. Members passed a resolution supporting The Jockey Club's Reformed Racing Medication Rules, including a two-category medication classification, progressive points-style penalties, and reciprocity among jurisdictions.

The resolution states: “No race-day medication shall be permitted with the exception of Lasix (furosemide), which should be administered by an independent regulatory veterinarian.”

"Our unanimous vote to support these rules should send a strong signal that the Jockeys' Guild is united in efforts to make racing safer for both jockeys and horses," Guild chairman John Velazquez said. "This is our livelihood, and we strongly encourage these efforts which will strengthen the integrity of racing.”

In addition, Guild members elected two new active jockeys to serve on the board of directors. Mike Smith and Joe Bravo are replacing Jerry LaSala and Perry Compton on the board. The membership also re-elected the Guild's officers, including Velazquez, chairman; G.R. Carter, vice chairman; Rodney Prescott, secretary; and Joel Campbell, treasurer.

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A new federal immigration rule will benefit the horse racing industry, the National Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association said last week.

The rule will take effect in early March, according to the Obama administration, and it will allow undocumented spouses and children of U.S. citizens to apply for a waiver while in the country. If the waiver is granted, the applicant will then briefly leave the U.S. to apply for his or her immigrant visa abroad.

“This change has the potential to be very beneficial to the whole industry,” said National HBPA chief executive officer Phil Hanrahan. “It can have a very positive impact on many hundreds – if not thousands – of dedicated grooms, farm workers, and their families, and it could help to address the need for skilled workers both at the track and on horse farms.”

According to the HBPA, the in-country waiver repeals the previous rule by which the husband or wife of a U.S. citizen was barred from applying for a green card in the U.S. if they originally entered without a visa. To obtain lawful status, the immigrant had to leave the U.S. and apply for a visa at a U.S. embassy in their home country.

However, leaving the U.S. barred the immigrant from returning for up to 10 years unless he or she could prove their U.S. citizen or legal resident spouse would suffer extreme hardship in their absence.

Will Velie of Horseman Labor Solutions, which assists the National HBPA, said applications must be filed by March 4, and that applicants must have an approved 1-130 petition. The petition allows for a citizen or lawful permanent resident of the U.S. to establish the relationship to certain alien relatives who wish to immigrate to the U.S., according to United States Citizenship and Immigration Services.

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Geral Dewitt's Direct Zach Attack, a 7-year-old son of the Mamaison (TB) stallion Direct Hit (TB), drew the rail post for Saturday's 870-yard, $35,000 Magnolia Stakes (R) for state-breds at Louisiana Downs.

Trained by Anthony Arey, Direct Zach Attack is a one-time $3,500 claimer who has won three of his last four races – all at the 870 distance – including the $15,000 Marathon Stakes on January 12. Donell Blake will ride the gelding on Saturday.

Direct Zach Attack's seven opponents include Henry L. Padgett's Slinkys Fortune and Kellie Hebert's Mr Fallen Angel, the second- and third-place finishers, respectively, in the Marathon. An 9-year-old Dashs Slinky gelding, Slinkys Fortune has won 11 of his 32 races at the 870-yard trip and five of his 11 outs at Louisiana Downs, including last year's Magnolia Stakes. The Magnolia Stakes is the sixth race on Louisiana Downs' nine-race program. Scheduled post time is 3 p.m. (CST).

The complete lineup, in post position order including jockey assignments – Direct Zach Attack (Donell Blake), Panther Warrior (Jesse Chavis), Mr Fallen Angel (Antonio Alberto), Tachas Got Game (J.D. Mitchener), Dr Drip (Danny Lavergne), Slinkys Fortune (Gilbert Ortiz), Worlds On High (Alfonso Lujan), and Heza Fast Corridor (Garrett Medina).

Our top choice in the Party Girl is La Mos Chingono, a classy 6-year-old daughter of Heza Fast Dash who scored a neck victory as the odds-on favorite in this race last season. La Mos Chingono has made the trifecta in all nine of her starts at this distance, and she won a total of three 350-yard stakes last year, including the $40,000 Audubon Stakes (R) at Fair Grounds Racecourse.

Game Patriots Delux is coming off of two victories against stakes-quality state-bred allowance company. A 4-year-old mare by Game Patriot, Game Patriots Delux scored a half-length win on a muddy track against a field that included La Mos Chingono on January 12, and it's also worth noting that she has won three of her six outs at the 350-yard distance.

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A full field of 10, including Grade 1 winner and 3-1 morning-line favorite Charal Kid, will face the starter in Saturday's 350-yard, $15,000 Swift Stakes. Our top selection is Charal Kid, who takes a big class and distance drop after his ninth-place finish in the 440-yard, $750,000 Champion of Champions (G1) at Los Alamitos on December 15. A 7-year-old gelding by the late Streakin La Jolla, Charal Kid showed his class when he scored a head victory with a 113 TrackMaster speed rating in last year's 440-yard, $100,000 Refrigerator Handicap (G1) at Lone Star Park, but he might even be better at 350-yards, as his record shows six wins in 12 starts at this shorter trip.

Taylors Toastin Papa, a 6-year-old stallion by champion Toast To Dash, is shortening back to what might be his best distance after a third-place finish in the 440-yard, $100,000 Louisiana Champions Day Classic (RG2) at Fair Grounds on December 8. Taylors Toastin Papa has made the exacta in 10 of his 14 350-yard races, and his record at the distance includes stakes wins against state-bred company at Louisiana Downs and Delta Downs last season.

Martini Mountain ended his 2012 campaign in a big way, as this 7-year-old son of champion Panther Mountain scored a neck victory at odds of 47-1 in the Louisiana Champions Day Classic. The gelding is coming off of a fourth-place finish at shorter odds in the 250-yard, $15,000 Harrah's Dash Stakes, but he's made the exacta in seven of his 11 races at 350 yards, so he might appreciate the cut back in distance.

Sparrow Contender is winless in his six 350-yard races, but this 4-year-old stallion by the Corona Cartel stallion Contend is coming off of a victory against a solid field in Harrah's Dash. Martin Rubalcava takes over the mount on Sparrow Contender, as Santos Carrizales has opted to ride Charal Kid.

The six ambassadors range in age from 21-27 and hail from Kentucky, California, and New York. On the tour, they will meet with national and local media outlets, appear on college campuses and in high-traffic, strategic locations within each destination city, seeking to draw a younger audience to horse racing and the big race-day events in each city.

“The ABRV gives me and my team the opportunity to share our passion for the majestic sport of Thoroughbred racing with the Millenial generation,” said ambassador Jose Contreras, a native of Long Beach, California, who is taking a one-year sabbatical from the University of Arizona Race Track Industry Program to join the tour. “It's a great feeling to know that I'm a part of this initiative, and that we can make a positive impact.”

Visitors to the bus will be able to watch videos on racing's biggest stars, place “fantasy” wagers for prizes, register for VIP experience, and receive free racing gifts from America's Best Racing and their home track.

On race days, the bus will appear at the home racetrack and change into a “Game Day” type of experience, beginning with a live-stream video preview of the day's event. The bus and its ambassadors will also appear at mainstream events such as top sporting, pop culture, and entertainment venues, to interact with the target demographic of the Millenial generation.

Stories, video content, and photographs from their journey will be posted to America's Best Racing's website (www.followhorseracing.com), which launched last year with a focus on fashion, lifestyle, racing, gambling, travel, celebrities, and legends.

“Horse racing has all the things you need to have a great day out with friends and family,” said Contreras. “The beauty and athleticism of the horses, the strength of the jockeys, the coaching strategies of the trainers, the fashion of the spectators, the great food and drinks, the excitement and drama of photo finishes and the gambling action are all there to be had.”

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Louisiana Downs presents a stakes doubleheader on Saturday. Post time for the first of nine races will be 1 p.m. (CST).

Carroll and Evelyn Carnahan's Game Patriots Delux, a homebred 4-year-old daughter of Game Patriot, brings a two-race win streak into the 350-yard, $35,000 Party Girl Stakes (R) for state-bred fillies and mares. Game Patriots Delux is coming off of a half-length victory in a 350-yard, $18,000 allowance sprint for Louisiana-bred distaffers on January 12.

The likely favorite in the Party Girl, Oscar Rohne's La Mos Chingono, ran third, three-quarters of a length behind Game Patriots Delux, in that January 12 allowance race. However, the 6-year-old Heza Fast Dash mare scored victories in three Louisiana-bred stakes last season, including the Party Girl.

The complete lineup for the Party Girl Stakes, in post position order including jockey assignments – Jessalittlecourage (Jesse Chavis), Time Of Love (David Alvarez), Game Patriots Delux (Danny Lavergne), La Mos Chingono (John Hamilton), On Paw Paws Dime (Alfonso Lujan), and Unquestionable (Eddie Cox).

Grade 1 winner Charal Kid is one of 10 sprinters entered in Saturday's 350-yard, $15,000 Swift Stakes. A homebred 7-year-old gelding by Streakin La Jolla racing for Malinche Cattle Company Inc., Charal Kid is coming off of a ninth-place finish in the 440-yard, $750,000 Champion of Champions (G1) at Los Alamitos on December 15.

Charal Kid ran second, a neck behind winner Eyesa Western, in last year's Swift Stakes. The gelding won four stakes in Louisiana and Texas last season, and his 2012 record included a head win at odds of 16-1 in the 440-yard, $100,000 Refrigerator Handicap (G1) at Lone Star Park.

Charal Kid drew post 2 and will be ridden by Santos Carrizales

Contenders Sparrow Contender and Taylors Toastin Papa will break from posts 6 and 7, respectively. A 4-year-old stallion by the Corona Cartel stallion Contend campaigned by Israel Soliz Jr., Sparrow Contender will be making his first start since January 12, when he scored a neck victory in the 250-yard Harrah's Dash Stakes.

Taylors Toastin Papa, a 6-year-old stallion by champion Toast To Dash, earned $111,360 from nine outs last year for owner Gerald D. Libersat. Taylors Toastin Papa won three Louisiana-bred stakes last year, and he is coming off of a third-place finish in the December 2, $100,000 Louisiana Champions Day Classic (RG2) at Fair Grounds Racecourse in New Orleans.

The complete lineup for the Swift Stakes, in post position order including jockey assignments – Martini Mountain (Danny Lavergne), Charal Kid (Santos Carrizales), Jo Jos Rocket (Raul Ramirez Jr.), Dash For Cache (David Alvarez), Feedingmygator (Antonio Alberto), Sparrow Contender (Martin Rubalcava), Taylors Toastin Papa (Donald Watson), Haystretcher (Alfonso Lujan), Rumbulling Knight (Donald Watson), and Watah Success (Bryan Ernst).

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The weekend's stakes action moves to Hialeah Park on Sunday, as the south Florida track presents the 660-yard, $20,000 Moonstone Stakes, and the 440-yard, $20,000 Sawgrass Stakes.

The Moonstone Stakes has attracted a field of seven middle-distance specialists. Likely favorite Call Me Sundown, a 6-year-old gelding by Call Me Together racing for Lazaro Gonzalez, scored a neck victory in the 660-yard, $20,000 Crystal River Stakes on January 20.

Call Me Sundown drew post 6 and will be ridden again by Osdany Leal.

Crystal River runner-up Doyles Dashing Star drew post 3. A 7-year-old mare by Heza Fast Dash leased by Rachel L. Stephens, Doyles Dashing Star recorded a 2 3/4-length win in a 660-yard, open $16,000 allowance at Hialeah on January 6.

The complete lineup for the Moonstone, in post position order including jockey assignments – Sassy Suzze (Ruben Saenz), Airizon (Shanley Jackson), Doyles Dashing Star (Omar Reyes), Im Capt Morgan (Francisco Ramirez Jr.), TRS Hotshot Adam (Djalma Macedo), Call Me Sundown (Osdany Leal), and Cody O Toole (Agustin Silva).

The 10 fastest qualifiers will meet in the $200,000-est. Winter Championship final on February 17.

The first trial has drawn nine aged sprinters. Our top selection, El Aguila Real, has won five of his eight 400-yard races, and his record at the distance includes a three-quarter length victory in last year's Winter Championship, and a half-length score in last season's Vessels Maturity (G1). A 5-year-old gelding by Corona Czech, El Aguila Real also earned some solid TrackMaster speed ratings in 2012, including a 119 in the Winter Championship and a 111 in the Vessels Maturity.

Rylees Boy is coming off of a head victory in the 440-yard, $750,000 Champion of Champions (G1) on December 15. This hard-hitting 8-year-old son of Heza Motor Scooter must be respected on class, but ironically he is winless in six outs at this shorter distance.

New Look, a 4-year-old gelding by Walk Thru Fire, will be making his first start against older horses here. A Grade 2 winner, New Look had a solid beginning and end to his sophomore campaign, and he currently sports a two-race win streak that includes a visually impressive 1 1/4-length victory in the 400-yard, $25,000 Town Policy Stakes on November 2.

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The second Winter Championship trial has drawn a field of 10. Our top choice is Cold Cash 123, the sport's 2011 world champion. A 5-year-old gelding by Oak Tree Special, Cold Cash 123 is coming off of an eighth-place finish as the 19-10 favorite in the Champion of Champions, but his last 400-yard start resulted in a half-length win in the Grade 1, $100,000 Go Man Go Handicap on September 23, a race in which he posted a strong 113 TrackMaster speed rating.

Check My Thoughts is facing older runners for the first time, but this 4-year-old son of Check Him Out has made the trifecta in all 14 of his starts, and his record at the 400-yard distance includes a half-length victory in last year's $171,000 Southern California Derby (G1), and a half-length win in the $236,000 Golden State Derby. Check My Thoughts earned a career-best 113 speed rating in the Southern California Derby, a race he won as the 2-5 favorite.

Hez Our Secret is coming off of a solid fourth-place finish in the Champion of Champions, but this 4-year-old stallion by all-time leading sire First Down Dash is another who figures to benefit from this shorter trip. Hez Our Secret ran second against the country's best 3-year-olds in last year's $948,000 Los Alamitos Super Derby (G1) and $2.2-million All American Derby (G1).

According to a report in the January 17 edition of the Prescott Daily Courier, Miller hasn't yet made a decision whether to purchase the shuttered track, but he would like to keep things moving so he can open the track in May if things fall into place.

A bankruptcy court is requiring a purchase decision on Yavapai Downs by January 30. Miller's application to ADOR requests 68 live racing days this year, and 68 more days of running Arizona's off-track betting facilities.

The Yavapai County Farm and Agricultural Association abruptly decided to close Yavapai Downs in May 2011, just days before the track was scheduled to open its annual summer race meet. The board said the track didn't have enough money to open, and by July 13, 2011, it filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy.

A federal bankruptcy judge has since approved the sale of Yavapai Downs to Miller for $5.5 million. Miller is now analyzing the condition of the track's facilities during this “due diligence” time period. The U.S. Dept. of Agriculture held a $14.7-million loan on the facilities, mostly for its construction from 1999-2001, and now the USDA plans to transfer $5.5 million of that loan to Miller if he agrees to purchase the track.

Arizona Senator Steve Pierce (R-Prescott), Prescott Valley town manager Larry Tarkowski, Prescott Valley mayor Harvey Skoog, and several horsemen and breeders spoke at a recent Arizona Racing Commission meeting in support of expediting the Yavapai Downs permit application.

Pierce, a Prescott rancher whose horses have raced at Yavapai Downs, also wrote a letter to the commission urging it to grant Miller more off-track betting days than the track has had in the past.

“The lack of live horse racing at Yavapai is negatively impacting the number of horses available for racing at Turf Paradise (in Phoenix),” Pierce said. “Also, it is impacting the breeding, training, and ownership of racehorses in our great state.”

Reviving racing at Yavapai Downs would also help the local economy. The track employed about 300 people every summer, along with hundreds of trainers, jockeys, and assistants.

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In a report to the New Mexico Racing Commission last week, Sunland Park director of racing operations Dustin Dix said that his track is experiencing a double-dight decrease in handle during its current 76-day meet, which opened December 7.

Dix said that Sunland's wagering handle is down 16 percent – 12 percent on-track and 17 percent off-track – from the first six weeks of the track's 2011-12 meet, and he added that gaming revenue for purses has declined by about $200,000 a month.

As a result of the declines, the commission approved Sunland Park's request to cut purses for its remaining trial races from $10,000 to $8,500 per race. This cut would affect the trials for the West Texas Maturity (G3) on February 8, the West Texas Derby (G3) on March 8, and the New Mexican Spring Futurity (RG2) on March 15, and the West Texas Futurity (G1) on March 22.

Dix said that Sunland Park has had increased competition from Speaking Rock Entertainment Center, located just east of El Paso off of Interstate 10. He told the commission that track management has some ideas about increasing business, including a possible truck giveaway tied to its racing rewards program. The track has also closed its Ventana Buffet, which Dix said was losing money, and has replaced it with a restaurant with a sports-bar theme.

The commission also approved Sunland Park's request to change its first-race post time to 1 p.m. (MST), starting February 19.

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Canterbury Park Racetrack has hired Javier Barajas as track superintendent for its 2013 race meet, which opens May 17.

Barajas has held similar positions at Arlington Park, Golden Gate Fields, Fair Grounds, and Retama Park. He is currently track superintendent at Meydan Racecourse in Dubai, home of the world's richest horse race, the $10-million Dubai World Cup.

Barajas will oversee maintenance of Canterbury Park's dirt and turf tracks from April-September.

“I am excited about the opportunity to work for Canterbury Park,” Barajas said. “The track has always been known as one of the safest in the industry, and the management is really focused on improving racing.

“The schedules work perfectly for me to stay on at Meydan and also work at Canterbury,” he added.

Canterbury Park president Randy Sampson said that Barajas is recognized as one of the world's best track superintendents.

“Having Javier in charge of maintaining our racing surfaces demonstrates our commitment to the safety of our equine and human athletes,” Sampson added. “His vast experience as track superintendent at some of the world's top racetracks will be helpful in our efforts to improve the quality of racing at Canterbury Park.”

Canterbury's stable area and main track is scheduled to open for training in April.

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Saddle Brook Jockey Club in Amarillo, Texas, handled nearly $263,500 in simulcast wagers during its first month of operation, according to state figures.

Magellan Gaming and Racing runs Saddle Brook for its owner, Yellow Rose Entertainment. According to Magellan president Corey Johnsen, Saddle Brook contributed $10,365 to purses at Texas racetracks during its first month.

Yellow Rose Entertainment opened Saddle Brook Jockey Club as a first step toward construction of a racetrack that would offer both live and simulcast racing. The company owns 286 acres west of Amarillo and south of Interstate 40.

The Texas Racing Commission authorized the temporary off-site simulcast facility last August, giving Yellow Rose until October 2014 to move operations to the permanent facility.

Johnsen told the Amarillo Globe News that offering simulcast racing gives Saddle Brook time to grow a fan base for horse racing before opening an actual racetrack.

“There is a learning curve,” said Johnsen, who also is president and part owner of Kentucky Downs at Franklin, Ky. “There are a lot of people that you have to teach about your sport, and it just takes time.

“When you don’t have that one- or two-year simulcasting product, people walk around a live racetrack and have no idea what to do, and frankly, it’s so big it’s confusing,” he added. “I believe the ultimate potential is there to do $10 million in handle in a 12-month period.”

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Keith Brackpool, who for three years has served as chairman of the California Horse Racing Board and has been with the CHRB since 2009, has resigned from the board, effective last Thursday, in order to purchase an equity position with the Stronach Group.

A privately held company owned by the Frank Stronach family, the Stronach Group owns and operates several racetracks throughout the United States, as well as the Xpressbet advance deposit wagering company. It also is part owner of HRTV.

CHRB Vice Chairman David Israel will assume the duties of chairman.

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A total of 34 3-year-olds have been entered in Saturday's 440-yard South Florida Derby trials at Hialeah Park.

Rancho Los Dos Potrillos' James On The Run, a gelding by Ivory James, will put his four-race win streak on the line in the first of four trials. James On The Run is coming off of a 1 1/4-length victory in the 350-yard, $86,270 FQHRA Stallion Futurity on December 30.

James On The Run's opponents in the first heat include Kathy Pruitt Germany's Fast N Furious B, the winner of last year's Grade 3, $129,000 Four Corners Futurity at SunRay Park in New Mexico, and Dan Frazier's Hez Snow Quick, the runner-up in the December 30, 400-yard Hialeah Laddie Futurity.

Stormy Cartel, a gelded son of Cartels Cartel and Grade 1 winner Dinastia Toll BRZ racing for Alejandro Medina, tops the second trial. A half brother to two-time champion FDD Dynasty and stakes winner Fishers Destiny, Stormy Cartel ran second, one length behind winner Habits Secret, in last year's 350-yard Governor's Stakes at Hoosier Park.

Dutch Masters III's Rawhide Creek, a prompt favorite in the 400-yard, $20,000 La Nina Invitational Stakes on December 29, is one of the top contenders in heat 3. The Ivory James filly will face Denis and Julie Schoenhofer's Mahna Mahna and Matt Dunn's BP Showy Success, the second- and third-place finishers, respectively, in the Hialeah Lassie Futurity on December 30.

Ms Southern Dynasty, a brown daughter of FDD Dynasty owned by Sam W. Green, is the likely favorite in the fourth trial. Ms Southern Dynasty is coming off of a three-quarter length win in the Hialeah Lassie Futurity.

The 10 fastest qualifiers will meet in the $100,000-added South Florida Derby final on February 17.

A field of eight aged runners, including two 7-year-olds, an 8-year-old, and a 9-year-old, has been entered in the 400-yard, $20,000 City of Hialeah Stakes. Our top choice in this race is Joltin Jess, a versatile 5-year-old son of the Mr Jess Perry stallion Take Off Jess. Joltin Jess is coming off of a neck victory in the 550-yard, $20,000 Orange Blossom Stakes on December 23, but the gelding has also scored solid wins in shorter races. A horse with back class, Joltin Jess was a finalist in the Grade-1, $1-million Heritage Place Futurity in 2010, and he's won two of his three starts since moving to the barn of trainer Matt Frazier last year.

Freaking is adding some distance after he earned a strong 101 TrackMaster speed rating in his nose victory in the 350-yard, $20,000 Signature Stakes on January 6. A 7-year-old gelding by TR Dasher, Freaking has won three of his six outs over this track, including last year's City of Hialeah Stakes.

Honor Me Good is a classy 8-year-old gelding by the First Down Dash stallion With Honors who ran third, three-quarters of a length behind Joltin Jess, in the Orange Blossom. Honor Me Good shortens back to what might be his best distance, as he's made the trifecta in 12 of his 13 400-yard races, and his record at the trip includes a solid victory against a stakes-quality allowance field in Oklahoma last October.

The lone distaffer in the field, Ima Gator Fan is a 4-year-old daughter of Storm Cat (TB) stallion City Place (TB) who is coming off of a three-quarter length score as the 11-10 favorite in the 440-yard, $20,000 Hialeah Sophomore Invitational Stakes on December 29. Ima Gator Fan will be making her first start against older sprinters here, but she's won four of her seven outs over this track, including last year's 440-yard, $100,000 South Florida Derby.

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Sunday's $20,000 Biscayne Stakes matches a full field of 10 3-year-olds going 250 yards, a shortened distance that six of the entrants haven't even tried. Our top selection is Flying To The Dash, a California-bred gelding by Fishers Dash who drops in class and shortens in distance off of a solid fourth-place finish in the January 6, 350-yard Signature Stakes. Flying To The Dash earned a 96 TrackMaster speed rating in that race, his first-ever against stakes company, and his record also includes a maiden win at this distance at Will Rogers Downs last fall.

A graded stakes qualifier in Texas last season Bubba Carver earned a 93 speed rating in his visually impressive 1 1/2-length victory in the 400-yard, $20,000 Hialeah El Nino Invitational Stakes on December 29. A nicely bred gelding by 2006 world champion Wave Carver, Bubba Carver is making his first start at this shorter trip, but he did break his maiden by 1 ½ lengths going 300 at Sam Houston Race Park last spring.

Natovas Courage beat our top choice in a non-winners-of-two 220-yard allowance over the track on December 23, so he should be suited for this slightly longer distance. A bay gelding by the Mr Jess Perry stallion Captain Courage, Natovas Courage was a finalist in last year's Governor's Stakes at Hoosier Park and Prairie Meadows Juvenile Challenge in Iowa.

Princess Lil Bit was the fastest qualifier to the December 30, 400-yard Hialeah Lassie Futurity. This bay daughter of the Corona Cartel stallion Coronas Leaving You ran a disappointing 10th as the 19-10 favorite in the final, but she had a troubled trip and might deserve another chance at this shorter distance.

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Hialeah's Sunday program includes the 660-yard, $20,000 Crystal River Stakes, and the 250-yard, $20,000 Beautiful Prairie Stakes. The Crystal River has drawn a field of eight, including morning-line favorite Doyles Dashing Star. A 7-year-old mare by Heza Fast Dash, Doyles Dashing Star has won two races at this uncommonly run distance, and her record at the trip includes a 2 3/4-length victory in an open $16,000 allowance race on January 6.

The Beautiful Prairie has attracted a full field of 10 aged runners. Dashing Coverage, the 3-1 morning-line choice, won two of three races during the 2012 Remington Park meet, and he won at this distance at Hialeah last winter.

The measure, House Bill 5546, was approved by the Michigan legislature late last year. Snyder said he considers the measure likely to be unconstitutional without the approval of voters at statewide and local levels. Because he will not sign it, the measure will be “pocket vetoed,” meaning it will expire this week and won't become law.

HB 5546 was aimed at allowing racetracks to install Instant Racing machines, allowing customers to place bets based on historical horse races. The goal was to provide a new gambling attraction to help draw more customers in an era when Michigan's horse tracks have lost ground to casinos and lotteries.

Snyder administration spokesman Caleb Buhs said that statewide and local votes would be needed to authorize this form of gambling.

In 2004, Michigan voters approved a constitutional amendment that requires some types of gambling expansions to get approval from state and local voters. However, supporters of HB 5546 said they do not believe the 2004 measure would have applied to their plan and that votes of the people would not have been required. But some casino interests disagreed, and it appeared legal challenges would have been likely had Snyder signed the measure into law.

Only four horse tracks remain open with live racing in Michigan – Mount Pleasant Meadows, Sports Creek Raceway in Swartz Creek, Hazel Park Harness Raceway and Northville Downs. Jackson Harness Raceway, Saginaw Harness Raceway, Great Lakes Downs in Muskegon and Pinnacle Race Course in southeast Michigan all have closed since 2005.

The legislation that Snyder won’t sign had sought to allow machines that have a catalog of thousands of already-run horse races from around the nation. Bettors are not provided with the location or date of the race, or the names of horses or jockeys. But they do have access to some of the same data that would be provided in programs for live races.

Supporters of the legislation had said that should not be considered an expansion of gaming, but rather a continuation or adaptation of gambling that’s already allowed.

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Indiana’s two horse racing tracks, Hoosier Park and Indiana Downs, could see their revenues increase under a plan that would give each its own type of racing.

Hoosier Park owner Centaur Holdings LLC is in the process of acquiring the Indiana Grand Casino and Downs in Shelbyville. The Indiana Horse Racing Commission has approved the plan, and the Indiana Gaming Commission has granted conditional approval pending financing and further regulatory review.

Officials at Indianapolis-based Centaur hope to shift all Thoroughbred and Quarter Horse racing to Indiana Downs and all harness racing to Hoosier Park in Anderson this spring if regulators grant final approval by March 1.

Indiana Downs and Hoosier Park both opened casinos in 2008 and 2009 after receiving legislative approval to do so in 2007. A portion of the tax revenue generated by the slots helps support the racehorse breeding industry.

But wagering on Indiana races has fallen steadily since 2005, and horsemen hope Centaur will help attract more bettors and improve the tracks and the overall quality of racing.

Centaur plans major improvements at both casinos and racetracks, including a 1,500-person music venue in Anderson, Vice President and General Counsel John Keeler said. Centaur also is considering an entertainment complex and additional slot machines for the Shelbyville casino and has proposed building 300 more horse stalls there.

"Both the Indiana Gaming and Horse Racing Commissions' unanimous approvals place the purchase of Indiana Grand Casino and Downs near completion, with several regulators still needing to fully review the finalized agreement," said Rod Ratcliff, Centaur chairman and chief executive officer, in a statement. "Centaur is ready to expand our Indiana roots, investment, and positive community relationships through the successful completion of this acquisition."

Founded in 1993, Centaur is a privately owned company managed by Indiana residents and headquartered in Indianapolis.

"The commissions' concurrence is a sign of confidence in our management team's experience and knowledge in creating quality entertainment experiences for our customers," added Ratcliff.

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Sunland Park general manager Harold Payne has announced that he will step down from his position, effective April 1.

Payne, who has been involved in New Mexico's horse racing industry since the early 1970s, told Sure Bet Racing News that he was leaving Sunland Park to pursue other interests and spend more time with his family.

Rick Baugh, formerly the assistant general manager at Zia Park, has confirmed that will become Payne's successor at Sunland. Baugh served as general manager at Ruidoso Downs before he took a similar post at Zia Park when about five years ago. He told Sure Bet that he plans to begin working at Sunland Park on March 1.

Payne served as Sunland Park's general manager since 1993. A native of Shallowater, Texas, northwest of Lubbock, he graduated from Texas Tech University with a Bachelor of Science degree in animal business in 1973.

Payne's first job in racing came at Ruidoso Downs in 1971, and he has since held just about every job in the industry. His first job as a racing official was as a clerk of scales, and he has also been a steward, paddock judge, identifer, tattooer, placing judge, timer, clocker, assistant starter, racing secretary, and director of racing.

Under the direction of Payne and track owner Stan Fulton, Sunland Park has become the premier racetrack in the southwest. The track's $800,000 Sunland Derby (G3) is the only graded Thoroughbred stakes in New Mexico, and it has become a major stepping stone for horses prepping for the Triple Crown. Payne also instituted the Championship at Sunland Park (G1), a 400-yard Quarter Horse race that began in 2001.

Payne lives in El Paso with his wife of 16 years, Kim.

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Historic Rillito Park in Tucson, Arizona, will open its 71st season on Saturday. Gates will open at 11 a.m., with post time for the first race scheduled for 1 p.m. (MST).

Rillito Park's 16-day meet will run for eight weekends – with the exception of Super Bowl weekend (February 2-3) – through March 17. The track's stakes schedule features the 330-yard, $6,000 Rillito Park Bonus Challenge on January 26.

Rillito Park held its first horse races in the 1940s under the auspices of the Southern Arizona Horse Racing Association. The Pima County Horsemen's Association, which conducts the current Rillito Park meet, has a lease with the county for the track through 2014.

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A full field of 10 state-bred 3-year-olds has been entered in Saturday's 350-yard, $35,000 Bill Montgomery Stakes (RG3) at Louisiana Downs.

Likely favorite Perrys Runaway, a homebred son of Sir Runaway Dash racing for Gerald D. Libersat, drew post 4. The gelding has won four of six starts, including the 350-yard, $100,000 Louisiana Champions Day Juvenile Stakes (RG2) at Fair Grounds on December 8, and he has earned $182,504.

Campaigned at Evangeline Downs last fall, Perrys Runaway ran third, three-quarters of a length behind winner Open Me A Corona, in the 400-yard, $1-million Louisiana Quarter Horse Breeders' Association Futurity (RG1).

Another Bill Montgomery Stakes contender, Jaime Torres' Coltins Fast Dash, finished second to Perrys Runaway in the Louisiana Champions Day Juvenile. A sorrel gelding by Heza Fast Dash, Coltins Fast Dash has banked $93,780 from nine outs.

The complete lineup for the Bill Montgomery Stakes, in post position order including jockey assignments – JCs Who (Garrett Medina), Coltins Fast Dash (Martin Rubalcava), Panther Island (Alfonso Lujan), Perrys Runaway (Donald Watson), Special Fine Corona (Floriberto Maldonado), It Aint Kool (Randy Edison), Dreamers Fast Dash (Jose Vega), Dashin Forward (Jarrod Deschamp), High On Sassy (Antonio Alberto), and T Boy C (Raul Ramirez Jr.).

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JD Baccarat and Zulu Dragon have each been assigned top weight of 125 pounds for Sunday's 350-yard, $50,000 KOFX Radio Handicap (G3) at Sunland Park.

A 5-year-old gelding by Mr Jess Perry trained by Paul Jones for a five-person partnership, JD Baccarat has earned $209,890 from 21 starts, and his six wins include a head victory in last year's 350-yard, $30,000 Higheasterjet Handicap (G3) at Ruidoso Downs. JD Baccarat ran sixth, one length behind winner Kool Angel, in last year's KOFX Radio Handicap.

Zulu Dragon is coming off of an eighth-place finish in the 440-yard, $150,000 Zia Park Championship (G1) on December 2. The 6-year-old stallion by all-time leading sire First Down Dash scored an upset victory in the 350-yard, $55,000 James Isaac Hobbs Stakes (G3) at Zia Park on September 15, and his 2012 race record includes a second-place finish to First Corona Call in the 400-yard, $65,000 West Texas Maturity (G3) at Sunland.

Other prominent aged sprinters entered in the KOFX Radio Handicap include graded stakes winners A Spring Snow and First Corona Call.

Sunland Park racing secretary Robbie Junk received 23 nominations for the KOFX Radio Handicap. The complete list of weights assigned to the nominees – JD Baccarat (125), Zulu Dragon (125), A Spring Snow (124), First Corona Call (124), Corona For You (123), KR Dragonfly (123), One Diamond Kitty (123), Teller More Bourbon (123), Time For A Cigar (123), Jess Cuervo (122), Mighty Famous Vic (122), The Steel Wave (122), Tres Seis Nueve (122), Buildemhigh (121), Featuring This (121), Jaynedalegrace (121), Storm Winds (121), Top Gun B (121), Mo Money Mo Problems (120), JM Blue Light (119), The Redd Zone (119), Time To Zoom (119), and WDC Wendys Wine (119).

Entries for the KOFX Radio Handicap will be drawn on Tuesday.

In this blog installment, we're going to take a look at the 870-yard, $15,000 Marathon Stakes, and the 250-yard, $15,000 Harrah's Dash Stakes from a handicapper's perspective.

The Marathon Stakes has drawn a full field of eight, including morning-line favorite Mr Fallen Angel. Our top selection is Direct Zach Attack, a 7-year-old gelding by the multiple stakes winning Mamaison (TB) stallion Direct Hit (TB) who won two 870 races during the fall meet at Evangeline Downs. Although he defeated claiming company at Evangeline, Direct Zach Attack earned a couple of solid TrackMaster speed ratings at this distance , including a 91 in his 3 1/4-length victory against open $10,000 claimers on November 7.

Mr Fallen Angel ran second, 3 ¼ lengths behind Direct Zach Attack, in that November 7 claiming race. A 4-year-old gelding by 2003 world champion Oak Tree Special, Mr Fallen Angel has made the exacta in all four of his 870 starts, and his record at the distance includes a 2 1/4-length win in the December 20, 870-yard Au Revoir Stakes at Evangeline.

Slinkys Fortune is a veteran campaigner at this 870 trip, as this lightly raced 9-year-old son of the Royal Quick Dash stallion Dashs Slinky has won 10 of 30 at the distance, including the 2009 and '10 editions of the Marathon. Slinkys Fortune has made the trifecta in nine of his 10 starts over this track, and he figures to get a ground-saving trip from his rail post.

Eyeontheline (post 7) and Worlds On High (post 8) both ran well in a strong open $14,000 allowance race at Evangeline on December 19. However, the outside posts they drew won't help their chances in this spot.

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A full field of 10 has been entered in the Harrah's Dash Stakes. Our top choice, Sparrow Contender, is a 4-year-old stallion by the Corona Cartel stallion Contend. Sparrow Contender earned a 108 TrackMaster speed rating when he defeated a strong field in a 220-yard, open $10,000 allowance sprint at Lone Star Park in his last out; his beaten opponents included the graded stakes placed Paint Me Quickid and Jump Down Azoom, a next-out winner against allowance company at Sunland Park.

Toast To Patriot won a pair of allowance dashes at Evangeline Downs last fall, including a 220-yard non-winners-of-four optional claimer with a 94 speed rating on December 19. A 4-year-old gelding by Game Patriot, Toast To Patriot is undefeated in two outs over this track.

Another horse for the course, Rumbulling Knight, has won all three of his starts over the track. This 5-year-old gelding by the Chicks Beduino stallion Midnight Knight has also won two of his four races at this short distance, and he is coming off of a solid second-place finish against state-bred company in a 350-yard, $20,000 allowance race at Evangeline.

Louisiana Downs' opening-day card features a pair of stakes races – the 870-yard, $15,000 Marathon Stakes, and the 250-yard, $15,000 Harrah's Dash Stakes. The Marathon has drawn a full field of eight distance specialists, including likely favorite Mr Fallen Angel.

A 4-year-old gelding by 2003 world champion Oak Tree Special racing for Kellie Hebert, Mr Fallen Angel ended his sophomore season with a 2 1/4-length victory in the 870-yard, $35,000 Au Revoir Stakes at Evangeline Downs on December 20. The one-time $5,000 claimer has won two of his four outs at the 870 distance. He drew post 5 and will be ridden by Antonio Alberto on Saturday.

Other Marathon contenders include Sunset Racing Stable Inc.'s Eyeontheline, a gray 5-year-old Eye Yin You gelding who won last year's Marathon, and Henry L. Padgett's Slinkys Fortune, a 9-year-old Dashs Slinky gelding who has won 11 races at the 870 distance and is coming off of a third-place finish in the Au Revoir.

The complete lineup for the Marathon, in post position order including jockey assignments – Slinkys Fortune (Gilbert Ortiz), Special Oakasion (Garrett L. Medina), Bok Man (Maggie Carter), King Of The Bunnys (Stevie Gillum), Mr Fallen Angel (Antonio Alberto), Direct Zach Attack (Donell Blake), Eyeontheline (Danny Lavergne), and Worlds On High (Alfonso Lujan).

The Harrah's Dash has also drawn a full field, as 10 aged runners are set to go postward. James R. Mitchell's Martini Mountain, a longshot winner of the 440-yard, $100,000 Louisiana Champions Day Stakes (RG2) at Fair Grounds on December 8, will be making his first start at this shorter distance on Saturday.

Also, Kris Locklear's Toast To Patriot and Carlos de Jesus Gonzalez's Jo Jos Rocket will both be putting two-race win streaks on the line in the Harrah's Dash. A 4-year-old gelding by Game Patriot, Toast To Patriot is coming off of a neck victory in a 220-yard, non-winners-of-four optional claiming ($20,000) sprint at Evangeline Downs on December 19. Jo Jos Rocket is a lightly campaigned 4-year-old son of the Corona Cartel stallion The Chocolate Rocket who has won or finished second in all four of his outs.

The complete lineup for the Harrah's Dash, in post position order including jockey assignments – Rumbulling Knight (Gilbert Ortiz), Mossy Oak Tree (Donald Watson), Martini Mountain (Danny Lavergne), Coup de Dasher (John Hamilton), Heza Gand Ds Dash (Alfonso Lujan), Lil Miss Hatch (Floriberto Maldonado), Toast To Patriot (Bobby Ransom), Jo Jos Rocket (Raul Ramirez Jr.), Sparrow Contender (Santos Carrizales), and Wacky And Restless (Jesse J. Chavis).

The Marathon and Harrah's Dash are just two of 12 stakes on Louisiana Downs' $450,000-plus stakes schedule. Highlights of the track's season include the 300-yard, $100,000-added Mardi Gras Futurity (RG3) and 400-yard, $50,000-added Mardi Gras Derby (RG3) for state-breds on March 16, and the 300-yard, $75,000-added Harrah's Futurity (G2) on March 23.

Louisiana Downs' meet runs through March 27. For more information, including condition books and a complete stakes schedule, visit the track's website at www.harrahslouisianadowns.com, and click on the “Live Racing” link on the left side of the homepage.

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Following targeted lobbying from the National Thoroughbred Racing Association, “Fiscal Cliff” legislation passed on New Year's Day by both the U.S. Senate and U.S. House of Representatives and signed by President Obama contained language in Section 68 (c)(3) of the tax code that exempts wagering losses from being subject to the newly enacted limitation on itemized deductions.

“I salute our legislative team in Washington,” said NTRA president and chief executive officer Alex Waldrop. “They not only identified this key issue for members of Congress while various fiscal cliff proposals were in their early stages, the team also proposed a solution that was ultimately adopted.

“While the outcome of these latest negotiations can be viewed as a victory for horseplayers, the issue of comprehensive tax reform is expected to be taken up later this year,” he added. “The NTRA will continue to work closely on this issue and others affecting horse racing and breeding.”

In general for non-professional horseplayers, gambling losses can be claimed against winnings. Limits on itemized deductions could have impacted the amount of gambling losses players could claim against winnings in a given year, leaving horseplayers more liable for taxes on winnings, if an exemption had not been granted.

The legislation also reinstated an important business investment incentive and substantially increased another incentive program. Both incentive programs could have important implications for purchasers of horses, farm equipment and most other depreciable property in 2013.

As a result of the new legislation, bonus depreciation will be reinstated at 50 percent, just as it was in 2012. The expense allowance will be increased to $500,000 in 2013 and retroactively increased from $125,000 to $500,000 for property purchased in 2012.

Bonus depreciation applies only to new property whose original use begins with the taxpayer. All such property must be purchased and placed in service prior to January 1, 2014. A yearling can be an example of a “new” horse purchase.

The $500,000 expense allowance applies to new or used property purchased in 2012 or 2013 and can be used to reduce taxable income derived from the horse business or any other business from which the taxpayer has income. A broodmare is an example of a “used” horse.

Also, accelerated depreciation for young racehorses continues through 2013. This means that taxpayers can depreciate racehorses that are 24 months and younger when purchased and placed in service using a 3-year schedule rather than the previous 7-year schedule. Taxpayers may use this accelerated schedule on any remaining balance that is not written off when taking bonus depreciation and/or the expense allowance.

“The reinstatement of bonus depreciation and the increase in the expense allowance are good news for horse owners and breeders,” said Waldrop. “(This) will be a great year to purchase a Thoroughbred or farm equipment from a tax perspective. The NTRA legislative team will continue its efforts to extend these and other benefits even further to stimulate investment in the Thoroughbred industry.”

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The Jockeys' Guild has announced that 27 members have been elected to the organization’s Senate, with a number of new Senate members, including Alex Birzer, Abel Castellano, Jr., James Graham, Brian Hernandez, Jr. and Sheldon Russell.

Among other responsibilities, the Senate determines the levels of dues and assessments and selects the chairman of the board and other corporate officers. Senate members are elected for a two-year term and will be inducted into the Senate at the Guild’s Annual Meeting to be held January 28-29 in Hollywood, Florida.

“The Guild sincerely appreciates the work and dedication of the previous Senate members and looks forward to working with the newly elected Senate to further the goals of the Guild,” said Terry Meyocks, National Manager of the Jockeys’ Guild. “It is essential for the participation of all our members to continue to work with all other industry participants to improve the sport of horse racing. At the same time the industry must do its part to support and enhance the necessary benefits for active, retired and permanently disabled jockeys.”

The Jockeys' Guild Senate includes several Quarter Horse riders. The complete list of Senate members follows – Eastern: Joe Bravo, Abel Castellano Jr., Javier Castellano, Ramon Dominguez, Stewart Elliot, Mike Luzzi, Sheldon Russell, Edgar Prado, and John R. Velazquez; Central: Robby Albarado, Alex Birzer, Jesse Campbell, Joel Campbell, Jon Court, James Graham, Brian Hernandez Jr., Glen Murphy, and Rodney Prescott; Western: David Flores, Garrett Gomez, Casey Lambert, Mike Smith, Joe Talamo, G.r. Carter, Jay Conklin, Cody Jensen, and Freddie Martinez.

The 27 Senate members are elected by fellow Guild members, with nine from each of the three regions.

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Officials from Hialeah Park have told Florida regulators that the track plans to hold its next Quarter Horse meet from December 13, 2013-February 17, 2014. The 40-day meet is expected to be exclusively for Quarter Horses, but track owner and chairman John Brunetti said last week that the track might amend its filing with the Florida Division of Pari-Mutuel Wagering and hold some Thoroughbred races starting July 1, 2013. That would be the first Thoroughbred racing at Hialeah in 12 years.

Under its Quarter Horse license, Hialeah can have Thoroughbred races for up to 50 percent of its schedule each year. Hialeah will end its current quarter Horse season on February 17. During non-racing hours, the track is continuing construction of a casino on the north side of its grandstand. It plans to open the casino in early July 2013.

The Shue Fly Stakes honors the memory of the mare who was a three-time AQHA world champion in the early 1940s. Past winners of the race include Rabbits Rainbow (1999), Arealstraitheart (2005), and First Blazin Love ('12). The 400-yard stakes record of :18.92 was set by P.K. Thomas' Lethal Delight in 2009.

Our top choice for this year's Shue Fly is An Absolut Diamond, a sorrel gelding by Ketel Won who has won two of his three starts since he moved to the barn of Mike Joiner at Zia Park last fall. An Absolut Diamond scored a half-length victory in what might have been the toughest of the five Shue Fly trials on December 14, and his TrackMaster speed figures have improved in his last three races, a good handicapping angle for a young horse.

Third-fastest qualifier One Blazin Kimbo is coming off of a second-place finish to An Absolut Diamond as the 7-5 favorite. A sorrel gelding by the late Chicks A Blazin, One Blazin Kimbo won a pair of 400-yard sprints at Zia Park last fall, including an entry-level allowance with a solid 107 speed rating on November 20.

Juan M. Gonzalez – a two-time Shue Fly Stakes-winning trainer – is represented by three horses, including trial winners Runin Sixes and Slew By You. A gray daughter of Sixes Royal, Runin Sixes was a prompt 6-5 favorite in the third trial. Slew By You, a filly by the late Dash Ta Fame, has won two consecutive races, and she earned a lifetime-best 100 TrackMaster speed rating when she scored a one-length victory in the fourth Shue Fly trial.

Slew By You's trial was also a strong one, as her defeated opponents included Saturday Nite Romeo and Jesses On The Run, the winner and runner-up in the September 22 New Mexico State Fair Senor Futurity (RG3) at The Downs at Albuquerque, and New Mexico Cup Futurity (RG2) runner-up Jess A Satin Chicks.

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Sunday's 400-yard, $100,000 Charger Bar Handicap (G2) at Los Alamitos Racecourse has drawn a solid field of 10 fillies and mares.

Flame N Flash, our top selection, is coming off of a solid second-place finish to reigning AQHA champion aged gelding Rylees Boy in the 440-yard, $750,000 Champion of Champions (G1) on December 15. A 4-year-old mare by Walk Thru Fire, Flame N Flash earned a 116 TrackMaster speed rating in that longer race, but she also recorded solid figures during a four-race win streak that included half-length victories in the 400-yard, $150,000 Mildred N. Vessels Memorial Handicap (G1) on September, and the 400-yard, $214,000 La Primera del Ano Derby (G2) back in April.

Speed-figure players will also like the chances of Thisfeatureisspecial, a 6-year-old daughter of Feature Mr Jess who drew just outside Flame N Flash. A graded stakes winner during the Remington Park spring meet, Thisfeatureisspecial has won just one of her 13 starts at Los Alamitos, but she's run close to some tough ones in recent outs, including 2011 world champion Cold Cash 123, two-time champion Jess You And I, and Grade 1 winners Fredaville, Chivalry SR, and El Aguila Real.

Shez Jess Toxic faces a tough task in her first start against older mares, but this newly turned 4-year-old mare by the Mr Jess Perry stallion Shez Jess Toxic earned a solid 113 speed rating when she ran a close second to Check My Thoughts in the 400-yard Southern California Derby (G1) on December 23. Also, this one-time $12,500 claimer has made the exacta in nine of her 10 races, including all five of her starts over this track.

Separate Thoughts overcame a slow start to run third as the 5-2 choice in the 400-yard, $35,000 Las Damas Handicap (G3) on November 18. This 4-year-old mare by champion Separatist has run well off of a short layoff in the past, and her race record includes a head victory in the 350-yard, $25,000 La Pacifica Handicap back in May.

A homebred gelding by AQHA champion Ketel Won racing for Sandy Farris, Marc Jungers, and Lisa McMinn, An Absolut Diamond is coming off of a half-length victory from third-fastest qualifier One Blazin Kimbo in the last of five trials on December 14. An Absolut Diamond has won two of his three races since he was moved to the barn of trainer Mike Joiner at Zia Park last fall.

Second-fastest qualifier Krazy Good won the second trial by a half of a length from Jess Rueben James for his second career victory in three outs. Joiner trains the homebred Ketel Won gelding for owners Bauer Farm LLC.

The fifth-fastest qualifier, Jess Rueben James has banked $29,819 from seven starts for Currie J. Maben, who also bred the sorrel son of Jesse James Jr. The gelding, who is trained by Jaime Aldavaz Jr., ran third, a half of a length behind winner Rex Hill, in the 350-yard, $168,000 New Mexico Breeders' Futurity (RG2) at SunRay Park in June.

The history of the Shue Fly Stakes dates back to 1972, when John Augustine's Sherry's Rebel banked the winner's share of a $15,990 purse. Past winners of the stakes include Rabbits Rainbow (1999), Arealstraitheart (2005), and First Blazin Love ('12).

The complete lineup for this year's Shue Fly Stakes, in post position order including jockey assignments – Jess Rueben James (Ricky Ramirez), Jess Sue Me (Jesse Levario), Taleas Liberty (Oscar Rincon), An Absolut Diamond (G.R. Carter Jr.), Coronas Hot Pink (Tanner Thedford), One Blazin Kimbo (Esgar Ramirez), Slew By You (Ramon Sanchez), Fames Magic (Cody Jensen), Runin Sixes (Jaime Leos), and Krazy Good (Salvador Martinez).

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A full field of 10 older sprinters has been entered in Sunday's $20,000 Signature Stakes at Hialeah Park.

Executive Prince, a 5-year-old gelding by Executive Menace racing for Bennie and Teresa Jeter and trained by Judd Kearl, drew post 3 for the 350-yard stakes. Executive Prince is coming off off of a victory in the 350-yard, $20,000 Bienvenido de Nuevo Stakes at Hialeah on December 26.

All told, Executive Prince has earned $85,159 from 22 races, and his five career wins include a half-length victory against Texas-breds in the August 10, 350-yard Live Oak Stakes (R) at Retama Park. The gelding was also a finalist in the 2011 Texas Classic Derby (G1) at Lone Star Park.

Another contender, Juan Cano's Mr Comando, will be making his first start since October 13, when he ran third, 1 ¼ lengths behind winner Iris Cartelsbadnews, in the 440-yard, $45,000 Two Rivers Stakes (G3) at Prairie Meadows. The runner-up to Delta Dance in the July 20, $35,000 Fairmount Park Invitational Stakes in Illinois, Mr Comando is trained by Felix Barraza.

The complete lineup for the Signature Stakes, in post position order including jockey and weight assignments – Mr Sippin Corona (Ray C. Simon, 126), Mr Comando (Agustin Silva, 126), Executive Prince (Rodrigo Vallejo, 126), Cash For Wagon Boss (Troy Crissup, 126), Freaking (Freddie Martinez, 126), One Hot Mecanic (Francisco Ramirez Jr., 126), Dreamers Cartel (Raul Gutierrez, 126), Lord Azoom (Yordaris Amaro, 126), Iama PYC (Osdany P. Leal, 126), and Flying To The Dash (Omar Reyes, 124).

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Los Alamitos racing secretary Ron Church has received 17 nominations for Sunday's 400-yard, $100,000 Charger Bar Handicap (G2) for fillies and mares, the 2013 Quarter Horse season's first Grade 1 stakes.

Robert H. Williams' Flame N Flash, a 4-year-old daughter of Walk Thru Fire trained by Elena Andrade, tops the list of Charger Bar nominees. Flame N Flash won two graded stakes at the 400-yard distance last year, including the Grade 1, $150,000 Mildred N. Vessels Memorial Handicap in September, and she is coming off of a second-place finish to reigning AQHA champion aged gelding Rylees Boy in the 440-yard, $750,000 Champion of Champions (G1) on December 15.

Other prominent nominees include the first three finishers in the 400-yard, $35,000 Las Damas Handicap (G3) on November 18 – Getit Together, Touch Of Paso, and Separate Thoughts – as well as Grade 2 winner and 2012 Southern California Derby (G1) runner-up Shez Jess Toxic and graded stakes winner and Mildred N. Vessels Memorial Handicap runner-up Thisfeatureisspecial.

The Charger Bar Handicap honors the memory of the Utah-bred Tiny Charger mare who was the AQHA world champion in 1971. Past winners of the stakes, which held its inaugural running in 2001, include champions Corona Kool (2001), AB What A Runner ('04), Mini Rock ('05), and Stylish Jess BR (2010 and '11). Entries for this year's Charger Bar will be drawn on Thursday.

Since the Championship at Sunland Park began in 2001, the race has been a stepping stone for AQHA champion honors for several horses. Its past winners include world champions A Ransom (2001), Streakin Sin Tacha ('02), and Cold Cash 123 ('11), as well as divisional champions Mongoose Jet Eye, Fredricksburg, Gotta Get, Ketel Won, First Moonflash (a two-time winner), and Noconi. The 400-yard stakes record of :18.733 is held by reigning world champion Cold Cash 123.

Our top selection for this year's Championship at Sunland Park is DM Streakin Thru Fire, a 4-year-old Walk Thru Fire gelding who has won four of his five starts at this 400-yard distance. DM Streakin Thru Fire is coming off of a second-place finish to Sunland Championship rival Prospect To The Top in the Grade 1, 440-yard Zia Park Championship on December 2, but he earned a solid 108 TrackMaster speed rating when he scored a three-quarter length victory in the 400-yard Lovington Stakes (G2) at Zia in his previous start.

One of two New Mexico-breds in the race, First Blazin Love gets tested for class in this spot. However, this 3-year-old colt by the late Chicks A Blazin has won three of his four outs over this track, and he's won three stakes against state-breds this season, including the 400-yard, $85,000 Jess Burner Memorial Handicap (RG1) by three-quarters of a length with a solid 106 speed rating.

A classy 4-year-old gelding by Teller Cartel, Llano Teller might deserve another chance from handicappers after his disappointing sixth-place finish as the 3-2 favorite in the Zia Park Championship. Llano Teller will be making his first start at Sunland Park on Sunday, but he's made the trifecta in five of his six outs this season, mostly against Grade 1 company.

Although Los Alamitos is known for night racing, this year's Southern California Derby will be contested during a daytime program that gets underway at 2 p.m. (PST). Post time for the Southern California Derby is scheduled for 5:13.

The history of the Southern California Derby dates back to 1988, when George Aubin's Shawne Music Man banked the winner's share of a $199,374 purse. The race first attained Grade 2 status in 1991, and it was upgraded to a Grade 1 two years later.

Past winners of the Southern California Derby include Strawfly Special (1990), Dash To Chivato ('99), Tiny First Down (2000), Tiny First Effort ('01), Hawkish ('04), and El Aguila Real ('11). Hulapai holds the stakes record of :19.35, set in 2009.

Our top selection for this year's Southern California Derby is fastest qualifier Check My Thoughts, a seasoned campaigner who ran a solid third behind Deniro and Hez Our Secret in the 400-yard, $948,000 Los Alamitos Super Derby (G1) on November 3. A California-bred gelding by Check Him Out, Check My Thoughts is coming off of a 1 1/4-length victory as the 2-5 favorite in the last of four trials on December 2, a race in which he earned a 110 TrackMaster speed rating and his defeated opponents included graded stakes winner Shez Jess Toxic.

Shez Jess Toxic's Southern California Derby trial marked her first start over the track in more than a year. The sorrel daughter of the Mr Jess Perry stallion Take Off Jess has made the exacta in eight of her nine career races, and her stakes resume includes a three-quarter length victory in last year's Grade 2, 350-yard AQHA Juvenile Challenge Championship at Los Al.

Last To Fire ran second to Last To Check Him as the even-money choice in the third trial. A nicely bred gelding by Walk Thru Fire, Last To Fire has made the trifecta in seven of his nine outs at this 400-yard distance, and his stakes record at the trip includes a second-place finish in last year's $2,236,000 Los Alamitos Two-Million Futurity (G1).

Attack The Cartel, a bay daughter of Corona Cartel and the graded stakes placed Separatist mare Separate Tac, made an auspicious return to California with her 1 1/2-length win over the Grade 1-placed Zoomdasher in the second trial. That race marked Attack The Cartel's first victory in more than a year, and she might be able to move up off of that effort.

According to a report in Daily Racing Form, the measure passed the Senate by a 24-11 vote. It had previously passed the Michigan House of Representatives by a 91-16 vote.

The legislation calls for 15 percent of Instant Racing revenue to go to horsemen for purses. Instant Racing machines allow bettors to wager on previously run races. Snyder has 14 days to sign or veto the bill before it automatically becomes law.

“The governor has not personally spoken to it,” said Gary Tinkle, executive director of the Michigan Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association. “We just hope that he understands the situation and will fight the fight with us to save this industry.

“It's a positive move for the industry,” he added. “It's an issue that we've been challenged with for several years with respect for allowing the racetracks to have a little fairer playing field. Hopefully, it will stop the downturn in our industry that has taken place for the last several years.”

Michigan currently has four racetracks in operation – mixed-breed Mt. Pleasant Meadows and Standardbred tracks Hazel Park Harness Raceway, Northville Downs, and Sports Creek Raceway. Since 1998, Michigan has had five tracks shutdown, including Thoroughbred venues Detroit Race Course, Great Lakes Downs, and Pinnacle Race Course.

“It's extremely important to the tracks,” Tinkle said. “It allows them to put a new product on their shelves and offer a little more fair competition with the gaming industry in Michigan. Then, of course, there’s additional purse money for the horsemen as well. If the tracks start to have an opportunity to increase their position, that’ll help the horsemen.”

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The Texas Racing Commission has made changes to its medication policies governing some commonly used therapeutic drugs.

Commission executive director Chuck Trout has instituted threshold levels for 10 therapeutic medications, including the corticosteroid methylprednisolone and the anti-inflammatory drugs dexamethasone and DMSO. The changes have gone into effect in the last month, and were made to bring Texas on par with the permissible medication levels in other states, said Bill Childs, a spokesperson for the commission.

Texas had a batch of eight methylprednisolone positives during Lone Star Park’s recent Quarter Horse meet, but because the state was in the process of changing its policy on the drug – and the positives were under the new threshold – Childs said that no rulings were issued to the seven trainers whose horses tested positive.

Methylprednisolone now has a threshold level of 100 picograms per milliliter of blood. Dexamethasone has a permissible level of 5 picograms per milliliter of blood, and DMSO 10 micrograms per milliliter of blood.

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The Wyoming Pari-Mutuel Commission has approved a plan to present a 4-day live race meet at the Sweetwater County events complex in Rock Springs.

The meet will take place on August 20-21 and September 3-4.

The company that will run the meet, Wyoming Horse Racing, will also be allowed to run off-track betting in several Wyoming cities, including Casper, Cheyenne and Riverton.

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Sunland Park Racetrack racing secretary Robbie Junk invited 13 accomplished sprinters to the 400-yard, $350,000 Championship at Sunland Park (G1) on December 30.

One of the leading nominees, Joel Tavarez's Prospect To The Top, is coming off of a 1 3/4-length victory in the 440-yard, $150,000 Zia Park Championship (G1) on December 2. The 4-year-old Coronas Prospect stallion won last year's Grade 3, $155,000 Hobbs America Derby at Zia Park, and he ran second to Llano Teller in the 440-yard, $1.3-million All American Derby (G1) at Ruidoso Downs.

Llano Teller has also been nominated to the Championship at Sunland Park. A homebred 4-year-old gelding by Teller Cartel racing for Wootan Racing and Reed Land & Cattle, Llano Teller has earned $1,760,227 from 25 races, and his 11 wins include the May 6, $101,000 Bank of America Remington Championship Challenge (G1) back in May.

Other key nominees include graded stakes winners DM Streakn Thru Fire, First Blazin Love, Jess Featureme Quick, Kool Country Man, and Miracle Snow.

Past winners of the Championship at Sunland Park, which had its inaugural running in 2000, include AQHA world champions A Ransom, Streakin Sin Tacha, and Cold Cash 123. Entries for this year's Championship will be drawn on December 26.

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Slinkys Fortune is the 2-1 morning-line favorite in Friday's 870-yard, $35,000 Au Revoir Stakes at Evangeline Downs.

An 8-year-old gelding owned and trained by Henry Padgett, Slinkys Fortune has won 11 of his 30 races, all at the 870 distance. Slinkys Fortune scored a two-length victory in last year's Au Revoir.

The complete lineup, in program-number order including jockey and weight assignments and morning-line odds – #1 Mr Fallen Angel (Jeff Jerman, 124), 4-1; #1A TF Tantalizin Eyes (Garrett Medina, 126), 4-1; #2 Keepn It Kool (Alfonso Lujan, 124), 5-2; #3 Dr Drip (Donell Blake, 126), 6-1; #4 Slinkys Fortune (Gilbert Ortiz, 126), 2-1; #5 The Canyon Cat (Eddie Cox, 124), 12-1; #6 Rakin The Cash Holme (Jarrod Deschamp, 126), 10-1; and #7 Dirty Boy Friend (Danny Lavergne, 126), 8-1.

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Hialeah Park Racetrack will present a pair of Quarter Horse stakes on its eight-race program on Sunday, December 23.

A full field of 10 middle-distance specialists has been entered in the 550-yard, $20,000 Orange Blossom Stakes. Rancho Los Dos Potrillos LLC's Honor Me Good, the 7-2 morning-line favorite, will be making his first start at Hialeah after having competed in the states of Oklahoma, New Mexico, Oregon, California, Colorado, Wyoming, Louisiana, Idaho, and Washington. A 7-year-old gelding by the First Down Dash stallion With Honors, Honor Me Good has won 11 of 34 races and has earned $199,469, but the Orange Blossom will mark his first start at the 550 distance.

Another Orange Blossom conender, Glenn L. Graff's Joltin Jess, will be making his first start since October 27, when the 4-year-old Take Off Jess gelding ran second in the 440-yard, $20,000 All American Congress Maturity at Beulah Park near Columbus, Ohio.

The complete lineup for the Orange Blossom, in post position order including jockey and weight assignments and morning-line odds – Im A Grand Believer (Josh Romero, 126), 20-1; Jess Cashin In (Harold Collins, 126), 12-1; Joltin Jess (Shanley Jackson, 126), 9-2 Doyles Dashing Star (Raul Gutierrez, 126), 10-1; Perry Otoole (Troy Crissup, 126), 5-1; Haulin Thunder (Brian Theriot, 124), 6-1; Lord Azoom (Yordanis Amaro, 126), 4-1; Count Jesse Fast (Francisco Ramirez Jr., 126), 10-1; Honor Me Good (Alex Baldillez Jr., 126), 7-2; and Legendary Express (Rueben Saenz, 126), 20-1.

Sunday's 350-yard, $20,000 Bienvenido de Nuevo Stakes has also attracted a full field of 10, including Brian L. Gunder's Dreamers Cartel. A California-bred 5-year-old mare by Corona Cartel, Dreamers Cartel won both of her outs at the 2012 Arapahoe Park meet in Colorado, including the 400-yard, $20,000 Merial Arapahoe Distaff Challenge on July 7.

Freaking, a 6-year-old gelding by TR Dasher owned and trained by Ricardo Martinez, won two of his four starts – both stakes – at the 2011-12 Hialeah meet. Alex Baldillez Jr. will ride Freaking from post 3.

The complete lineup for the Bienvenido de Nuevo Stakes, in post position order including jockey and weight assignments and morning-line odds – Executive Prince (Agustin Silva, 126), 5-1; Dreamers Cartel (Josh Romero, 126), 3-1; Freaking (Alex Baldillez Jr., 126), 9-2; Hesa Winner (Gerard Garido, 124), 15-1; Dashing Manner (Raul Gutierrez, 126), 10-1; Jess A Runner (Omar Reyes, 126), 4-1; Gold Rrrush (Yordanis Amaro, 124), 10-1; Upgraded (Sergio Ramirez, 124), 20-1; Takin The High Road (Shanley Jackson, 126), 20-1; and Waving At The Chicks (Francisco Ramirez Jr., 126), 6-1.

The Champion of Champions began its long and illustrious history in 1972, when that year's world champion, Robert Moore's Mr Jet Moore, earned the winner's share of a $50,000 purse. Since then, many world champion titles have been won or lost down Los Alamitos' historic 440-yard straightaway.

Most recently, Apollitical Jess ('10), Freaky ('09), Blues Girl Too ('07), and Wave Carver ('06) have used the Champion of Champions as springboards to their world champion crowns. Apollitical Jess holds the stakes record of :20.93

Cold Cash 123, the sport's reigning world champion, makes his first-ever Champion of Champions start this Saturday, and the 4-year-old gelding by 2003 world champion Oak Tree Special is our top choice to take home the $375,000 winner's share of the purse. Cold Cash 123 will be making his first start since October 28, when he rallied from a sluggish start to finish third in the 440-yard, $150,000 Los Alamitos Invitational Championship (G1). to finish third after a sluggish ran third after a sluggish start. And, if ever there was a horse for this quarter-mile trip, it's Cold Cash 123 – the gelding has won nine of his 11 races at the distance.

Hez Our Secret has been solid since his return to California, as the gray 3-year-old First Down Dash colt earned a 119 TrackMaster speed rating in his three-quarter length victory in the 400-yard Z. Wayne Griffin Director's Stakes on November 24. Campaigned at Ruidoso Downs last summer, Hez Our Secret chased the best sophomores in the country – his record at the track included a second-place finish to champion Ochoa in the 440-yard, $2.235-million All American Derby (G1).

Chivalry SR has been lightly raced this year, but this 5-year-old gelding by Walk Thru Fire ran third behind Good Reason SA and Sparky E Boy in last year's Champion of Champions – and he won't have those rivals to chase this year. Chivalry SR is coming off of a head victory in the Los Alamitos Invitational Championship, and his beaten opponents in that 440-yard race included Cold Cash 123 and Grade 1 winner El Aguila Real.

Flame N Flash, a 20-1 longshot, earned her Champion of Champions berth with her half-length win against distaffers in the Grade 1, 400-yard Mildred N. Vessels Memorial Handicap back in September. The lone filly or mare in this race, the 3-year-old daughter of Walk Thru Fire is being tested for class and distance in this spot, but she put together a four-race win streak earlier this season, and she's bred for her first-ever 440 start – her dam, the Shirley's Champion (TB) mare Oh La Proud, has produced champions Hawkish and Hawkinson.

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The Los Alamitos Two-Million Futurity – also known as “The Deuce” – doesn't have as long a history as the Champion of Champions, but it has played a role in deciding 2-year-old champion titles. Past winners of the stakes who have also been champions include This Snow Is Royal (1997), Corona Kool ('99), Your First Moon (2001), Ocean Runaway ('04), and One Famous Eagle ('07). The 400-yard stakes record of :19.31 was set by Blues Girl Too in 2006, the year before the Corona Cartel filly was voted AQHA world champion.

Our top selection for this year's Los Alamitos Two-Million Futurity is Matabari, a gray daughter of Mr Jess Perry who will be getting the first class test of her young career. Matabari is coming off of a visually impressive 1 1/2-length victory in the first of 13 trials on November 25. The filly earned a TrackMaster speed rating of 103 in that race, and Cruz Mendez – one of the top jockeys at the Los Alamitos meet – opted to right this one over the other three he qualified.

One of those other three, fastest qualifier Freedom Choice, will be ridden by eight-time AQHA champion jockey G.R. Carter Jr. on Saturday. A bay son of A Regal Choice and Grade 1 winner Five Bar Molly, Freedom Choice is a half brother to 2008 California Breeders' Matron Stakes (RG2) winner Five Bar Special, and he brings a two-race win streak into The Deuce that includes a 2 1/2-length victory in his trial.

Aha Moment is undefeated in his two outs over the track; the bay colt by No Secrets Here was a prompt 11-10 choice in the seventh trial. Aha Moment was campaigned at Ruidoso Downs last summer, where the colt made the trifecta in all four of his starts and his record included a third-place finish in the 440-yard, $2.4-million All American Futurity (G1) on September 3.

Seperate Interest is a nicely bred son of champion Separatist and A Delightful Legacy who ran second at odds of 47-1 in the Grade 1, 400-yard Golden State Million Futurity. Seperate Interest is coming off of a 1 1/4-length win as the 2-5 choice in his trial, and he is a full brother to 2009 champion 3-year-old Inseperable.

Saturday's opening day card includes 440-yard trials for the Hialeah Derby and 400-yard trials for the Hialeah Lassie Futurity.

Hialeah Park's extensive stakes schedule gets underway with the fourth running of the 550-yard, $20,000-added Orange Blossom Stakes, and the second running of the 350-yard, $20,000-added Bienvenido de Nuevo Stakes on Sunday, December 23. All told, the track has scheduled 25 stakes worth $900,000 in added money.

Highlights of Hialeah's stakes schedule include three $100,000-added races on Sunday, December 30 – the 440-yard Hialeah Derby for 3-year-olds, the 400-yard Hialeah Lassie Futurity for 2-year-old fillies, and the 400-yard Hialeah Laddie Futurity for 2-year-olds. The meet's fourth $100,000-added race, the 440-yard South Florida Derby, will be run on closing day, February 17.

The richest race for older sprinters, the 440-yard, $75,000 Hialeah Invitational Championship, is also scheduled for closing day.

Hialeah Park ended its 2011-12 season on a high note, as the track drew an estimated 6,000 fans, and on-track handle reached an all-time Quarter Horse meet record $122,911 as part of a total mutuel handle of $264,196.

Racing will be conducted three days a week on a Friday-Sunday schedule. For more information on the Hialeah meet, visit the track's website at www.hialeahparkracing.com.

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An advisory committee for the Missoula County Fairgrounds in western Montana is expected to decide soon whether or not to recommend holding a place for live horse racing in their future plans.

According to the December 3 edition of the Missoulian newspaper, Jim Johnson and Toni Hinton of the Western Montana Turf Club made their case to preserve live racing in front of the advisory committee last February. Another Turf Club member, Chuck Leonard, gave two presentations to the committee during the summer.

Racing and racing facilities ranked near the bottom of the list of the committee’s priorities in an in-house survey released in May. There’s been racing for just two days during the last six fairs, though the two dates in 2010 drew near-record crowds and pari-mutuel handles. Horse racing disappeared altogether in Montana in 2012, with the exception of a three-day Miles City meet in May.

Hinton told the committee on December 3 that the state racing commission was getting its act together. It recently hired Tom Tucker of Billings as executive secretary, and it as a different business plan that will help it dig out of a large financial deficit in the next year.

Missoula, Great Falls and Billings applied for at least two racing dates for 2013, Hinton said.

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Riders from across the United States plan to discuss racetrack contributions, membership, and health, safety, and insurance issues when they gather for the 2013 Jockeys' Guild Assembly on January 28-29 in Hollywood, Florida.

The Guild will also conduct an awards luncheon to honor top Quarter Horse and Thoroughbred jockeys, as well as others who have made significant contributions to the organization.

"Last year’s assembly was a great experience," said Thoroughbred jockey John Velazquez, chairman of the Jockeys’ Guild. "We were able to learn about so many different new things affecting jockeys. It also was great getting together with my fellow Thoroughbred and Quarter Horse jockeys and sharing our common issues."

"One of the best parts of the Assembly was being able to spend time with our colleagues in the Thoroughbred industry," added G.R. Carter, vice chairman of the Guild and a leading Quarter Horse jockey. "We come from a variety of backgrounds and experiences, but it’s really good to learn from each other and share our common bonds."

Jockeys’ Guild national manager Terry Meyocks hopes the assembly is well-attended.

"Once again this year, we are holding the Assembly in South Florida in close proximity to Gulfstream Park and Hialeah, both of which are conducting live racing," Meyocks added. "It’s in the best interest of all our members to make every effort to join us to provide input and feedback on the issues and future priorities of the Guild."

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Multiple stakes winners Rollickin Red and KC Royal Flush are two of the eight New Mexico-bred distance specialists entered in Saturday's 870-yard, $85,000 Challenger Six Handicap (R) at Sunland Park.

A homebred 5-year-old Sixes Royal gelding racing for Kathryn Maynard and Carla Feerer of Los Lunas, New Mexico, KC Royal Flush is coming off of a fourth-place finish against open company in the November 18, 870-yard King Rick Rack Stakes (G2) at Zia Park. This season, KC Royal Flush has won two of nine starts – including the $140,000 New Mexico Cup 870 Championship (R) at Zia Park on October 28 – and he has earned $111,982.

Rollickin Red is a 4-year-old gelding by Roll Hennessy Roll (TB) who has earned $182,602 from nine races for his owners, the Rollickin Red Partnership. Rollickin Red is undefeated in four starts at Sunland Park, and his five wins in six outs at the 870-yard distance include the July 29, $50,000 Zia 870 Championship (R) at Ruidoso Downs, and the June 24, $75,000 New Mexico Horsemen's Association Handicap (R) at SunRay Park.

The Challenger Six Handicap was named to honor the horse by the same name, a 1989 foal by Six Fortunes who won 20 races in New Mexico from 1991-99. The complete lineup for Saturday's race, in post position order including jockey and weight assignments – Brookstone Flash (Salvador Martinez, 123), Tecate N Lyme (Esgar Ramirez, 123), KC Royal Flush (G.R. Carter Jr., 125), Genes Kokopelli (Alejandro Medellin, 120), Cool Redalo (Alfonso Perez, 123), Littlesouthernswing (Luis Gutierrez Jr., 121), Rollickin Red (Casey Lambert, 125), and DE Wagons Strawfly (Dusty Shepherd, 122).

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Also at Sunland Park, racing secretary Robbie Junk has received 13 nominations for Sunday's 350-yard, $85,000 Lou Wooten & Sydney Valentini Handicap (RG2) for New Mexico-bred fillies and mares.

Topping the list of nominees is Call Me A Blazn Chic, a 3-year-old filly by the late Chicks A Blazin racing for Javier Marquez's J & M Racing and Farm at Monahans, Texas. Call Me A Blazn Chic has won three consecutive starts, and she is coming off of a neck victory as the 13-10 favorite in the 400-yard, $140,000 New Mexico Fillies & Mares Championship (RG1) at Zia Park on November 24.

Another prominent nominee, Edilberto Estrada's Little Bit Southern, ran third, a half of a length behind Call Me A Blazn Chic, in the New Mexico Fillies & Mares Championship. The 5-year-old daughter of Southern Corona scored a neck victory as the 6-5 choice in the 400-yard, $85,000 Four Corners Senora Stakes (RG2) at SunRay Park on April 29.

Entries for the Lou Wooten & Sydney Valentini Handicap will be taken on Tuesday.

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A full field of 10 2-year-olds has been entered back n Saturday's $100,000-added Evangeline Downs Futurity at Evangeline Downs.

Fastest qualifier Jetblack Gold Moment brings a three-race win streak into the 400-yard stakes. A homebred sorrel daughter of Jet Black Patriot, Jetblack Gold Moment has won four of six races and has banked $64,756 for her owner, Mercy Hinklin of Livingston, Texas, and the filly's stakes record includes a second-place finish to Interesting Man in the Grade 2, $222,000 Harrah's Entertainment Futurity at Louisiana Downs back in March.

Second-fastest qualifier I See Visions has won two consecutive starts, including the third of eight Evangeline Downs Futurity trials on November 24. The homebred colt by One Famous Eagle races for Donald L. Ming.

The complete lineup for the Evangeline Downs Futurity, in post position order including jockey assignments – Flirtingwithamiracle (Eleazar Hernandez), I See Visions (Bobby Ransom), A Zoomin Fortune (Floriberto Maldonado), Jetblack Gold Moment (Danny Lavergne), Shazooms Love (Stevie Gillum), The Scotch Is Dun (Luis Vivanco), Jazzy Hero (Martin Rubalcava), Beaucoup Bonnechance (David Alvarez), Dashin Brown Streak (Gilbert Ortiz), and RC Had To Be My Day (Eddie Cox).

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One of the biggest weekends of the Quarter Horse racing year will take place this weekend at Los Alamitos, as the southern California track presents the 440-yard, $750,000 Champion of Champions (G1) on Saturday, and the 400-yard, $2.1-million Los Alamitos Two-Million Futurity (G1) on Sunday.

We'll have our analyses of the Champion of Champions and Los Alamitos Two-Million Futurity posted by Friday, December 14. Our analysis will include wagering strategies for Los Alamitos' "Champions Double," a new bet which requires handicappers to select the winners of both stakes.

The Jess Burner Memorial Handicap was first run in 1997, when Jose E. Meraz's A Cutting Edge earned the winner's share of a $14,150 purse. The 400-yard stakes record of :18.87 was set by First Moonflash in 2009, the same year the son of First To Flash was voted AQHA champion aged stallion.

Our top selection, Fury Of The Storm, has won five of his last seven starts and hasn't missed the exacta in any of his six outs this season. A 3-year-old gelding by Furyofthewind, Fury Of The Storm is coming off of a second-place finish to Morning Snow in the 440-yard Namehimastreaker New Mexico Cup Championship (RG1) at Zia Park on October 28, but the figures to benefit from this shorter distance, as he's won six of his nine races at the 400-yard trip.

Also worth noting is that Fury Of The Storm is a stakes winner over this track. During the 2011-12 Sunland Park meet, the gelding earned a solid 99 TrackMaster speed rating in his neck victory in the 400-yard, $100,000 New Mexico Horse Breeders' Association Stakes (RG2).

First Blazin Love, another horse for the Sunland Park course, earned a 105 speed rating in his half-length win in the 440-yard, $208,000 New Mexico Cup Derby (RG1) at Zia Park on October 28. The 3-year-old colt by Chicks A Blazin has won three of his seven starts at this shorter distance, and his two wins in three outs over the track include the January 7, 400-yard Shue Fly Stakes (RG2).

Miracle Snow also must be respected, as the 8-year-old Dean Miracle gelding defeated Fury Of The Storm by a neck in the New Mexico Cup Championship. On August 26, Miracle Snow recorded a 107 TrackMaster speed rating when he won the 400-yard Lineage Championship (RG3) at The Downs at Albuquerque in a stakes-record :19.290.

Under the terms of the agreement, the stalls at The Downs at Albuquerque, located at Expo New Mexico, will remain open at a rate of $6 per stall per day. According to NMHA executive director Jack McGrail, the expectation is that the horse population will be approximately 200 head.

McGrail added that billing began on December 3, and payment will be due by December 10 with no exceptions. Horsemen will be charged for 28 days in December (a total of $168). Thereafter, bills will be issued on the first of every month and payment will be due by the 10th of the month.

“The hope is that, if the rental arrangement is successful, there will be additional stalls made available in February as the 2-year-olds get to the track,” McGrail said in a statement to his membership. “Leases will be required. (Expo New Mexico) general manager Dan Mourning is having his counsel review the language in the existing lease. I will be provided a copy of the lease and will review it on behalf of the horsemen.

“The payment of stall rent is an obligation of the horsemen but is not a unilateral contract,” he added. “The State Fair, in consideration of the rental payment, will be obligated to keep the track to a certain standard and the grounds in good condition. I am optimistic that this arrangement will make business sense to all parties and result in a long-term solution for area horsemen.”

For more information on the agreement, contact the NMHA by phone at (505) 266-7056 or e-mail at nmhastate1@aol.com.

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The Louisiana Racing Commission has suspended owner-trainer Joseph Randy Hebert a total of three years after eight horses in his care tested positive for benzonatate, a Class 2 medication violation. All of the horses won their races during a two-week span in July during the Delta Downs Quarter Horse meet.

Hebert has a 30-day window to appeal, but a spokesperson for the commission told Daily Racing Form that his suspension began last Sunday. The purses of the races Hebert’s starters won were ordered redistributed.

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In other Louisiana news, the state racing commission has approved Fair Grounds Racecourse's request to add two dates – November 15 and 16 – to its 2013 racing calendar.

Track officials wanted to secure the dates in case Fair Grounds is awarded next year's Bank of America Challenge Championships. Fair Grounds hosted the event in 2010, but the track is not expected to run the two requested dates if it is not awarded the Challenge Championships.

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North Dakota Horse Park in Fargo could have up to nine days of live racing next year. The state Racing Commission granted the days to the track last month, but it deferred an award of funding until a February meeting.

Wes Heinert, president of Horse Race North Dakota, which operates the track, told the Fargo-Moorhead Forum newspaper that he is pleased with the number of days allowed for a 2013 meet, which is expected to take place sometime between July 26 and August 18.

“When they do determine the amount of funding they are going to give us, then we can go ahead and determine how many of the nine days we can use,” Heinert said.

Horse Race North Dakota requested 12 days of racing for 2013, $220,000 in purse money and $300,000 in promotion funds.

Commission racing director Winston Satran told the Forum that the funding decision was delayed until February because final deposits from tax funds won't be known until then. Funding for the state’s two horse-race tracks, including Chippewa Downs in Belcourt, is generated by taxes on account deposit wagering and then divided into purse money or promotions for the tracks.

Before a four-day meet held last July, the North Dakota Horse Park track was shuttered for two years due to debt that included still owed to the city of Fargo for construction of the track. A 2013 assessment payment of about $135,000 was scheduled to be due in 2013, but Horse Race North Dakota received a break on November 26, when the Fargo City Commission voted to defer assessment payments for the next two years.

Heinert said he has yet to receive official word from the city but believes the delay will allow HRND to build a savings for future payments.

“We could make the (2013) payment to them, but what it would do is thwart our ability to run a meet,” he added. “Any meet we run, we’ll have to start out with $100,000 in the bank.”

The racing commission allocated $89,000 for the 2012 Fargo meet, which generated a $120,000 profit. The majority of operation funding was received as donations from out-of-state gambling companies.

The racing commission also awarded Chippewa Downs nine race days in 2013, Satran said. The track asked for a 10-day meet and about $371,550 in funding.

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Sunland Park will open its 76-day meet with an 11-race program on Friday. Post time for the first race is scheduled for 12:25 p.m. (MST).

A total of 69 2-year-olds have been entered in Friday's 400-yard Sunland Park Winter Futurity (G2) trials. Topping the entries are graded stakes winners Secret Courage, Blackberry Czech, and Im Rowdy James.

Secret Courage is coming off of an upset victory in the November 25, $200,000 Southwest Juvenile Championship (G1) at Zia Park. The bay gelding by the Mr Jess Perry stallion Captain Courage has earned $135,190 from five outs for his owner, Francisco Azevedo.

A black filly by Corona Czech, Blackberry Czech has shipped in from California, where his three wins in five races include the 300-yard, $268,000 Kindergarten Futurity (G2) at Los Alamitos back in May. Blackberry Czech has banked $126,169 for owner Salvador Pimienta.

Im Rowdy James has won three consecutive races, including the June 17, 330-yard Cherry Creek Futurity (RG3) for Colorado-breds at Arapahoe Park. The bay gelding by Ivory James races for Luis Rogelio Nava.

The 10 fastest qualifiers from Friday's seven trial heats will meet in the $50,000-added Sunland Park Winter Futurity final on December 28.

Sunland Park's 2012-13 meet continues with a 11-race card that includes the 350-yard, $85,000 Jess Burner Memorial Handicap (RG1) for New Mexico-breds and four 400-yard Sunland Park Winter Derby (G3) trials. The $50,000-added Winter Derby final will be run on December 29.

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Miracle Snow will carry top weight of 126 pounds in Saturday's 350-yard, $85,000 Jess Burner Memorial Handicap (RG1) for New Mexico-breds at Sunland Park.

A homebred 8-year-old Dean Miracle gelding racing for Melvin and Mary Neugebauer of Manzanola, Colorado, Miracle Snow is coming off of a neck victory in the 440-yard New Mexico Cup Championship (RG1) at Zia Park on October 28. All told, Miracle Snow has won 13 of 46 starts and has earned $156,960.

Miracle Snow's 10 opponents on Saturday include Fredda Draper's Genuine American, a mutltiple graded stakes winning 8-year-old Genuine Strawfly gelding who ran sixth in the New Mexico Cup Championship. Genuine American has won three of seven outs this season, including the 400-yard, $50,000 Zia Championship (RG2) at Ruidoso Downs on July 29.

First Blazin Love, one of five 3-year-olds entered in the main body of the Jess Burner, is coming off of a half-length win in the 440-yard, $208,000 New Mexico Cup Derby (RG2) at Zia Park. The chestnut colt by the late Chicks A Blazin has banked $300,236 from 12 outs for his owners, Dwayne Johnson, Lisa Saumell, and Johnny C. Martinez.

The Jess Burner Memorial Handicap has been run at Sunland Park every year since 1997. The stakes past winners include Rabbits Rainbow (1999), and AQHA champions Gotta Get (2006 and '07) and First Moonflash (2008 and '09).

The complete lineup for this year's Jess Burner, in post position order including jockey and weight assignments and also-eligible entries – A First Caller (Felipe Garcia-Luna, 123), In Famous Caper (Alejandro Medellin, 124), Fury Of The Storm (Esgar Ramirez, 124), First Blazin Love (Jesse Levario, 124), PK Bay (Dusty Shepherd, 123), Untangled Vines (Macario Rodriguez, 122), RCJ Major Storm (Adrian Ramos, 123), Genuine American (Ricky Ramirez, 125), Klassic Strawfly (Salvador Martinez, 124), Miracle Snow (G.R. Carter Jr., 126), AE-Bet On Ballou (E.G. Vigi, 122), and AE-Corona With A Shot (Salvador Martinez, 122).

The Zia Park Championship has been contested every year since 2006; the stakes first attained Grade 1 status the following season. Past winners of the race include AQHA champions Ketel Won (2007 and '08) and Noconi (2010). Noconi holds the stakes record of :21.06.

Our top choice for this year's Zia Park Championship is Llano Teller, a quarter-mile distance specialist who will be making his first start over the track. A 4-year-old gelding by Teller Cartel and earner of more than $1.7 million from 24 races, Llano Teller is coming off of a solid second-place finish to reigning AQHA champion aged gelding Rylees Boy in the 440-yard, $350,000 Bank of America Challenge Championship (G1) on October 27. Also, the gelding has won five 440-yard races and has made the trifecta in nine of his 12 outs at the distance.

Prospect To The Top, a 12-1 morning-line longshot, has had much success at this distance and over this track. The 4-year-old stallion by the Corona Cartel stallion Coronas Prospect has finished first, second, or third in seven of his nine 440-yard races, and his three wins in five outs at Zia Park include last year's 440-yard, $155,000 Hobbs America Derby (G2). Prospect To The Top campaigned last summer at Ruidoso Downs, where he scored a three-quarter length victory as the 13-10 favorite in the Grade 3, 440-yard All American Gold Cup.

DM Streakin Thru Fire stretches out in distance following his three-quarter length win in the 400-yard, $55,000 Lovington Stakes (G2), his first start at Zia Park. A 4-year-old Walk Thru Fire gelding, DM Streakin Thru Fire has won only one of his eight races at the 440-yard trip, but note that he been competitive at the distance against the sports best, including eventual world champion Cold Cash 123 at Ruidoso Downs last year.

Earlier this month, the fair board voted to sell the naming rights to the facility to the Muscogee (Creek) Nation for $1.44 million. Part of that agreement included a stipulation that no live racing take place at the Fair Meadows track.

Following the vote, members of the Oklahoma Quarter Horse Association and the Thoroughbred Racing Association of Oklahoma cried foul, claiming that fair board members violated the state's Open Meeting and Open Records acts, as well as the state-tribal compact that governs horse racing.

“There's a total lack of transparency to get it to here,” Joe Lucas, a spokesman for the Thoroughbred Racing Association of Oklahoma, told the Oklahoma City-based Journal Record newspaper. “I don't know how you can have something on an agenda that doesn't address what action the board is going to take.

“They either broke the law, or they did it telepathically,” he added.

Lucas said that both his association and the OQHRA have hired an attorney, Mark Ramsey of Claremore. Ramsey is a partner at the law firm Taylor Burrage, which was founded by Stratton Taylor, the former pro tempore of the Oklahoma Senate, and state Sen. Sean Burrage (D-Claremore), the current Senate minority caucus leader.

Lucas also said that both horsemen's groups had directed Ramsey to prepare a brief for Oklahoma Gov. Mary Fallin outlining the groups' complaints about the Fair Meadows deal and how it was conducted.

“We're in the process of preparing the documents now,” Lucas said. “We're hoping that the state will be able to intervene, and we're hoping that other tribes will support our position.”

The action by both groups follows an announcement by state Rep. Don Armes (R-Faxon) that he had asked Attorney General Scott Pruitt to investigate the process that resulted in the closure of the racetrack.

“This job-killing, industry-terminating deal does not pass the smell test,” Armes said in a media statement. “What appears to be an obvious effort to circumvent terms of a compact needs to be exposed before an important sector of our economy leaves Oklahoma forever.”

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Sunland Park Racetrack is set for the opening of its 76-day meet, which takes place on Friday, December 7.

Located just west of El Paso, Texas, Sunland Park will offer its Quarter Horse and Thoroughbred horsemen a stakes schedule worth more than $5.25 million. A total of 48 stakes are on the docket, 28 for Thoroughbreds and 20 for Quarter Horses.

Sunland Park's Quarter Horse stakes schedule is topped by the 400-yard, $350,000 Championship at Sunland Park (G1) on December 30. Past winners of this race include AQHA world champions A Ransom (2001), Streakin Sin Tacha ('02), and Cold Cash 123 (2011). Since it began 11 years ago, the Championship at Sunland Park has been the final Grade 1 stakes of the season for aged horses.

Another major Quarter Horse stakes, the 21st running of the 440-yard, $100,000-added Bank of America Sunland Challenge (G2), is scheduled for April 7. Past winners of this race, which offers to its winner a starting berth in the Grade 1, $350,000 Bank of America Challenge Championship later in the year, include reigning AQHA champion aged gelding Rylees Boy and one-time 440-yard world record holder Kendall Jackson.

Also, the sport's top 2-year-olds will be pointed to the 300-yard, $100,000-added West Texas Futurity (G1) on April 14, the running of which will be preceded by trials on March 22. This race began its rich history in 1959, when Louis Herndon's Hy Diamond Dandy earned the winner's share of a $3,175 purse.

For more information on Sunland Park's racing program, visit the track's website at www.sunlandpark.com, and click on the “Racing” link at the top of the homepage.

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Texas State Sen. Rodney Ellis (D-Houston) has filed a bill for the 2013 legislative session that would allow the state's voters to decide if they want to legalize casinos. The move came on November 12, the first day lawmakers were allowed to submit legislation.

Ellis has been a supporter of gaming expansion in the past.

“Clearly, we need the money,” Ellis told the San Antonio Express-News. He added that many Texans already travel to neighboring states – including Oklahoma, Louisiana, and New Mexico – where they can gamble in casinos legally.

Texas lawmakers, who convene in odd-numbered years, have rejected gaming measures in the past, most recently in 2011. Passage of gaming requires a change to the state constitution, a change that could only happen with a two-thirds majority vote in the legislature, plus passage of a statewide voter referendum.

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Les Bois Park Racetrack in Boise, Idaho, has released its 2013 racing schedule. The track will run a 31-day meet from May 1-August 10, with live racing scheduled for Wednesdays and Saturdays. There will also be special holiday programs on Memorial Day (Monday, May 27) and Thursday, July 4.

For more information on the Les Bois Park meet, visit the track's website at www.lesboispark.com.

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Grade 1 winner Llano Teller and AQHA champion Feature Mr Bojangles are two of the 21 horses nominated to Sunday's 440-yard, $150,000 Zia Park Championship (G1) at Zia Park.

A homebred 4-year-old son of Teller Cartel owned by Wootan Racing and Reed Land & Cattle, Llano Teller tops all nominees with earnings of $1,757,347, and his 11 wins in 24 starts include the 440-yard, $101,000 Bank of America Oklahoma Challenge Championship (G1) at Remington Park on May 6. The gelding's four career stakes victories include last year's 440-yard, $1.317-million All American Derby (G1) at Ruidoso Downs.

Feature Mr Bojangles was last year's champion 2-year-old gelding. A 3-year-old colt by Feature Mr Jess racing for R.D. Hubbard, James E. Helzer, and Heysol Howlet, Feature Mr Bojangles is coming off of a sixth-place finish in the 440-yard, $198,000 Hobbs America Derby (G3) at Zia Park on October 7.

Other prominent nominees include Melissa Miller's Jess Featureme Quick, a 3-year-old gelding by Feature Mr Jess and winner of the Hobbs America Derby; Joel Tavarez's Prospect To The Top, a 4-year-old stallion by Coronas Prospect who won the 440-yard, $40,000 All American Gold Cup (G3) at Ruidoso Downs on September 2; and DM Streakin Thru Fire, a 4-year-old gelding by Walk Thru Fire campaigned by Rick Sturdivant, Terry Wootan, and Joe David Yates who is coming off of a three-quarter length victory in the Grade 3, $55,000 Lovington Stakes at Zia Park on November 4.

Past winners of the Zia Park Championship include AQHA champions Ketel Won (2007 and '08) and Noconi (2009). Noconi holds the stakes record of :21.06.

Entries for this year's Zia Park Championship will be drawn on Tuesday.

The New Mexico Fillies & Mares Championship has been contested at Zia Park since 2006. The race first earned graded status (RG3) two years later, when Ms Regard established the current stakes record of :19.16. The stakes' past winners include Mike Abraham's Blazin N Shakin, a homebred daughter of the late Chicks A Blazin who won the race in 2009 and '10.

Our top selection is Little Bit Southern, a 5-year-old mare by Southern Corona who is back in against New Mexico-breds after her sixth-place finish against open company in the 400-yard, $55,000 Lubbock Stakes (G3) on October 7. Since December of last year, Little Bit Southern has scored two wins against state-breds, both at this 400-yard trip, including the April 29, $85,000 Four Corners Senora Stakes at SunRay Park.

Call Me A Blazn Chic, the 9-5 morning-line favorite, faces older horses for the first time, but this 3-year-old Chicks A Blazin filly has won four of eight races and has made the trifecta seven times at this distance. Call Me A Blazn Chic's earned a 101 TrackMaster speed rating during her neck victory as the 13-10 favorite in the 400-yard, $50,000 Pelican Stakes (RG3) at The Downs at Albuquerque on August 26.

Call Me A Blazn Chic is just one of two entries from the barn of trainer Jaime Dominguez. The other, Wish You Had One To, has run first, second, or third in her last eight starts. A 3-year-old filly by Stel Corona and a $10,000 claim by Dominguez back in February, Wish You Had One To was placed first in the June 23, 400-yard Tommy “Duke” Smith Handicap (RG2) at SunRay Park.

Asian Brook, a 20-1 morning-line longshot, has won both of her starts since being claimed for $6,250 by trainer Salvador Soto back in May. A sophomore daughter of Brookstone Bay, Asian Brook is getting a class test here, but she recorded a solid 105 speed rating in her 1 3/4-length win in a second-level 400-yard allowance prep on November 5.

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A minimum of three berths to this year's Grade 1, $750,000 Champion of Champions will be on the line in the 400-yard, $15,000 Z. Wayne Griffin Directors Trial Stakes at Los Alamitos on Saturday.

A field of eight has been entered in this year's Directors Trial. Our top selection is Creston Goer, a 4-year-old TR Dasher gelding who ran a solid second to reigning world champion Cold Cash 123 in the 400-yard, $100,000 Go Man Go Handicap (G1) on September 23. Creston Goer is winless in two starts at this distance, but he has made the exacta both times, and he should find the class drop here more to his liking.

Senor Toby hasn't missed the trifecta in all 13 of his outs. The runner-up to El Aguila Real in both the 400-yard Vessels Maturity (G1) and Los Alamitos Winter Championship (G1), this 4-year-old gelding by the Mr Jess Perry stallion Mighty Invictus finished third, a half of a length behind Creston Goer, in the Go Man Go.

The lone 3-year-old in the field, Hez Our Secret, is coming off of a second-place finish against a solid field of sophomores in the 400-yard, $948,000 Los Alamitos Super Derby (G1) – those he outran included Golden State Derby (G1) winner Check My Thoughts, Golden State Derby runner-up Do You Do Corona, multiple graded stakes winner Flame N Flash, and Los Alamitos Two-Million Futurity (G1) runner-up Last To Fire. Hez Our Secret shipped in from Ruidoso Downs, where he faced the best 3-year-olds in the country last summer.

The meet will begin on Friday, May 17, and run through Saturday, September 14. Live racing on Thursdays and Fridays will begin at 7 p.m. (CDT), while post time for weekend and holiday cards will be 1:30 p.m.

Earlier this month, Canterbury Park officials amended their original request for a 68-day season by adding one additional day, which will make the 2013 meet the track's longest since '06, when an equal number of days were run. Canterbury Park conducted a 62-day meet this year.

A cooperative marketing and purse enhancement agreement between Canterbury Park and the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community will add $75 million into the track's purse fund during the agreement’s 10-year span. As a result, projected purses for the 2013 season will show a 25-percent increase over this year and a nearly 100-percent increase over purses offered in 2011.

Canterbury Park will announce its 2013 stakes schedule and purse structure early next month.

“The impact of the SMSC agreement on racing in Minnesota was immediate,” Canterbury Park president Randy Sampson said. “Daily purses were up this past season and will grow again along with the number of race days. Our goal since 1995 has been to revive the state’s equine industry and we are now well on the way to reaching that goal.”

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The Michigan House last week approved legislation that would permit the state's racetracks to operate Instant Racing wagering machines.

The measure, which was approved by a 91-16 vote, is currently pending in the state Senate. Supporters say it would give racetracks – including Mt. Pleasant Meadows – a modern gambling attraction that could help them draw more customers.

However, some of Michigan's casino interests say that, because of a 2004 constitutional amendment, state and local voters also would have to approve use of the machines at horse tracks. The legislation renews a long-standing rivalry between casinos and horse tracks as they race to attract Michigan gamblers. It’s been a lopsided battle that casinos have been winning for years.

“The mission behind (the legislation) is to try and save the race horse industry in our state,” said Rep. Kevin Daley (R-Lum). “The race horse industry has been kind of basically thrown under the bus since the casinos have come into our state. They’ve been unable to go into the modern era of doing some of the modern things to bring more people into their businesses.”

Gambling is big business in Michigan. The net amount wagered combined on the four main legal forms – Detroit casinos, tribal casinos, the state lottery and horse racing – was more than $3.8 billion in 2011, according to the House Fiscal Agency. The “net wagering” amount represents the amount wagered after winnings are deducted.

But the horse racing portion continues to dip as the industry struggles. Only four tracks remain with live racing – Mt. Pleasant Meadows, and harness tracks Sports Creek Raceway, Hazel Park, and Northville Downs.

Jackson Harness Raceway, Saginaw Harness Raceway, Great Lakes Downs in Muskegon and Pinnacle Race Course in southeast Michigan all have closed since 2005.

Net wagering on horse racing was $34.5 million in Michigan in 2011, a drop of nearly 60 percent from $83.3 million in 2002. According to the House Fiscal Agency analysis, net wagering for casinos and the state lottery increased during that time period.

Horse tracks in Michigan have wanted to add attractions such as slot machines or other casino games for years, but they’ve been denied, mostly because of efforts backed by casino owners who don’t want the competition. The biggest showdown came in 2004. As horse racing tracks pushed for permission to add slot machines, casinos supported a constitutional amendment to require most types of gambling expansion to be approved by statewide and local votes. Michigan voters agreed and approved the constitutional amendment -- which does not apply to Detroit's three casinos or Indian tribal gaming, but does apply to horse tracks.

Horse tracks have been unable to mount the kind of expensive campaign that would be necessary to get voter approval for expanded gaming since.

Supporters say the recently approved House bill would be allowable under the 2004 constitutional amendment without votes of the people. The legislation aims to allow Instant Racing machines, which have a catalog of thousands of already-run races from around the nation. Bettors are not provided with the location or date of the race, or the names of horses or jockeys. But they do have access to some of the same data that would be provided in programs for live races.

“This is, in my opinion, not a bill to expand gambling,” Daley said. “It’s basically just an extension of what they’re already doing at race tracks, in my opinion. They’re just doing this through a machine.”

But Daley acknowledges the issue could end up in court if the Legislature were to give final approval to the bill.

Peter Ellsworth, an attorney representing MGM Grand casino in Detroit, says the 2004 constitutional amendment would apply.

“You would have to have a statewide and local vote before the law could take effect,” Ellsworth said.

There are other potential legal complications. At least one Indian tribe operating a Michigan casino has said the new wagering would violate its agreement with the state.

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A proposal to legalize gambling on horse racing in Georgia was among the few bills filed on November 15, the first day state lawmakers could submit proposed laws and resolutions in advance of next year’s legislative session.

The horse racing push by state Rep. Harry Geisinger (R-Roswell) follows his failure over the past two years to get the issue to a vote among his peers. A similar effort earlier this year failed in the Senate.

Gov. Nathan Deal has repeatedly said he would not support any effort to expand gambling in Georgia.

According to a report in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, House Resolution 1 would allow a public vote on amending the state constitution to allow parimutuel betting. It requires a two-thirds vote of the Legislature to pass. With it, legislators can vote to put the measure on the ballot without Deal’s signature.

A sister bill, House Bill 4, outlines how the process would work. Supporters have said legalized gambling would bring in new revenue for popular programs — such as the state’s HOPE college scholarship program and pre-k classes — without raising taxes.

The 2013 legislative session begins on January 14 and typically ends by early to mid-April.

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Penn National Gaming Inc., the owner of Zia Park Racetrack and its Black Gold Casino in Hobbs, New Mexico, has announced that it intends to split into two publicly traded companies.

According to a report in Daily Racing Form, the reason behind the move would to be to take advantage of a structure that will give tax benefits to real estate holding companies. The bulk of PNGI's real estate holdings would go into a real estate investment trust (REIT), which would qualify it for tax breaks. The company's gambling businesses would continue to be operated by the Penn National Gaming Inc. entity.

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Zia Park racing secretary Fred Hutton has received 18 nominations for Sunday's 440-yard, $200,000-added Southwest Juvenile Championship (G1).

One of the nominees, Dashin Ace, is coming off of an upset victory against state-breds in the 400-yard, $294,000 New Mexico Cup Futurity (RG2) at Zia Park. The sorrel gelding by Dash Ta Fame races for Derrol Hubbard and Ted Rushing from the barn of trainer Mike Joiner.

Other prominent nominees include A Dream To Remember, a brown daughter of Corona Cartel who won the October 7, $300,000 Hobbs America Futurity (G2) for owners R.D. Hubbard, Johnny Cope, and Henry “Butch”Southway; Gonna Cha Cha, a gelding by Gonna Ro Sham Bo racing for Norma Alvarez, Brenda Alvarez, and Debra Laney who has won two stakes, including the July 29, $395,000 Zia Futurity (RG2) at Ruidoso Downs; Nadia Marcoux and Clinton Crawford's Hurri Cartel, a gelding by Teller Cartel whose two stakes wins include the 350-yard, $150,000 Ontario Jackpot Futurity at Fort Erie on October 13; and Irene Velasquez's Big Boi and JNB Enterprises' PYC Kant Katch Me, the runner-up and third-place finisher, respectively, in the 400-yard, $1-million Texas Classic Futurity (G1) at Lone Star Park on November 10.

The Southwest Juvenile Championship has been run at Zia Park every year since 2006, when Azoom LP's Remember Me Rose earned the winner's share of a $300,000 purse. AQHA champion Brenda Beautiful holds the stakes record of :20.96, set four years ago.

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Also at Zia Park, a total of 10 state-bred distaffers have been entered in Saturday's 400-yard, $140,000-added New Mexico Fillies & Mares Championship (RG1).

Call Me A Blazn Chic, a 3-year-old filly by the late Chicks A Blazin racing for Javier Marquez's J & M Racing and Farm and trained by Jaime Dominguez, will break from post 1 under jockey Esgar Ramirez. Call Me A Blazn Chic has earned $452,125 from 13 starts, and his five wins include the August 26, 400-yard Hard Twist Stakes (RG3) at The Downs at Albuquerque, and last year's Zia Futurity (RG1) at Ruidoso Downs and New Mexico Cup Futurity (RG2) at Zia Park.

KH Logax Inc.'s Snow Regard, the winner of this race last season, drew post 4 and will be ridden by Jaime Leos. Trained by Juan M. Gonzalez, the homebred 4-year-old daughter of Chicks Regard has won four of 21 races and has banked $231,750.

The New Mexico Fillies & Mares Championship was first contested in 2006. The stakes record of :19.16 was set by Ms Regard in 2008.

The complete lineup, in post position order including jockey and weight assignments – Call Me A Blazn Chic (Esgar Ramirez, 124); Wonwabbitwon (Alejandro Medellin, 126); Little Bit Southern (Salvador Martinez, 126); Snow Regard (Jaime Leos, 126); Deceptive Practice (E.G. Vigi, 124); Asian Brook (Jesse Levario, 124); Wish You Had One To (Felipe Garcia-Luna, 124); BJ Bring It On (Adrian Ramos, 126); Angelina Fame (Bonifacio Perez, 124); and Gotloveifyouwantit (Miguel Perez, 124).

The LQHBA Futurity began its history in 1967, when J P 4 Ranch's homebred filly Miss Flasholee earned the winner's share of a $11,300 purse. The race first earned graded status (RG3) in '86; it was upgraded to a Restricted Grade 1 eight years later, and it has maintained that status since.

Past winner of the LQHBA Futurity include AQHA champions Mr Jess Perry (1994) and Vals Fortune ('03). The 400-yard stakes record is held by JLS Mr Bigtime, who won the race in :19.41 two years ago.

Our top choice for this year's LQHBA Futurity is Perrys Runaway, a gelding by the First Down Dash stallion Sir Runaway Dash who was a prompt 13-10 favorite in the fifth of 11 trials on October 26; his defeated opponents included last-out winners JCs Who and Rosouti, and LQHBA Laddie Futurity (RG2) finalist Downtown Corona. Also, Perrys Runaway has been favored in all four of his races, as he showed his talent early with a series of solid works last winter at Louisiana Downs.

Open Me A Corona races from a barn that has success with its 2-year-old starters – from an 86-race sample, trainer Bobby Martinez has won with 24-percent of his juveniles. A sorrel colt by the Corona Cartel stallion Coronas Leaving Who, Open Me A Corona earned a 94 TrackMaster speed rating during his nose victory from Gillespie County Fair Futurity (G3) runner-up Cougar Hill in the 11th trial.

A brown daughter of AQHA champion Panther Mountain, Cougar Hill was a clear 1 ¼ lengths ahead of the third-place horse in the 11th heat. The filly finished a nose behind Spit Curl Jesse in the Gillespie County Fair Futurity, and that rival has been solid with wins in three of his four lifetime outs.

The fastest qualifier, T Boy C was impressive in his first start at 400 yards, as the Sir Runaway Dash gelding scored a two-length victory and earned a 95 speed rating. T Boy C was coming off of a third-place finish as the 17-10 choice in the 350-yard, $29,000 LQHBA Sale Invitational Stakes (R) on September 8.

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A full field of eight distance specialists, plus one on the also-eligible list, has been entered in Sunday's 870-yard, $55,000 King Rick Rack Stakes at Zia Park.

Our top choice is Im Royal Quick, a 5-year-old gelding by champion Royal Quick Dash who has made the exacta in all three of his starts over the track this season. Im Royal Quick earned a solid 109 TrackMaster speed rating during his 5 1/2-length victory in the 870-yard, $55,000 Herman Jefferson Stakes on October 13.

KC Royal Flush is just three weeks removed from a neck victory against state-breds – including two-time stakes winner Rollickin Red – in the $140,000 New Mexico Cup 870 Championship (R). The 5-year-old Sixes Royal gelding has collected three career stakes wins, all against New Mexico-breds, and he drew a good post (2) for this, his third start of the Zia Park meet.

Another New Mexico-bred entry, Brookstone Flash, hasn't finished worse than fourth in his four starts at this distance. A 4-year-old gelding by Brookstone Bay, Brookstone Flash ran 1 ¼ lengths behind KC Royal Flush in the New Mexico Cup 870 Championship, but he scored a half-length victory against a stakes-quality field of state-breds in an open-condition 870 allowance race over the track in his previous out.

According to financial documents, CDI's net earnings from continued operations for the third quarter totaled $6 million, or $0.34 per diluted common share, a 70-percent decrease from net earnings from continued operations of $19.7 million, or $1.16 per diluted common share, during the third quarter of 2011.

Net revenue from continuing operations for the third quarter of this year dropped 1 percent to $164.9 million, compared to the same period last year. Third-quarter earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization (EBITDA) declined from $43 million in 2011 to $21.3 million this year.

CDI attributed the decline in EBITDA and net earnings to $19.3 million in Illinois Horse Racing Equity Trust Fund payments that were received during the third quarter of 2011.

“Overall, it was a decent quarter,” said CDI chief financial officer Bill Mudd during a teleconference. “It was our second-highest EBITDA for a third quarter.”

Also, CDI reported that its racing operations revenue dropped 6 percent from the third quarter of 2011, due in part to three fewer racing days at its flagship track, Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky, and weather-related cancellations at Calder Casino and Racecourse in Miami, Florida.

CDI chairman and chief executive officer Bob Evans said the company made a lot of progressing building its portfolio of growth opportunities in the third quarter and in the few weeks since.

“We hope to see the revenue and EBITDA growth impact of these new opportunities starting in the fourth quarter of this year, and into 2013 and 2014, including our decision to proceed with construction of our joint venture casino project near Lebanon, Ohio; the completion of the acquisition of Riverwalk Casino Hotel; the launch of the real-money gaming site, Luckity.com; and significant progress on the $15 million renovation and rebuilding of Harlow’s following the 2011 Mississippi River flood which we expect to complete by year-end,” Evans said.

“We are also pleased with the construction progress at Churchill Downs, including the new ultra-luxury area known as The Mansion, which is 93% sold or committed under 3 to 7 year contracts, and the new Paddock Plaza area that will add over 200 upper-price-range seats to our inventory for various big events next year including the Kentucky Derby, the Kentucky Oaks and our night racing and other events,” he added.

On November 2, CDI officially launched a website – Luckity.com – that offers players the ability to make bets on games that are modeled after slot machines and scratch-off lottery tickets. Bets made on the games are commingled into the wagering pools for horse races offered through the company's account-wagering site, twinspires.com, with payoffs based on the race results.

A publicly traded company, CDI owns and operates four racetracks in the U.S., including Fair Grounds Racecourse in New Orleans, which hosted the American Quarter Horse Association's Bank of America Challenge Championships in 2010, and which conducts an annual Quarter Horse meet during the summer.

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The National Thoroughbred Racing Association has reported that 41 of the 44 federal candidates it supported through its political action committee in 2011-12 won their seats in the November 6 election.

A bipartisan fund, Horse PAC spent $416,500 in the most recent election cycle. Direct contributions to candidates totaled $257,000, while $159,500 went to political leadership and other political action committees.

Horse PAC has given almost $2.5 million to candidates and PACs since it was created in 2002. It supports candidates who serve on the committees that oversee livestock and agricultural issues, internet gaming, taxation, immigration, and the Interstate Horseracing Act; serve in leadership roles; understand horse racing's issues; have racetracks, breeding farms, training centers, or advance deposit wagering systems in their states; are members of the Congressional Horse Caucus; or are emerging leaders meriting early support in their legislative careers.

For more information on Horse PAC, visit www.supporthorseracing.org.

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Fastest qualifier T Boy C drew post 3 for Saturday's $1-million Louisiana Quarter Horse Breeders' Association Futurity (RG1) at Evangeline Downs.

The LQHBA Futurity, the richest horse race for any breed in the state of Louisiana, is one of four 400-yard stakes to be run at Evangeline Downs on Saturday. The others are the $40,000 LQHBA Invitational Stakes (R) for state-bred 2-year-olds, and two divisions of the $50,000 Evangeline Downs Derby.

T Boy C is coming off of a two-length victory in the third of 11 trials on October 26. The stakes-placed gelding by Sir Runaway Dash will be ridden by Raul Ramirez Jr. for owner Jose Guzman and trainer Miguel Rodriguez.

Second-fastest qualifier Open Me A Corona is an undefeated colt by the Corona Cartel stallion Coronas Leaving Who campaigned by Charles Forbes Jr. and Tommy Hays. Open Me A Corona has earned $20,033 from two outs, and he was a prompt 13-10 favorite in the last LQHBA Futurity trial.

Each division of the Evangeline Downs Derby has drawn a full field of 10 3-year-olds. The likely favorite in the first division, Evelio Salazar's Fast Prize Mike, ran second, a half of a length behind winner Chicks Smart Money, in the 440-yard, $174,000 Dash For Cash Derby (G2) at Lone Star Park on September 29.

A one-time $20,000 claimer, Fast Prize Mike has earned $72,231 from 11 outs. Jarrod Deschamp will ride the Oklahoma-bred colt by PYC Paint Your Wagon for trainer Javier Contreras.

Grade 1 winners High Rate Of Return and Sure Shot B headline the second division of the Evangeline Downs Derby. A California-bred colt by Mr Jess Perry owned by LMR 2011 and trained by Ed Hardy, High Rate Of Return has won three of seven starts, including last year's $1,030,000 Heritage Place Futurity (G1) at Remington Park.

Sure Shot B, a Stoli gelding racing for Charles Forbes Jr. and Tommy Hays from the barn of Bobby Martinez, has banked $532,284 from 10 outs, and his five victories include last year's $1.159-million Texas Classic Futurity (G1) at Lone Star Park.

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Three-time New Mexico-bred stakes winner KC Royal Flush is one of 11 distance specialists nominated to Sunday's 870-yard, $55,000 King Rick Rack Stakes for Quarter Horses and Thoroughbreds at Zia Park.

A homebred 5-year-old Sixes Royal gelding racing for Kathryn Maynard and Carla Feerer of Los Lunas, New Mexico, KC Royal Flush is coming off of a neck victory in the $140,000 New Mexico Cup 870 Championship (R) at Zia Park on October 28. KC Royal Flush has earned $302,616 from 36 races, and his seven wins include last year's 870-yard, $110,000 Challenger Six Handicap (R) at Sunland Park and 870-yard, $50,000 John Augustine Stakes (R) at The Downs at Albuquerque.

Other prominent King Rick Rack nominees include Flyin Fish, a stakes-winning 4-year-old gelding by Fishers Dash owned and trained by Tony Sedillo; Git Er Done, a multiple graded stakes winning 9-year-old Holland Ease gelding owned and trained by Martin Orona Sr.; and Jay and Mary Lou Standefer's Brookstone Flash, a homebred 4-year-old gelding by Brookstone Bay who ran fourth, 1 ¼ lengths behind KC Royal Flush, in the New Mexico Cup 870 Championship.

The King Rick Rack Stakes is named in honor of the horse who won 23 races – mostly at the 870 distance – from 1999-2007. Entries for this year's King Rick Rack Stakes will be drawn on Tuesday.

The Texas Classic Futurity is one of only six $1-million plus futurities contested in the U.S. this season. The stakes started in 1993, when champion Heza Fast Man earned the winner's share of a $306,125 purse at Trinity Meadows.

Past winners of the Texas Classic Futurity include AQHA champions Mr Jess Perry (1994), Winalota Cash ('95), Toast To Dash ('96), Eyesa Special (2000), Illegal Memories ('07), and Tempting Dash ('09). The stakes record of :19.20 is held by Tempting Dash.

Our top selection for this year's Texas Classic Futurity is PYC Kant Katch Me, an undefeated colt by 2005 Texas Classic Futurity winner PYC Paint Your Wagon. The eighth-fastest qualifier, PYC Kant Katch Me is coming off of a one-length victory in what might have been the strongest of the 14 trials on October 20 – his defeated opponents in that race included graded stakes winner Fast N Furious B and the stakes placed Feature Hero. PYC Kant Katch Me has won all five of his races by margins ranging from three-quarters of a length to three lengths, and he earned a TrackMaster speed rating of 102 during his 440-yard All American Futurity (G1) trial win at Ruidoso Downs back in August.

A sorrel gelding by '06 Texas Classic Futurity winner Valiant Hero, Ronnie James races from the barn of trainer Heath Taylor, who wins with 26 percent of his 2-year-old starters, according to TrackMaster statistics. Ronnie James has won three consecutive races dating back to July 7, when he scored a half-length victory in the 350-yard, $328,000 Firecracker Futurity (G2) at Delta Downs. Ronnie James posted a speed rating of 105 during his visually impressive 4 ¼-length win in the first of 14 Texas Classic trials.

One Fast Wagon is a bay filly by PYC Paint Your Wagon who has won both of her starts during the Lone Star meet. One Fast Wagon sprinted to a two-length win over a tough field in the second trial – her defeated foes included TQHA Sale Futurity (RG2) winner Cash Flow Cartel and Heritage Place Futurity (G1) winner BP Cartels Alibi. One Fast Wagon's 15-1 morning-line odds might make the filly attractive to longshot players.

Valiant Lil Lady returned from a five-month layoff to win the 11th trial by 2 ¼ lengths with a 102 TrackMaster speed rating. The brown daughter of Valiant Hero won two of her three races during the Remington Park spring meet, where she was a finalist in the Grade 1, $1.1-million Heritage Place Futurity.

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The co-feature on Lone Star Park's Saturday program, the $377,219 Texas Classic Derby (G1), will showcase 10 of the sport's top 3-year-olds going the classic Quarter Horse distance of 440 yards.

Fastest qualifier Linda Tee Fire will break from post 8 under G.R. Carter Jr., a nine-time AQHA champion jockey who has won this race three times, most recently with world champion Stolis Winner G.R. Carter Jr. three years ago. The stakes record of :21.08 was set by champion Dashing Perfection, another of Carter's winners, in 1997.

Our top selection, Ochoa, was last year's AQHA champion 2-year-old, but this sorrel gelding by champion Tres Seis has also had an outstanding sophomore season that includes victories in the Grade 1 All American and Rainbow derbies at Ruidoso Downs. The 7-5 morning-line favorite, Ochoa is coming off of a nose victory as the 2-5 choice in the third trial on October 19.

A Toss Up has made the exacta in seven of his eight starts this season, and this sorrel gelding by the First Down Dash stallion Sweet First Down has won two of his three races at this 440 distance. A three-time stakes winner during the tough Remington Park spring meet, A Toss Up posted the fourth-fastest qualifying time to the September 2 All American Derby (G1) at Ruidoso Downs, but the gelding was scratched by his trainer from the $2.2-million final.

Lethal Volt is a Grade 1-placed gelding by the First Down Dash stallion Volcom. The runner-up to Send Me A Candy Tree in last year's 440-yard, $200,000 Southwest Juvenile Championship (G1) at Zia Park in New Mexico, Lethal Volt has made the trifecta in all four of his outs at Lone Star, and his record over the track includes a third-place finish on a sloppy track in the 440-yard, $174,000 Dash For Cash Derby (G2) on September 29.

According to a report in the October 30 edition of the Grants Pass Daily Courier, the Josephine County Fair Board is conducting negotations with the Southern Oregon Horse Racing Association (SOHRA) before it decides if it will continue the half-century-old tradition of racing.

The race meet has been losing money the past several years. A recently released report showed that the 2012 season lost about $22,000. Last year's nine-day meet lost about $50,000.

The fairgrounds is overseen by the Josephine County government, and due to budget constraints, the fairgrounds and many other departments have been told by county commissioners to find a way to become self-sustaining.

If SOHRA agrees to take over the meet in 2013, the meet will take place. If not, county board members say they will not be able to fund it.

"It's our decision that we can't continue to operate at a loss, but that doesn't mean that we don't want racing," Fair Board president Terry Canavello told the Daily Courier. “Horse racing has a long tradition here. It is important to people."

Canavello added that SOHRA is the obvious choice to take over the racing meet, as the association has historic ties to horse racing and has been responsible for providing the horses to compete. She said the fairgrounds can help with equipment and support, but because of the county's fiscal situation it can do little to assist financially.

Canavello said early discussions with SOHRA make her "truly enthusiastic about the possibility." She added that SOHRA would be able to run the meet for less money than the fairgrounds. Because of the Internal Services Fund and administrative costs assessed by the county, the Grants Pass Downs meet is already $40,000 in the red before the first horse breaks from the gate.

Every county department is required to pay 10 percent of its budget to the Internal Services Fund. That money pays for overhead costs such as payroll, accounting and legal counsel. As a nongovernmental entity, SOHRA would not incur the administrative and ISF costs and could hire workers at lower wages than the fairgrounds can.

Josephine County Finance Office controller Arthur O'Hare said, absent the administrative and ISF fees, it cost about $402,000 to run the 2012 race meet – about $214,000 of that was the purse fund, which was provided by the Oregon Racing Commission. O'Hare estimated the amount SOHRA would need to come up with in order to run a 2013 race season would be about $188,000.

Lonnie Craig, who ran the 2012 race meet on a volunteer basis, said SOHRA would have to pay $18,000 to the county for use of the facilities, but he warned that liability insurance could be a deal breaker. SOHRA member Harvey Boyle is gathering estimates, but Craig guesses it could cost close to $20,000.

O'Hare said rental costs for the facility might be negotiable, at least during the first season.

Randy Evers, executive director for the Oregon Racing Commission, told the Daily Courier that the commission wants to see racing continue in Grants Pass.

“Whoever shows energy and passion and wants to keep racing going, we'll work with them,” he added.

Rick Wilson, secretary of the nonprofit group Friends of the Fairgrounds, longtime racing supporter and horse trainer Nancy Klapatch, and other supporters of Grants Pass Downs are hoping to hold a fundraiser next June or July. Tentatively called "Dinner at the Downs," the fundraiser would feature live music, and chariot, harness and match races, as well as fine dining, libations and a silent auction. Proceeds from the event would be split equally between the fairgrounds, SOHRA and Friends of the Fairgrounds.

The 2012 Grants Pass Downs race meet ran weekends and the Fourth of July from June 16-July 9. According to figures provided to Equibase, total live-race handle for the nine-day season reached $295,025, topped by wagering of $54,364 on the 10-race program on July 4.

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A bankruptcy court judge in Wilmington, Delaware, has approved Centaur Holdings LLC's $500-million purchase of Indiana Downs Racetrack and its Indiana Grand Casino in Shelbyville.

Centaur also owns Hoosier Park Racetrack and Casino in nearby Anderson, so if state regulators also approve the sale, the company will own both gambling facilities in central Indiana.

Officially, Centaur will pay $500 million, plus one dollar, and assume Indiana Grand's liabilities, according to the sale agreement. The judge's approval, entered on October 31, came after Indiana Grand owner Indianapolis Downs LLC accepted Centaur's winning bid in September.

The court approved the sale over objections from local businessman Ross Mangano, a shareholder in Indianapolis Downs who had expressed an interest in acquiring the property. Mangano had alleged that Centaur didn't negotiate in good faith, and that its purchase wasn't feasible because the lengthy regulatory approval process could further the racino's need for financial restructuring.

“This sale's not final,” Mangano told the Indianapolis Business Journal last Thursday. “It's got to go through regulatory approvals.”

Mangano sadded that he was glad the Federal Trade Commission is required to look at the deal, as he thinks it would give Centaur a monopoly on gaming in the area.

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Adam Choate has joined the American Horse Council staff as the Director of Health and Regulatory Affairs. His responsibilities will include equine health issues, welfare issues, and state, federal and international requirements regarding the movement of horses. He will be the principal AHC contact to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

“I am excited to apply the experience that I have working with state and federal legislation and regulations to the issues facing the horse industry today,” Choate said in a press release.

Choate graduated from the University of Mississippi in 2006, where he double-majored in History and Psychology. In 2009, he earned his law degree from Mississippi College School of Law. Before coming to Washington, Adam served as an attorney for the Mississippi Department of Human Services. More recently, he worked as a legal fellow for U.S. Senator Thad Cochran (R-MS).

“The AHC is fortunate to have Adam join the staff,” said AHC president Jay Hickey. “We are working on several important disease and welfare issues and his background will be important in helping us address them.”

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Saturday's $25,000 Evangeline Downs Dash has drawn 17 entries, so racing secretary Coleman Lloyd has carded the 220-yard stakes for older runners in two divisions.

The first division of the Evangeline Downs Dash drew eight horses, headed by Jaime Torres' Memorys Fast Dash and David West's Sheezespeciallyfast. A Louisiana-bred 5-year-old gelding by Heza Fast Dash trained by Fructuoso Huitron, Memorys Fast Dash is a one-time $3,500 claimer who won the 250-yard, $30,000 Gentilly Dash Stakes at Fair Grounds Racecourse on August 22.

Sheezespeciallyfast is a Louisiana-bred 3-year-old filly by Heza Fast Dash trained by Kevin Broussard. Sheezespeciallyfast is coming off of a third-place finish in the second division of the 350-yard, $30,000 Bill Montgomery Stakes (R) for distaffers on October 20.

The second division of the Evangeline Downs Dash will pit nine head, including probable favorite Likely To Win, an Oklahoma-bred 4-year-old mare by Azoom racing for Herman and Kimberly Hogue and trained by Heath Taylor. Likely To Win has earned $23,000 from three starts – all in stakes – this season, and his race record includes a three-quarter length victory off of a six-month layoff in the 350-yard, $25,000 Mother's Day Stakes at Delta Downs on May 12.

Another second-division contender, Filimon Saucedo's Executive Tone, is coming off of a neck win in the 250-yard, $30,000 TQHA Stakes (R) at Retama Park on July 27. The Texas-bred 5-year-old Executive Menace mare races from the barn of Juan Saucedo.

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Los Alamitos racing secretary Ron Church has received 14 nominations for Saturday's 350-yard, $15,000 Mount Rushmore Overnight Handicap for 2-year-olds who have started on the Intermountain racing circuit.

The top money-earning nominee, Checkspeed, has banked $52,623 from seven races for his owners, J.P. Sample and Emily Lawrence. Trained by John Wells, the sorrel California-bred gelding by Check Him Out broke his maiden with a three-quarter length win in the 350-yard, $114,000 Wild West Futurity on October 20.

Other prominent Mount Rushmore nominees include Dan and Patricia Baker's Agent Of Move, a Utah-bred gelding by Maknmoves who is coming off of a three-quarter length victory in the $52,000 Sweetwater Futurity in Wyoming on September 2; and La Botella Racing Stable's Signature Rocket, a gelding by the Eyesa Special stallion First I Am who won the August 12, $34,000 Oneida County Fair Futurity in Idaho.

Entries for the Mount Rushmore will be taken on Wednesday.

One of the sport's most historic races, the Super Derby began as the Los Alamitos Derby in 1954, when Oscar Cox's Josie's Bar – the AQHA world champion that year – earned the winner's share of a $15,000 purse. Other world champions have won the race, including Kaweah Bar (1968), Charger Bar ('70), Dash For Cash ('76), Sgt Pepper Feature ('81), Dashing Folly ('96), Be A Bono (2004), and Wave Carver ('06).

The Los Alamitos Derby began as a 440-yard race and was run at that distance until 1990, when it was shortened to 400. Zure Hope Again holds the quarter-mile stakes record of :21.37, which was set in '88. The 400-yard stakes record of :19.13 was set by world champion Apollitical Jess two years ago.

Our top choice, fastest qualifier and morning-line favorite Flame N Flash scored a half-length victory in the strongest of four trials on October 14. A nicely bred daughter of Walk Thru Fire and the Shirley's Champion (TB) mare Oh La Proud, Flame N Flash has won four consecutive races dating back to March; her win streak includes a win against older distaffers – including next-out Grade 1 winner Fredaville – in the 400-yard, $150,000 Mildred N. Vessels Memorial Handicap (G1), a race in which she earned a solid 117 TrackMaster speed rating.

Check My Thoughts ran third, three-quarters of a length behind Flame N Flash in the first trial. The consistent gelding by Check Him Out has never missed the trifecta in his 11 career starts, and he earned a 108 speed rating in his half-length win in the 400-yard, $236,000 Golden State Derby (G1) on August 26.

Hez Our Secret was a prompt 1-2 favorite in the last trial. A California-bred colt by all-time leading sire First Down Dash, Hez Our Secret chased the sport's best 3-year-olds last summer at Ruidoso Downs, where he ran second to champion Ochoa in the Grade 1, 440-yard All American Derby.

Second-fastest qualifier Last To Fire likes this distance; the Walk Thru Fire gelding has missed the trifecta in only one of his seven races at the trip. Last To Fire is coming off of a half-length win in the third trial.

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Sunday's 11-race program at Zia Park in Hobbs, New Mexico, is topped by the 400-yard, $55,000 Lovington Stakes (G2) for older sprinters.

Our top selection, Zulu Dragon, outran his 10-1 odds to win the Grade 3, 350-yard James Isaac Hobbs Stakes on September 15. A 5-year-old stallion by First Down Dash, he earned a 111 speed rating in that race, and he's won three races at this longer trip. Also worth noting is that Zulu Dragon's record at this distance includes a close second-place finish to First Corona Call in the March 3 West Texas Maturity (G3) at Sunland Park.

DM Streakin Thru Fire, a classy gelding by Walk Thru Fire, shortens to his best distance off of a fifth-place finish in the Grade 1, 440-yard Refrigerator Handicap at Lone Star Park. DM Streakin Thru Fire is making his third start of his 4-year-old campaign, so he figures to improve off of that race.

Longshot players might want to take a look at Oh Hard To Sell, a 12-1 morning-line longshot and 5-year-old gelding by Shazoom who has been a picture of consistency the past two seasons. Oh Hard To Sell has made the exacta in five of his seven outs at this 400-yard distance, and he earned a solid 105 TrackMaster speed rating in his head victory in a 400-yard allowance over the track on October 9.

According to a report in Saturday's Daily Racing Form, the Ontario racing industry is awaiting a report from the province's Ministry of Agriculture, Food, and Rural Affairs, which will be distributed by Ted McMeekin, the organization's minister. The report is expected to include some form of financial arrangements to help Ontario's racetracks work out viable business plans when the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corp. completes its phase-out of the current racetrack slots program on March 31, 2013.

With no slots and no prospect of operating a casino under the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Commission's plans, Fort Erie is scheduled to close on December 31.

In recent years, Fort Erie has conducted Quarter Horse racing on a limited schedule under the direction of the Quarter Racing Owners of Ontario Inc. The track ran 15 Quarter Horse stakes this season, including the 440-yard, $100,000-added Bank of America Fort Erie Championship Challenge (G3) on July 2, which was won by Walter R. “Dick” Harrison's Fearles Fred, a homebred 5-year-old gelding by champion Fredricksburg.

Fort Erie ran an all-Quarter Horse racing program on Wednesday, October 17. Wagering handle on the 11-race card reached $200,826, of which $189,862 was bet off-track.

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The New Mexico Racing Commission is seeking a budget increase of nearly $800,000, in part to test more racehorses for performance-enhancing drugs and to hire three more employees, including another track investigator.

Vince Mares, the commission's executive director, told the New Mexico Legislative Finance Committee last week that the underlying message of inadequate drug testing is that horse owners and trainers “have to cheat to compete.”

State Sen. John Arthur Smith (D-Deming) said that Mares has made a good case for adding money to the commisson's budget.

“If we're going to attempt to salvage the industry, I'd say the chances are probably pretty good that it will happen,” Smith added.

Smith also said that lingering questions about the credibility of racing in New Mexico would hurt future business unless improvements were made. By the commission's estimate, the horseracing industry is worth $175 million a year to the state's economy.

The NMRC currently has 18.7 employees and an annual budget of $1.98 million. Mares said the agency wants to increase the budget to $2.75 million for 2013, which would allow it to hire the three additional employees and double testing of racehorses.

Under the current commission budget, one or two horses are tested after every race. If the budget increase is granted, Mares estimated that three or four horses per race would be tested.

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Jim Collins, the racing secretary at The Downs at Albuquerque, has received eight nominations for Sunday's 440-yard, $50,000 New Mexico Breeders' Championship (RG3) for state-bred older runners.

Topping the list of nominees is Lorenzo Cano's Iseeyoustaring, a homebred 4-year-old gelding by Sixes Royal trained by Gerardo Cano. Iseeyoustaring is coming off of consecutive allowance victories at Albuquerque and Ruidoso Downs.

Another consecutive allowance winner, Injun Toole, is a 4-year-old gelding by the Easily Smashed stallion Invisible Injun racing for Eric Strawn from the barn of trainer Melvin Cordova. Injun Toole most recently scored a half-length victory in a 400-yard state-bred allowance-optional claiming ($40,000) sprint at Zia Park.

Past winners of the New Mexico Breeders' Championship include AQHA champions Now I Know (1997), Gotta Get (2007 and '08), and First Moonflash ('09).

Sunday is closing day for the 54-day Downs at Albuquerque meet. Entries for the 10-race program will be drawn on Thursday.

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Twenty aged sprinters have been nominated to Sunday's 400-yard, $55,000 Lovington Stakes (G2) at Zia Park.

DM Streakin Thru Fire, a 4-year-old Walk Thru Fire gelding racing for James Sturdivant, Terry Wootan, and Joe David Yates, is the top career money-earning nominee at $333,173 from 14 outs. A finalist in the 2010 All American Futurity (G1) at Ruidoso Downs, DM Streakin Fire has won five races, and his season record includes a third-place finish in the 440-yard, $40,000 All American Gold Cup (G3) at Ruidoso on September 2. The gelding also ran third, a neck behind eventual world champion Cold Cash 123, in last year's 440-yard, $900,000 Rainbow Derby (G1).

Other nominees include the 21 Partnership's Zulu Dragon, a 5-year-old stallion by First Down Dash and the neck winner of the September 15, 350-yard James Isaac Hobbs Stakes (G3) at Zia Park; Valle Guadiana Corp.'s Tres Seis Nueve, a gray 3-year-old colt by Tres Seis who is coming off of a second-place finish to Jess Featureme Quick in the 440-yard, $198,000 Hobbs America Derby (G2) at Zia on October 7; and defending champion Double Chiseled, a 6-year-old SC Chiseled In Stone gelding racing for Top Roustabouts and Backhoe Service who scored a neck victory in last year's Lovington Stakes.

The Lovington Stakes has been contested at Zia Park every year since 2005. Past winners of the stakes include two-time AQHA champion Noconi, who won the race in 2009 and '10. The 400-yard stakes record of :19.00 was established by P.K. Thomas' Corona Ease in 2005.

Entries for this year's Lovington Stakes will be taken on Tuesday.

Post time for the first race, the 440-yard, $25,000 Farnam Stakes for 3-year-olds and older, will be 7 p.m. (CDT). The six-race portion of the Challenge Championships will begin at approximately 9:05 p.m. with the Grade 1, $125,000 Red Cell Distance Challenge Championship.

Without further ado, let's get right into our analysis of the six Challenge Championship races. Note that I am including the official program number with the names of my selections.

$125,000 RED CELL DISTANCE CHALLENGE CHAMPIONSHIP (G1), 870 YARDS – My top choice here, reigning AQHA champion distance horse (1) De Passem Okey, has won five of his six races this year, with his only setback being a troubled fifth-place finish as the 3-2 favorite in the August 12, 870-yard Master Salls Handicap at Ruidoso Downs. Prior to that uncharacteristic off-the-board performance, this 6-year-old gelding by Okey Dokey Dale put together a four-race win streak that included three graded stakes and two 100-plus TrackMaster speed ratings at Remington Park. It also doesn't hurt De Passem Okey that he figures to get a ground-saving trip from post 1. (4) All About Larry earned a 109 speed rating during his nine-length victory in the September 28 Red Cell Lone Star Distance Challenge. The 5-year-old gelding by Heza Motor Scooter has won three of his last four starts at this distance by a combined 21 lengths. A 3-year-old filly by Valiant Hero out of the Caller I.D. (TB) mare Shady Caller (TB), (2) Call Her Hero has the advantage of three-races over the track this season, and it also doesn't hurt her status that she's won all of them. Call Her Hero is undefeated in four outs at the 870 distance, and she is coming off of a neck victory as the odds-on favorite in the Grade 3, $25,000 Covered Bridges Stakes – her defeated opponents in that race included stakes winners Gunpowder Kid and Doyles Dashing Star.

$125,000 MERIAL DISTAFF CHALLENGE CHAMPIONSHIP (G1), 400 YARDS – (10) Fredaville ships in from California, where she ran a close third to winner Flame N Flash and earned a solid 108 TrackMaster speed rating in the 400-yard, $150,000 Mildred N. Vessels Memorial Handicap (G1) at Los Alamitos. This 6-year-old mare by Mr Jess Perry also had a solid spring campaign that included a stakes win at Remington Park, and she towers over this field class-wise. (6) Bertha Venation was a prompt 2-1 favorite in the September 28, $42,000 Merial Lone Star Distaff Challenge – her defeated foes included graded stakes winner Endless Ocean and the stakes-placed Painted Desires. A 5-year-old daughter of the First Down Dash stallion Corona Caliente, Bertha Venation won two stakes during the Retama Park meet, and she has made the trifecta in all six of her outs at this distance. (4) Painted Sable is coming off of a three-quarter length win as the 6-5 favorite in the September 15, $25,000 Merial Prairie Meadows Distaff Challenge. The 4-year-old mare by PYC Paint Your Wagon earned a season-best 88 speed rating in that race, but she has the advantage of at least one start over the track.

$200,000 ADEQUAN DERBY CHALLENGE CHAMPIONSHIP (G1), 400 YARDS – (2) Huckleberry Mojito has had two starts over the track this year, including a neck victory in a stakes-quality 300-yard, $16,000 open allowance sprint on October 6, a race in which she defeated multiple stakes winner Logans Dash by a neck as the 4-5 favorite. This nicely bred daughter of Feature Mr Jess and Eye Opening Special won all three of her races at Canterbury Park last summer by a combined 6 ¼ lengths, and she earned a 103 speed rating in her 1 1/2-length win in the 400-yard Canterbury Park Derby. (5) Ultimate Wave is lightly raced, but this colt by 2006 world champion Wave Carver is coming off of a 2 1/4-length victory as the fastest qualifier and 4-5 choice in the June 9, 400-yard Adequan Arapahoe Derby Challenge in Colorado. He earned a career best 105 speed rating in that win, and his defeated opponents included the multiple stakes placed Wave Good Bye Baby. (8) Jess A Comment ships in from Texas, where the First Comment gelding won three of four races at Retama Park. His season record includes a head victory over graded stakes winner Jumpn Beau Chick in the August 11, $39,000 Adequan Retama Derby Challenge.

$150,000 JOHN DEERE JUVENILE CHALLENGE CHAMPIONSHIP (G1), 350 YARDS – This might be the most contentious of the six Challenge Championship races. Our top choice, (4) Rockin Disco, shortens in distance off of a fourth-place finish as the 9-5 favorite in a 400-yard Dash For Cash Futurity (G1) trial at Lone Star Park. A sorrel gelding by Rock Solid Jess, whose 2-year-olds have been winning at a 20-percent clip from 44 races, Rockin Disco has won two of his three starts at the 350 distance, and he earned a solid 96 TrackMaster speed rating in his head victory in the August 4, $60,000 John Deere Ruidoso Juvenile Challenge (G3). (2) Jess Like Stoli races under the lights for the first time, but this gelding by champion Stoli is coming off of a nose victory over graded stakes winner Dashaway Eagle in the October 14 Turf Paradise Juvenile Challenge in Arizona. Also worth noting is that the 2-year-old starters produced by his dam, the Mr Jess Perry mare and 2-year-old stakes winner Miss Jess Rogue, have been winning at a 28-percent clip from 18 races. (3) All Out Arrogant, a California shipper, has shown marked improvement throughout his four-race career. The FDD Dynasty gelding is coming off of a second-place finish to the well-bred Tell Of The Past in the August 25, $39,000 Los Alamitos Juvenile Challenge.

Other contenders in this wide-open race include (5) Heroes Heart, a filly by Valiant Hero from the high-percentage barn of Charlton Hunt who has a stakes victory over the track; (8) Ms Eaves, a stakes-winning shipper from Idaho with two solid gate works over the track; and (9) Sheaintcrynrealtears, a shipper from Texas who shortens in distance off of a second-place finish to Oilwagon in the 400-yard, $47,000 Dash For Cash Juvenile Invitational Stakes at Lone Star Park.

$353,500 BANK OF AMERICA CHALLENGE CHAMPIONSHIP (G1), 440 YARDS – The winner of this race earns a berth in the 440-yard, $750,000 Champion of Champions (G1) at Los Alamitos in December. Our top selection is (4) Llano Teller, a 4-year-old gelding by Teller Cartel who overcame a rough start to run second as the heavy favorite in the September 15, 440-yard Prairie Meadows Championship Challenge. Llano Teller drops in class off of his third-place finish to reigning world champion Cold Cash 123 and JLS Mr Bigtime in the 440-yard, $250,000 Remington Park Invitational Championship (G1) back in May. (9) Rylees Boy has won 11 of his 16 starts at this quarter-mile trip and is the reigning AQHA champion aged gelding. This 7-year-old son of Heza Motor Scooter is taking a big class drop off of his troubled 10th-place finish in the Grade 1, 400-yard Go Man Go Handicap at Los Alamitos. He ran second, a neck behind winner Favored Cartel, in this race last season. (7) Patriots Glory ships in from Arizona for the high-percentage barn of Hipolito Michel-Valverde. A 5-year-old gelding by Game Patriot, he earned a 99 TrackMaster speed rating in his 1 1/2-length victory in the October 14 Turf Paradise Championship Challenge.

$75,000 PFIZER STARTER ALLOWANCE CHALLENGE CHAMPIONSHIP, 350 YARDS – (6) Moonin The Chicks has been solid since he was claimed back for $16,000 by high-percentage trainer Jose Antonio Moreno. This gray 4-year-old son of Looking For Chicks and champion Your First Moon has posted high speed ratings at Los Alamitos this season, and he is a half brother to Grade 3 winner Jess My Moon. (5) Aint I Kool has won four of his last five races while facing solid competition in New Mexico. A 4-year-old gelding by the First Down Dash stallion First N Kool, Aint I Kool earned a 101 speed rating in his three-quarter length victory in the May 13 SunRay Park Starter Allowance Challenge, and it's also worth noting that he won two races under the lights during his 2- and 3-year-old seasons in Texas.

The Wild West Futurity has a unique condition for a race at Los Alamitos, in that the trials were restricted to horses who started at a track on the Intermountain or Northwest circuit. This year's Wild West Futurity will offer a stakes-record purse of $113,900.

Our top selection for this year's Wild West Futurity is fastest qualifier and 8-5 morning-line favorite Margaritas N Coronas. A sorrel Washington-bred gelding by Corona Czech, Margaritas N Coronas won just two of his five starts at Les Bois Park in Idaho earlier this year, but he's won two of his three outs since shipping to California for trainer Bret Vickery, including the 350-yard, $15,000 The Plan Handicap on September 16. Margaritas N Coronas is coming off of a three-quarter length victory and earned a TrackMaster speed rating of 97 in the first of three trials on October 7.

Second-fastest qualifier Dynasty Red was a prompt odds-on favorite in the second Wild West Futurity trial. The nicely bred gelding by champion FDD Dynasty is out of a winning and stakes-placed dam, the Corona Cartel mare Red High Heels, whose foals have been winning at a 25-percent clip from a sample of 24 starts. Also, Dynasty Red made his California debut by running third, a half of a length behind Grade 2 winner Blackberry Czech, in a PCQHRA Breeders' Futurity (G2) trial on September 15.

Checkspeed finished second to Margaritas N Coronas in both his Wild West trial and The Plan Handicap. A California-bred gelding by Check Him Out, Checkspeed has earned improving TrackMaster speed ratings in all six of his starts, a good sign for a 2-year-old this time of year.

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A full field of 10 older runners has been entered in Saturday's 300-yard, $50,000 Cherokee Challenge Stakes at Will Rogers Downs in Claremore, Oklahoma.

Our top choice, Sizzlin Cartel, is a 3-year-old Corona For Me colt who will be making his first start against older horses here. However, Sizzlin Cartel has been chasing some of the best sophomores in Texas and Louisiana; the colt is coming off of a third-place finish to graded stakes winner Jess Fly With Me and Grade 1 finalist Valiant Valor in a September 14, 440-yard Dash For Cash Derby (G2) trial at Lone Star Park, and he has made the trifecta in both of his starts at this shorter distance.

Tel A Story, a 3-year-old daughter of Corona Cartel, scored a half-length victory in a stakes-quality 250-yard allowance sprint over the track on October 6 – her defeated opponents included graded stakes winner I Am That Hero and stakes winner Redneck Sis. Tel A Story is also a horse for the course, as she's made the exacta in six of her seven outs at Will Rogers Downs.

Chics Delight drops in class and distance off of a third-place finish against distaffers in the September 22, 400-yard Charlie Claborn Memorial Stakes. A 6-year-old mare by the Chicks Beduino stallion Chicks Doit out of the multiple graded stakes winning Easy Jets Image mare Easy Hempen Chic, Chics Delight ran second in three of her five outs at Remington Park last spring, including the 400-yard, $41,000 AQHA Remington Distaff Challenge, and the 350-yard, $50,000 Decketta Stakes (G3).

The highlight of the schedule, the 12th running of the 400-yard, $350,000 Championship at Sunland Park (G1), will be run on December 30. Winners of this race, which was inaugurated in 2001, include AQHA champions A Ransom, Streakin Sin Tacha, Fredricksburg, Gotta Get, Ketel Won, First Moonflash, Noconi, and Cold Cash 123.

The Championship at Sunland Park is just one of 15 graded Quarter Horse stakes to be contested at the track. Sunland Park's other graded stakes include the 440-yard, $100,000-added Bank of America Sunland Championship Challenge (G2) on April 7, and the 300-yard, $100,000-added West Texas Futurity (G1) on April 14.

The winner of the Bank of America Sunland Championship Challenge will earn a berth in next year's Grade 1, $350,000 Bank of America Challenge Championship. Past winners of the stakes, which began in 1993, include Kendall Jackson, who broke the sport's 440-yard world record when he won it in 2002, and reigning AQHA champion aged gelding Rylees Boy, who has won the past three runnings of the race.

The West Texas Futurity has a long history that dates back to Sunland Park's inaugural season in 1959, when Louis Herndon's homebred Hy Diamond Dandy earned the winner's share of a $3,175 purse. The race first achieved graded status in 1983, and its past winners include champions Merganser ('88), Strawberry Silk ('89), Treacherously ('93), Haulin Pass ('96), Stoli (2000), and Eye Opening Episode ('02).

Sunland Park's 76-day meet runs through April 16, 2013. For the most part, the track will present live racing on a Friday-Sunday and Tuesday schedule, and there will be no racing on Super Bowl Sunday, February 3. For more information, visit Sunland Park's website at www.sunland-park.com, and click on the “Racing” link at the top of the homepage.

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For the first time ever, the entire Welfare and Safety of the Racehorse Summit will be open to the public, and all sessions will be available on a live video stream at www.keeneland.com/livevideo/sales/videoonly.php.

The two-day workshop, which will be held October 16-17 at Keeneland Association Sales Pavilion in Lexington, Kentucky, will bring together industry stakeholders from the breeding, racing, and veterinary communities. The three previous summits were held in October 2006, March '08, and June 2010.

Several accomplishments have sprung from the previous three summits, including the creation and launch of the Equine Injury Database, the first North American database of racing injuries; the creation and launch of the Racing Surfaces Testing Laboratory, which provides science-based testing of racing surfaces to enhance safety for horses and their riders; and the incorporation of proposed safety and welfare recommendations from the first two summits into the NTRA Safety and Integrity Alliance Code of Standards.

The summit will be underwritten and coordinated by The Jockey Club and the Grayson-Jockey Club Research Foundation. For a complete agenda, visit www.grayson-jockeyclub.org/newsimages/2012_agenda_WSS.pdf.

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Will Rogers Downs racing secretary Kelly Cathey has received 20 nominations for Saturday's 300-yard, $50,000 Cherokee Challenge Stakes.

One of the nominees, Joel Tavarez's Prospect To The Top, is a four-time stakes winner who is coming off of a sixth-place finish in the October 6, $75,000 Refrigerator Handicap (G1) at Lone Star Park. A 4-year-old stallion by the Corona Cartel stallion Coronas Prospect, Prospect To The Top has earned $680,750 from 20 starts, and his eight wins include a three-quarter length score in the 440-yard, $40,000 All American Gold Cup (G3) at Ruidoso Downs on September 2.

Another nominee, Sizzlin Cartel, is a homebred 3-year-old colt by Corona For Me who has banked $230,816 from 12 races for his owner, J.E. Jumonville Jr. Sizzlin Cartel has won three races, including last year's 350-yard, $297,077 Firecracker Futurity (G2) at Delta Downs.

James Sills' Tel A Story, a homebred 3-year-old daughter of Corona Cartel, has won two consecutive allowance races at Will Rogers Downs. The stakes-placed filly was a finalist in the March 17, $135,000 Oklahoma Derby at Remington Park.

Entries for the Cherokee Challenge will be drawn on Saturday.

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Stakes winners La Mos Chingono and Pantherinthefastlane will face off in the second division of the 350-yard, $30,000 Billy Montgomery Stakes (R) for Louisiana-bred distaffers at Evangeline Downs on Saturday.

A 5-year-old Heza Fast Dash mare racing for Oscar Rohne, La Mos Chingono has won two 350-yard state-bred stakes this season – the August 18, $40,000 Audubon Stakes (R) at Fair Grounds Racecourse, and the February 4, $40,000 Party Girl Stakes (R) at Louisiana Downs. La Mos Chingono has banked $48,000 from three starts this year.

Pantherinthefastlane ran sixth, two lengths behind La Mos Chingono, in the Audubon Stakes. A homebred 4-year-old mare by Panther Mountain, Pantherinthefastlane has earned $163,973 from 19 outs for her owners, Kay and Wade Loup Jr., and her six wins include a nose victory in the 400-yard, $60,000 Flashy Hemp Stakes (R) at Delta Downs on July 14.

Both division of the Billy Montgomery have drawn seven entries. The likely favorite in the first division, Gerald D. Libersat's Unrealistic, is a 4-year-old mare by Heza Fast Dash who is coming off of a second-place finish to La Mos Chingono in the Audubon Stakes.

The Valley Junction Futurity is just one of two graded stakes to be run at Prairie Meadows on Saturday. The other, the $84,950 Altoona Derby (G3), will feature a field of 10 3-year-olds going 400 yards.

First run in 1990, the Valley Junction Futurity first attained graded status in '97. Past winners of the race include Grade 1 winner Lady Tenaya, who won the stakes in 2000. A Silver Goblin holds the stakes record of :17.35, which the Royal Quick Dash gelding set in '06.

Our top selection in this year's Valley Junction Futurity is third-fastest qualifier Her Painted Wagon. An undefeated daughter of PYC Paint Your Wagon, Her Painted Wagon is coming off of a three-quarter length victory in the third of four trials on September 29, a race which included stakes winner Generating Cash and last-out allowance winner JC Lil Wagon. Also, Her Painted Wagon won both of her starts at Remington Park last spring, including a Heritage Place Futurity (G1) trial against a field that included eventual All American Futurity (G1) finalist Just Wanna Corona.

Ride My Wagon has won both of her starts over the track this season. The brown daughter of PYC Paint Your Wagon earned a 91 TrackMaster speed rating in her one-length victory in the first Valley Junction Futurity trial.

The lone graded stakes winner in the field, HH Guns Drawn ran third as the 7-5 favorite in the first trial. A sorrel gelding by AQHA champion Jess Louisiana Blue, HH Guns Drawn has won two of three outs, including the 350-yard, $86,000 Iowa Double Gold Futurity (RG3) – the runner-up in that race, High Handed Attitude, was a next-out allowance winner at Will Rogers Downs.

JA Joanies Fly Boy is coming off of a three-quarter length win in the third trial. The sorrel gelding by the Mr Jess Perry stallion Fly Jess Fly competed at Remington Park last spring, where he was a finalist in the Grade 2, 300-yard Oklahoma Futurity and scored a half-length victory against a tough entry level allowance field that included next-out winner BP Snowy Success and eventual TQHA Sale Futurity (RG2) runner-up One Fast Wagon.

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The history of the Altoona Derby began in 1991, when Ms Salsa Bugs and Rebels Blazin Whip finished in a dead heat for the winner's share of a $13,652 purse. The stakes first attained Grade 3 status seven years later and has held it ever since.

Past winners of the Altoona Derby include John and Sylvia Crain's Mr Chivato To You, a homebred gelding by Dash To Chivato who won the race in 2005 and won the Grade 1, $100,000 Refrigerator Handicap two years later. Joel Rod Pierce's Chi Ter holds the stakes record of :19.58, set in 2010.

Our top choice in this year's Altoona Derby is Cruzin The Wagon, the second-fastest qualifier and 2-1 morning-line choice. A filly by PYC Paint Your Wagon, Cruzin The Wagon is coming off of a neck victory as the 1-5 favorite in the first of two trials on September 29. Also, the filly has won five races and has made the exacta in all seven of her starts this season, and her race record includes victories in the 350-yard, $135,000 Oklahoma Derby and 350-yard, $50,000 Jack Brooks Stakes (RG3) at Remington Park.

Fastest qualifier Eufaula Me was also competitive at Remington last spring, as the brown gelding by champion Okey Dokey Dale ran a close second to Cruzin The Wagon in the Oklahoma Derby. Eufaula Me is also a horse for the Prairie Meadows course, as he has won five of his six starts at the track, including last year's 350-yard, $130,000 Jim Bader Futurity (RG3) for Iowa-breds.

Corona Mit Go, a bay daughter of PYC Paint Your Wagon, ran third to Eufaula Me in her trial, a performance which broke the filly's three-race win streak. Corona Mit Go has won two of three starts during the current Prairie Meadows meet, including a 330-yard, non-winners-of-three allowance with a 92 TrackMaster speed rating on September 16.

Named to honor the two-time AQHA world champion in the early 1990s, the Refrigerator Handicap began its history in 1997, when Jack and Mary Evans' Six Delights earned the winner's share of a $16,200 purse. The race first earned Grade 3 status three years later, and it became a Grade 1 stakes in '03. Streakin Cherry holds the stakes record of :21.117, set in 2009.

This year's Refrigerator Handicap has drawn a competitive field of 10, and a good case for victory can be made for half of the horses in the race. Our top selection, JLS Mr Bigtime, has made the trifecta in seven of his eight starts at this quarter-mile distance. A 4-year-old gelding by the Chicks Beduino stallion Bigtime Favorite, JLS Mr Bigtime is taking a jump up in class off his victory against state-breds in the July 14, $100,000 Louisiana Classic Stakes (RG2) at Delta Downs, but his season race record includes a close second-place finish to reigning world champion Cold Cash 123 in the 440-yard, $250,000 Remington Park Invitational Championship (G1) on May 27, and he earned several 100-plus TrackMaster speed ratings while chasing the best 3-year-olds in the country at Ruidoso Downs in 2011.

Chi Ter races out of the high-percentage barn of trainer Jackie Kirby. The 5-year-old gelding by the First Down Dash stallion Granite Lake earned a solid 103 speed rating in his three-quarter length victory in the Grade 3, 400-yard Keokuk Stakes at Prairie Meadows on August 18. Chi Ter has won five of his 10 outs at the 440 trip, including a stakes-quality open-condition allowance race at Remington Park back in March.

Priceless Feature is making his first start against older horses here. A 3-year-old gelding by Feature Mr Jess, Priceless Feature won four of his five races at Remington Park last spring, including the 400-yard, $248,000 Heritage Place Derby (G2) on May 26. Also, the gelding ships in off of a solid Ruidoso summer campaign that included a second-place finish to champion Ochoa in the 440-yard, $904,000 Rainbow Derby (G1) in July.

Longshot players might want to take a look at Mr Truly Uno, a 5-year-old Feature Mr Jess gelding who is coming off of a 1 1/2-length victory in the July 27, $40,000 TQHA 550 Stakes (R) at Retama Park. Mr Truly Uno has made the trifecta in six of his nine outs at the 440-yard distance, and on May 27 he finished fourth, just one length behind Cold Cash 123, in the Remington Park Invitational Championship.

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A full field of 10 – including fastest qualifier Far Niente – has been entered back in Saturday's 350-yard, $392,000 PCQHRA Breeders' Futurity (G2) at Los Alamitos.

The history of the PCQHRA Breeders' Futurity dates back to 1982, when L.J. Barnhart's Sweet Crystal banked the winner's share of a $68,000 purse during the Los Angeles County Fair meet in Pomona. The stakes first earned graded status in '88, and it has been run at Los Alamitos every year since 1993. Ima Chickie Two holds the stakes record of :17.19, set last season.

Our top choice in this year's Breeders' Futurity is Blackberry Czech, a filly by Corona Czech who was a prompt even-money favorite in her trial on September 15. Blackberry Czech has won three of her four starts, including the 300-yard, $268,000 Kindergarten Futurity (G2) on May 20, a race in which she posted a solid 104 TrackMaster speed rating.

Far Niente must also be respected in this spot, as this well bred son of champion FDD Dynasty and the Chicks Beduino mare Shahayla earned a 103 speed rating in his half-length victory in the second of nine Breeders' Futurity trials. Far Niente has also won three of four starts, as his only defeat came during a troubled trip in an Ed Burke Million Futurity (G1) trial back in June.

Second-fastest qualifier JR Dynasty Mountain made his California debut with a 2 1/4-length victory as the 7-5 favorite in the sixth trial. A colt by FDD Dynasty, JR Dynasty Mountain began his career with a three-race win streak in the Intermountain region that included the 350-yard Bitterroot Juvenile Invitational Stakes at Les Bois Park on May 28.

Evangeline Downs' stakes schedule will feature seven races worth $1.275 million in purse money. The meet's richest race, the 400-yard, $1-million Louisiana Quarter Horse Breeders' Association Futurity (RG1) for state-bred 2-year-olds, is scheduled to be run on November 7. Past winners of the race include AQHA champions Mr Jess Perry (1994) and Vals Fortune ('03), and Jet Black Patriot (2008) and JLS Mr Bigtime ('10).

The meet's second richest race, the 400-yard, $100,000-added Evangeline Downs Futurity, will be contested on December 15.

Meanwhile, a total of 10 Louisiana-bred aged sprinters have been entered in the first stakes of the Evangeline Downs meet, Saturday's 400-yard, $300,000 Don Cravins Stakes (R). The likely favorite, Zupers Quick Dash, is a 6-year-old Heza Fast Dash gelding racing for the Ponderosa Ranch PC Inc. of Claude Jumonville and M.C. Morris' MCM Farms from the barn of Bobby Martinez. Zupers Quick Dash will break from the rail post for this, his first out since June 9, when he won the 400-yard, $60,000 Vals Fortune Stakes (RG2) at Delta Downs.

Other prominent Don Cravins Stakes contenders include Gerald D. Libersat's Taylors Toastin Papa, a two-time stakes winner this season, Jimmie Hatcher's Streakin World, the third-place finisher in the August 18, $40,000 Audubon Stakes (R) at Fair Grounds Racecourse, and Polly A. Coleman's Coors Select, the three-quarter length winner of last year's 400-yard, $100,000 Louisiana Champions Day Juvenile Stakes (RG2).

Evangeline Downs' Quarter Horse meet runs through December 20. For more information, visit the track's website at www.evangelinedowns.com, and click on the “Racing” link on the right side of the homepage.

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Fort Erie Racetrack in Ontario, Canada, will conduct an all-Quarter Horse 10-race program on Wednesday. Post time for the first race is 1:15 p.m. (EDT).

The feature race on the card, the $35,000 Lady of the Lake Stakes, has drawn a full field of 10 3-year-old fillies going 350 yards. Morning-line favorite ZZ Dynasty, a gray daughter of two-time AQHA champion FDD Dynasty, drew post 2 and will be ridden by Scott Sterr. ZZ Dynasty races for Tom R. Bennie from the barn of trainer Stan Webb. The filly has won two of 13 races and has earned $37,776, of which $30,105 has been banked this season. Her race record includes an allowance victory at Ajax Downs on July 10.

Another Lady of the Lake contender, Sarah Wincikaby's Hearts On Valkyrie, ran second to Famous Aunt Jesse in the 350-yard, $57,000 Princess Derby (R) at Ajax Downs on July 24. The homebred Desirio filly has won two of four races and has earned $30,061.

Meanwhile, officials at Fort Erie have been discussing the sale of the 115-year-old track. Jim Thibert, the chief executive officer of the Fort Erie Live Racing Consortium, said that he is negotiating with two separate investors.

“We’re working with them to help them develop research material and concepts and ideas they could have for the property and, hopefully, they’ll put in an offer,” Thibert said.

Neither Thibert or Fort Erie mayor Doug Martin have identified the interested investors except for one fact – both parties are based outside of Canada.

Last June, the Fort Erie Live Racing Consortium announced that it was closing the gates of Fort Erie on December 31 due to removal of slot machines by the Ontario Lottery & Gaming Corporation. The consortium faces a $6-million budget gap in revenue losses as a result of the slots. These monies are critical to the track’s annual $29 million operating budget because the funds are allocated for purses.

Opened in 1897, Fort Erie Race Track is one of the oldest racetracks in North America. It is also the largest employer in Fort Erie. Besides the 2,000 people employed during its peak season, it has an estimated $185 million annual impact on the local economy.

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Richard Rosenberg has been reappointed to the California Horse Racing Board, where he has served since 2009.

A resident of Solana Beach, California, Rosenberg, 73, was executive vice president at the William Morris Agency from 1992-2005. He held multiple positions at Triad Artists Inc. from 1984-92, including founding partner and president. He was founding partner at Regency Artists Ltd. from 1974-84.

Rosenberg's reappointment requires a Senate confirmation.

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Horton Racing LLC's Call Her Hero is one of 17 horses nominated to Saturday's 870-yard, $25,000 Covered Bridges Stakes (G3) at Prairie Meadows.

A homebred 3-year-old filly by the First Down Dash stallion Valiant Hero trained by Charlton Hunt, Call Her Hero has won all three of her starts at the 870 distance, including the September 15, $30,000 AQHA Prairie Meadows Distance Challenge Stakes. All told, the filly has won three of eight races and has earned $28,411.

Other prominent Covered Bridges nominees include Rene Laatsch's Yin Your Eyes, a gray 5-year-old gelding by Eye Yin You trained by Bill Hoburg. Yin Your Eyes has won two of six starts this season, including the $20,000 AQHA Les Bois Park Distance Challenge in Idaho on July 6.

Prairie Meadows' Saturday racing program includes the 350-yard, $20,000-added Prairie Meadows Bonus Challenge Stakes, which has drawn 25 nominations. One of the nominees, J.E. Jumonville Jr.'s Sizzlin Cartel, is a Grade 2-winning 3-year-old colt by the Corona Cartel stallion Corona For Me. Sizzlin Cartel ran second, three-quarters of a length behind winner Runaway Wagon, in the 400-yard, $144,000 Firecracker Derby (G2) at Delta Downs on July 7.

Entries for both the Covered Bridges Stakes and Prairie Meadows Bonus Challenge Stakes will be take on Wednesday.

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Chi Ter and JLS Mr Bigtime are the 126-pound co-highweights for Saturday's 440-yard, $75,000 Refrigerator Handicap (G1) at Lone Star Park.

A 5-year-old Granite Lake gelding racing for Mary Passmore Kirby and trained by Jackie D. Kirby, Chi Ter has earned $106,998 from seven starts this season, and his four wins include a three-quarter length victory in the 400-yard, $45,000 Keokuk Stakes (G3) at Prairie Meadows on August 18. Chi Ter raced at Remington Park last spring, where he ran third in the $100,000 Sooner State Stakes (RG1) and the 550-yard, $35,000 SLM Big Daddy Stakes.

JLS Mr Bigtime is a homebred 4-year-old Bigtime Favorite gelding campaigned by JLS-Speed Horse Ranch Inc. from the barn of C. Dwayne “Sleepy” Gilbreath, who has won the Refrigerator Handicap twice, most recently with champion Significant Speed in 2002. JLS Mr Bigtime is coming off of a head victory as the 1-2 favorite in the 440-yard, $100,000 Louisiana Classic Stakes (RG1) at Delta Downs on July 14.

A total of 27 horses have been nominated to this year's Refrigerator. Here are the weights assigned by racing secretary Bart Lang to the other 25 nominees: Charal Kid (125), Mr Truly Uno (125), Priceless Feature (125), Jess Lips (124), Prospect To The Top (124), DM Streakin Thru Fire (123), First Klas Fred (123), Giorgino (123), Dale N James (122), Double Chiseled (122), Executive Prince (122), Heza Gonna Dash (122), Nowurtalkin (122), The Field Cricket (122), Eyes Blew By You (121), Honor Me Good (121), I See Candy Paint (120), Im The Key (120), Jess Special Candy (120), Royal D Corona (120), Shineys Magic T (120), Van Zant (120), Opportunity Zooms (119), Thats An Azoom (118), and Tormentas Valentine (118).

Entries for the Refrigerator Handicap will be drawn on Wednesday.

The history of the Dash For Cash Futurity dates back to 1997, when Jimmy T. Bowen's My Love Wont Wait earned the winner's share of a $343,305 purse. Past winners of the stakes include champions Deelish ('98) and Tempting Dash (2009). Tempting Dash holds the stakes record of :19.37.

Our top selection for this year's Dash For Cash Futurity is Captain Strawfly, a bay gelding by the Mr Jess Perry stallion Captain Courage who brings a three-race win streak into the contest. Captain Strawfly is coming off of a half-length victory in the seventh of 14 trials on September 15, and his win streak includes a neck win against a field that included graded stakes winner Gonna Cha Cha in a 440-yard All American Futurity (G1) trial at Ruidoso Downs.

First Down Shazoom won the 12th Dash For Cash trial by one length from Sam Houston Futurity (G2) finalist Macho Maggie; his defeated opponents in that race included last-out winner Flirtingwithamiracle and TQHA Sires' Cup Futurity (RG2) winner SS Poker Face Dream. A sorrel gelding by Shazoom, First Down Shazoom has won three of five starts, and he overcame a troubled trip to run fourth in the May 20, $50,000 Easy Jet Stakes (RG3) for Oklahoma-breds at Remington Park..

Apollo Ono broke his maiden with a nose victory in the fifth trial; the Apollo (TB) gelding earned a career-best 94 TrackMaster speed rating in that race, and his defeated opponents included Remington stakes winner Send A Candy Guy graded stakes winner Rockin Disco.

Second-fastest qualifier and 5-2 morning-line favorite One Handsome Man scored a 1 1/4-length win in the first Dash For Cash trial. The gray colt by champion One Famous Eagle has won two races, and he shows improving speed ratings in all four of his starts.

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Saturday's co-featured race at Lone Star Park, the $174,000 Dash For Cash Derby (G2), matches 10 3-year-olds at the classic 440-yard distance.

Champion Dashing Perfection, a homebred First Down Dash gelding racing for the late Bob Moore, won the inaugural running of the Dash For Cash Derby (G3) in 1997. Other winners of the stakes include champions Significant Speed (2000), Oak Tree Special ('03), and Ima Ramblin Girl ('06). Narciso Flores' Wagon To Hollywood holds the stakes record of :21.18, which he set last season.

Our top choice, fastest qualifier and 7-5 morning-line choice Jess Lips won the second of six trials by 1 ½ lengths on September 14, earning a season-best 106 TrackMaster speed rating in the process. A sorrel Grade 1-placed colt by champion Mr Jess Perry, Jess Lips has made the exacta in nine of his 12 races, and campaigned at Ruidoso Downs last summer, he ran a close third to champion Ochoa in the 440-yard, $904,000 Rainbow Derby (G1) on July 21.

Third-fastest qualifier Sweet Oblivion is a stakes-placed daughter of Mr Jess Perry racing from the high-percentage barn of trainer Mike Robbins. Sweet Oblivion earned a solid 99 speed rating in her head victory in the fifth trial, and her sophomore season record includes a second-place finish as the fastest qualifier in the 400-yard, $45,450 Adequan Ruidoso Derby Challenge on June 30.

Chicks Smart Money won the second trial, dominating a field that included stakes winner Mighty B Valiant. The gelding by the First Down Dash stallion First Smart Money was coming off of a second-place finish as the fastest qualifier in the August 4, 350-yard Speedhorse Gold & Silver Cup Derby (RG3) at Fair Meadows at Tulsa.

Ernie Wood, a Colorado City, Texas, rancher and racehorse owner who is part of the three-person investment group, told the Raton Range that an events center would attract people to Raton and attract a wide variety of visitors to town for various types of events, including rodeos, concerts, and BMX bike competitions.

“The track will probably lose money,” Wood told the newspaper. “Mostly what (an events center) is going to provide is economic development.”

Raton city commissioner Neil Segotta, who along with city manager Pete Kampfer introduced Wood around town earlier this month, called the events center the “real key to this project.” Segotta and Kampfer said that even if the racino project does not happen, the city remains interested in pursuing an events center on its own.

But for now, the private and public parties involved are hoping the project will include it all, with perhaps an events center being built in the grandstand structure of the track, the same place the casino could also reside, according to Wood.

Wood was introduced to the idea of becoming a Raton racino owner by Kampfer, who promoted the idea to his friend after leaving the city manager job in Colorado City to take the same position in Raton earlier this year. The other members of the three-person partnership are rancher Lyle Burns of Alto, New Mexico, and Santa Fe attorney Frank Bond.

Wood said any of the three men would not be able to get a racino project done alone, but together they believe they can do it. Also, Kampfer has said the group is working with a Nevada-based firm that has experience in racetracks and casino investments.

Wood added that he and his partners see “great opportunity” in Raton because the city of 7,000 residents is a “little island” in northeastern New Mexico that lacks competition from nearby Indian casinos or racinos in neighboring states. Raton is located about five miles south of the Colorado border.

If and when the New Mexico Racing Commission will be able to accept applications depends on the outcome of an appeal currently pending in the state Court of Appeals. The appeal was filed by Canadian developer Michael Moldenhauer, who had earlier been granted the state’s final racing license but later saw the Racing Commission declare it expired at the end of 2010, the year in which he was supposed to hold his inaugural live racing season at a site in south Raton.

A court order prohibits the racing commission from accepting or considering any racing-license applications while the appeal is pending. The state has only one remaining racino license to issue, the one that Moldenhauer claims still should belong to him. Under gaming compacts signed with New Mexico Indian tribes, the state is limited to six non-reservation racinos, and five are already operating.

Wood estimated his group’s envisioned racino complex would cost $50 million to $75 million to construct, with the final cost dependent on things such as whether a turf track is included and whether an events center gets into the final plans. Kampfer said the city would likely have to issue $4 million to $8 million in bonds to pay for the events center.

Wood and his wife, Brenda, have bred and raced several successful Quarter Horses, including graded stakes winner EBW Obsession, stakes winner Features Lucky Charm, and 2008 All American Futurity (G1) finalist Burner On.

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Centaur Gaming LLC, an Indianapolis-based gaming company, has made the winning bid for the bankrupt Indiana Downs Racetrack and Indiana Grand Casino in Shelbyville.

On September 18, Centaur informed its employees that Indiana Grand's owners had accepted the bid four days earlier. Attorney John Keeler said that Centaur hopes the deal closes within a year.

"There is a long road before there would be a closing," Keeler said. "While we've been chosen as the winner, the bankruptcy court must approve our bid. After that, there are a number of state and federal regulatory steps that we have to go through."

Keeler would not disclose Centaur's actual bid, but bankruptcy court filings indicated the minimum qualifying bid was $500 million. Indiana Grand owner Indianapolis Downs LLC has been in bankruptcy since April 2011.

Centaur Gaming also owns Hoosier Park Racing and Casino in Anderson, which is in the midst of its 2012 Thoroughbred and Quarter Horse meet. Keeler said the company is focused on completing the deal rather than planning any operational changes at the two racinos.

"Obviously, we hope we can grow these properties, both of them," Keeler said. "It's our intention to maintain the same, what we believe to be, quality of racing, gaming and entertainment in Anderson and bring that to Shelbyville as well."

Hoosier Park and Indiana Downs host the state's only pari-mutuel horse racing tracks and both opened casinos within a nine-month span in 2008 and 2009. The $250 million state casino licensing fee that each one paid, coupled with the onset of the recession in 2009, helped trigger bankruptcy at both racinos.

A 2011 state law allowing a single company to own two Indiana pari-mutuel tracks opened the door for Centaur to make a bid for the Shelbyville operation.

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Rules governing exchange wagering gained initial approval from the California Horse Racing Board during its meeting in Pomona on September 20.

According to a report on Bloodhorse.com, the CHRB unanimously approved the series of 22 rules for an expedited 15-day public comment period. The board could give its final approval at its October 18 meeting in Arcadia.

If final approval is given next month, the rules would then go to the California Office of Administration Law for review, a process which could take up to two months, and then on to the Secretary of State for final confirmation.

Under exchange wagering, customers can post odds and accept wagers from other customers on whether a horse will win or lose a race. Exchange wagering was introduced in 2000 in the United Kingdom, where it has been popular. Betfair, the British-based internet wagering company that owns American advanced deposit wagering company TVG, has been pushing for exchange wagering in California, where it was signed into law in 2010.

State racing officials see exchange wagering as a way to attract new interest in the sport from a younger audience. However, the Thoroughbred Owners of California, a group which represents the state's horsemen, have expressed concerns about integrity and whether horsemen would get an equitable share of revenue from exchange wagering.

Without the TOC's support, only Los Alamitos Racecourse is prepared to conduct exchange wagering in California.

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Dave Hooper has resigned as executive director of the Texas Thoroughbred Association to become an association steward at Fair Grounds Racecourse in New Orleans for the track's 2012-13 Thoroughbred meet, which opens November 22.

Hooper has been a steward at Fair Grounds' for the past two Quarter Horse meets. He had served as executive director at the Austin-based TTA for the past 14 years. Prior to that, he was coordinator of the Race Track Industry Program at the University of Arizona.

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Stakes winners Candy Cartel and Little Bit Southern head a field of eight distaffers in Saturday's 400-yard, $55,000 Lubbock Stakes (G3) at Zia Park.

A homebred 4-year-old Corona Cartel mare racing for Carl Pevehouse of Ratliff City, Oklahoma, Candy Cartel is coming off of a one-length victory as the 7-10 favorite in the 350-yard, $20,000 Belles Stakes at Fair Meadows at Tulsa on June 30. Candy Cartel won two races at the Remington Park meet, including the 350-yard, $50,000 Decketta Stakes (G3) on March 24, and she ran second, a neck behind winner A Toss Up, in the 400-yard, $100,000 Sooner State Stakes (RG1) in April.

Little Bit Southern is a New Mexico-bred 5-year-old daughter of Southern Corona campaigned by Edilberto Estrada. A one-time $5,000 claimer, the mare scored a neck victory as the 6-5 choice in the 400-yard, $85,000 Four Corners Senora Stakes (R) at SunRay Park.

The complete lineup for the Lubbock Stakes, in post position order including jockey and weight assignments – Abra Cadabraa (Jaime Leos, 124), Miss Supersonic Dash (Macario Rodriguez, 126), Vanil On Ice (Roberto Valero), Little Bit Southern (Larry Gamez, 126), Arethas Main Feature (Esgar Ramirez, 126), KR Dragonfly (Salvador Martinez, 126), Jesiacountrychick (Bonifacio Perez, 126), and Candy Cartel (Tony Bennett, 126).

Past winners of the Lubbock Stakes include Dosi and Norma Alvarez's Dash Ta Moon, a half sister to champion First Moonflash who won the race in 2007, the first year it attained graded status.

The Go Man Go honors the memory of the AQHA world champion from 1955-57. A son of foundation stallion Top Deck, Go Man Go won 27 races while being campaigned in California and New Mexico.

The history of the Go Man Go Handicap dates back to 1960, when Western Stables' Triple Lady earned the winner's share of a $5,000 purse. The stakes first earned Grade 1 status in 1983, and it has held it ever since.

Past winners of the Go Man Go include world champions Charger Bar (1971 and '74), Mr Jet Moore ('72), Down With Debt ('94), Winalota Cash ('97), Whosleavingwho (2002 and '05)), and Be A Bono ('06). Champion Jess You And I holds the stakes record of :19.29, which he set three years ago.

Our top selection for this year's Go Man Go is Cold Cash 123, a 4-year-old gelding by 2003 world champion Oak Tree Special who has won five consecutive races and eight of his last nine starts. Cold Cash 123's win streak includes a three-quarter length victory in the 440-yard, $250,000 Remington Park Invitational Championship (G1) back in May, and the gelding prepped for his first start in nearly four months – and first race ever at Los Alamitos – with a 350-yard gate breeze over the track in :18.20 on September 7.

Senor Toby has earned solid TrackMaster speed ratings dating back to last October. A 4-year-old gelding by the Mr Jess Perry stallion Mighty Invictus, Senor Toby has made the exacta in all four of his outs this season, and his race record includes second-place finishes to El Aguila Real in the 400-yard Vessels Maturity (G1) on July 8 and 400-yard Los Alamitos Winter Championship (G1) back in February.

Chivalry SR hasn't raced since December 10, when he finished a close third to reigning champion aged stallion Good Reason SA in the Grade 1, $750,000 Champion of Champions, but the 5-year-old Walk Thru Fire gelding shows strong past races off of layoffs. Chivalry SR placed second in last year's Go Man Go, and he earned a solid 123 speed rating in his 1 1/4-length victory in the first division of last year's 400-yard Z. Wayne Griffin Director's Stakes.

The lone 3-year-old in the field, Terrific Synergy, will be making his first start against older horses here. However, the FDD Dynasty gelding is coming off of a 1 3/4-length victory in the 400-yard, $222,000 Governor's Cup Derby (RG2), a race in which he earned a 122 TrackMaster speed rating. Terrific Synergy was a finalist in last year's Grade 1 Los Alamitos Two-Million, Golden State Million, and Ed Burke Million futurities.

The five Thoroughbred races that have been eliminated from Albuquerque's stakes schedule are the $25,000 Fair Queen Stakes (scheduled for September 15), the $40,000 New Mexico State Fair Handicap (September 23), the $25,000 Budweiser Special Stakes (October 14), the $25,000 Charles Taylor Derby (October 21), and the $25,000 Chamisa Handicap (October 28).

The 400-yard, $25,000 La Mariposa Handicap, which was scheduled for last Sunday, was been eliminated from the Quarter Horse stakes schedule.

Don Cook, general manager of racing for The Downs at Albuquerque, said that the track's handle is down 25 percent and has been trending downward since early July. Revenue from simulcasting of imported races has also declined. However, Cook reported that track attendance is up over last year, as is food and beverage revenue.

“But the handle drop is the worst I've seen since I've been at The Downs,” Cook added. “We presented several proposals to the horsemen regarding cuts, one of which was to cut purses 10 percent across the board. Cutting the open stakes completely was the proposal that was approved by the horsemen.”

At the New Mexico Racing Commission meeting in Albuquerque last Thursday, New Mexico Horsemen's Association executive director Jack McGrail said that his membership is anxiously awaiting the opening of the new casino at The Downs at Albuquerque. Latest projection from track management have the casino opening by April 2013.

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Kirk Breed, the executive director of the California Horse Racing Board since February 2008, is recovering from cancer surgery.

Breed, 72, was diagnosed with a type of lymphoma a year ago. He had his spleen removed at a hospital in Sacramento on September 10.

“I have been undergoing chemotherapy for the past year for a tumor in my spleen, but it was determined that the spleen had actually been blocking the chemotherapy from working,” Breed told Bloodhorse.com last week. “After a year, I just got overloaded with toxins from the chemo and (the spleen) needed to be removed.”

A former horse racing lobbyist and one-time general manager of the California Exposition and State Fair, Breed is currently undergoing physical therapy to regain his strength. He said that he hopes to be back to work at the CHRB office within two weeks.

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The agenda has been set for this year's University of Arizona Race Track Industry Program's Global Symposium on Racing and Gaming, which will be held December 3-6 at the Westin La Paloma Resort in Tucson.

Scheduled topics cover a wide range of issues from account wagering to marketing to promoting the off-the-track racehorse. New to this year's symposium will be the Global Simulcast Marketplace, which brings together domestic and foreign attendees who are involved in buying and selling the racing product, thus creating an opportunity for them to expand their business in the international market of racing distribution.

“The Global Simulcast Marketplace has created new interest in the Symposium; it’s attracting participation from new companies as well as bringing others back who’ve been regular attendees in previous years,” said Race Track Industry Program director Doug Reed. “The diverse conference agenda should have broad appeal and create an environment conducive to conducting business between many different stakeholders in racing.”

Reed added that the marketplace concept was created after a number of international attendees indicated that it’s difficult to identify and connect with the appropriate people to acquire the North American product. Because one of the goals of the Symposium has always been to facilitate industry interaction, the marketplace was created to enable the buyers of simulcast signals and providers of the live racing product to sit down and work through details of a deal.

Confirmed Global Simulcast Marketplace participants include Canterbury Park, Lone Star Park, Penn National Gaming Inc., and Remington Park Racing and Casino.

For a complete symposium agenda, visit the Race Track Industry Program's website at www.ua-rtip.org, and click on the “Symposium” link at the top right corner of the homepage.

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Evangeline Downs Racetrack in Opelousas, Louisiana, ended its 84-night Thoroughbred meet on September 8, recording increases in average nightly handle, average nightly on-track handle, and total on-track handle.

Evangeline Downs posted a nightly average handle of $1.389 million, an increase of 4.3 percent from last year's average of $1.331 million. Nightly average on-track handle increased 9 percent to $62,751, while total on-track handle rose from $5,064,557 to $5,208,405, despite a total of five less racing nights compared to 2011.

“We set the bar high here at Evangeline Downs, and I'm proud but not content with our results,” said director of racing operations Steve Darbonne. “Like everyone else, we are facing difficult economic times here in Louisiana, but we continue to offer an exciting and varied product featuring full fields, often producing big payoffs that horse racing fans and bettors across the United States have come to embrace and expect from us.”

Evangeline Downs paid a total of $15.831 million in purses, an average of about $190,000 per night. The track's Quarter Horse meet opens October 3.

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The Louisiana State Racing Commission will meet September 27-28 to hear cases against nine trainers cited by stewards for alleged rules violations stemming from 11 positives for dermorphin at Louisiana tracks.

Last week, the New Orleans Times Picayune reported that the commission was planning to consider the cases against Quarter Horse trainers Heath Taylor, Steve Garrison, Darrel Soileau, Alvin Smith Jr., Alonzo Loya and Gonzalo Gonzales, and thoroughbred trainers Keith Charles, Kyi Lormand and Anthony Agilar at a two-day meeting in late August, but the meeting was canceled because of Hurricane Isaac.

Under Louisiana racing rules, the recommended penalty for a Class I violation is a suspension of at least a year and no more than five years, and a $5,000 fine. Racing regulators say that dermorphin is much more powerful than morphine and has no legitimate use in horses.

Of the 11 horses that tested positive for the drug, seven raced at Delta Downs, three raced at Evangeline Downs and one raced at Louisiana Downs. The races were in May and June.

In each case, stewards at the track where an alleged violation occurred suspended the trainer in question for six months, the maximum suspension that stewards can give a trainer under Louisiana racing rules. In each case, the stewards deemed the penalty insufficient and referred the case to the commission for further action. In racing, the trainer is responsible for the condition of the horse.

Agilar and Soileau face two rulings apiece. Each of the other seven trainers faces one ruling. Nine of the 11 horses that tested positive won. The other two horses finished second to horses that tested positive. In every case, stewards ordered that the horse in question be disqualified and the purse re-distributed.

Dermorphin is a powerful, pain-killing drug that Racing Commissioners International categorizes in Class I.

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Pinnacle Entertainment Inc., a Las Vegas-based casino company, is expected to complete a deal by the end of the year to acquire a majority stake in the partnership that owns the horse racing license for Retama Park Racetrack near San Antonio.

According to a report in the September 12 edition of the San Antonio Express-News, the $22.8-million deal – which was announced last April – originally was expected to take four-to-six months to close, but it has been delayed by a number of background checks on Pinnacle officials that need to be conducted by the Texas Dept. of Public Safety.

Also by the end of the year, Pinnacle is expected to negotiate an option to acquire the entire racetrack facility, Retama Park chief executive officer Bryan Brown said. The 218-acre property includes a 238,000-square foot grandstand.

Pinnacle has thus far provided Retama Park $2.6 million to fund the track's operations. Given the delay in the closing of the deal, Brown said Pinnacle has agreed to loan up to an additional $500,000 to get the track through the rest of the year.

Retama Park's 26-day Thoroughbred meet opens October 5 and runs through December 29.

“We are anticipating about $250,000 in overall funding needed for losses and then as much as another $250,000 just to provide adequate working capital,” Brown told a meeting of the board of Retama Development Corp., which owns the track.

Brown added that no significant improvements to the Retama Park are anticipated until after the deal closes. He added that he expects the Texas Racing Commission will consider approval of the transaction in mid-December.

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Lone Star Park racing secretary Bart Lang has received 16 nominations for Saturday's 350-yard, $20,000 Classic Chevrolet Heartbeat of America Stakes (R) for Texas-breds.

One of the nominees, Charal Kid, has won four stakes and has earned $93,250 this season. A homebred 6-year-old Streakin La Jolla gelding racing for Malinche Cattle Co. Inc. and trained by Eusevio Huitron, Charal Kid is coming off of a three-quarter length victory as the 7-5 favorite in the first division of the July 27, 400-yard Garlyn O. Shelton Stakes (R) at Retama Park.

Another contender, Jose Socorro Vera Jr.'s Kool Country Man, won the second division of the Garlyn O. Shelton Stakes (R). The 4-year-old Country Chicks Man gelding has won two of six races this season, including the 440-yard, $110,000 Bank of America Sam Houston Championship Challenge (G1) on April 14.

Entries for the Classic Chevrolet Heartbeat of America Stakes will be drawn on Wednesday.

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A total of 13 horses have been nominated to Sunday's 440-yard, $10,000-added Portland Meadows Bonus Challenge Championship Stakes.

Devon Dat Cash and Eyez On Brimmer have each been assigned to carry 126 pounds by racing secretary Jerry Kohls. A homebred 7-year-old gelding by Devon Lane (TB) racing for Donald and Beverly Conway and trained by Patti Harris, Devon Dat Cash ran second, a half of a length behind winner A Royal Dervish, in the 440-yard, $54,000 Bank of America Emerald Downs Championship Challenge on September 2.

Eyez On Brimmer is a 6-year-old Brimmerton gelding owned by Malon L. Cowgill and trained by Benito Curiel. Eyez On Brimmer has won three of seven races and has banked $10,497 this season.

Another nominee, Donald and Peggy Boyle's Current Sea, is a 4-year-old gelding by champion Separatist and half brother to two-time AQHA champion Strawkins. Current Sea ran second to PK Fire in last year's 400-yard, $240,000 El Primero del Ano Derby (G2) at Los Alamitos.

Entries for the Portland Meadows Bonus Challenge Championship will be taken on Wednesday.

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Carl C. Pevehouse's Candy Cartel is one of 17 fillies and mares nominated to Saturday's 400-yard, $20,000 Charlie Claborn Memorial Stakes at Will Rogers Downs.

A homebred 4-year-old Corona Cartel mare, Candy Cartel is coming off of a one-length victory as the 7-10 favorite in the June 30, 350-yard Fair Meadows Belles Stakes. Competing at the Remington Park meet last spring, Candy Cartel won the Grade 3, $54,500 Decketta Stakes on March 24, and she ran second, a neck behind winner A Toss Up, in the 400-yard, $100,000 Sooner State Stakes (RG1) for Oklahoma-breds on April 28.

Delta Dance, a 4-year-old daughter of champion Country Chicks Man campaigned by Richard and Kelly Lehn, won four races at Fairmount Park in Illinois this season, including the 400-yard, $35,000 Fairmount Park Invitational Stakes on July 20.

Entries for the Charlie Claborn Memorial will be drawn on Wednesday.

The history of the James Isaac Hobbs Stakes dates back to 2005, when Desirio earned the winner's share of a $57,870 purse. The race first gained Grade 2 status two years later. Strike It Quick holds the 350-yard stakes record of :17.15, which the Royal Quick Dash gelding he set in 2010.

The James Isaac Hobbs Stakes is part of a series of graded stakes for older Quarter Horses at Zia Park. The series continues with the 400-yard, $55,000 Lovington Stakes (G2) on November 4, and concludes with the 440-yard, $150,000 Zia Park Championship (G1) on December 2.

Our top selection for Saturday's eighth running of the James Isaac Hobbs Stakes is the morning-line choice, A Spring Snow. A 7-year-old gelding by champion This Snow Is Royal, A Spring Snow has won two consecutive races, both at this 350 distance, including the August 12, $25,000 O.B. Cockerell Handicap at The Downs at Albuquerque with a solid 108 TrackMaster speed rating. Also, A Spring Snow's season record includes a close fourth-place finish to two-time champion Noconi in the 400-yard La Plata Stakes (G3) at SunRay Park, and a runner-up finish to Rylees Boy in the 440-yard Bank of America Sunland Championship Challenge (G2).

JD Baccarat returns to his favorite distance and track after a seventh-place run in the Grade 3, 400-yard Mr. Jet Moore Handicap at Ruidoso Downs on August 5. A 4-year-old gelding by Mr Jess Perry trained by Paul Jones, JD Baccarat earned a pair of 101 speed ratings at this shorter distance in wins earlier this season at Ruidoso and Sunland Park.

Streakin Cherry, a 15-1 morning-line longshot, takes a big step up in class here, but the 7-year-old Streakin La Jolla gelding loves this distance, as he's won five times and has made the trifecta seven times in eight outs going 350. A two-time graded stakes winner back in 2009, Streakin Cherry hasn't raced since February 17, when he scored a 1 1/2-length victory and posted a 106 speed rating in a 350-yard race for $20,000 claimers. Also, the gelding's past performance lines show several wins off of a layoff, and his stakes record at this distance includes a third-place finish behind Strike It Quick and Rylees Boy in the 2011 KOFX-FM Handicap (G3) at Sunland Park.

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The 440-yard, $73,980 Bank of America Prairie Meadows Championship Challenge (G2) is one of six stakes races to be contested at Prairie Meadows on Saturday. The winner of the race will earn a berth in the 440-yard, $350,000 Bank of America Challenge Championship (G1) at Prairie Meadows on October 27.

The Prairie Meadows Championship Challenge was once known as the Bank of America Central Challenge Championship. Past winners of this race include AQHA champions Dashing Perfection (1998), Panther Mountain (2003), Little Bit Of Baja ('09), and Spit Curl Diva ('11).

This year's Prairie Meadows Championship Challenge has drawn a full field of 12 aged sprinters. Our top choice, Llano Teller, is a Grade 1-winning 4-year-old son of Teller Cartel taking a huge class drop off of a third-place finish to Cold Cash 123 and JLS Mr Bigtime in the May 27, $250,000 Remington Park Invitational Championship (G1) at this quarter-mile distance. Facing the best 3-year-olds in the country last year, Llano Teller scored victories in the Grade 1 Ruidoso and All American derbies, and he posted TrackMaster speed ratings of 100-plus in all nine of his 2011 races.

Ethics Aside is a well-traveled 6-year-old Mr Jess Perry stallion making his first career start at Prairie Meadows. Ethics Aside is winless in three outs at the 440 distance, but he earned a solid 96 speed rating in his neck win in the 400-yard, $75,000 Bradford Stakes at Hoosier Park in Indiana on August 18, and it's worth noting that his opponents in that race included Got Courage, a stakes winner who was coming off of three consecutive allowance victories, and multiple stakes winner Speed Smith.

Wheres Your Wagon, a 4-year-old gelding by PYC Paint Your Wagon, has never been tested at this distance. However, he has been favored in his last six races, four of which he has won by an average margin of nearly two lengths, and he has won four of his six starts over this track.

Another first-time starter at the 440-yard trip, Jesse In Town, races out of the high-percentage Jackie D. Kirby barn. The winner of the July 14, 350-yard Rocky Heinzig Memorial Stakes at Fair Meadows at Tulsa with a 98 speed rating, this 5-year-old gelding is bred to like this longer distance; his sire, Feature Mr Jess, won the 440-yard Rainbow Derby (G1) at Ruidoso Downs in 2001.

Giorgino ran a close second against a tougher field in the April 14, $101,000 Sam Houston Championship Challenge (G1) back in April. The 4-year-old stallion by the Falstaff (TB) stallion Apollo (TB) had a nice prep over this track when he ran third in the 400-yard Keokuk Stakes (G3) on August 18.

The Downs at Albuquerque is located at Expo New Mexico, the state-owned fairgrounds that leases land to the racino. Horsemen eager to compete for larger purses fed by the new casino’s slot-machine profits have been questioning the apparent lack of construction activity ever since the State Fair Commission approved a new 25-year lease for the Downs last January. The lease also allows the Downs to build a new multimillion-dollar casino on the Expo New Mexico grounds.

As of last week, the parking lot at the northwest corner of the fairgrounds has been torn up, and a compacted mound of dirt upon which the $15 million to $20 million casino will sit is nearing completion.

On September 5, White told the Journal that problems with the compacted mound of dirt, known as the pad, had set the project back about three weeks.

“We had a fairly significant construction delay because of some soil issues,” White said.

When engineers tested the soil beneath the pad, they found a couple of areas that were not compacted deeply enough to meet specifications. The 7-foot-high pad will put the casino at about the same elevation as the racetrack.

With the pad completed, contractors can begin pouring concrete footings and the casino’s foundation, White said.

The Downs at Albuquerque is in the midst of its 54-day Thoroughbred and Quarter Horse meet, which runs through November 4.

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According to a report in Twin Cities Business, Canterbury Park Holding Corporation, which operates Canterbury Park Racetrack, is poised for revenue growth this year, partly thanks to gains during the track's race meet, which ended on September 3.

Average attendance for the 62 days of live racing was a meet record 6,595, up 7 percent from last year. Also, Canterbury Park's average daily handle – $452,405 – was up nearly 13 percent compared to 2011.

One reason for the handle increase has to do with last summer’s state government shutdown. Because Canterbury Park’s operations are regulated by the Minnesota Racing Commission, a state agency that was forced to cease operations during the 20-day shutdown, the track also had to close during that period.

Canterbury Park extended its 2011 meet past its traditional Labor Day ending to try to recoup some of the lost revenue resulting from the shutdown, but the track still lost six racing days and an estimated $2 million to $3 million.

Canterbury chief executive officer and president Randy Sampson told Twin Cities Business on Thursday that he expects a double-digit revenue increase in the third quarter of this year, which ends on September 30. During last year’s third quarter, revenue dropped 9 percent to $10.92 million.

Meanwhile, Sampson has high hopes for the full fiscal year as well. He declined to provide a specific estimate but said revenues are expected to exceed the $40.6 million reported last year, which represented a 1.7 percent increase over 2010.

In addition to offering live horse racing between May and September, Canterbury Park operates a card club and offers year-round simulcasting of horse races.

Another big boost to Canterbury stems from a deal it struck in June with the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community, which operates Mystic Lake Casino in nearby Prior Lake. The tribe agreed to make annual payments to Canterbury Park that will total roughly $75 million over the course of the 10-year agreement. In exchange, Canterbury Park Holding Corporation agreed to drop efforts to pass racino legislation, which would allow for combined racetracks and casinos, for the duration of the agreement.

The entire $75 million will be used to increase Canterbury’s purses, but company spokesman Jeff Maday said that it could indirectly boost revenue as well. Larger purses are likely to lead to more and better horses shipping to Canterbury to compete, both of which are believed to boost the amount that attendees wager and would thus increase the company’s portion of that pot. This season, $2.7 million of the total sum was added to the purse fund.

“Now . . . instead of spending our time and energy pursuing the legislative efforts, we’re really able to focus on our core business and ways we can grow our core business,” Sampson said.

. According to the Minnesota Campaign Finance and Public Disclosure Board, Canterbury Park spent $420,000 on racino-focused lobbying efforts in 2010 and $460,000 in 2011.

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Sam Houston Race Park president Andrea Young has announced the soft launch of a new website, www.lettexansdecide.com, which has been developed to make Texans aware of the gambling dollars being wagered in neighboring states. The website also stresses to visitors the need to communicate directly with their legislators to request their support of a referendum to let Texas voters decide about additional gaming at racetracks.

The website also contains contact information for all members of the Texas House and Senate. The soft launch will be followed by the posting of new information leading into the start of the next legislative session, which begins January 8, 2013.

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A full field of 10 has been entered in Saturday's 350-yard, $55,000 James Isaac Hobbs Stakes (G2) at Zia Park.

A Spring Snow, a 7-year-old gelding by champion This Snow Is Royal racing for Leticia Jaquez and trained by Abraham Jaquez, will break from post 5 under jockey Tony Guymon. A Spring Snow has won two of six races this season, including the August 12, $25,000 O.B. Cockerell Handicap at The Downs at Albuquerque.

Other prominent sprinters entered in the James Isaac Hobbs include JD Baccarat, a 4-year-old Mr Jess Perry gelding who won the 350-yard, $30,000 Higheasterjet Handicap (G3) at Ruidoso Downs on July 1, and Zulu Dragon, a 5-year-old stallion by First Down Dash who ran second, a nose behind First Corona Call, in the 400-yard, $99,826 West Texas Maturity (G3) at Sunland Park on March 3.

The complete lineup for the James Isaac Hobbs Stakes, in post position order including jockey and weight assignments – Tee Cos (Jesse Levario, 124), Streakin Cherry (Antonio Escareno, 126), Hindsights Great (Isaias Cardenas, 126), Double Chiseled (Jaime Leos, 126), A Spring Snow (Tony Guymon, 126), Aint Eye Kool (Esgar Ramirez, 126), Feature Ten (Felipe Garcia-Luna, 126), JD Baccarat (Freddie Martinez, 126), Zulu Dragon (Rodrigo Aceves, 126), and Klassic Strawfly (Macario Rodriguez, 126).

The Pat Hyland is one of two stakes to be contested at Los Alamitos this weekend. The weekend's other stakes, the $25,000 Sgt Pepper Feature Handicap on Sunday, has drawn eight 3-year-olds going 350 yards.

The Pat Hyland honors the memory of the late Lawrence A. "Pat" Hyland, one of Quarter Horse racing's top breeders whose homebred runners included AQHA champion Florentine. Our top selection is Mama Mia Bella, a sorrel daughter of the First Down Dash stallion Royaltys Choice who ran fourth in the Grade 2, $268,000 Kindergarten Futurity back in May. Mama Mia Bella brings a two-race win streak into the race that includes a nose victory as the 2-1 favorite in the 350-yard, $25,000 California Breeders' Freshman Stakes (R) on July 28.

Beat This Chick is coming off of a 300-yard non-winners-of-two allowance victory against a field that included last-out maiden special weight winners Tiny Flying Corona and Chaotic Cartel. A daughter of 2001 AQHA champion 2-year-old colt Tres Seis, Beat This Chick prepped last spring at Remington Park, where she rallied to win a 250-yard training race in February.

Buy Buy Buy moves up in class off of a three-race win streak that includes a three-quarter length victory in the 350-yard, $25,000 California Breeders' Freshman Fillies Stakes (R) on July 28. Check Cee Jay Out, a 20-1 longshot, has been well-bet in all of her three starts off of a series of solid works over the track. The filly earned a solid TrackMaster speed rating of 89 in her half-length maiden special weight victory on August 3.

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Sunday's Sgt Pepper Feature Handicap honors the memory of the 1982 AQHA world champion who won three stakes at Los Alamitos during his championship campaign. Our top choice in the race, Letty Bail Regis Out, is a one-time $2,500 claimer who has recorded improving TrackMaster speed ratings in all five of her starts. A sorrel daughter of the Red Hot Rhythm stallion Bail Me Out Baby, she is coming off of a half-length victory against state-bred fillies in the 350-yard, $25,000 California Breeders' Debutante Stakes (R).

Fols Jesse is a multiple stakes placed son of Jesse James Jr who earned a 98 speed rating in his one-length win against non-winners-of-three allowance company on August 5. The gelding shipped in from Idaho, where he ran a close second to seven-time winner Bux For Cocktail in the 400-yard, $45,000 AQHA Les Bois Derby Challenge Stakes in July.

A $16,000 claim by owner Felix A. Gonzalez and trainer Jose Moreno in May, Thinkrich N Royal has since run through his allowance conditions. A nicely bred gelding by First Down Dash out of the Strawfly Special mare A Royal Goddess, Thinkrich N Royal is coming off of a 330-yard allowance win against a field that included last-out allowance winner Does She Ever.

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Let's start our analyses off with the 440-yard, $40,000 All American Gold Cup (G3), which will go as the ninth race on Ruidoso Downs' 12-race program on Sunday (approximate post time, 3:44 p.m. MDT). This stakes began its history 30 years ago, when G.D. Highsmith's Higheasterjet earned the winner's share of a $966,120 purse. Several AQHA champions have won the race, most recently Noconi, who won it the last two years, Ketel Won (2007 and '08), and Significant Speed ('02). Streakin Cherry holds the 440-yard stakes record of :20.89, which was set three years ago.

This year's All American Gold Cup has drawn a field of seven aged runners, including Noconi, who will be making his last career start in this spot. Our top selection, however, is DM Streakin Thru Fire, a 4-year-old gelding by Walk Thru Fire who raced competitively against the sport's best sprinters his first two seasons, and who has been working smartly for this, his first out in 12 months.

At 3, DM Streakin Thru Fire campaigned exclusively at Ruidoso Downs, where he ran a close third, a neck behind eventual world champion Cold Cash 123, in the 440-yard, $900,000 Rainbow Derby (G1). The gelding shows three wins off of a layoffs during his 12-race career, and his three official works over the track include a 330-yard breeze in :16.10 on August 21, the fastest of 11 drills at the distance that day.

Prospect To The Top, the 2-1 morning-line favorite, is coming off of a close second-place finish in the 400-yard, $30,000 Mr Jet Moore Handicap (G3) on August 5. A 4-year-old stallion by the Corona Cartel stallion Coronas Prospect, Prospect To The Top has made the trifecta in six of his seven starts at this distance, and his record at the quarter-mile trip includes a 1 1/4-length victory in last year's $155,000 Hobbs America Derby (G2) at Zia Park, and a close second-place run to Llano Teller in the $1.317-million All American Derby (G1) at Ruidoso.

In the 30-year history of the All American Gold Cup, only three horses have won the race twice: Hope For A Miracle (1999-2000), Ketel Won, and Noconi. A two-time AQHA champion and lifetime earner of $1,340,159, Noconi drew post 6 for this year's Gold Cup – just to the inside of Prospect To The Top – and the 7-year-old Mr Jess Perry gelding has had a solid season that includes a victory in the Grade 3, 400-yard La Plata Stakes at SunRay Park on May 12, and a third-place finish behind El Aguila Real and Senor Toby in the Grade 1, 400-yard Los Alamitos Winter Championship back in February.

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Sunday's All American Derby (11th race, approximate post time 4:42 MDT) will be worth a stakes-record purse of $2,234,539, which beats the previous record of $1,548,685 set two years ago, when the race was won by champion Double Down Special. The winner of this year's Derby will earn a berth in the 440-yard, $750,000 Champion of Champions (G1) at Los Alamitos in December.

The All American Derby began its history in 1974, when Jack R. Delmar Pass Over, banked the winner's share of a $438,314. The race first earned Grade 1 status in '83 and has held it ever since. Llano Teller holds the 440-yard stakes record of :20.86, which the Teller Cartel gelding set last season.

(Note that A Toss Up, the fourth-fastest qualifier, has been scratched from the race due to illness.)

Our top choice is sixth-fastest qualifier Ochoa, a sorrel gelding by Tres Seis who boasts a three-race win streak that includes a hard-fought head victory as the third-fastest qualifier in the 440-yard, $903,774 Rainbow Derby (G1) on July 21. Last year's AQHA champion 2-year-old, Ochoa is a perfect five-for-five at this distance, and his six wins in nine outs over the track inlcude a solid 1 1/2-length score as the fastest qualifier in last year's 440-yard, $2.4-million All American Futurity (G1).

Third-fastest qualifier Hez Our Secret, an 8-1 morning-line longshot, enters this race in good form, as the First Down Dash colt finished in a dead heat for the win with multiple graded stakes winner A Toss Up in the third of 10 trials on August 17. Hez Our Secret also has some back class; the colt ran fourth in last year's 400-yard Los Alamitos Two-Million Futurity (G1) in California.

Fastest qualifier BPS Jumpin Frisco won the first All American Derby trial off of a solid campaign at Remington Park. A brown gelding by the Chicks Beduino stallion Jumpn, BPS Jumpin Frisco earned 100-plus TrackMaster speed ratings in his last two outs in Oklahoma, including his close third-place finish as the fastest qualifier and 8-5 choice in the Grade 2, 400-yard Heritage Place Derby.

Linda Tee Fire is still looking for his first win this season and first-ever stakes victory, but this Texas-bred gelding by Walk Thru Fire has made the trifecta in all three of his races in 2012. The second-fastest qualifier, Linda Tee Fire is coming off of a close second-place finish to BPS Jumpin Frisco in his trial.

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Monday's All American Futurity (11th race, approximate post time 5:15 MDT), a Ruidoso Downs season-ending tradition since its inception in 1959, will match nine 2-year-olds going the classic quarter-mile distance. (Note that second-fastest qualifier Jess A Zoomin will not race, as the colt was euthanized after his trial win on August 16.)

The All American Futurity is one of only two 440-yard stakes races for 2-year-old Quarter Horses; the other, the Grade 1, $200,000-added Southwest Juvenile Championship, will be run at Zia Park in November. The winner of this year's All American Futurity will earn $1.2 million and will become the sport's newest millionaire.

From 2000, a total of eight All American winner have become AQHA champions: Eyesa Special, AB What A Runner, DM Shicago, Teller Cartel, Heartswideopen, Stolis Winner, Runnning Brook Gal, and Ochoa. Ironically, the 440-yard stakes record of :20.88 was set in 2006 by one of four winners who wasn't a champion, No Secrets Here.

Our top choice in this year's All American Futurity is fastest qualifier and morning-line choice PJ Chick In Black, a filly by the Strawfly Special stallion Desirio who is undefeated and has earned $428,339 from five starts. PJ Chick In Black is coming off of a visually stunning 5 3/4-length victory in the 24th of 26 trials on August 16 – a race in which she posted an equally stunning TrackMaster speed rating of 119 – and her race record includes a neck victory against open company in the June 9, $600,000 Ruidoso Futurity (G1), and a one-length score against New Mexico-breds in the April 8, $251,359 New Mexican Spring Futurity (RG2) at Sunland Park.

One Dashing Eagle was a prompt odds-on favorite in the 26th trial. A sorrel son of One Famous Eagle and two-time graded futurity winner One Sweet Dash, One Dashing Eagle is bred to win early – his half brother, One Sweet Jess, won the 2010 Golden State Million Futurity (G1) at Los Alamitos. The colt won two consecutive races in California before he shipped to Ruidoso, including the 350-yard, $1.041-million Ed Burke Million Futurity (G1) with a 104 speed rating.

Krash Cartel was a beaten favorite in the 21st trial; he ran a close second to Jess A Zoomin. Earlier this season, the Corona Cartel colt gave PJ Chick In Black her toughest test to date, as he finished just a neck behind that filly in the Ruidoso Futurity.

BP Cartels Alibi made his Ruidoso Downs debut with a nearly three-length victory in the 25th trial. The gray Corona Cartel colt shipped in from Oklahoma, where he had a solid Remington Park campaign that included an upset win in the 350-yard, $1.115-million Heritage Place Futurity (G1) on May 26.

Upset-minded handicappers might want to consider the only two finalists who qualified from the trials 1-19 – Native Tea Rose (seventh trial) and Just Wanna Corona (ninth heat). A sorrel filly by all-time leading sire First Down Dash, Native Tea Rose has won two of three starts. Her dam, the multiple graded stake winning Mr Jess Perry mare St Pats Tea, has produced two graded stakes winners, Grade 1 winner Bodacious Dash and Grade 2 winner St Pats First, both of whom are full brothers to Native Tea Rose.

Just Wanna Corona is a full brother to multiple stakes winner Tortuga Tony. The gelding by Stel Corona won his trial by 2 ½ lengths against a field that included Rainbow Futurity (G1) winner Carters Cookie.

Ten 2-year-olds have been entered back in the California Juvenile Challenge. In addition to the largest share of the purse, the winner of the race will earn a berth in the October 27, $150,000 John Deere Juvenile Challenge Championship (G2) at Prairie Meadows.

Our top selection is fastest qualifier and 9-5 morning-line favorite Joy Roses Eagle SA. A bay daughter of 2008 AQHA champion 3-year-old colt One Famous Eagle, the filly is taking a big drop in class off of her third-place finish in the Grade 1, 350-yard Ed Burke Million Futurity on June 24. Back in May, Joy Roses Eagle ran a close second to eventual All American Futurity (G1) qualifier Native Tea Rose in a 300-yard maiden special weight dash, and all three of her morning works over the track have been solid.

Longshot players might want to take a look at Heza Dynasty, the sixth-fastest qualifier and a 15-1 morning-line longshot. A son of two-time champion FDD Dynasty, Heza Dynasty ran third after a sharp break in his trial, but that marked the colt's first start over the track and first race off of a five-week layoff, so he might have needed the out. Heza Dynasty shipped in from Idaho, where he won two races with solid TrackMaster speed ratings at Les Bois Park.

Tell Of The Past is a maiden, but this well-bred colt by 2005 champion 2-year-old colt Teller Cartel and 2-year-old graded stakes winner A Delightful Legacy outran his 20-1 odds to finish a close second to our top pick in his trial. Tell Of The Past's half brother, Inseparable, was a two-time Grade 1 finalist at 2 and the AQHA champion 3-year-old in '09.

Bingo has won two consecutive races, including the second of three trials by a half of a length. A sorrel gelding by 2001 champion 2-year-old colt Tres Seis out of the winning Corona Cartel mare Corona Blurr, Bingo broke his maiden against a field that included next-out winner Mezers in his second career start on July 14.

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The history of the Golden State Derby dates back to its first running at Bay Meadows in 1971, when Hadan Livestock Co.'s Ruby Khan banked the winner's share of a $135,415 purse. The stakes was contested at Bay Meadows through '91, and its list of winners included champions Don Guerro, Timeto Thinkrich, and Easy Date in the early 1970s, and Sgt Pepper Feature, Tolltac, and Florentine in the '80s.

The Golden State Derby has held Grade 1 status since 1983. It was moved to Los Alamitos in '92, where it has been run every year since. The 400-yard stakes record of :19.30 was set by champion One Famous Eagle four years ago.

Our top choice is seventh-fastest qualifier Last To Fire, a classy son of Walk Thru Fire who ran third as the 3-2 favorite in the first of two trials on August 12. The gelding might have needed the start, as it was his first in eight months. At 2, Last To Fire ran second as the fastest qualifier in the Grade 1, 400-yard Los Alamitos Two-Million Futurity, and third as the fastest qualifier in the Grade 1, 400-yard Golden State Million Futurity.

Third-fastest qualifier New Look is a Grade 2-winning son of Walk Thru Fire who finished second as the 2-5 choice in the second heat. New Look has earned $105,475 from seven starts this season, and his four wins include a half-length score as the fastest qualifier in the 400-yard, $184,000 El Primero del Ano Derby (G2).

Check My Thoughts has made the trifecta in all four of his races this season, and he earned a TrackMaster speed rating of 103 when he ran third, a neck behind Kobe, in the Grade 1, 400-yard Los Alamitos Winter Derby back in February. A stakes winner, the Check Him Out gelding scored a three-quarter length win in last year's 400-yard Golden State Million Juvenile Stakes, defeating a solid field that next-out stakes winner Teller Shez Wicked, next-out allowance winner Study Hall Pierce, and last-out allowance winner Working Girl.

Do You Do Corona, an Oklahoma-bred daughter of Corona Cartel, brings a four-race win streak into the Golden State Derby that includes a head victory over New Look in the second trial. The filly ended her 2-year-old season with three consecutive wins over the track.

Unlike recent years, when the field for Quarter Horse racing's richest and most prestigious race is filled with maidens – or horses who broke their maidens and made the most of advantageous weather and track conditions in their trials – the 2012 All American Futurity will feature Grade 1 winners representing New Mexico, Oklahoma, and California. Also, this year's group has a combined 23 wins in 36 races and combined purse earnings of more than $1.4 million.

Handicappers should take note that only two of the qualifiers – Just Wanna Corona (ninth trial) and Native Tea Rose (seventh) – raced in the first 19 trials. All of the other finalists, including fastest qualifier and likely favorite PJ Chick In Black, came out of heats 20-26.

And, there is not one maiden in this year's final.

Let's take a closer look at the qualifiers, starting with the undefeated PJ Chick In Black, the only multiple stakes winner in the field. Longtime racetrackers are comparing her trial win to that of world champion Special Effort in 1981. The New Mexico-bred daughter of the Strawfly Special stallion Desirio is undefeated in five starts, has earned $428,339, and her stakes record includes victories against state-breds in the April 8, $251,359 New Mexican Spring Futurity (RG2) at Sunland Park, and against open company in the June 9, $600,000 Ruidoso Futurity (G1).

Jess A Zoomin has banked $36,990 from four outs, and his three wins include a nose victory over third-fastest qualifier Krash Cartel in the 21st heat. A sorrel gelding by the Takin On The Cash stallion Shazoom, Jess A Zoomin ran sixth as the 10th-fastest qualifier in the June 9, $600,000 Ruidoso Futurity (G1). His dam, the winning 7-year-old Mr Jess Perry mare Jess A Classy Lassy, was a finalist in Wild Six's 2007 Rainbow Futurity (G1).

Krash Cartel has finished first or second in all four of his starts. The colt by Corona Cartel has earned $99,640 while racing exclusively at Ruidoso Downs, and he ran second to PJ Chick In Black as the fastest qualifier and odds-on favorite in the Ruidoso Futurity. Krash Cartel is a half brother to stakes winner A Hot Valentine; his second dam, the First Down Dash mare Speedy Empress, was the co-champion 2-year-old filly in 1996.

Just Wanna Corona broke his maiden with a 2 1/2-length victory in the ninth trial. A colt by the Corona Cartel stallion Stel Corona, Just Wanna Corona's dam, the stakes-winning Dash To Chivato mare Just Wanna Be Me, produced Tortuga Tony, a gelding by Stel Corona who won last year's 440-yard, $169,300 Hialeah Derby and 350-yard, $112,280 Indiana Live QHRAI Derby at Indiana Downs.

Native Tea Rose has banked $6,080 from three races, and her two wins include a one-length victory as the 17-10 favorite in the seventh trial. The First Down Dash filly's dam, multiple graded stakes winner St Pats Tea, has produced two graded stakes winners, both of whom are full brothers to Native Tea Rose – 2010 Texas Classic Futurity (G1) winner and 2011 Rainbow Derby (G1) runner-up Bodacious Dash, and '06 Firecracker Derby (G2) winner St Pats First.

One Dashing Eagle shipped in from California, where the One Famous Eagle colt scored a 1 1/4-length victory as the fastest-qualifier in the 350-yard, $1,041,000 Ed Burke Million Futurity (G1) at Los Alamitos. The colt has won three of four starts, including the 26th trial, and has earned $426,205. His dam, the 16-year-old First Down Dash mare One Sweet Dash, won two graded stakes at 2, including the 1998 Prescott Downs Futurity (G3) in Arizona, and she produced One Sweet Jess, a colt by Mr Jess Perry who won the 2010 Golden State Million Futurity (G1) at Los Alamitos.

Aha Moment, a bay colt by 2006 All American Futurity winner No Secrets Here, has made the trifecta in all four of his outs, and his two wins include a dead heat win in the 25th trial. Aha Moment's dam, the Mr Jess Perry mare Thrill And Grace, won the 2007 Harrah's Entertainment Derby (G2) at Louisiana Downs. The colt's second dam, the stakes-winning Easily Smashed mare Dela Creme Smash, produced two graded stakes winners, including Grade 1 winner Victory Defined.

BP Cartel Alibi dead heated with Aha Moment in the 25th trial. A gray colt by Corona Cartel, BP Cartel Alibi shipped in from Remington Park, where his two wins in three starts included the 350-yard, $1,048,560 Heritage Place Futurity (G1) on May 26. BP Cartel Alibi has banked $452,335 from four outs. His dam, the 18-year-old graded stakes placed Chicks Beduino mare My Ladys Alibi, produced the stakes-placed Southern Cartel filly Cartel Lady.

Making just his second start, Mr Perry Cartel scored a three-quarter length win at odds of 26-1 in the 20th trial. The bay gelding by two-time Grade 1 winner Carters Cartel made his career debut with a third-place finish to Teller Ima Dream and Krash Cartel in a Rainbow Futurity (G1) trial on July 3. His dam, the winning 6-year-old Mr Jess Perry mare Miss Lena Perry, ran second, three-quarters of a length behind winner Jess Significant, in the 2008 Ruidoso Futurity (G1).

Sudden Thoughts finished second to sixth-fastest qualifier One Dashing Eagle in the 26th heat. A gray gelding by 2006 world champion Wave Carver, Sudden Thoughts won his first two races at Ruidoso Downs. His dam, the 6-year-old Corona Cartel mare Cee Cee O Toole, is a half sister to 2000 All American Futurity winner and champion 2-year-old Eyesa Special.

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The winner of this year's 440-yard All American Derby (G1) on September 2 will not only earn the largest share of a stakes-record $2,234,539 purse – he or she will also land a berth in the 440-yard, $750,000 Champion of Champions (G1) at Los Alamitos Racecourse on December 15.

Let's take a closer look at this year's All American Derby field:

BPS Jumpin Frisco was a prompt odds-on favorite in the first trial, as the brown gelding by the graded stakes winning Chicks Beduino stallion Jumpin won by a neck for his fourth victory in 13 starts. BPS Jumpin Frisco was a finalist in last year's Grade 1, 400-yard Los Alamitos Million Futurity, and he shipped in to Ruidoso Downs off of a tough Remington Park campaign in which he made the trifecta in all five of his races and ran third, a neck behind winner Priceless Feature, in the 400-yard, $247,800 Heritage Place Derby (G2).

Linda Tee Fire ran second, a neck behind BPS Jumpin Frisco, in the first heat. A sorrel gelding by the First Down Dash stallion Walk Thru Fire, Linda Tee Fire has won two of nine races and has banked $52,053. He is winless in three outs this season, but he was a finalist in last year's 400-yard, $1,158,941 Texas Classic Futurity (G1) at Lone Star Park.

Hez Our Secret finished in a dead heat for the win with A Toss Up in the third trial. A California-bred colt by all-time leading sire First Down Dash, Hez Our Secret has earned $175,768 from eight races, and he ran fourth, 1 ¼ lengths behind winner I Like The Odds, in last year's Los Alamitos Million Futurity.

A Toss Up has career earnings of $288,107, of which $201,109 has been banked this year. The gelding by the First Down Dash stallion Sweet First Down won three stakes at Remington Park last spring, including a pair of graded stakes against older horses – the 400-yard, $100,000 Sooner State Stakes (RG1) for Oklahoma-breds, and the 350-yard, $54,500 Eastex Handicap (G2) against open company.

Bills Last ran third, a nose behind the dead heat winners, in the third heat. A Texas-bred gelding by Shazoom, Bills Last has competed exclusively in New Mexico all season. He finished third, 1 ¼ lengths behind winner No Ordinary Love, in the 400-yard, $50,000 Animas Stakes (G3) at SunRay Park in April, and he was a finalist in the first two Grade 1 derbies at Ruidoso Downs.

Ochoa, a Texas-bred gelding by Tres Seis, was last year's AQHA champion 2-year-old. Ochoa scored a two-length victory on a sloppy track in the eighth heat, and he tops all All American Derby finalists with earnings of $1,645,736. The gelding's six wins in nine races, all at Ruidoso Downs, include the 440-yard, $903,774 Rainbow Derby (G1) on July 21, and last year's 440-yard, $2.4-million All American Futurity (G1).

Eyein This Feature outran his 13-1 odds to score a wire-to-wire, 1 1/2-length win on a sloppy surface in the seventh trial; his defeated opponents included Ruidoso Derby (G1) winner Executive Brass and stakes winner Denver Pass. A Louisiana-bred colt by Grade 1 winner Feature Mr Jess, Eyein This Feature has won two of 10 starts and has banked $23,300.

Testing The Ice is a stakes-winning gelding by champion and 2001 All American Derby (G1) winner Stoli. Testing The Ice won the ninth heat by three-quarters of a length for his fourth victory in 11 races. The gelding was a prompt 2-1 favorite in last year's 350-yard, $25,000 Markel Stakes, part of the Bank of America Challenge Championship undercard at Los Alamitos.

Lotta Love For Robyn was a finalist in last year's All American Futurity. A California-bred filly by First Down Dash, Lotta Love For Robyn ran third behind BPS Jumpin Frisco and Linda Tee Fire in the first All American Derby trial. She has campaigned exclusively at Ruidoso Downs this season, and she scored her first career victory in a 350-yard maiden special weight sprint on May 28.

Jess Featureme Quick won the second trial at odds of nearly 18-1; the Feature Mr Jess gelding's defeated opponents included champion and Grade 1 winner Feature Mr Bojangles and the stakes-placed Moon Dynasty and Sweet Oblivion. Jess Featureme Quick has won three of eight starts, including a 400-yard, $12,500 allowance race at Ruidoso on June 17, and he has earned $12,330.

Located at the Expo New Mexico grounds in the center of the city, The Downs at Albuquerque features a Quarter Horse stakes schedule that includes 13 races worth more than $600,000 in purse money. One of the meet's highlights, Lineage Day on Sunday, August 26, features four New Mexico-bred Quarter Horse stakes offering a total of $200,000 in purses.

Also, The Downs at Albuquerque will present three 400-yard graded stakes for state-breds during the weekend of September 22-23 – the $50,000-added New Mexico State Fair Senor Futurity (RG3) for 2-year-old colts and geldings and $50,000-added New Mexico State Fair Senorita Futurity (RG3) for 2-year-old fillies on September 22, and the $50,000-added New Mexico State Fair Breeders' Derby (RG3) for sophomores on September 23.

The inaugural running of the 300-yard, $60,000-est. Zoom Zoom Zoom Shootout Stakes is scheduled for September 30. The entry fee for the race will be $5,000 per horse, and the winner will earn 80 percent of the gross purse.

Racing secretary Jim Collins has received 11 nominations for the meet's first Quarter Horse stakes, Sunday's 350-yard, $25,000 O.B. Cockerell Handicap. Topping the list of nominees is A Spring Snow, a sorrel 7-year-old gelding by champion This Snow Is Royal racing for Leticia Jaquez and trained by Abraham Jaquez. The runner-up to reigning champion aged gelding April 8, $120,510 Bank of America New Mexico Championship Challenge (G2) at Sunland Park, A Spring Snow is coming off of a neck victory as the 3-2 favorite in a 350-yard allowance sprint at SunRay Park on June 26.

The Downs at Albuquerque's season includes a 17-day New Mexico State Fair meet in September. For more information on the meet, visit the track's website at www.abqdowns.com.

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Ruidoso Downs Racetrack is reporting an increase in handle and a decrease in attendance during the first 10 weeks of its 2012 meet.

Through July 30, Ruidoso Downs' handle on its live races and imported simulcasts reached $15,269,254, up 10 percent from the same period last year. The total wagered during last year's entire 60-day meet was $24,133,309, which represented a 6-percent increase over 2010.

Ruidoso Downs parimutuel manager and simulcast coordinator Deano McTeigue – the keeper of such records – told the Ruidoso News that the bulk of the increase has come from out-of-state wagering on the track's races, which stood at $6,393,204 during the first 41 days of the meet and represented a 40-percent increase over last year's out-of-state handle during the same period.

Tourism in the Ruidoso area was adversely affected by the Little Bear Fire in early June.

“Before the fire, the first two weekends of live racing at Ruidoso Downs were strong,” said McTeigue, who has served as parimutuel manager at the track for the past 16 years. “After the fire, it started to go down. I knew of some people who chose not to come here due to the smoke, and that hurt our (on-track) handle.”

As of July 29, attendance at Ruidoso Downs was 132,045, down 6 percent from the same period in 2011. However, the track's biggest days are yet to come, as the All American Futurity (G1) trials are scheduled for Thursday, August 16, and the Labor Day weekend – which includes the finals of the All American Futurity and All American Derby (G1) – traditionally attracts large crowds.

“Even with the negative economy and fire, Ruidoso Downs Racetrack is holding its own,” McTeigue said.

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According to financial records sent to the media on Monday, Churchill Downs Inc. reported record net earnings of $48.6 million during the second quarter of 2012. The company's second quarter revenue of $270.8 million also set a record.

CDI's flagship racetrack, Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky, hosted the Kentucky Derby and Kentucky Oaks during the quarter, and earnings from those two race days were a strong factor in the company's positive financial results.

CDI's online wagering company, Twinspires.com, experienced a second-quarter handle increase of 13 percent, driven primarily by new customer growth and an increase in average daily wagering.

Churchill Downs Inc. operates four racetracks in the United States, including Fair Grounds Racecourse in New Orleans, which opens its Quarter Horse meet on August 15. The 12-day season offers live racing on a Wednesday-Saturday schedule through closing day, September 1.

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Charal Kid has been assigned by racing secretary James Leatherman to carry 126 pounds in Friday's 350-yard, $15,000 Live Oak Handicap (R) for Texas-breds at Retama Park.

A homebred 6-year-old Streakin La Jolla gelding campaigned by Malinche Cattle Co Inc. and trained by Eusevio Huitron, Charal Kid has earned $93,250 from seven outs this season, and his four wins include the first division of the 400-yard, $35,000 Garlyn Shelton Stakes (RG3) at Retama on July 27, and the 400-yard, $50,000 Miss Polly Classic Stakes (G3) at Delta Downs.

Other Live Oak nominees include Eleazar Martinez Sr.'s The Hot List, the three-quarter length winner of the third division of the 110-yard Texas Twister Stakes (R) at Sam Houston Race Park on April 20, and Jerry Windham's Texas Icon, a homebred 4-year-old stallion by Corona Cartel who ran second in last year's Grade 2, $286,000 Heritage Place Derby at Remington Park.

Entries for the Live Oak Stakes will be taken on Tuesday.

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Arapahoe Park racing secretary Bill Powers has received eight nominations for Sunday's 400-yard, $15,000 Rocky Mountain Quarter Horse Association Championship.

One of the nominees, Richard and Genevieve Herrman's Patriots Glory, a homebred 5-year-old gelding by Game Patriot. Patriots Glory has won eight of 23 starts, including six of 16 at Arapahoe, and he is coming off of consecutive victories in the 400-yard, $12,500 Dolls Prodigy Stakes (R) for Colorado-breds on July 21, and the 350-yard, $13,250 Pen Pal Stakes on June 24.

Another RMQHA Championship nominee, Guillermo Rodriguez's Raise Ur Corona, won two stakes last season – the Grade 3, $30,000 Manuel Lujan Stakes at The Downs at Albuquerque, and the $49,310 Lucille Rowe Derby (R) at Arapahoe.

Entries for the RMQHA Championship will be drawn on Thursday.

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A total of 11 sprinters have been nominated to Friday's 440-yard, $10,000-added Treasure Valley Racing Bonus Challenge Stakes at Les Bois Park in Boise, Idaho.

The top lifetime earner among the nominees, Elida Escobedo's Blue Piranha, is a 6-year-old Fishers Dash gelding trained by Samuel Christensen. A stakes winner during the 2008 Los Alamitos meet, Blue Piranha is a graded stakes placed earner of $113,985 from 34 starts.

Other top nominees include Classic Blush, a two-time derby winner in Idaho last year and the runner-up to Oh La Traffic in the 2010 Wild West Futurity at Los Alamitos, and Vodka Soda No Fruit, a 6-year-old gelding by Shazoom who is coming off of a second-place finish to Vodka With Ice in the 250-yard, $17,020 Jack Rhoden Bonus Challenge Stakes at Prineville, Oregon, on July 14.

Entries for the Treasure Valley Racing Bonus Challenge will be taken on Tuesday.

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Two-time AQHA champion distance horse De Passem Okey is one of 10 870-yard specialists nominated to Sunday's $30,000 Master Salls Handicap at Ruidoso Downs.

A 6-year-old gelding by champion Okey Dokey Dale racing for Steve A. Holt and trained by Rodney Reed, De Passem Okey has been assigned top weight of 128 pounds by Ruidoso Downs racing secretary Robert Junk. De Passem Okey has won all four of his starts this season, including three stakes as the odds-on favorite at Remington Park.

Tactful (TB), a 6-year-old gelding by Bertrando (TB) racing for Rogelio T. Carrasco Sr. from the barn of Martin Orona Sr., has been assigned 127 pounds. Tactful has won three races during the current Ruidoso meet, including stakes at the 870- and 1,000-yard distances.

The Master Salls Handicap honors the memory of the Kentucky-bred son of the Nashua stallion Groton who won 23 races – mostly in New Mexico – from 1972-76.. Entries for the race will be drawn on Thursday.

Fair Meadows' closing-night card features eight stakes – three for Quarter Horses, three for Paints and Appaloosas, and two for Thoroughbreds. This week, we'll take a look, from a handicapper's perspective, at the two richest Quarter Horse races, the 350-yard, $311,349 Speedhorse Gold & Silver Cup Futurity (RG2), and the 350-yard, $92,295 Speedhorse Gold & Silver Cup Derby (RG3), both of which are sponsored by Speedhorse Magazine.

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The Speedhorse Gold & Silver Cup Futurity was first run in 1992, when Jennifer H. Stewart's King Khalid banked the winner's share of a $273,006 purse at Trinity Meadows in Texas. The race was moved to its current location in '97, after Trinity Meadows was closed.

The Speedhorse Gold & Silver Cup Futurity first attained Restricted Grade 2 status in '93; it was a Restricted Grade 1 stakes from 2005-09. Past winners of the race include champion Spit Curl Diva, who won it in 2008. The 350-yard stakes record of :17.30 was set two years ago by Sara Morgan's First Painted Sign.

Our top selection for this year's race is Hurri Cartel, an undefeated gelding by 2005 AQHA champion 2-year-old colt Teller Cartel. A prompt 6-5 favorite in what might have been the toughest of the five trials on July 20, Hurri Cartel has won all four of his races, including the 350-yard, $20,000 Fair Meadows Juvenile Stakes on June 20. Also worth noting is that Hurri Cartel worked nicely last winter at Remington Park – one of his drills, a 250-yard gate move in :13.6, was the third-fastest of 68 on February 9 – and his trainer, Clinton Crawford, has been winning at a solid 23-percent clip with his 2-year-old starters.

Crawford will be busy in the paddock before this race, as he'll be responsible for the saddling of six of the 10 finalists. Another of his starters, fastest qualifier Hiclass Vodka ran third, a neck behind Hurri Cartel, in the Fair Meadows Juvenile, but this bay colt by Hiclass La Jolla earned a TrackMaster speed rating of 105 during his one-length victory in the third trial, and his speed figures have increased since March 17, when he ran fifth after a troubled start in the Grade 2, $358,000 Oklahoma Futurity at Remington Park.

Crawford also has a four-horse wagering entry, all of whom are sired by PYC Paint Your Wagon, the current leading sire of 2-year-old money earners. The strongest part of the quartet might be second-fastest qualifier Send A Candy Guy, the half-length winner of the May 20, 300-yard Bugs Alive In 75 Stakes (R) during the tough Remington meet. Send A Candy Guy ran second to Hiclass Vodka as the 9-5 favorite in his trial.

Ernies Palace, a sorrel son of '06 world champion Wave Carver, has won three of his four races, the only blemish on his record being a third-place finish in the Oklahoma Futurity. On May 5, Ernies Palace won a Heritage Place Futurity (G1) trial against a field that included next-out winners PYC Diamond and Somethin Like This.

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The Speedhorse Gold & Silver Cup Derby began as a 400-yard stakes at Trinity Meadows in 1993; it was shortened to its current distance three years later. Streakin Six Cartel, a colt by Corona Cartel campaigned by Jose C. Angel and Julian C. Angel, set the 350-yard stakes record of :17.29 in '09.

Our top choice in this year's Derby, Chicks Smart Money, is undefeated in his three starts at Fair Meadows. A sorrel gelding by the First Down Dash stallion First Smart Money, Chicks Smart Money is coming off of a half-length victory in the first of three trials on July 20, a race in which he posted a 107 TrackMaster speed rating and the fastest qualifying time.

Trainer Clinton Crawford has a three-horse wagering entry that includes third-fastest qualifier Haulin Candy Salt. Sent to post as the 4-5 choice in the second trial, this bay daughter of PYC Paint Your Wagon responded with a 1 1/2-length win and a 101 speed rating, and she ran a solid fourth against a tough group in the 400-yard, $248,000 Heritage Place Derby (G2) at Remington back in May.

Sumokin, a 15-1 morning-line longshot, is winless in six starts this season, but the gray filly by champion Country Chicks Man had a good 2-year-old campaign that included an upset victory in the 400-yard, $427,000 Black Gold Futurity Championship (RG3) at Will Rogers Downs.

According to a report in the July 20 edition of the Raton Range, the deadline for La Mesa to ask the Supreme Court to hear the case passed last week without Moldenhauer filing a request. But although Moldenhauer has decided against taking his appeal to the state's highest court, he told the newspaper in an e-mailed statement that “we have not stopped our fight for Raton.”

Moldenhauer added that he is “hopeful of a positive outcome” in a separate appeal involving the racing license that was originally awarded to Moldenhauer in 2008, but was declared by the state Racing Commission to have expired at the end of 2010.

“If we are successful, we will then return to the Gaming Control Board and reapply for a new permit,” Moldenhauer said in the statement. “Therefore, it does not make sense to appeal this decision now while the Racing Commission appeal is still being considered. The Racing Commission appeal is our best way to return racing to Raton.”

Supreme Court officials indicated La Mesa could still make a request for the justices to consider the gaming-license appeal if the request is accompanied by a motion that would essentially ask that the deadline be waived. The court would then decide on whether to accept the motion and then whether to hear the case.

But Moldenhauer indicated going to the Supreme Court is not the best decision for La Mesa right now.

“The matter that is relevant to the Racetrack in Raton is to maintain the rights to the last racetrack,” he said, reinforcing his belief that focusing on the racing-license appeal is key.

The Court of Appeals on June 12 filed a decision stating that the gaming board acted properly in declaring as void Moldenhauer's gaming license for his proposed racino in south Raton. If he had chosen to, Moldenhauer had 30 days from that filing date to request that the Supreme Court hear the gaming-license case.

The decision came three years after Moldenhauer was awarded the gaming license for his planned $50 million project. Eleven months later, in May 2010, the gaming board revoked the license after Moldenhauer missed a board-imposed deadline for opening a temporary casino at the project site. The board also alleged Moldenhauer failed to provide adequate documentation of certain things that were required as conditions on the license.

The other La Mesa appeal — this one originally filed in District Court regarding the loss of La Mesa’s racing license, but then sent up to the Court of Appeals last September — is still going through the briefing process in the Court of Appeals. Once the attorneys have filed all their argument briefs, which could take a few more months, the case will go to a panel of judges for consideration and a decision.

According to the racing license that had been issued to La Mesa, its inaugural live racing season was to be from May 28-September 6, 2010. A hearing officer, and later the state Racing Commission, determined the license had expired at the end of 2010.

At a community meeting Moldenhauer held in Raton in February, he indicated he may pursue other legal options if his appeals in court fail to restore the licenses to him.

Meanwhile, a new group of investors has told Raton city officials it hopes to submit an application to build and operate a racino in Raton if the application process for the state’s final racing license is resumed after this court battle ends. The racino group consists of two businessmen from New Mexico, one from Texas, and a Las Vegas, Nevada-based company, according to Raton City Manager Pete Kampfer.

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Texas' three Class 1 tracks have applied for 64 Quarter Horse racing dates in 2013, while the Gillespie County Fair in Fredericksburg has applied for its traditional eight-day, four-weekend mixed meet.

The Class 1 tracks' date requests are as follows: Sam Houston Race Park is seeking 21 dates, Retama Park near

San Antonio has applied for 20 dates, and Lone Star Park at Grand Prairie is asking for 23.

The Gillespie Fair plans to start its mixed meet the weekend following July 6.

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Sweetwater Downs has released its condition book for its four-day meet, which opens August 18.

Located in Rock Springs, Wyoming, about 70 miles east of Evanston on Interstate 80, Sweetwater Downs will offer live racing the weekend of August 18-19, then take one weekend off before returning to close its meet the weekend of September 1-2.

Sweetwater Downs' stakes schedule will be highlighted by its richest race, the 350-yard, $50,000-est. Sweetwater Futurity on closing day. Other key races include the 400-yard, $30,000-est. Sweetwater Derby on September 1, and the 350-yard, $20,000-est. Wyoming Bred Futurity (R) on September 2.

For more information, including a complete condition book, visit Sweetwater Downs' website at www.wyominghorseracing.com.

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Horse racing on the Northern California Fair Circuit moves to the Sonoma County Fair in Santa Rosa, beginning Wednesday.

Santa Rosa's lone scheduled Quarter Horse stakes, 440-yard, $10,000 Wine Country Derby, will be held on Saturday, August 11.

The 15-day meet will offer live racing on a Wednesday-Sunday schedule through August 12.

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Canterbury Park drew 16,071 fans last Saturday, most of whom were there for the track's annual Extreme Racing Day.

This year's Extreme Day featured a 110-yard Quarter Horse race, ostrich and camel races, and track announcer Paul Allen calling a 6-furlong Thoroughbred race while inhaling from a balloon filled with helium.

The Quarter Horse race was the Dash In A Flash Stakes, whose entire $15,000-added purse came from the Mystic Lake Casino Purse Enhancement Fund. The winner of the stakes was Terry Thorson's Red Hot Zoomer, who won the race by a half of a length in :7.034. Ed Hardy trains the 3-year-old Texas-bred filly by Azoom.

“She just blew out of there,” said Nik Goodwin, the rider of Red Hot Zoomer and the Canterbury meet's leading Quarter Horse rider to date. “She can fly when she gets her feet under her like that.”

Red Hot Zoomer was coming off of a second-place finish in a 300-yard, open-condition allowance race worth $10,000 on June 17. The filly has won four of 11 races and has earned $46,860, and she ran second in last year's $33,150 North Central QHRA Futurity (R) at Canterbury.

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The Louisiana State Racing Commission will meet August 29-30 to hear cases against nine trainers cited by stewards for alleged rules violations stemming from 11 positives for dermorphin at Louisiana tracks, executive director Charlie Gardiner told the New Orleans Times-Picayune on Monday.

Dermorphin is a pain-killing drug that the Association of Racing Commissioners International categorizes as Class I, which are described by the ARCI as “stimulant and depressant drugs that have the highest potential to affect performance and have no generally accepted medical use in race horses.”

The commission was planning to consider the cases against Quarter Horse trainers Heath Taylor, Steve Garrison, Darrel Soileau, Alvin Smith Jr., Alonzo Loya and Gonzalo Gonzales, and Thoroughbred trainers Keith Charles, Kyi Lormand and Anthony Agilar at its meeting on July 31. However, Gardiner said that, for legal and procedural reasons, the cases were pushed back to the two-day meeting in August.

Under Louisiana racing rules, the recommended penalty for a Class I violation is a suspension of at least a year and no more than five years, and a $5,000 fine. Of the 11 horses that tested positive for dermorphin, seven raced at Delta Downs, three at Evangeline Downs and one at Louisiana Downs. The races were in May and June.

Nine of the 11 horses that tested positive won their races. The other two horses finished second to horses that tested positive. In every case, stewards ordered that the horse in question be disqualified and the purse re-distributed.

In every case, stewards at the track where an alleged violation occurred suspended the trainer in question for six months – the maximum suspension that stewards can give a trainer under Louisiana racing rules. In every case, the stewards deemed the penalty insufficient and referred the case to the commission for further action.

Agilar and Soileau face two rulings apiece, while the other seven trainers face one ruling apiece. Every trainer except Lormand has appealed. While under an appeal, a trainer can continue to run horses until the commission hears the case.

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The remains of Anthony Downs were auctioned off last Friday, the final event at a track that provided more than 100 years of horse- and dog-racing memories in south-central Kansas.

Everything left at Anthony Downs after it closed in 2009 – including fences, grandstands, barns, horse stalls – was auctioned to make way for development of the land. Kansas' small tracks, of which Anthony Downs was one, depended financially on revenue from simulcasting of races at the state's larger tracks, including The Woodlands in Kansas City. Anthony Downs no longer received that revenue, which helped it fund purses and operating expenses, when those tracks closed.

According to Associated Press, residents living near Anthony Downs decided to buy it in order to have control over how the site was developed, likely as a community with apartments and houses.

“There’s a lot of hazards out here,” said Jeff Jones, one of the local property owners. “The sooner we get those hazards out of here, the safer it is for kids walking to the pool or the baseball diamonds.”

Brandon Gerber, who will conduct the auction, has plenty of fond memories of Anthony Downs since he moved to the town more than 30 years ago.

“The first thing I remember, we moved in the summer and we came to the Anthony Downs,” Gerber said.

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Ameristar Casinos, a Las Vegas-based gaming company, has completed its $32.5-million purchase of a planned development in Lake Charles, Louisiana, and was expected to break ground last Friday on the $500-million hotel-casino project.

In a statement, Ameristar said it hoped to complete the 700-room Ameristar Lake Charles by the fall of 2014. Lake Charles is located about 25 miles from Delta Downs Racetrack and Casino in Vinton, which completed its 46-night Quarter Horse meet on July 14.

The project was originally known as Mojito Pointe and was being developed by Creative Casinos, a company controlled by Las Vegas gaming executive Dan Lee. The project, which will include a golf course and other amenities, is adjacent to the L'Auberge du Lac Casino, which is owned by Pinnacle Entertainment.

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A total of four Quarter Horse stakes will be run at Ruidoso Downs on Sunday, part of the track's Zia Festival races for New Mexico-breds.

Racing secretary Robbie Junk has made Our Choice (TB) and Rollickin Red the 125-pound co-highweights in the $50,000 Zia 870 Championship (R). A 7-year-old Desert God (TB) gelding owned by Stable HMA and trained by Justin Evans, Our Choice has earned $203,910 from six races this season, and his five wins include the 4 1/2-furlong, $110,000 Mt. Cristo Rey Handicap (R) at Sunland Park on March 10, and the 1-mile, $110,000 Jack Cole Handicap (R) at SunRay Park on April 28.

Rollickin Red races for a partnership from the barn of Todd Fincher. The sorrel 4-year-old gelding by Roll Hennessy Roll out of the productive Mr Jess Perry mare Deeheiress is coming off of a 2 1/2-length victory in the 870-yard, $75,000 New Mexico Horsemen's Association Stakes (R) at SunRay on June 24.

The 400-yard, $50,000 Zia Handicap (RG2) for older state-bred sprinters has drawn 13 nominations, topped by 125-pound co-highweights Here Kittykittykitty and Klassic Strawfly. A 5-year-old Genuine Strawfly gelding owned by Melvin Neugebauer of Montrose, Colorado, and trained by Wes Giles, Here Kittykittykitty won two stakes during the 2011-12 Sunland Park meet. Klassic Strawfly, a 6-year-old Genuine Strawfly gelding owned and trained by Ron Stephens, has won two of his last three starts, including the 400-yard, $75,000 Jimmy Drake Stakes (R) at SunRay Park on June 10.

The qualifiers to the $395,028 Zia Futurity (RG1) and $140,142 Zia Derby (RG3) appear elsewhere on this site. Entries for all of the Zia Festival races will be drawn on Thursday.

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Retama Park's scheduled 10-race program on Friday includes three official stakes for Texas-breds, topped by the 400-yard, $35,000-added Garland Shelton GMC Truck Stakes (RG3), which has attracted 26 nominations.

One of the nominees, Jerry Windham's Sixes Streak, would be making his first start of the season if he goes in the race. A homebred 3-year-old gelding by Streakin Sixes out of the First Down Dash mare First Down Sixes, Sixes Streak last year put together a four-race win streak that included the 400-yard, $414,000 Dash For Cash Futurity (G1) at Lone Star Park.

Other prominent nominees include Jose S. Vera Jr.'s Kool Country Man, the upset winner of the 440-yard, $101,000 Bank of America Sam Houston Challenge Championship (G1) on April 14, and Rose Mary Chandler's Acorn, a 5-year-old gelding by 2003 world champion Oak Tree Special who won two stakes last season.

Friday's 250-yard, $30,000-added TQHA Stakes (R) and $30,000-added TQHA 550 Stakes (R) have drawn 22 and 16 nominations, respectively. Entries for Friday's card at Retama will be taken on Tuesday.

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Eyez On Brimmer is the 126-pound highweight for Friday's 350-yard, $7,000 Directors Handicap at Portland Meadows.

A 6-year-old gelding by champion Brimmerton racing for Malon L. Cowgill, Eyez On Brimmer has won two consecutive races, including a 350-yard, $6,100 handicap stakes at Grants Pass Downs on June 30. All told, Eyez On Brimmer has won seven of 18 races and has earned $28,143.

Another contender, Gary Chumbley's Snip N Dale, has been assigned by racing secretary Jerry Kohls to carry 124 pounds in the Directors Handicap. Although he is winless in three outs this season, the homebred 7-year-old Okey Dokey Dale gelding is a Grade 3 winner, and he has banked $180,456 from 33 outs.

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Canterbury Park racing secretary Keith Kelley has received 18 nominations for the August 4, $25,000-added Race for Hope Bonus Challenge Stakes for fillies and mares.

Heading the list of nominees for the 400-yard stakes is Huckleberry Mojito, a brown 3-year-old daughter of Feature Mr Jess who races for LMR 2011 and is trained by Ed Hardy. Huckleberry Mojito has earned $25,214 from five starts this season, and her two wins include a 1 1/2-length score as the fastest qualifier in the July 7, $19,000 Canterbury Park Derby.

Entries for the Race for Hope Bonus Challenge Stakes will be drawn on August 1.

In the first race, a 350-yard non-winners-of-three $5,000 claimer, Bedas Jumpin Okie finished third, three-quarters of a length behind the winner. Snip N Dale's brother GC Streakin Okey did a little better in the second race, a 300-yard maiden special weight dash, as the 2-year-old Okey Dokey Dale gelding and finalist in the July 4 Grants Pass Firecracker Futurity ran second, a nose behind the winner, in just his third career out.

Snip N Dale, Bedas Jumpin Okie, and GC Streakin Okey are all homebreds owned by Gary Chumbley of Battle Ground, Washington, and trained by Scott Raley.

Portland Meadows' 60-day meet runs through December 9 and marks the first time the track has run during the summer months in a long while. Track management, headed by general manager Will Alempijevic, made the schedule change hoping that warmer weather will attract more crowds to the facility, which opened in 1946 and has traditionally ran on an October-March schedule.

Opening day featured a ribbon-cutting ceremony with local elected officials – including Portland mayor Sam Adams – members of the track's management team and its parent company, The Stronach Group, representatives of horsemen's organizations, and Oregon Racing Commission executive director Randy Evers.

Also, Portland Meadows' honored the leading horsemen during its 2011-12 season – leading Quarter Horse jockey Luis Torres and leading Quarter Horse trainer Juan Sanguino – during winner's circle presentations after the first two races.

Portland Meadows' Quarter Horse stakes schedule features nine races worth $84,000 in added purse money. Topping the stakes schedule is the 400-yard, $21,000-added Baxter Andruss Futurity (R) for Oregon-bred 2-year-olds on December 2.

Other significant races include the 440-yard, $10,000-added Portland Meadows Championship on September 23, and the 350-yard, $10,000-added Far West Futurity on September 30.

For more information, including a complete stakes schedule, visit the track's revamped website at www.portlandmeadows.com.

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North Dakota Horse Park in Fargo opened its first meet in three years on Saturday. A total of 1,870 fans were on hand for a nine-race card that included six Quarter Horse races.

Integrated Betting Network committed $36,000 toward the operational costs of the meet and its president, Matt Frisk, was pleasantly surprised by the opening-day turnout.

“It surpassed our expectations,” Frisk told the Fargo-Moorhead Forum. “Going into this, I didn't know how it was going to play out, but the people in charge assured me that things were going to be fine, and they were correct. The turnout is a heck of a lot better than I expected.”

North Dakota Horse Racing Commission director Winston Satran was also pleased by the support from the community.

“It absolutely beats my expectations,” Satran said of the opening-day crowd. “It hasn't been an easy journey at all, but it's a tribute to the Fargo people.

“These races bring a horse culture to Fargo, and obviously it's popular,” he added.

The NDHP opened for its first race meet in 2005, but the accumulation of about $150,000 in debt forced the park to close after its '09 season.

Mike Weiss, the president of Columbus, Ohio-based Avatar Ventures LLC, has extensive racetrack management experience, and he has taken on the role of manager of the NDHP meet on a volunteer basis. Avatar Ventures has pledged about $75,000 to cover the costs of the four-day season.

“They are a great crew of people here,” Weiss told the Forum. “There is so much passion that I've found in this community for horse racing. People find out I'm from Ohio, and they ask what I'm doing here. When I tell them I'm here for horse racing, they get so excited. It's not only a sport, but it's entertainment too.”

The NDHP meet runs through next Sunday, July 22. For more information, visit the park's website at www.hrnd.org.

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Prairie Meadows Racetrack and Casino has broken its gross gaming revenue record in the past 12 months and has already paid off the mortgage on its new $32-million hotel.

According to figures released by the Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission, Prairie Meadows earned $197.4 million for the 12 months ending June 30. That was the casino's highest revenue since it opened in 1995, and it was up from $189.9 million in gross gambling revenue for the same period a year ago.

“Things are going well,” Prairie Meadows chief executive officer Gary Palmer told the Des Moines Register. “With our new hotel and our convention facilities, we are very happy with our numbers. Actually, we always want them better but we're not complaining.”

Palmer added that the new hotel, which opened in March, had an occupancy rate of 80 percent last month. The hotel has attracted local residents who want to stay for the weekend, and it’s also been popular with summer vacation travelers passing through on Interstate Highway 80.

“A lot of people like to stop and stay at casinos, so this is a great play to stop and stay overnight,” Palmer said.

Prairie Meadows’ real estate is owned by Polk County; the casino and racetrack are operated by a non-profit community board. Despite making payments on the hotel and for a casino expansion project that is under way, Palmer told the Register that he still expects the facility to contribute about $37 million this year to Polk County, the City of Des Moines, and local schools and charities.

“We are stewards of the community, and we want to keep it that way as much as we can,” Palmer said. “We're lucky that we have good cash flow. We are still able to give ... to the community every year, and we just feel it is a good way to do business.”

Prairie Meadows’ 15,000-square-foot casino expansion, which is costing $10 million, is scheduled to be completed in October. It will allow the casino to offer about 2,200 slot machines, up from about 1,935 now. Palmer said he hopes to have the project paid for around the time the construction is completed by using cash flow.

Prairie Meadows is in the midst of its Thoroughbred season, which runs through August 11. The track will host the Bank of America Challenge Championships during its 27-day Quarter Horse meet, which opens August 18 and runs through Challenge Championships night, October 27.

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Lone Star Park ended its 53-day Thoroughbred meet on July 8 with a 7.6-percent decline in average daily all-sources wagering and a 4-percent drop in average daily attendance.

Lone Star's daily average handle reached $1,398,113, compared with $1,513,461 during the track's 52-day season in 2011. Attendance averaged 7,325 per day, compared to 7,620 a year ago.

“We're disappointed with the results,” said president and general Drew Shubeck. “However, we are encouraged by our simulcast-in levels, which increased over 2011 levels, making our on-track total virtually even with last year's numbers.

“We are also very optimistic about our upcoming off-season simulcasting in our Bar & Book, with popular signals from Del Mar and Saratoga staring in a few days,” he added.

Average daily purses dropped 11 percent to $140,642 this year.

Lone Star Park opens its 26-night Quarter Horse meet on September 14. The track will present live racing on a Thursday-Saturday schedule through November 10.

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Arapahoe Park racing secretary Bill Powers has received seven nominations for Saturday's 400-yard, $12,500 Dolls Prodigy Stakes (R) for Colorado-breds.

One of the nominees, Richard and Genevieve Herrman's Patriots Glory, is coming off of a head victory against open company in the 350-yard, $13,250 Pen Pal Stakes on June 24. The homebred 5-year-old Game Patriot gelding has earned $117,889 from 22 starts, and his race record includes a half-length win in the 2010 Lucille Rowe Derby (R) for Colorado-bred 3-year-olds.

Entries for the Dolls Prodigy will be taken on Wednesday.

There has been no live horse racing at NDHP since 2009. Rising debt, which reached a peak of $150,000 two years ago, caused the last two race meets to be canceled.

Glen Thompson has served as the NDHP building and grounds manager since the park opened in 2003. In fact, he helped design the park.

“It was kind of disheartening that we ran into a problem,” Thompson told the Fargo-based website Valleynewslive.com. “A bunch of us are just volunteering, trying to get it back.”

This year's NDHP meet will run four-days, July 14-15 and 21-22. Post time for the first race every day will be 1 p.m. (CDT). Admission is $3 per person, and children 12 and under get in free.

“If it succeeds with two weeks, I really think they're going to be looking about (a seven-week season) next year,” said NDHP racing secretary Wayne Epsteen, who added that it would be a blessing if the meet broke even financially.

Epsteen added that the park's ultimate goal is to get enough funding to be self-sufficient and get the local community on board.

“We were well-received everywhere we went,” he said. “People were excited to hear that we were coming back.”

NDHP's richest race, the $32,000-est. HRND (Horse Race North Dakota) Quarter Horse Derby, is scheduled for closing day. The 400-yard race is expected to draw several of the regions top 3-year-olds, including Tom Maher's Painted Lies, the winner of the $17,150 North Central Quarter Horse Association Derby at Canterbury Park on June 9. A 3-year-old Oklahoma-bred gelding by PYC Paint Your Wagon, Painted Lies is coming off of a second-place finish to Huckleberry Mojito in last Saturday's 400-yard, $40,650 Canterbury Park Derby.

For more information on NDHP, visit the park's website at www.hrnd.org.

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An editorial in last Thursday's edition of the Wyandotte Daily News discussed the possibility of live horse racing returning to Kansas.

Mary Rupert, the newspaper's editor, said that another year of lobbying the Kansas legislature to change the percentage in gaming taxes The Woodlands has to pay the state failed. As a result, Rupert said “the huge horse and dog racetrack at 97th and Leavenworth Road sits idle, empty since 2008, with a deteriorated parking lot, and weeds all around.”

Expanded gaming legislation that passed several years ago called for The Woodlands and Kansas' other tracks to pay 40 percent of slot proceeds to the state; by comparison, the new casinos in Kansas – including the Hollywood Casino at Kansas Speedway – are paying 22 percent. Proposed legislation that would have allowed Kansas' three racetracks to pay the same percentage of gaming tax as the new casinos failed to make it out of committee this year.

Kansas Thoroughbred Association president Cameron Roth told Rupert that he has hope that something might be passed next year, but he added that a lot depends on what happens in the November elections and whether there will be a more or less friendly environment.

“I think the fact we’re going to have a new Speaker of the House is definitely going to help our effort,” Roth said. “With a little bit different legislative setting as far as the makeup of the Legislature, as well as an intensively educational effort of those people who are running for office, we should have a good chance of getting something passed.”

Regardless of legislative action, horsemen in Kansas aren't giving up. In May, the Kansas Racing and Gaming Board heard testimony on whether to discontinue the Kansas-bred registration program. Several breeders testified in favor of keeping the program, and the following month the KRGC voted to continue the program but move its administration in-house.

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Canterbury Park Quarter Horse racing secretary Keith Kelley has received 14 nominations for a new stakes on the track's schedule, the July 21, 110-yard Dash In A Flash Stakes.

A $15,000-added race, the Dash In A Flash was added after Canterbury Park officials struck a marketing and purse enhancement deal with the nearby Mystic Lake Casino last month.

Topping the list of nominations are Kay J. Sage's Wheres Your Wagon and Kirk L. Wessels' Cruzin To Victory, both of whom are trained by Amy Wessels. A 4-year-old PYC Paint Your Wagon gelding, Wheres Your Wagon has earned $88,935 from eight starts, and his four wins include last year's 400-yard, $80,000 Polk County Derby (RG3) for Iowa-breds at Prairie Meadows. Wheres Your Wagon hasn't raced since May 28, when he ran second, a half of a length behind Hollywood Trickster, in the $15,000 Skip Zimmerman Memorial Stakes at Canterbury. Entries fo the Dash In A Flash Stakes will be drawn on July 18.

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First Klas Fred, the AQHA champion 2-year-old gelding in 2009, is one of 24 horses nominated to Saturday's 350-yard, $20,000 Rocky Heinzig Stakes at Fair Meadows at Tulsa.

First Klas Fred is coming off of a nose victory in the 350-yard, $25,000 Develop A Plan Stakes (G3) at Delta Downs on May 25. A 5-year-old gelding by champion Fredricksburg, First Klas Fred has banked $556,443 from 22 races for his owners, Denis and Julie Schoenhofer.

Other prominent Rocky Heinzig nominees include Hipolito Pina's BV Eye Am First and Carl Pevehouse's I See Candy Paint. BV Eye Am First is a 3-year-old Mr Eye Opener gelding who has won two consecutive allowance races and ran second, one length behind winner Katillac Man, in the April 15, $34,500 Mr Master Bug Handicap at Remington Park.

A homebred gray 4-year-old PYC Paint Your Wagon gelding, I See Candy Paint ran third, three-quarters of a length behind eventual world champion Cold Cash 123, in last year's Grade 1, $372,549 Texas Classic Derby at Lone Star Park.

Entries for the Rocky Heinzig will be taken on Saturday.

Started 40 years ago, when 1971 AQHA world champion Charger Bar banked the winner's share of a $81,350 purse, the Vessels Maturity honors the family which founded Los Alamitos Racecourse back in the 1950s. The race first earned Grade 1 status in 1983, and it has held that status ever since.

The Vessels Maturity was a 440-yard stakes until it was shorted to its current distance in '91. The 400-yard stakes record of :19.15 was set by world champion Freaky three years ago.

The winner of this year's Vessels Maturity earns a berth in the December 15, $750,000 Champion of Champions (G1), the richest and most prestigious race for older Quarter Horses. Our top choice, second-fastest qualifier El Aguila Real, has won two of three races this season, including the 400-yard, $226,000 Los Alamitos Winter Championship (G1) in February, a race he won with a solid TrackMaster speed rating of 122. The brown 4-year-old Corona Czech gelding is coming off of a half-length score in the first of three trials on June 17.

The runner-up in El Aguila Real's trial, Senor Toby has been the picture of consistency during his career – the 4-year-old gelding by the Mr Jess Perry stallion Mighty Invictus has won seven races and has made the trifecta in all 11 of his starts. From June 17, 2011, through January 29 of this year, Senor Toby put together a seven-race win streak that included four stakes victories, two of which came at this 400-yard distance.

Fastest qualifier PK Fire, a 4-year-old gelding by the First Down Dash stallion Walk Thru Fire, celebrated his return to Los Alamitos from Oklahoma with a three-quarter length score in the second trial. The 1 1/4-length winner of last year's Grade 2, 400-yard El Primero del Ano Derby, PK Fire has won three of nine starts at this distance, and he has finished first, second or third in eight of his 10 races over this track.

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The 350-yard, $327,715 Firecracker Futurity (G2) tops a 10-race program at Delta Downs on Saturday. Shakem Little Corona, the fastest qualifier and one of two finalists from the barn of veteran trainer Bobby Martinez, drew post 4 as the filly shoots for her third win in as many starts.

The history of the Firecracker Futurity dates back to 1976, when Henry Griffin's Double Knit earned the winner's share of a $96,100 purse. The race first earned graded status in 1983. J.E. Jumonville Jr.'s Sizzlin Cartel holds the 350-yard stakes record of :17.21, which the homebred son of Corona For Me set last year.

A full field of 10 has been entered back to vie for the winner's share of Saturday's Firecracker Futurity purse, the stakes' richest in 26 years. Our top selection for this year's Firecracker is in fact Shakem Little Corona, a sorrel daughter of Tinys First Corona who has been impressive every time she's stepped on the Delta Downs track. Shakem Little Corona is coming off of a half-length victory in what was likely the strongest of the eight trials on June 16, and she prepped for her May 31 debut with a solid 220-yard gate breeze in :11.70, the second-fastest of 64 at the distance on May 8.

Because there are two previous graded futurity winners in the field, the odds on Shakem Little Corona might be more generous than those usually seen on a fastest qualifier. One of those graded winners, Interesting Man, has won all three of his starts, including the 300-yard, $222,000 Harrah's Entertainment Futurity (G3) at Louisiana Downs back in March. The brown gelding by Heza Fast Dash scored a three-quarter length victory as the odds-on choice in his Firecracker trial.

The other graded stakes winner, Sassmaster, broke his maiden with a neck victory in the 330-yard, $488,000 Sam Houston Futurity (G2) on April 14. This TR Dasher gelding ran second as the 7-10 favorite in his trial, but worth noting is that the 2-year-old foals produced by his dam – the winning Separatist mare Catch You Now – have been winning at a 27-percent clip from 11 starts.

A five-time Firecracker Futurity winner, trainer Heath Taylor sends out second-fastest qualifier Ronnie James. This sorrel gelding by the First Down Dash stallion Valiant Hero ran second to Shakem Little Corona in his trial, but has won two of three starts, and he prepped for his trial with a solid three-quarter length entry level allowance win on May 16, a race in which his defeated opponents included last-out winner Lenas Jet Black.

But if that will even be possible depends on the outcome of at least one court case initiated by the investor – Canadian developer Michael Moldenhauer – who was earlier granted and later lost the state's final available racing license, the same one for which the new investors would like to apply.

According to a report in the Raton Range, the new group showing interest in a Raton racino consists of three businessmen who have not been involved with horse tracks or casinos and a corporation that has “a lot of experience” in that industry. On June 22, Raton city manager Pete Kampfer told the newspaper that the group formed after he'd had discussions with one of the businessmen, a longtime friend of his from Colorado City, Texas.

Kampfer, who was city manager of Colorado City before he came to Raton in February, said that discussion led to him and his friend to contact two New Mexico businessmen who eventually began working with the Texas businessman on lining things up for a run at the state racing license that is necessary for a new racino in Raton.

Kampfer said one of the New Mexico businessmen is from Santa Fe and the other from Lovington. He described all three businessmen as being involved in oil-related businesses. The businessmen approached a Nevada firm that has experience in racetracks and casinos, and it subsequently joined the group of investors. Kampfer said the group is putting together an application for the state racing license as it awaits the outcome of the court cases involving the license.

Kampfer declined the provide the names of the businessmen or the Nevada company, but he said the group is into horse racing “in its purest sense” and wants to establish a racino more for the horse side of the business than for the gaming side.

“They’ve got the money,” Kampfer added. “That’s never been a question.”

Raton mayor Charles Starkovich confirmed with the Range the existence of the group of investors, which he said would file an application with the New Mexico Racing Commission whenever that agency begins accepting applications for the state’s lone remaining racing license.

Starkovich also said that while things remain tied up in court, city officials are “anxiously awaiting a ruling on the Racing Commission side.” The mayor was referring to the pending appeal of Moldenhauer, whose case is currently in the “briefing” process in the state Court of Appeals.

Moldenhauer is appealing the Racing Commission’s decision that his racing license became void when he failed to run the required number of live races during 2010, the year for which he was issued the license for 60 days of live racing. No races were run in 2010 or since, as the planned La Mesa Racetrack and Casino has not been built on the property that was sold to Moldenhauer by the city for $1 with the stipulation it be the site of a racino.

Two weeks ago, the Court of Appeals denied Moldenhauer’s appeal of the revocation of his state gaming license, the second license – paired with a racing license – needed to operate a racino. The final racing license is also being sought by a group, Coronado Partners, which wants to build a racino in the eastern New Mexico city of Tucumcari, and Penn National Gaming, which would like the license to establish additional racing dates at its Zia Park in Hobbs and add slot machines to its Black Gold Casino on the Zia Park property.

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The California Horse Racing Board voted on Thursday to conduct further hearings on rules for exchange betting in the next month, before it revisits the possible implementation of the rules later this summer.

As a result, exchange betting – which allows customers to post odds and accept wagers on whether or not a horse will win or lose a race – is not expected to start in California until this fall, at the earliest.

The CHRB had the option of adopting 26 rules pertaining to exchange betting and sending the rules to the state’s office of administrative law for a required legal review. Los Alamitos Racecourse and account wagering providers Twinspires and Betfair-TVG were prepared to ask the board for permission to begin conducting exchange wagering this summer, but their applications were not heard after the board did not approve the rules.

The CHRB voted 5-1 to conduct further discussions on several aspects of the exchange betting rules, including allowing for exchange betting on track instead of only through the internet, and a clarification of rules pertaining to the suspension of a person’s license for accusations of fraud in connection with exchange betting.

CHRB officials said a hearing will be scheduled in early July, with the board expected to revisit rules at meetings on July 19 or August 23.

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Plans are in the works for a new infield video board at Lone Star Park, which has been served by the same JumboTron since the track opened 15 years ago.

The Grand Prairie Sports Facilities Development Corp., which leases the Lone Star facilities to Global Gaming LLC, has approved contributing as much as $500,000 toward the project, matching the funds committed by Global.

“It’s a 50-50 proposition, with our limit $500,000 if it goes over $1 million,” said Tannie Camarata, treasurer for the sports corporation.

The project will replace Lone Star Park's JumboTron with a larger video board; however, changes are not being made to the current tote board. The project will start about a week after the end of the track's current Thoroughbred meet, which runs through July 8. The goal is to have the new video board operating before the start of the 26-day Quarter Horse season, which begins September 14.

Because the project will require heavy equipment on the racetrack, Lone Star will not operate as a training center after the close of the Thoroughbred meet. Track officials said the track would reopen for training on August 27.

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The University of Arizona Race Track Industry Program has announced that the outreach and verification division of the U.S. Citizenship & Immigration Services will present a town hall-style meeting concerning E-Verify at this year's Global Symposium on Racing & Gaming. The program will consist of a 10 to 20 minute presentation of the E-Verify program, followed by a discussion regarding the best ways to implement and use the program at racetracks.

The meeting should be of particular interest to horsemen association leadership and staff to determine ways to help their membership access and use E-Verify, as well as developing best practices to ensure compliance. Representatives of the U.S. Citizenship & Immigration Services also hope to learn the concerns and identify issues that audience members have regarding access to e-verify.

The University of Arizona RTIP has gained worldwide recognition for its annual Global Symposium on Racing & Gaming, which was first held in 1974. This year's event will be held December 3-6 at the Westin La Paloma Resort in Tucson.

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Charal Kid has been assigned high weight of 125 pounds for Saturday's 350-yard, $20,000 King William Handicap at Retama Park.

A homebred 6-year-old Streakin La Jolla gelding racing for Malinche Cattle Co., Charal Kid is coming off of a second-place finish to champion First Klas Fred in the May 25, 350-yard Develop A Plan Stakes at Delta Downs. Charal Kid also scored a three-quarter length victory in the March 27, 400-yard Streakin La Jolla Stakes at Delta Downs, and he finished second, a half of a length behind Nowurtalkin, in the 440-yard, $50,000 Sam Houston Classic Stakes (G3) on May 5.

Other top King William nominees include Jose Luis Salazar's Bertha Venation, Gary Kurz's Charmin Chief Corona, and Eleazar Martinez Sr.'s The Hot List, all of whom have been assigned 124 pounds by racing secretary James Leatherman.

A 5-year-old daughter of Corona Caliente, Bertha Venation is coming off of a head victory in the first division of the 350-yard Selma Stakes at Retama on June 8, while Charmin Chief Corona put together a three-race win streak at Sam Houston Race Park that included the 350-yard, $181,000 Sam Houston Derby (G3) on April 14.

The Hot List has won both of his outs this season, including the third division of the April 20, 110-yard Texas Twister Stakes (R) for state-breds at Houston.

Entries for the King William will be drawn on Wednesday.

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A total of 11 4-year-olds have been nominated to Saturday's 350-yard, $20,000 Fair Meadows Maturity Stakes at Fair Meadows at Tulsa.

Heading the list of nominations received by racing secretary Kelly Cathey is Drill Baby Drill, a 4-year-old gelding by Gold Medal Jess racing for Raymond Petty. Drill Baby Drill won last year's $101,670 South Florida Derby at Hialeah Park, and he ran second, a neck behind I Am That Hero, in the Grade 3, $91,100 Altoona Derby at Prairie Meadows.

Another nominee, Miguel G. Banuelos' Senor Fish, won three of four races during the Remington Park meet, with his only loss being a second-place finish to Dear Henry in the 350-yard, $33,930 Pfizer Remington Park Starter Allowance Challenge.

Entries for the Fair Meadows Maturity will be taken on Wednesday.

The Adequan New Mexico Derby Challenge has drawn a full field of 10, after three trial heats were run to determine the finalists on June 15. The winner of the race will earn a berth in the October 27, $200,000 Adequan Derby Challenge Championship (G1) at Prairie Meadows.

Our top selection is fastest qualfiier Sweet Oblivion. A nicely bred daughter of Mr Jess Perry and 1994 Heritage Place Futurity (G1) winner Daring Difference, Sweet Oblivion has won three of her four starts, including the last trial heat by 3 ½ lengths. She earned a TrackMaster speed rating of 111 in that race, which marked her first out in two months and first ever over the Ruidoso track, and she was the most visually impressive of the three trial winners. If Sweet Oblivion doesn't “bounce” off of that big effort, she'll be tough to beat here.

Thor Of Fire is a sorrel gelding by Walk Thru Fire who loves Ruidoso, as he's made the trifecta in all four of his races over the track. Thor Of Fire recorded a 94 speed rating in his wire-to-wire, half-length trial victory.

All About Jessie was a prompt 3-2 favorite in the first trial heat. A sorrel daughter of Mr Jess Perry out of the Grade 1-winning First Down Dash mare All About Ease, All About Jessie is one of three finalists qualified by trainer John Buchanan and jockey Russel Hadley, and this is the one Hadley has chosen to ride in the final. Also, the filly is coming off of a tough Remington Park campaign in which she finished a solid third in a non-winners-of-two allowance sprint for fillies on May 11.

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The Higheasterjet Handicap honors the memory of one of the best horses to ever race at Ruidoso Downs. A sorrel gelding by the Jet Deck stallion Pine's Easter Jet, Higheasterjet won the All American Futurity in 1980 and the All American Derby the following year.

The history of the Higheasterjet Handicap dates back to 1988, when the Bugs Alive In 75 stallion Reverend Jonah Black earned the winner's share of a $12,400 purse. Past winners of the stakes include AQHA champions Dash For Speed (1989) and Ketel Won (2007). Planet Holland holds the stakes record of :17.00, which the Grade 1 winner set six years ago.

Noconi, a two-time AQHA champion and two-time winner of the Higheasterjet, returns for another try this year. Our top choice to get the job done for the third time in the last four seasons, the 7-year-old Mr Jess Perry gelding will be making his first start since May 12, when he scored a neck victory as the 4-5 favorite in the 400-yard, $50,000 La Plata Stakes (G3) at SunRay Park. He also faced some tough older horses in California earlier this year, as he ran a close third in the February 19, $226,000 Los Alamitos Winter Championship (G1).

A Toss Up drops in class off of a solid fifth-place finish in the 440-yard, $250,000 Remington Park Invitational Championship (G1) on May 27. A 3-year-old gelding by the First Down Dash stallion Sweet First Down, A Toss Up faced a tough field in that race, including reigning AQHA world champion Cold Cash 123 and multiple Grade 1 winner Llano Teller. A Toss Up will likely find the going a little easier in this, his first career start at Ruidoso.

Sir Seth is a sorrel 5-year-old stallion by First Down Dash who loves Ruidoso and this distance, as he's won five of his nine outs over the track, and he's made the trifecta in all three of his 350-yard races. Sir Seth chased tough older horses last winter at Sunland Park, including reigning champion aged gelding Rylees Boy.

The Ed Burke Million Futurity is one of the richest races for any breed in California. The race also has a rich history, as it dates back to its first running in 1951, when Mr. and Mrs. Lou Kirk's K Hornet earned the winner's share of a $2,163 purse.

The Ed Burke Million first achieved graded status (Grade 2) in '83, and it has been a Grade 1 stakes for the past 25 years. Carters Cartel holds the 350-yard stakes record of :17.17, set in 2007.

Our top selection in this year's Ed Burke Million is One Dashing Eagle, a sorrel son of 2008 AQHA champion 3-year-old colt One Famous Eagle and the graded stakes winning First Down Dash mare One Sweet Dash. Made the 5-2 morning-line choice by Los Alamitos line maker Ed Burgart, One Dashing Eagle earned a TrackMaster speed rating of 101 when he scored a three-quarter length victory in the ninth of 13 trials on June 10, and his morning preps include a 220-yard gate work in :12.00, the fastest of 52 drills back on April 7.

Watch Linda Ballet is undefeated in two starts. A bay daughter of Mr Jess Perry and the stakes-placed Chicks Beduino mare Sky Chicks, the filly was a prompt 4-5 favorite in the 11th trial. Watch Linda Ballet's morning works are impressive, and jockey Francisco Rubio has opted to ride her in the final after qualifying two others for trainer Juan Aleman.

Joy Roses Eagle SA has been improving with experience, as this filly by One Famous Eagle broke her maiden with a three-quarter length victory from last-out winner A Walking Secret in the first heat. One of three finalists from the barn of Paul Jones, who saddled 2011 Ed Burke Million winner Separate Fire, Joy Roses Eagle SA also recorded two bullet 220-yard gate works over the track before she made her debut on April 15.

Value players might be interested in Jess Being Valiant, a 20-1 morning-line longshot. This bay colt by Valiant Hero has won both of his starts while being well-backed by handicappers, and it's worth noting that foals produced by his dam, the stakes-winning Mr Jess Perry mare Jess Sass Me, have been winning at a solid 30-percent clip.

In May 2010, the board revoked the license for La Mesa Racetrack and Casino because developers – headed by lead investor Michael Moldenhauer of Toronto – failed to open the casino by May 2010 and didn't show they had adequate financing to complete the racetrack portion of the project.

The court's decision was issued three years after Moldenhauer was awarded the gaming license for his planned $50-million racino project. Another La Mesa appeal – this one originally filed in District Court regarding the loss of La Mesa's racing license, but then sent up to the Court of Appeals last September – is still going through the briefing process in the Court of Appeals. After attorneys have filed all of their argument briefs, which could take a few more months, the case will go to a panel of judges for consideration and a decision.

The loss of the gaming license came just days after La Mesa missed a May 1, 2010, deadline set by the gaming board to open a temporary casino. The large tent that was to house the temporary casino remains the only building structure at the project site. Actual construction of the track facility has never begun, although some utility work was done at the site.

“The fight goes on,” La Mesa spokesman Tom Carroll told the Raton Range last Wednesday. “We think, in a way, this (gaming-license) ruling might be positive.”

Carroll added that the court’s ruling in the gaming-license case enforces a strict adherence to legal requirements and, he said, La Mesa officials believe the New Mexico Racing Commission should follow the same standards, which La Mesa officials allege the commission has failed to do by failing to timely act on La Mesa’s request for revised race dates it submitted in 2010. The Racing Commission’s failure to act on the La Mesa request was a key component in La Mesa’s argument against the gaming board dismissing its initial appeal of the gaming-license revocation.

“We believe we have a very good chance” to win the racing-license appeal, Carroll said. “Michael’s just as committed to Raton as ever.”

Carroll said La Mesa officials are considering whether to ask the state Supreme Court to review the gaming-license case. They have 30 days from the Court of Appeals ruling to make such a request. The Supreme Court decides which cases it will hear and would not be obligated to hear the La Mesa case.

Meanwhile, Gaming Control Board chairman David Norvell told the Range that, “We welcome the decision (in the gaming-license case). Of course, we felt this was the way it would turn out all along.”

Norvell also said that if La Mesa was to win its racing-license appeal and hold onto that license, or apply for and get a new racing license after the court case ends, Moldenhauer would have to again seek a gaming license if he wanted to operate a racino. However, he added that he thought the Racing Commission willingly awarding Moldenhauer the racing license a second time “would be a long shot.”

The racing license is the last one the state currently has available under the limits placed on it in compacts with New Mexico Indian tribes that operate casinos on their own lands. A judge has barred the Racing Commission from taking and considering applications for the final license until La Mesa’s appeal is resolved or a court otherwise rescinds the injunction.

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The Minnesota Racing Commission last Wednesday approved a deal between Canterbury Park Racetrack and the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community for the track to drop its pursuit of slot machines.

The commission voted 5-3 in favor of the agreement, which will allow the tribe to pay Canterbury Park $75 million during the next 10 years to increase purses at the track. The tribe, which operates the Mystic Lake Casino in nearby Prior Lake, will also pay $8.5 million for joint marketing that will boost its total contribution to $83.5 million.

Supporters of the agreement said that the extra money will help bolster the Thoroughbred and Quarter Horse breeding industries in Minnesota. Running Aces Harness Park in Columbus opposed the deal and asked the commission to reject it. Officials representing Running Aces claimed that the tribe's offer only proved that a competitive racino might be close to winning state approval.

“A racino would bring in $100 million to $150 million a year, and a big portion would have gone to transportation or education for taxpayers, and now we get nothing,” said former State Sen. Dick Day, now a lobbyist for Running Aces. “I never thought that something like this would happen, that the taxpayers wouldn't be involved.”

The agreement stipulates that Canterbury Park would work against any sort of gambling expansion in the state.

“We believe (this) is an appropriate part of the agreement, because we're relying on the revenues of Mystic Lake to help fund purses,” said Canterbury Park chief executive officer Randy Sampson. “So it makes sense that we would oppose any type of gambling that would hurt that agreement.”

Sampson added that the deal would allow Canterbury's current $6 million annual purse payments to immediately grow by $2.7 million. Eventually, the track's purse fund would reach $14 million per year.

Canterbury Park is in the midst of its 62-day race meet, which runs through September 3.

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The American Horse Council’s National Issues Forum, entitled “Reinvigorating the Horse Industry,” will feature a new national marketing initiative for the horse industry that involves ten national associations and large corporate industry stakeholders. The initiative will be announced at the forum on June 26 in Washington, DC, during the AHC’s annual meeting, which will run from June 25-27 at the Washington Court Hotel.

“This initiative involves major organizations and corporations in the horse industry,” said AHC president Jay Hickey. “They have been meeting for about nine months, formed a coalition under the American Horse Council, committed funding for the effort for several years, and have hired Patti Colbert Enterprises to draft a marketing plan.

“While the full marketing plan has not been finalized, the group thought the AHC’s Issues Forum would be a good place to announce its existence and activities to date and how other organizations can participate in the initiative in the future,” he added.

A key component of the marketing initiative is a study that Pfizer Animal Health has completed to determine why people interested in horses do not own a horse and why they are not more involved with equine activities, either as participants or spectators. Stuart Meikle, Marketing Director, Equine, Pfizer Animal Health, will present the findings of that study, which is intended to identify recommendations for messaging strategies that will encourage more ownership and participation.

Patti Colbert and Janet Greenlee of Patti Colbert Enterprises, which will be leading the effort, will provide an outline of what the initiative hopes to accomplish and its plans to date. Colbert has produced events and drafted marketing plans for the horse industry for several years. She developed the highly-successful Extreme Mustang Makeover events with the Bureau of Land Management and has produced several television programs on horses.

“The AHC is very pleased this initiative will be highlighted at the National Issues Forum so that others in the industry will be aware of it,” Hickey said. “Hopefully, this will lay the foundation for others in the horse community to take advantage of the proposals to connect horses and people once the plan is finalized.”

Also on the agenda for the program are presentations by The Jockey Club and the American Quarter Horse Association on their ongoing efforts to reinvigorate the horse industry.

For more information on the AHC annual meeting, including registration and hotel information, visit the AHC's website at www.horsecouncil.org, or call (202) 296-4031.

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Will Rogers Downs in Claremore, Oklahoma, ended its 31-day Thoroughbred meet on May 19 with a big increase in handle.

A total of $20.5 million was wagered on Will Rogers Downs' live races, an increase of about $6 million over the track's 2011 meet. The track had seven days where handle topped $1 million; the previous single-day record was $958,163, set on April 4, 2011. Before last year, the track had never handled more than $500,000 on a single day on its live races. Will Rogers Downs' total handle increased 47 percent from 2011, but on-track wagering was down 2 percent. Cathey cited the opening of two local off-track betting parlors as a possible reason for the on-track handle decrease.

“Since last spring, (track owner) Cherokee Nation Entertainment has opened off-track betting rooms at Cherokee Casino West Siloam Springs and Cherokee Casino Sallisaw,” Cathey said. “Some who used to drive here now stay closer to home and visit those rooms, but they still enjoyed taking part in our live racing.”

“Overall, it was amazing spring,” Cathey added. “We've set new records the last few years. We really have our work cut out for us next year, but we look forward to the challenge.”

Live racing at Will Rogers Downs will take a break until August 25, when the track opens its Quarter Horse, Paint, and Appaloosa season. The 28-day meet will run through November 10.

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Indiana Downs resumed live racing on Monday. Two programs on June 15-16 were lost after the Indiana Horse Racing Commission shut down the track in response to the state Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association's claims that the racing surface was unsafe.

A directive signed by IHRC executive director Joe Gorajec stated, “The IHRC staff has completed its investigation of the Indiana Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association's petition regarding the safety of the Indiana Downs racetrack. The IHRC has concluded the HBPA's assertion that the racetrack is 'dangerous' is uncorroborated and unfounded.”

The IHRC staff, including senior state steward Stan Bowker, met with Thoroughbred and Quarter Horse representatives, Indiana Downs general manager Jon Schuster, the track superintendent, and a practicing veterinarian.

“Not one individual indicated they believe the track to be dangerous or unsafe – including several HBPA members who signed the petition,” the directive stated. “The HBPA itself acknowledges that its characterizations of the Indiana Downs racetrack as 'dangerous to the health and well-being of equine athletes' is inaccurate.”

“Indiana Downs has had an admirable track safety record, well within industry norms,” Gorajec said. “The current race meet is on pace to be one of the safest meets in the United States in 2012.”

Indiana Downs' meet runs through July 11 and includes an all-Quarter Horse program scheduled for Saturday, June 30.

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Tom Maher's Painted Lies, an Oklahoma-bred gelding by PYC Paint Your Wagon, is one of 18 3-year-olds nominated to the July 7, 400-yard Canterbury Park Derby. An earner of $108,833 from 16 starts, Painted Lies has won three consecutive races, including the 400-yard, $17,150 Minnesota Stallion Breeders/NCQHRA Derby (R) at Canterbury.

Other top nominees include David L. Wisdom's Feature Dreamgirl and Fred C. Pelzer's Explosive Guns, the second- and third-place finishers, respectively, in the Minnesota Stallion Breeders/NCQHRA Derby.

This year's Canterbury Park Derby will be worth $19,000-added, of which $4,000 will come from the Mystic Lake purse enhancement fund. The trials will be held on Saturday.

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Delta Downs racing secretary John Simon has received 28 nominations to the 400-yard, $50,000 Miss Polly Classic Stakes.

One of the nominees Chi Ter, a 5-year-old Granite Lake gelding racing for Mary Passmore, is coming off of a third-place finish in the 400-yard, $100,000 Sooner State Stakes (RG1) at Remington Park on April 28. Chi Ter has won three of six races this season, including the February 4, 440-yard Sawgrass Stakes at Hialeah Park.

Miss Polly nominee Nowurtalkin has won eight of 11 races and has earned $124,108. Owned by Jose Luis Salazar, the 4-year-old Heza Fast Dash stallion made his U.S. debut with a half-length victory in the 440-yard, $50,000 Sam Houston Classic Stakes (G2) on May 5.

Other nominees include 2011 Miss Polly Classic winner Acorn, and AJs Fast Dash, a two-time winner during the current Delta Downs meet.

Entries for the Miss Polly Classic will be drawn on Saturday.

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Reigning AQHA champion distance horse De Passem Okey is one of 13 horses nominated to Saturday's 870-yard, $20,000 Expo Square Stakes at Fair Meadows at Tulsa.

A sorrel 6-year-old gelding by Okey Dokey Dale, De Passem Okey has won five consecutive races, including all three of his starts this year. De Passem Okey is coming off of a Remington Park campaign in which he won three stakes, including the 870-yard, $54,500 Remington Distance Championship (G3) on May 28.

Also, racing secretary Kelly Cathey received 34 nominations for Saturday's 350-yard, $20,000 Fair Meadows Juvenile Stakes.

Jesus R. Rodriguez-Najera's Hiclass Vodka, a Texas-bred colt by Hiclass La Jolla, is coming off of a half-length victory as the 3-5 favorite in a 350-yard maiden sprint at Remington Park on April 26. Hiclass Vodka also was a finalist in the March 17, $358,500 Oklahoma Futurity (G3).

Carl C. Pevehouse's Send A Candy Guy, a homebred colt by PYC Paint Your Wagon, won two of three races during the Remington spring meet, including the 300-yard, $34,250 Bugs Alive In 75 Stakes (R) for Oklahoma-breds on May 20.

Entries for both the Expo Square and Fair Meadows Juvenile stakes will be drawn on Wednesday.

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Six New Mexico-bred sophomore fillies, including two-time stakes winner Call Me A Blazn Chic, have been entered in Saturday's 400-yard, $75,000 Tommy “Duke” Smith Stakes (R) at SunRay Park.

A 3-year-old filly by the late Chicks A Blazin racing for Javier Marquez's J & M Racing and Farm at Monahans, Texas, Call Me A Blazn Chic has banked $403,535 from 10 outs, and her three wins include last year's $331,000 New Mexico Cup Futurity (RG2) at Zia Park and $384,000 Zia Futurity (RG2) at Ruidoso Downs.

Another Duke Smith contender, Royal Dream Ranch LLC's Wish You Had One To, was claimed for $10,000 at Sunland Park on February 25. The bay daughter of Stel Corona is coming off of a second-place finish to Little Bit Southern in the April 29, $85,000 Four Corners Senora Stakes (R) at SunRay.

Also, SunRay Park racing secretary Jim Collins received 21 nominations for the 870-yard, $75,000 New Mexico Horsemen's Association Handicap (R) for state-bred Quarter Horses and Thoroughbreds, which will be run on Sunday.

One of the four Thoroughbred nominees, Our Choice, has won all five of his races since he was claimed for $25,000 by Stable HMA and trainer Justin Evans on December 27. A 7-year-old gelding by Desert God, Our Choice won the 4 1/2-furlong, $110,000 Mt. Cristo Rey Handicap (R) at Sunland on March 10, and the 1-mile, $110,000 Jack Cole Handicap (R) at SunRay on April 28.

Other top nominees include two 8-year-old Real Runaway geldings from the barn of trainer Martin Orona Sr. – BRT Opulence and Bullets Brother, who finished first and second, respecitvely, in last year's NMHA Handicap. BRT Opulence is coming off of a half-length victory in an open 870-yard allowance for state-breds on May 15.

Entries for the NMHA Handicap will be taken on Tuesday.

Once known as the Ruidoso Horse Sale Futurity, the Mountain Top Futurity has a history that dates back to 2004, when Win Mir banked the winner's share of a $203,466 purse and established the current 350-yard stakes record of :17.18. The name of the stakes was changed to the Mountain Top Futurity six years later.

The Mountain Top Futurity is the first of two futurities restricted to state-bred 2-year-old Quarter Horses at Ruidoso Downs. The other, the 400-yard Zia Futurity (RG2), is scheduled for July 29.

Our top choice in this year's Mountain Top Futurity is Junior June Bug, a sorrel colt by Jesse James Jr who ran second to PJ Chick In Black in the April 8, $251,359 New Mexican Spring Futurity (RG2) for state-bred at Sunland Park, and was flattered when that filly subsequently beat open company in last Saturday's $600,000 Ruidoso Futurity (G1). Junior June Bug is coming off of a second-place finish as the 13-10 favorite in the first of eight Mountain Top trials on June 1.

Brookstones Chick must also be respected, as this sorrel daughter of Brookstone Bay outran her 19-1 odds to win the sixth trial by 1 ½ lengths and post a TrackMaster speed rating of 95. Brookstones Chick prepped for her Ruidoso season debut with a 330-yard breeze in :17.20, the fastest of 11 works at the distance on May 8.

Brookstones Chick is one of two Mountain Top finalists trained by Fred Danley. The other qualifier from the Danley barn, sixth-fastest qualifier Justified By Chicks, showed big improvement when he won the third trial by one length with a 91 speed rating. This gray gelding by Chicks A Blazin also worked nicely for his Ruidoso debut, as he breezed 220 in :11.90 on May 22.

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Saturday night's nine-race card at Los Alamitos is headlined by the Los Alamitos Claiming Futurity. The trials for this race were held on May 27, and they were unique in that horses entered in the trials were eligible to be claimed for a $12,500 tag.

(For the record, it's worth noting seven of the 17 horses entered in the two trials were claimed, including six of the 10 finalists.)

Our top selection in the 350-yard, $56,000 final is fastest qualifier and 5-2 morning-line favorite Bullet In The Gun. A gelding by Stel Corona racing from the barn of perennial AQHA champion trainer Paul Jones, Bullet In The Gun rebounded from a disappointing seventh-place finish in a Kindergarten Futurity (G1) trial to score a half-length victory in the second of two Claiming Futurity trials, a maiden victory in which he earned an 86 TrackMaster speed rating.

Second-fastest qualifier Knows Best was a beaten 7-5 favorite in the second heat. However, this bay Snowbound (TB) gelding made his career debut with a decisive three-quarter length score over next-out winner Jam Rose Bound SA in a maiden $12,500 claiming sprint.

IBA Dream Away ran third as the 1-2 choice in the first trial. A gray daughter of 2004 AQHA champion freshman Ocean Runaway, IBA Dream Away was dropping in class off of a well-beaten sixth-place finish against much tougher company in her April 28 debut, but she'd prepped for her first race with solid 220-yard gate works on March 31 and April 14.

Located at the Expo New Mexico fairgrounds in central Albuquerque, The Downs has carded 13 Quarter Horse stakes worth approximately $600,000 in purse money. New to the schedule is the 300-yard, $60,000-est. Zoom Zoom Zoom Shootout stakes on September 30. The Zoom Zoom Zoom will be worth $10,000-added, with the bulk of the purse made up of entry fees ($5,000 per horse). Racing secretary Jim Collins is confident that the race – which pays 80 percent of its purse to the winner – will draw entries from throughout the country.

Four $50,000 New Mexico-bred Quarter Horse stakes are scheduled for Lineage Day, August 26 – the 870-yard John Augustine Stakes (R), the 400-yard Hard Twist Stakes (RG3) for 3-year-olds, the 400-yard Pelican Stakes (RG3) for sophomore fillies, and the 400-yard Lineage Championship (RG3).

The 17-day New Mexico State Fair portion of the Albuquerque meet, which runs from September 7-29, is topped by the 400-yard, $50,000-added New Mexico State Fair Senor Futurity (RG3) for state-bred 2-year-old colts and geldings, and the 400-yard, $50,000-added New Mexico State Fair Senorita Futurity (RG3) for state-bred 2-year-old fillies, both of which will be run on September 22.

The Downs at Albuquerque meet runs through November 4 and will – with the exception of the State Fair portion – offer live racing on a Wednesday and Friday-through-Sunday schedule. The State Fair portion of the season will offer live racing September 7-9, 12-23, and 28-29.

Late last year, the New Mexico State Fair Commission – which operates Expo New Mexico – granted The Downs at Albuquerque a 25-year extension on its lease. Construction has since begun on a new $20-million casino south of the racing grandstand. The expected completion date of the new casino, which will replace and offer twice as many slot machines as the existing casino on the third floor of the grandstand, is early 2013.

For more information on The Downs at Albuquerque meet, visit the track's website at www.abqdowns.com, or call (505) 266-5555.

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Fair Meadows at Tulsa opens its 34-day meet with a 12-race card that includes five Quarter Horse races on Thursday. Post time for the first race is 6 p.m. (CDT).

Fair Meadows' stakes schedule gets underway with the $20,000 Golden Driller Stakes on Sunday. The 350-yard dash has attracted 27 nominations, topped by Sumokin, a homebred 3-year-old filly by champion Country Chicks Man owned by Cindy Knox's Corner K Quarter Horses LLC of Fayetteville, Arkansas. Sumokin has earned $304,311 from 14 outs, and she is coming off of a second-place finish as the favorite in the April 22, $34,140 Miss Olean Handicap for sophomore fillies at Remington Park.

Other prominent Golden Driller nominees include Mary Passmore Kirby's Chi Ter and Carl C. Pevehouse's I See Candy Paint. Chi Ter is a 5-year-old gelding by the First Down Dash stallion Granite Lake who won two allowance races and ran third in the $100,000 Sooner State Stakes (RG1) during the Remington spring meet, while I See Candy Paint ran third, three-quarters of a length behind eventual AQHA world champion Cold Cash 123, in last year's 440-yard, $372,549 Texas Classic Derby (G1) at Lone Star Park.

Entries for the Golden Driller Stakes will be taken on Thursday.

Fair Meadows' stakes docket features a total of 23 stakes, including 12 restricted to Quarter Horses. The Quarter Horse stakes scheduled is headlined by the 350-yard, $200,000-added Speedhorse Gold & Silver Cup Futurity (RG2) and 350-yard, $50,000-added Speedhorse Gold & Silver Cup Derby (R) on closing night, August 4. Other prominent sprint stakes include the 350-yard, $50,000-added Oklahoma Horsemen's Association Derby (R) for state-bred 3-year-olds, and the 300-yard, $100,000 Black Gold Division I Final (R), both of which will be run on June 30.

For more information, visit Fair Meadows' website at www.exposquare.com, and click on the “Fair Meadows” link at the top of the homepage.

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Retama Park opened its 20-night Quarter Horse meet last Friday, as an on-track crowd of 3,902 wagered $131,624 on the track's 10-race program. Total handle for the night, including off-track wagering, reached $264,173.

Meanwhile, Pinnacle Entertainment Inc., the Las Vegas-based casino company that has agreed to buy a majority stake in the partnership that owns Retama Park's racing license, and the license's current owner, are negotiating an option to acquire the entire facility.

However, the San Antonio Express-News reported last week that it hasn't yet been determined what Pinnacle Entertainment and Retama Partners Ltd., which owns the racing license, would pay for the track.

Retama Park is owned by Retama Development Corp. (RDC) and has an appraised value of $123.4 million. Pinnacle announced in April that it had agreed to pay $22.8 million to acquire a 75.5-percent stake in the partnership that owns the racing license.The partnership, Retama Partners, is made up of numerous individuals and trusts.

Retama Park chief executive officer Bryan Brown told the Express-News that the partnership will be converted to a company named Pinnacle Retama Partners LLC. It is that entity that would hold the option to acquire the track at some future date if an agreement is completed.

One issue that will be addressed in the negotiations for the options is how to deal with the RDC's debt, as it owes about $6 million to senior bondholders and more than $250 million to subordinated bondholders, in addition to some other obligations.

The bonds financed construction of Retama Park, which opened in 1995.

This year's Ruidoso Futurity will be worth a stakes-record $600,000. The stakes began in 1993, when AQHA champion Treacherously earned the winner's share of a $326,992 purse. Heartswideopen holds the stakes record of :17.08, which the two-time AQHA champion set five years ago.

Our top selection in this year's Ruidoso Futurity is fastest qualifier and 5-2 morning-line favorite Krash Cartel. A Corona Cartel colt out of the productive Strawfly Special mare Race Valentine, Krash Cartel made his debut with a visually impressive 4 1/4-length victory in the second of 25 trials, and it's worth noting that he was the only qualifier from heats 1-8 – seven of the finalists came out of the last 10 trials. Also, Krash Cartel prepped for his first lifetime start with a series of good works at Sam Houston Race Park, including a :13.20 gate drill on May 9, the fastest of 29 works at the track that day.

Fourth-fastest qualifier PJ Chick In Black has won all three of her outs, including the 300-yard, $251,333 New Mexican Spring Futurity (RG2) for state-breds at Sunland Park. A brown daughter of the Strawfly Special stallion Desirio, she is coming off of a three-length trial win as the odds-on choice.

Longshot players might want to take a look at sixth-fastest qualifier Coronas Ice Maiden, as this daughter of 2006 world champion Wave Carver outran her 15-1 odds to win the 16th trial by 1 ¼ lengths. Her trainer, reigning champion trainer Paul Jones, won this race with American Runaway two years ago, and foals from her dam, the Corona Cartel mare Corona With Ice, have been winning at a 24-percent clip.

Jess A Zoomin has won both of his starts, including a 250-yard maiden dash at Remington Park on April 21, a productive race in which his defeated opponents included Ruidoso Futurity finalist Stoli Angel. The Shazoom gelding showed his talent at Remington back in March, as he won a 250-yard training race under a hand ride by one length in :13.62.

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Fastest qualifier Executive Brass drew post 2 in Saturday's co-featured race at Ruidoso Downs, the 400-yard, $679,207 Ruidoso Derby (G1). The season's richest 3-year-old stakes to date, the Ruidoso Derby marks the season stakes debuts of AQHA champions Ochoa and Feature Mr Bojangles. The history of the Ruidoso Derby dates back to 1994. Past winners include champions Okey Dokey Dale (1999), DM Shicago ('05), Heartswideopen ('08), and Double Down Special (2010). The stakes record of :19.40 was established by Jess Rapid in 2004.

Executive Brass brings a three-race win streak into this year's Ruidoso Derby, but our top selection is Feature Mr Bojangles, a sorrel son of Feature Mr Jess and last year's AQHA champion 2-year-old colt. Feature Mr Bojangles has won seven of his eight career starts, and he is undefeated at this 400-yard distance (5-for-5) and over this track (4-for-4). In addition, the colt has recorded solid 100-plus TrackMaster speed ratings in his last five outs, including his victories in the Rainbow (G1) and Hobbs America (G2) futurities.

Dashing Sparatcus blew up the tote when he won his trial by a half of a length at odds of 31-1. A colt by Mr Jess Perry from the barn of three-time Ruidoso Derby-winning trainer Carl Draper, Dashing Spartacus earned a 104 speed rating while making his first start in more than seven months, so he figures to move up off of that effort. The colt's defeated opponents in that race included 2011 champion 2-year-old Ochoa, and it's also worth noting that the colt prepped for his trial with a series of solid morning drills at Sunland Park and Ruidoso.

Executive Brass has been a prompt favorite in all three of his races this season. The gray gelding by the Chicks Beduino stallion Executive Menace posted a 100 TrackMaster speed rating when he won the fifth of six trials by one length from 2011 Rainbow Futurity (G1) finalist Texas Rockstar on May 25.

Ochoa ran second to Dashing Spartacus as the 2-5 choice in his trial, and as the 3-1 morning-line favorite and winner of last season's Grade 1, $2.4-million All American Futurity, this Tres Seis colt is likely to be overbet in this spot. However, Ochoa must be respected, as he has made the trifecta in all five of his races, all of which have been run over this track.

The Delta Downs Derby began in 1974, one year after the track opened under the direction of its founder, Lee Berwick. The race first earned graded status in 2000, and past winners include AQHA champion Vals Fortune ('04), and JLS Mr Bigtime ('11), the runner-up to reigning world champion Cold Cash 123 in last Sunday's $250,000 Remington Park Invitational Championship (G1). Mr Game holds the 400-yard stakes record, which the Game Patriot gelding set two years ago.

Our top selection for his year's Delta Downs Derby is Mossy Oak Tree. A gray gelding by 2003 AQHA world champion Oak Tree Special, Mossy Oak Tree has won four consecutive races, including his last three at this 400-yard distance. Mossy Oak Tree is coming off of a neck victory as the odds-on favorite in the first of two trials on May 12.

The only other trial winner, JLS Makeing Trouble, is a Toast To Dash gelding who was making his sophomore season debut. JLS Makeing Trouble earned an 84 TrackMaster speed rating that night, which was a marked improvement over his best 2-year-old figure, so the best might be yet to come for this lightly raced sprinter.

One of three finalists from the barn of Janet Van Bebber, Coors Select ran sixth as the 7-10 choice in the second heat and barely got in as the 10th-fastest qualifier. A sorrel gelding by Oak Tree Special, Coors Select was making his first start of the season, so he might have needed the out, and he is coming off of a solid 2-year-old campaign that included a visually impressive three-quarter length victory in the 350-yard, $100,000 Louisiana Champions Day Juvenile Stakes (RG2) at Fair Grounds Racecourse.

The Notradamus prepped for his trial with a series of solid works over the track and at Louisiana Downs. The brown colt by Dashin Bye ran a solid second, a neck behind the streaking Mossy Oak Tree, and recorded the fourth-fastest qualifying time.

The bill's sponsor, Rep. Lou Lang (D-Skokie), predicted that the “velocity of revenue” from the expanded gaming would be a job generator and economic boost for Illinois. He told the Chicago Tribune that the bill could raise between $300 million and more than $1 billion, “depending on who's counting.”

The other casinos would be built in Rockford, Danville, Park City in Lake County, and an undetermined site in the south suburbs of Chicago.

A percentage of revenue from slots at racetracks would fund purses. Currently, only one track in Illinois – Fairmount Park in Collinsville – runs Quarter Horse races. The state's richest sprint race, the 400-yard, $50,000-guaranteed Fairmount Park Invitational Stakes, is scheduled for July 20.

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During its monthly meeting last Thursday at Betfair Hollywood Park, the California Horse Racing Board voted unanimously to restrict the use of the bronchodilator clenbuterol in Thoroughbreds competing in the state.

The rule will become effective on July 18, opening day of the Del Mar meet.

The move follows the success of a similar suspension of clenbuterol use at Los Alamitos Racecourse, a ban that was enacted after CHRB investigators at the track confiscated brands of clenbuterol not approved by the Food and Drug Administration. Since the suspension of clenbuterol in Quarter Horses was enacted last November, there have been no violations reported by the CHRB.

Dr. Rick Arthur, the equine medical director of the CHRB, told the board that owners and trainers spend between $5 million and $7 million per year on clenbuterol. The drug is generally used to help horses with breathing problems, but if it is used at certain levels it can also act like a muscle-building anabolic steroid.

California is following New Mexico, which in February instituted a one-year ban on clenbuterol, beginning with the start of the SunRay Park meet on April 20.

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A simulcast marketplace has been added to this year's University of Arizona Race Track Industry Program Global Symposium on Racing and Gaming in Tucson.

Symposium officials, including RTIP director Doug Reed, said the simulcast marketplace will allow representatives of organizations to meet, buy, and sell their racing products.

“One of the goals of the symposium has always been to facilitate industry interaction,” Reed said. “The marketplace concept was created after a number of international attendees indicated that it is difficult to identify and connect with the appropriate people to acquire our product.

“They are eager to explore all the possibilities associated with North American racing,” he added.

Several groups are confirmed for the symposium, including Lone Star Park and Remington Park Racing and Casino.

This year's symposium will be held December 3-6 at the Westin La Paloma Resort in Tucson. For more information, visit the RTIP's redesigned website at www.ua-rtip.org, and click on the “Symposium” link at the top of the homepage.

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Delta Downs racing secretary John Simon has received 12 nominations for the June 9, $30,000 Virgil Bond Stakes.

Topping the list of nominees for the 870-yard Virgil Bond is Slinkys Fortune, an 8-year-old gelding by Dashs Slinky owned and trained by Henry Padgett. Slinkys Fortune has won 11 races at the distance, and the gelding is coming off of a nose victory in the 870-yard, $40,000 Magnolia Stakes (R) for state-breds at Louisiana Downs on February 11.

Another nominee, Donald G. Kelly's Pagan Stone, scored a 9 1/2-length win in an entry level allowance for Louisiana-breds on May 17, his first start at the 870 distance. Pagan Stone is a 4-year-old gelding by the Pulpit (TB) stallion Lydgate (TB) trained by Ray Robbins.

Anthony Arey's Dr Drip and Jobaya Foreman's Louisiana Blue Step, the respective second- and third-place finishers in the Magnolia, have also been nominated to the Virgil Bond.

Also at Delta Downs, 31 Louisiana-breds have been nominated to the 400-yard, $60,000 Vals Fortune Stakes (RG3) on June 9. The leading nominee, JLS Speed Horse Ranch Inc.'s JLS Mr Bigtime, is coming off of a second-place finish to reigning AQHA world champion Cold Cash 123 in the $250,000 Remington Park Invitational Championship (G1) last Sunday.

One of only four 3-year-olds nominated to the Vals Fortune, Pablo Gonzalez Sr.'s Rapid Transit has earned $235,015 from eight starts, and his three wins include last year's 400-yard, $517,844 Louisiana Quarter Horse Breeders' Association Futurity (RG1) at Evangeline Downs.

Another 3-year-old nominee, Joseph Landreneau's Jessalittlecourage began her career last season with a four-race win streak that included a 1 1/2-length score in the 330-yard, $225,000 Louisiana Breeders' Lassie Futurity (RG2) at Delta.

Entries for both the Virgil Bond and Vals Fortune will be drawn on Saturday.

Six of Remington's closing-weekend stakes are for Quarter Horses, and we'll take a closer look at the three richest – the 350-yard, $1.115-million Heritage Place Futurity (G1) and 400-yard, $247,800 Heritage Place Derby (G2) on Saturday, and the 440-yard, $250,000 Remington Park Invitational Championship (G1) on Sunday.

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The Heritage Place Derby began at Blue Ribbon Downs in 1984, when Tommy Rack and Ace Walker's Burnell earned the winner's share of a $116,932 purse. The race first earned graded status (RG2) three years later, then it moved to Remington Park in 1990 and has been run at that track every year since except for '03. Ed Melzer's Streakin Down holds the 400-yard stakes record, which the bay gelding set two years ago.

Our top selection for this year's Heritage Place Derby is fastest qualifier BPs Jumpin Frisco, a well-bred gelding by the Chicks Beduino stallion Jumpn. One of three finalists qualified by jockey Jimmy Brooks for trainer Eddie D. Willis – and the one the veteran reinsman has chosen to ride in the final – BPs Jumpin Frisco earned a TrackMaster speed rating of 103 when he won the third of four trials by one length on May 6. Also, the gelding has been solid in all of his starts at Remington this spring, as his record includes a third-place finish to A Toss Up in the April 14 Remington Park Oklahoma-Bred Derby and a second to WcrSeperateandcool, a talented aged gelding who put together a four-race win streak in New Mexico late last season, in the March 18 Mr Jet Moore Handicap for older horses.

David Pinon picks up the mount on another contender from the Willis barn, third-fastest qualifier Jess Lips. This sorrel colt by Mr Jess Perry has made the exacta in six of his seven races, a streak of consistency that includes a close second-place finish to Igotyourtac in the 400-yard, $1.2-million Golden State Futurity (G1) at Los Alamitos.

Consistent is also a good way to describe seventh-fastest qualifier Texasindependencegal, as this daughter of the Corona Cartel stallion Mr Ottyes has made the trifecta in all 10 of her races, which include a close third-place finish in last year's Grade 1, 400-yard Dash For Cash Futurity at Lone Star Park. Texasindependencegal overcame a hop at the break to run second in her Heritage Place Derby trial as the 13-10 favorite.

Eighth-fastest qualifier Send Me A Candy Tree is a part of a Clinton Crawford-trained wagering entry that includes 2011 Speedhorse Gold and Silver Cup Futurity (RG2) runner-up Haulin Candy Salt. A brown daughter of 2003 AQHA world champion Oak Tree Special, Send Me A Candy Tree is coming off of a neck victory as the 2-1 choice in the last trial. She's won four of five outs at this 400-yard distance, and she earned a 106 speed rating when she defeated a tough group of stakes winners in last year's 440-yard, $200,000 Southwest Juvenile Championship (G1) in New Mexico.

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Like the Derby, the Heritage Place Futurity has a rich history. Started in 1981 during the non-parimutuel days at Blue Ribbon Downs, the race moved to Remington Park in '90 and has been contested at its current location every year except 2003. Past winners of the race include AQHA champions Dashin Is Easy (1997) and Stolis Winner, who won the stakes during his world champion campaign four seasons ago. Stolis Winner holds the current 350-yard stakes mark of :17.34.

Valiant Lil Lady, our top choice in this year's Heritage Place Futurity, has been tearing up the track – both in the mornings and during her races. A brown filly by Valiant Hero, Valiant Lil Lady has won both of her starts, including her May 5 trial by 2 ¾ lengths as the 11-10 favorite. Her morning efforts are also worth noting – on March 28, she ran a solid second in a 250-yard training race, covering the distance in :13.52, the third-fastest clocking of 99 that day.

Dash For Coronas turned in some solid morning efforts at Louisiana Downs before he shipped to Oklahoma, where he's won all three of his outs, including the March 17, $358,000 Oklahoma Futurity (G2) with a 107 TrackMaster speed rating. The brown colt by the Corona Cartel stallion Coronas Leaving You won the fifth of 10 trials as the 6-5 choice on May 4.

A 15-1 morning-line longshot, Thequeenhasgonenuts is a graded stakes-placed filly by the Strike The Cash stallion Hadtobenuts. Thequeenhasgonenuts has won two of her three races, with her only setback being a runner-up finish to Sassmaster in the April 14, $488,000 Sam Houston Futurity (G2) in Texas.

BP Cartels Alibi, a nicely bred son of Corona Cartel and multiple futurity finalist My Ladys Alibi, was a prompt 4-5 choice in his trial. The colt has been favored in both of his outs, and his morning activity includes a solid :13.4 gate work back on February 29, the third-fastest of 134 250-yard drills that day.

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The winner of this year's Remington Park Invitational Championship, which has drawn a full field of 12, will earn a berth in the December 15, $750,000 Champion of Champions (G1) at Los Alamitos.

Our top selection, Cold Cash 123, is the reigning AQHA world champion. A 4-year-old gelding by Oak Tree Special, Cold Cash 123 will be making his first start since March 24, when he scored a neck victory as the 7-10 favorite in the 400-yard, $100,000 Leo Stakes (G1). Cold Cash 123 has also won eight of his nine races at this 440-yard distance, and he sports a four-race win streak that includes victories in the December 31, $350,000 Championship at Sunland Park (G1), and the November 23, $373,000 Texas Classic Derby (G1) at Lone Star Park.

Llano Teller ran a close second to Cold Cash 123 in the Leo Stakes. This 4-year-old Teller Cartel gelding also had an outstanding sophomore campaign, which included victories in the 440-yard All American Derby (G1) and 400-yard Ruidoso Derby (G1) at Ruidoso Downs. Llano Teller has won five of nine starts at this quarter-mile trip, including the May 6, $101,000 Bank of America Remington Championship Challenge (G2) on May 6.

Rylees Boy, the winner of last year's Remington Park Invitational Championship, is another 440-yard specialist. The reigning AQHA champion aged gelding, this 7-year-old gelding by the Heza Fast Man stallion Heza Motor Scooter has won 11 of his 15 starts at the distance, and he is coming off of a solid two-length victory in the 440-yard, $110,000 Bank of America Sunland Championship Challenge (G2) in New Mexico.

The best 3-year-old in the country right now, A Toss Up will get a class and distance test here off of his neck win in the 400-yard, $100,000 Sooner State Stakes (RG1) for Oklahoma-breds on April 28. A sorrel gelding by the First Down Dash stallion Sweet First Down, A Toss Up has won three of his four outs at the current Remington meet, including the April 14 Remington Park Derby and the March 4 Eastex Handicap (G3).

We'll be focusing on Texas in this update, as Sam Houston Race Park ends its 2012 meet with three stakes on a 10-race program on Saturday. Only one of Houston's closing-night stakes, the 350-yard, $72,901 John Deere Texas Juvenile Challenge (G3), is graded, but the other two – the 400-yard, $54,450 Adequan Texas Derby Challenge, and the 870-yard, $25,000 Governor's Cup Marathon Stakes – have drawn full fields and have rich histories of their own.

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The Texas Juvenile Challenge first achieved graded status at Manor Downs near Austin in 1996, as Bill and Mary Eiland's Leaving Dust banked the winner's share of a $55,800 purse. The race has also been run at Retama Park near San Antonio before being moved to Sam Houston Race Park, where it has been contested since '09. Pool, a colt by Shazoom campaigned by the Legacy Partnership, holds the stakes record of :17.66, which he set at Retama in 2007.

The winner of this year's Texas Juvenile Challenge will earn a berth in the October 27, $150,000 John Deere Juvenile Challenge Championship (G2) at Prairie Meadows. Our top selection, fastest qualifier and morning-line favorite Jodys Pop Zoomer, broke his maiden with a neck victory in the seventh of nine trials on May 3. The bay gelding by the Shazoom stallion Zoomin For Bux earned an 87 TrackMaster speed rating in that race, his second career start, and he is one of three finalists from the barn of trainer Cindi Keeton, whose stakes starters have won 31 percent of their 45 races and whose 2-year-olds have scored at a 23-percent clip.

Dashing Alibi B is a sorrel daughter of Woodbridge and Hempen Chics Alibi, a mare by Skirt Chasin Alibi whose 2-year-old starters have won seven of their 14 outs. She has won two of her three races, with her only defeat coming at the hands of the promising Madresita in an Oklahoma-bred stakes at Remington Park.

Second-fastest qualifier RC Had To Be My Day is coming off of a second-place finish to the top choice. A finalist in the Grade 2, $488,000 Sam Houston Futurity back in April, this colt by the Strike The Cash stallion Hadtobenuts has earned $20,201 from three starts, and he worked smartly last winter at Retama Park before he made his debut.

Another of Keeton's qualifiers, Rightamountofwrong, has speed ratings that are a little on the light side. However, this sorrel daughter of Fly Jess Fly was a prompt 3-5 favorite in her trial heat, and she is the lone stakes winner in the field – her neck victory in the April 14, 330-yard Sam Houston Juvenile Stakes was accomplished against a field that included last-out winners Sixes Award and two-time winner One Corona Then Zoom.

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This year's Adequan Texas Derby Challenge is headed by our top choice, fastest qualifier and 7-5 morning-line favorite Charmin Chief Corona. A chestnut filly by the Corona Czech stallion Chief Corona, Charmin Chief Corona posted a 99 TrackMaster speed rating when she won the first of three trials by 1 ½ lengths as the 6-5 choice on May 5. Also, she boasts a three-race win streak that includes a neck score in the 350-yard, $181,000 Sam Houston Derby (G3) on April 14.

Third-fastest qualifier A Game Dame is coming off of a 1 1/4-length victory in her trial. The sorrel daughter of First N Kool was one of the top 2-year-olds in Texas last season, as her four wins in five outs included a visually impressive 1 1/4-length win in the $131,000 TQHA Sires' Cup Futurity (RG2) at Retama Park.

Making Deals, the second-fastest qualifier, ran second to Charmin Chief Corona in his trial. This sorrel colt by Streakin Sixes hasn't won in nine months, but he's made the trifecta in nine of his 10 lifetime starts and is a good bet to at least hit the board in this spot.

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The Governor's Cup Marathon began as a Grade 1 stakes during Sam Houston Race Park's inaugural Quarter Horse meet in 1994. Its past winners include Wanda Pennington's Windville, who won the race in 1998, the year he earned AQHA champion distance horse honors. Bob Blakeman's Better Than Never, the '94 distance champion, holds the stakes record of :44.99.

Our top selection, Bok Man, earned an 83 speed rating and scored a half-length win in the April 28, $22,000 Red Cell Sam Houston Distance Challenge. The gray 4-year-old gelding by Boknaai out of the Devon Lane (TB) mare One Fine Devon also drew a good post – the 3 hole – as he seeks his second stakes victory of the season.

Kite Flyer must also be respected, as this 5-year-old Royal Quick Dash stallion was a close second to Bok Man in the Sam Houston Distance Challenge. Also, Kite Flyer had a solid 4-year-old campaign that included a 3 1/2-length stakes win at the 870 distance and a close third-place finish to Yin Your Eyes in the $125,000 Red Cell Distance Challenge Championship (G1) at Los Alamitos.

Besides the tweaking of current regulations, there is also in place the mechanism to permit advanced deposit wagering (ADW) and Instant Racing machines, which allow bettors to wager on randomly selected previously run races.

“We hope to get additional pari-mutuel products, which would include ADW and Instant Racing,” said Michigan Harness Horsemen's Association president Brett Boyd of the movement called “Operation Save Michigan Horse Racing.”

A third-generation horseman, Boyd said four recent informational gatherings drew 600 horsemen, and on Kentucky Derby Day more than 4,000 postcards were signed by fans at the state's three Standardbred tracks that will be sent to state legislators. Boyd also wrote a letter that was sent to Gov. Rick Snyder and the entire legislative body.

“Our goal is to generate e-mails and handwritten letters and telephone calls to every state representative, senator, and the governor,” Boyd said. “We've continued to have fantastic results getting those letters out. We generated more than 4,000 postcards from the fans that will be sent to the legislators showing their support for their business.”

Boyd said that Instant Racing will generate a 15-percent commission to the racing industry – 10 percent will go to overnight purses, two percent will go to 2, 3, and 4-year-old programs, and one percent will go each to capital improvements at the tracks, marketing of live racing, and breeders' awards.

“As long as there is a better understanding among the legislators of what we're looking for, I think we have a chance to get it done,” said Boyd, who added that the legislature has until the end of May to bring the bill to a vote.

“We've had a tremendous response, but we need to keep it up,” he added. “The casinos (in downtown Detroit) are spending a ton of money through their lobbyists and other avenues to communicate with the legislators against the bill. We have to keep our foot firmly on the gas and keep communicating with the legislators, as there is definitely some opposition out there that is doing the same thing.”

According to numbers released by the Michigan House Fiscal Agency, wagering on horse racing, at the Detroit casinos, at the Indian casinos and on the lottery totaled $3.8 billion last year, an increase of $1 billion from 2002. However, betting on racing declined from $83 million to $34 million during that nine-year span. Wagering at the Detroit casinos increased from $1 billion to $1.4 billion, wagering at the Indian casinos increased from $825 million to $1.4 billion, and wagering on the lottery rose from $793 million to $995 million.

Mt. Pleasant Meadows, Michigan's only remaining Thoroughbred and Quarter Horse track, is currently in the middle of its 50-day meet, which runs weekends through October 28. The state has a rich Quarter Horse racing history. For years, Michigan-based Carol Rettele and her husband, Richard Rettele, were among the leading trainers and jockeys, respectively, in number of races won.

Also, Cold Cash 123, the reigning AQHA world champion and winner of the $100,000 Leo Stakes (G1) at Remington Park on March 24, was bred by and races for Walter and Carolyn Bay's T Bill Stables Inc. of Clare, Michigan.

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The casino at Indiana Downs has changed its name to Indiana Grand Casino. The previous name, Indiana Live, was licensed from a management company that no longer runs the facility, so a new name was required.

“Other than the new casino name, guests won't notice any other changes,” Tom Dingman, chief operating officer and general manager of the casino and horse racing facility told the Indianapolis Star.

The name change isn't as significant as the chance that the facility, which is in the midst of its 61-day Thoroughbred and Quarter Horse meet, could be sold within the next few months. The future of the facility and its parent, Indianapolis Downs LLC, is still being played out in a Delaware bankruptcy court.

Indianapolis Downs landed in bankruptcy court a year ago, claiming debts of more than $500 million, a large chunk of which was the $250 million fee charged by the Indiana Gaming Commission for a license to add slot machines to the track.

Ed Feigenbaum, publisher of the Indiana Gaming Insight industry newsletter, told the Star that financial reports from the state's racinos – including Hoosier Park in Anderson – indicate that they are profitable but had heavy debts from state licensing fees, and they suffered from the recession.

Industry speculation has centered on Indianapolis-based Centaur Holdings as a likely buyer. Centaur owns Hoosier Park, the state's only other racino. However, bankruptcy court records show that facility managers have signed nondisclosure agreements with 12 other potential purchasers.

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Sun Downs in Kennewick, Washington, attracted 6,000 fans during the closing weekend of its six-day meet, which ended May 6 and included the simulcast of the $2-million Kentucky Derby (G1) from Churchill Downs.

There was a chance that Sun Downs' season wouldn't take place at all. According to racing secretary Shorty Martin, the cost of jockey insurance premiums increased from $3,500 a day last year to $11,000 per day this year.

“It's been a struggle, but we plan on running next year,” Martin said.

According to a report on KNDU-Channel 25, the NBC-TV affiliate in the Tri-Cities area, the Sun Downs Training Center might step up to help the track put on a 2013 meet.

“We're just going to do whatever we need to do to help them out, help them continue,” said Training Center spokesman Bob Lawrence. “It just gets so expensive – $150,000 to $160,000 to put on the race (meet) in the spring, including the insurance, which is nearly $70,000.”

In April, Washington state Sen. Mike Hewitt of Walla Walla sponsored a bill to help smaller communities in the state keep their horse races despite the high costs. The law lets smaller tracks raise private dollars for funding, something they weren't allowed to do in the past.

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Jenuine Joy has been honored as the 2011 Quarter Horse of the Year by the New Mexico Horsemen's Association. A homebred 6-year-old Genuine Strawfly mare racing for Fredda Draper of Ruidoso Downs, Jenuine Joy won three stakes and earned $202,830 from eight starts last year. She was also honored as the state's top aged mare.

The NMHA also honored the following Quarter Horses during its annual awards banquet at SunRay Park and Casino in Farmington last Saturday – Call Me A Blazn Chic (top 2-year-old filly), Snow Regard (3-year-old filly), Quatro Menudos (3-year-old colt or gelding), and Bullets Brother (aged stallion or gelding).

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Remington Park will take entries for its May 20 program – which features six Oklahoma-bred Quarter Horse stakes – on Thursday.

Racing secretary Dan Fick has received 37 nominations for the 330-yard, $30,000-added FL Lady Bug Stakes (R) for state-bred 2-year-old fillies. Topping the list of nominees is Rodney J. Verret's Madresita, a sorrel daughter of the Corona Cartel stallion Pappasito who has earned $41,676 from four starts. Trained by Eddie D. Willis, Madresita has won three races, including the April 14, 300-yard Laico Bird Stakes (R), and she was a finalist in the $358,000 Oklahoma Futurity (G3) on March 17.

Other FL Lady Bug Stakes nominees include Circle S Ranch Inc.'s Her Painted Wagon, a homebred PYC Paint Your Wagon filly who is undefeated in two starts, and Bollenbach Farms' Klassy Chick, a homebred daughter of Valiant Hero who has won two of four races and has banked $21,041.

The 350-yard, $50,000-guaranteed Jack Brooks Stakes (RG3) for Oklahoma-bred 3-year-olds has drawn 36 nominations. Sumokin, a gray filly by champion Country Chicks Man, has earned $304,311 from 14 races for her owner, Corner K Quarter Horses LLC. Sumokin is winless in four starts this season, but the filly scored an upset victory in last year's 400-yard, $427,000 Black Gold Futurity Championship (RG3) at Will Rogers Downs.

Other Jack Brooks nominees include A Toss Up, a two-time stakes winner during the current Remington meet for owners James Sills and Abel Flores, and Bill Price's BPS Jumpin Frisco, a homebred stakes-placed gelding by Jumpn who was a finalist in last year's $2,236,000 Los Alamitos Two-Million Futurity (G1) in California.

The other Oklahoma-bred stakes scheduled for May 20 at Remington are the 300-yard, $30,000-added Bugs Alive In 75 Stakes (R) for 2-year-old colts and geldings; the 350-yard, $50,000-guaranteed Easy Jet Stakes (RG3) for 2-year-olds; the 350-yard, $30,000-added Easy Date Handicap (R) for fillies and mares; and the 400-yard, $30,000-added Boyd Morris Memorial Handicap (R) for 3-year-olds and older.

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Gary L. Thompson's Tombstone, a homebred gelding by the Mr Jess Perry stallion Get Down Perry, is one of 38 state-bred 2-year-olds entered in Friday's New Mexico Breeders' Futurity (RG3) trials at SunRay Park.

Tombstone is the 5-2 morning-line favorite in the third of four 350-yard trial heats. The gelding has won two of three starts and has earned $43,622. He sustained his first loss on April 8, when he finished third, two lengths behind winner PJ Chick In Black, in the 300-yard, $251,359 New Mexican Spring Futurity (RG2) at Sunland Park.

Other prominent 2-year-olds entered in Friday's trials include Rex Hill, a colt by Jesse James Jr racing for Utahns David Hinkins and Ross Hinkins and winner of the April 7, $50,500 New Mexican Spring Fling Stakes (R) at Sunland; and Alonso Orozco's Sandys Jesse, a three-quarter length maiden winner at SunRay Park on April 20.

The New Mexico Breeders' Futurity was first run in 1985, when Shawn Clark's Say It Simple earned the winner's share of a $26,341 purse. The race first earned graded status in 2001. Its past winners include Wagons Maiden (2001), A Streak Regard ('07), Sixy Chamisa ('09), and Osbaldo ('11).

The 10 fastest qualifiers from Friday's trials will meet in the $85,000-added New Mexico Breeders' Futurity final on Sunday, June 3.

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Stakes winners Bok Man and Kite Flyer are two of the 14 distance specialists nominated to Saturday's 870-yard, $25,000 Governor's Cup Marathon Stakes at Sam Houston Race Park.

A gray 4-year-old gelding by the Mr Jess Perry stallion Boknaai racing for Cynthia A. Jerman, Bok Man is coming off of a half-length victory in the April 28, $23,000 Red Cell Sam Houston Distance Challenge. Bok Man has won two of 14 races, including two of seven at the 870 distance, and has earned $31,026.

The Dark Horse Partnership's Kite Flyer ran second to Bok Man in the Sam Houston Distance Challenge. The gray 5-year-old Royal Quick Dash stallion has banked $70,376 from 18 outs, and his five wins include last year's $30,000 Red Cell Lone Star Distance Challenge at Lone Star Park.

Entries for Saturday's Sam Houston Race Park card, which includes the 400-yard, $35,000-added Adequan Texas Derby Challenge, and the 350-yard, $25,000-added John Deere Texas Juvenile Challenge (G3), will be drawn on Wednesday.

The La Plata has been run every year since 2002, when Western Livestock LLC’s Push The Pace earned the winner’s share of a $32,700 purse. The race first achieved graded status in ’06.

Past winners of the La Plata include Julian De Vargas’ A Long Goodbye, who won the stakes four consecutive years from 2004-07. The 21 Partnership’s Zulu Dragon holds the stakes record of :19.14, which he set last year.

Even though the La Plata will mark Noconi’s first-ever start at SunRay, the 7-year-old gelding by Mr Jess Perry is our top choice to win Saturday’s renewal. Noconi has won five races at this 400-yard distance and has made the trifecta in 10 of his 12 outs at the trip. Also, the gelding will be taking a substantial class drop off of his solid third-place finish in the February 19, $226,000 Los Alamitos Winter Championship (G1) in California.

Another class dropper, A Spring Snow ran second to reigning champion aged gelding Rylees Boy in the Grade 2, 440-yard Bank of America Sunland Championship Challenge. A 7-year-old This Snow Is Royal gelding, A Spring Snow also had a solid 6-year-old campaign that included a stakes win and a close second in the 400-yard Lovington Stakes (G2) at Zia Park.

Klassic Strawfly steps up in class, but the 6-year-old Genuine Strawfly gelding earned a 108 TrackMaster speed rating in his 1 ¼-length victory against New Mexico-bred allowance-optional claiming ($75,000) company at Sunland in his last start.

Unashamed makes his first start against older runners here. A 4-year-old stallion by Special Leader, Unashamed chased – and wasn’t embarrassed against – some of the top sophomores in Texas and New Mexico last year, including Llano Teller, Prospect To The Top, and Giorgino.

Last Saturday's program, which included a simulcast of the Grade 1, $2-million Kentucky Derby from Churchill Downs, drew nearly 8,000 fans to Les Bois Park. Handle on the track's 10 live races reached $96,357, and $127,309 was wagered on the Derby.

This year's Les Bois Park meet marks the track's first full season of racing since 2008. Last year, Les Bois ran a 15-day meet that began in July, as the track's leaseholder, Treasure Valley Racing Group, secured its agreement with Ada County too late to conduct a full season.

In 2011, Les Bois Park averaged 3,988 fans per race day and an average daily handle of approximately $89,000. According to a report in the Idaho Statesman, track management is setting its sights a little higher for 2012.

“The goal is over $100,000 a day,” said racing secretary Tim Thibert.

Thibert added that he is planning to card nine races per day and increase that to 10 when the days grow longer during the summer. With larger fields and more races, he said, wagering can increase and lead to larger purses.

“Everything correlates to the handle,” Thibert said.

This year's earlier start allowed Les Bois Park's management team more time to prepare and make improvements to the property. These improvements include more concession stands and restroom facilities.

“I cannot believe what has happened in a year's time,” said Idaho Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association president Mark Buckley.

Les Bois Park's 2012 meet runs through August 12. For more information, visit the track's website at www.lesboisracing.com.

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Minnesota Gov. Mark Dayton on Friday signed off on a gaming bill that will allow the state's Native American casinos to offer off-track wagering on horse races.

The law also allows Minnesota's two racetracks – Canterbury Park in Shakopee and Running Aces Harness Park in Columbus – to expand their card rooms from 50 to 80 tables and increase the betting limits from $600 to $100. Supporters of the law hope it will boost Minnesota's struggling horse racing industry, which has fallen on difficult times recently.

The Minneapolis Star-Tribune reported that some of the law's changes will take effect immediately at Canterbury Park, which opens its 62-day meet on May 18. Track management applauded the move.

“While this legislation will not solve the revenue problems the industry faces, it is an important step in the right direction for Minnesota horse racing," said Canterbury Park president and chief executive officer Randy Sampson.

Canterbury Park will be able to begin increasing the number of tables in its card rooms immediately, Sampson said. However, he added that the expansion of off-track betting to the tribal casinos could take a bit longer to work out.

"We're excited about the opportunity to forge a cooperative relationship with the tribes to promote horse racing throughout the state," Sampson said.

The bill passed the Legislature with bipartisan support after racino legislation faltered.

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A bill in front of the Kansas Senate's federal and state affairs committee is aimed at reviving the state's horse and greyhound racing industries.

The bill would allow The Woodlands in Kansas City to offer live racing and off-track wagering on races from other tracks. Before it closed in 2008, The Woodlands conducted live horse and greyhound race meets, but the bill would allow live dog racing at tracks in Wichita and Frontenac.

Currently, horse racing fans in Kansas who want to place bets have to go to a track in another state or do it on the internet.

“We've been fighting this for seven years,” Wichita Greyhound Park owner Phil Ruffin told the Kansas City Star. “All that revenue is being lost. We could put a lot of jobs back into Kansas. They need the economic help.”

Located in Sedgwick County, Wichita Greyhound Park closed in 2007. This bill would permit county voters to reconsider rejection of a bid for slots at the track and allow track operators to keep a larger share of revenues than what was allowed under the 2007 law that allowed slots at racetracks that received approval from local voters.

Under the current proposal, track operators retain 65 percent of revenue during the first and second years of operation, 63 percent in the third year and 61 percent in following years. However, Ruffin told the Star that the number needs to be closer to 73 percent – the amount kept by destination casinos like the Hollywood Casino in Kansas City, Kansas – for him to be able to support the bill and eventually reopen Wichita Greyhound Park.

“I feel like this is the best shot we've had in a long time to pass a bill making it more feasible for track operators to reopen,” said Kansas Thoroughbred Association president Cameron Roth in a statement. “There has been a huge grass-roots movement pushing for this legislation throughout the state for months.

“I think these people, the horse and dog industries and the businesses they support, all deserve a fair vote by lawmakers,” he added. “When lawmakers have a chance to study the bill and review factual material provided to them in regards to the economic impact of our industries, I'm confident we'll have racing again.”

Sen. Pete Brungardt (R-Salina), chairman of the federal and state affairs committee, told the Star that there is support for the bill in the Senate, but he added that if it passes the senate it will have to overcome opposition in the House. Gov. Sam Brownback hasn't indicated whether he would veto the measure if it reached his desk.

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Fort Erie Racetrack in southern Ontario, Canada, opened its 81-day season on Sunday, but the long-term future of the track – which opened in 1897 – is uncertain.

This is the final year of a three-year lease held by the Fort Erie Live Racing Consortium, which operates the track. In addition to the expiring lease, the provincial government closed the on-track slots casino on April 30, and the financial support from it and other government sources is in jeopardy.

Jim Thibert, chief operations officer of Fort Erie Racetrack and the general manager of the Fort Erie Economic Development and Tourist Corporation, told Daily Racing Form that the non-profit consortium be given the opportunity to operate the casino as a private enterprise.

“We've had discussions on our proposal for casino privatization with the Lottery and Gaming Corporation,” Thibert said. “The process is ongoing. Kim Craitor, our member of parliament, fully supports the proposal and has agreed to talk to the Premier on this matter.”

However uncertain Fort Erie's future is, funding for this season is in place. The meet includes five days of Quarter Horse racing and three days of mixed cards featuring Quarter Horses and Thoroughbreds.

Fort Erie's Quarter Horse stakes schedule features 15 races worth $855,000 in added purse money. One of the richest sprint stakes, the 440-yard, $100,000 Bank of America Fort Erie Championship Challenge (G3), will be run on July 2. The winner of the race will earn a berth in the October 27, $350,000 Bank of America Challenge Championship (G1) at Prairie Meadows.

Other rich Quarter Horse stakes offered during the meet include the 350-yard, $150,000-added Ontario Jackpot Futurity, and the 350-yard, $150,000-added Ontario Jackpot Derby, both of which will be contested on October 13, and the 400-yard, $50,000-added Fort Erie Maturity on October 17.

Fort Erie's race meet runs through October 30. For more information on the track's Quarter Horse racing program, visit the Quarter Horse Racing Owners of Ontario Inc.'s website at www.qrooi.com, and click on the “Racing Info” link at the top of the homepage.

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Time is running out for Yavapai Downs in Prescott Valley, Arizona, to have a summer racing season.

Last month, the U.S. Department of Agriculture rejected a bid for the bankrupt track. The federal agency controls Yavapai Downs' sale because it holds nearly $15 million in bonds on the track. USDA spokesperson Dianna Jennings told the Prescott Daily Courier that negotiations with potential buyers are ongoing.

The USDA turned down a $3.25-million offer from former Arizona Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association president Gary Miller. Jennings defended USDA's decision to reject Miller's bid.

“There's a lot of taxpayers' money on the line here,” she said. “It isn't as simplistic as it may seem.”

Miller said last week that he's still open to further negotiations.

“If they want to negotiate, my phone isn't busy,” he said.

Yavapai Downs didn't open last year as scheduled on Memorial Day weekend. In July, the Yavapai Farm and Agriculture Association, which owned the track, declared bankruptcy.

Turf Paradise in Phoenix ended its 2011-12 meet on Sunday, and many of the horsemen from that meet have already committed to tracks elsewhere in the region, including SunRay Park in New Mexico and Arapahoe Park in Colorado.

Horses at Turf Paradise must be gone from their stalls by May 14.

“Most of the horses are shipped out,” said Miller, who added that he wasn't sure if the track would open at all this summer.

“You can still make a meet, but it would be an abbreviated meet for sure,” said Arizona HBPA executive director Tom Metzen. “We've got to get somebody up there to take care of it. Every time I go up there, something else is gone.”

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Delta Downs racing secretary John Simon has received 29 nominations for the $55,000 Delta 550 Championship (R) for Louisiana-breds on May 19.

One of the nominees, Blue Louisiana Jolla, is coming off of a third-place finish in the 350-yard, $50,000 John Alleman Stakes (RG3) at Delta on April 27. Racing for Watson Land and Cattle and trainer Elroy Potts, the 7-year-old gelding by Jess Louisiana Blue has won nine of 30 starts, including last year's Delta 550 Championship, and he has earned $268,120.

Slinkys Fortune, an 8-year-old gelding by the Royal Quick Dash stallion Dashs Slinky owned and trained by Henry L. Padgett, won the February 11, 870-yard Magnolia Stakes (R) at Louisiana Downs in his most recent out. Slinkys Fortune has never raced at the 550-yard distance, but the gelding won two open 870 stakes last season.

Other prominent nominees include Los Primitos' Country Talker, a 3-year-old gelding by Straight Talker who is coming off of a third-place finish in the March 10, 400-yard Mardi Gras Derby (RG3) at Louisiana Downs, and Anthony Arey's Dr Drip, an 8-year-old First To Shine gelding and runner-up to Slinkys Fortune in the Magnolia.

Entries for the Delta 550 Championship will be drawn on Saturday.

The Remington Park Championship Challenge has been a part of Remington's stakes schedule since 1993, when Leonelo Trevino's Sound Dash earned the winner's share of a $63,000 purse. The winner of Sunday's renewal will earn a berth in the $350,000 Bank of America Challenge Championship (G1) at Prairie Meadows on October 27.

An earner of nearly $1.6 million from 20 starts, Llano Teller is our top selection for this year's Remington Championship Challenge. A 4-year-old gelding by AQHA champion Teller Cartel, Llano Teller has won four of his eight outs at this quarter-mile distance, and he is coming off of a solid second-place finish to reigning world champion Cold Cash 123 in the 400-yard, $100,000 Leo Stakes (G1) at Remington on March 24. This return to his best distance should help the classy Llano Teller get to the winner's circle on Sunday.

Mr Truly Uno scored a neck victory in the 550-yard SLM Big Daddy Stakes on March 10, a race in which he earned a strong 105 TrackMaster speed rating. The 5-year-old gelding by Feature Mr Jess has made the trifecta in five of his seven races at this shorter distance, and his record at the trip includes a third-place finish to Stolis Winner in last year's Remington Championship Challenge.

Smokey Stone, a 20-1 morning-line longshot, takes the blinkers off for his second start of his 5-year-old campaign. This sorrel gelding by the First Down Dash stallion A Regal Choice is dropping in class off of his troubled last-place finish in the Leo, and the last time he raced at this longer distance, he ran third behind eventual champion 3-year-old gelding Double Down Special in the 2010 All American Derby (G1) at Ruidoso Downs.

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Also at Remington Park on Sunday, reigning AQHA champion distance horse De Passem Okey is the 6-5 morning-line favorite in the 870-yard, $53,820 Red Cell Remington Park Distance Challenge Stakes (G3).

De Passem Okey brings a three-race win streak into this race, and as such is our top choice despite drawing post 7. This 6-year-old Okey Dokey Dale gelding is dropping in class off of a 2 1/4-length score in the April 1, $50,000 Pauls Valley Handicap (G3), and he has posted three-figure TrackMaster speed ratings in six of his last seven starts, all at this distance. De Passem Okey has the class and should show enough early speed to overcome his outside draw.

Yin Your Eyes is coming off of a sixth-place run against easier company on April 22, but that marked the 5-year-old Eye Yin You gelding's first out off of a six-month layoff. Yin Your Eyes ended his 2011 campaign with a longshot victory in the Grade 1, $125,000 AQHA Distance Challenge Championship (G1) at Los Alamitos, and he figures to get a ground-saving trip from the rail post in this spot.

Strawbrima raced evenly in a non-winners-of-two allowance on April 13, his first out at the 870 trip. The 4-year-old gelding by Brimmerton gets a class test here, but he might be able to move up off of his 870 debut.

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Q-Racing Ace Martha Claussen will be at Sam Houston Race Park on Saturday. Claussen will conduct a handicapping seminar before the track's 10-race card, which gets underway at features the 440-yard, $50,000 Sam Houston Classic (G2), and she will also distribute complimentary two-dollar wagering vouchers, courtesy of the American Quarter Horse Association.

The Sooner State Stakes has been a staple of Remington's Quarter Horse meet every year since 1991, when Shawne Savage earned the winner's share of a $24,400 purse. Past winners include AQHA champions A Real Man (2003) and Country Chicks Man, who won the race every year from 2005-08. Jose Angel Esparza's Here To Entertain holds the 400-yard stakes record of :19.45, set three years ago.

Candy Cartel, the only distaffer entered, puts her six-race win streak on the line in this year's Sooner State. However, our top selection is A Toss Up, a 3-year-old gelding by the First Down Dash stallion Sweet First Down who has won two of his three outs – both stakes – during the current Remington meet. A Toss Up is coming off of a three-quarter length victory against state-bred sophomores in the 400-yard, $246,000 Remington Park Derby (R), a race in which he earned a 104 TrackMaster speed rating and his defeated opponents included three-time graded stakes winner Cruzin The Wagon and the graded-stakes placed BPS Jumpin Frisco.

A horse for the Remington course, Finche won last year's Sooner State Stakes. A 7-year-old Tres Seis gelding, Finche prepped for this year's Sooner State with a third-place finish as the odds-on favorite in the shorter 250-yard, $30,000 Mighty Deck Three Handicap (R) for state-breds. Finche has made the trifecta in all nine of his starts at Remington, and the gelding also sports two solid morning drills over the track this year.

T Gold J was a prompt even-money choice in a stakes-quality 400-yard, $23,000 allowance prep on April 15. Even though the 4-year-old son of the Mr Jess Perry stallion Gold Medal Jess posted an 87 speed rating in that race, his defeated opponents included multiple graded stakes winner Game Show Special and last-out allowance winner Come On Yall, so he has a right to handle this class rise off of that performance.

Fishin CR is another Sooner State contender who likes Remington Park, as he has made the trifecta in nine of his 11 races over the track. A 5-year-old son of the Fishers Dash stallion Fishin Kisses, Fishin CR is coming off of a three-quarter length victory against a stakes-quality allowance field going 300 yards, and he ran a close second to Finche in last year's Sooner State.

Chi Ter also must be respected, as this 5-year-old Granite Lake gelding has scored two solid allowance wins this season, including one at this 400-yard trip. He gets a class test here, however, as he's finished fourth and eighth in the last two runnings of the Sooner State.

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Eight New Mexico-bred distaffers have been entered in Sunday's 400-yard, $85,000 Four Corners Senora Stakes (RG3) at SunRay Park.

Our top choice is Wish You Had One To, the only 3-year-old in the field. A bay filly by the Corona Cartel stallion Stel Corona, Wish You Had One To is coming off of a close third to winner Karolina in the 350-yard, $110,000 Sunburst Stakes (R) for state-bred sophomore fillies at Sunland Park, her first start for high-percentage stakes trainer Roberto Sanchez in February

Another high-percentage stakes conditioner, Juan M. Gonzalez, will be represented in the Senora by Snow Regard. The 4-year-old mare by Chicks Regard was winless in four outs at Sunland, but she made a good account of herself against some tough state-bred company.

Little Bit Southern won the 400-yard, $110,000 Lou Wooten Handicap (RG1) for New Mexico-bred distaffers back in December. The 5-year-old daughter of Southern Corona is winless in six outs at SunRay, but she has made the trifecta in three races over the track.

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Q-Racing Ace Jen Perkins will be at Turf Paradise in Phoenix on Friday. Jen will conduct a handicapping seminar before the races and will be handing out complimentary $2 wagering vouchers while supplies last. Turf Paradise's nine-race program features two Quarter Horse stakes – the 350-yard, $58,805 AQRA President's Open Spring Derby, and the 300-yard, $31,635 AQRA President's Open Spring Futurity.

Delta's opening-night card features the 350-yard, $50,000 John Alleman Memorial Stakes (RG3), which has drawn a full field of 10 aged Louisiana-bred sprinters. Gerald D. Libersat's Taylors Toastin Papa, the likely post-time favorite, brings in a three-race win streak that includes a longshot victory in the 350-yard, $50,000 Mr Jess Perry Stakes (RG3) at Louisiana Downs on February 12. Donald Watson will ride the 5-year-old Toast To Dash stallion from post 1.

Another contender, Ponderosa Ranch PC Inc.'s Zupers Quick Dash, won last year's John Alleman Memorial. The sorrel 6-year-old gelding by Heza Fast Dash and one-time $5,000 claimer will be making his first start since December 10, when he ran third in the 440-yard, $100,000 Louisiana Champions Day Classic Stakes (RG2) at Fair Grounds Racecourse in New Orleans.

Delta Downs' 46-night season continues with a 10-race card on Saturday, headlined by the 250-yard, $25,000 Delta Dash Stakes. The full field is topped by Eyesa Western, a 7-year-old Eyesa Special gelding owned and trained by Anireal Chavira. Eyesa Western is coming off of a Louisiana Downs campaign that included a neck victory in the 350-yard Swift Stakes and a second-place finish to Without Prejudice in the 250-yard, $20,000 Harrah's Dash Stakes. The Delta Dash will mark the gelding's first career start at Delta Downs.

Henry Padgett's She Is A Fast Dash, the lone distaffer in the race, has earned $47,811 from 11 outs, and the 4-year-old daughter of Heza Fast Dash's four wins include the January 7, 350-yard Harrah's Distaff Stakes at Louisiana Downs at odds of 15-1.

Delta's Quarter Horse meet will run on a Wednesday-Saturday schedule through July 14. A new feature this season, the Delta Downs Insider, will make its debut on Tuesday, April 24. Hosted by my Stallionesearch.com colleague Greg Thompson, the weekly webcast is sponsored by the Louisiana Quarter Horse Racing Association and will cover the Delta Downs meet much like the Remington Report covers the Remington Park season.

For more information, including a condition book and complete stakes schedule, visit the track's website at www.deltadowns.com, and click on the “Race” link on the top of the homepage.

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Sun Downs in Kennewick, Washington, opened its 2012 racing season last Saturday. A total of $68,123 was wagered on the 10-race program, which represented an 11-percent increase over last year's opening-day handle of $61,387 for nine races.

According to the Tri-City Herald, opening-day attendance more than 1,000.

“I can't remember the last time we had a handle that big on opening day,” said Sun Downs general manager Nancy Sorick. “I thought it was an excellent turnout. The community and the horse racing fans were here. It's a fabulous start to the meet, and we needed that.”

Fellow Tri-City Horse Racing Association board member Cliff Schellinger agreed.

"It was great opening-day weather,” Schellinger added. “It couldn't have been any better. Nobody got hurt and no animals got hurt. That's always a good day to me.”

One of those animals, Vodka Soda No Fruit, won the 250-yard Boekenoogen Memorial Purse for the second consecutive year. A homebred 6-year-old gelding by Shazoom racing for Bob Giltner and Scott Giltner, Vodka Soda No Fruit has earned four of his eight career victories at Sun Downs, and his record includes a second-place finish to Rockin Rylee in the 2008 Pot O' Gold Futurity.

Sun Downs' six-day meet runs through May 6. The track's stakes schedule features the $30,000-est. Pot O' Gold Futurity on closing day.

As reported elsewhere on this site, a $20,000 donation by longtime Quarter Horse breeder and part-time Kennewick resident Abigail Kawananakoa saved the Northern Racing Quarter Horse Association's incentive program at Sun Downs. The program gives NRQHA members access to added purse money during the meet.

“I think it’s going to be a good meet,” Sorick said. “I know the fans will be there, and the horse people. These people are dedicated to us. I put something in the racing program about that, saying ‘Thanks for being part of our horse racing family.’”

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Prairie Meadows opened its 2012 Thoroughbred meet with its best opening-night handle in 13 years on Friday.

Bettors wagered $696,095 on the nine races, a 40-percent increase over Prairie Meadows' $496,585 average from 2000-11. It also was an 89-percent jump over the 2011 opening-night total handle of $367,567 for eight races.

Part of the increase was because the races were televised by the TVG horse racing network. Nationwide online wagering through TVG totaled $111,110, versus $9,150 in 2011.

The last time Prairie Meadows had a higher opening-night handle was 1999, when $940,233 was bet on the track's live races.

“We’re pleased,” said Prairie Meadows director of racing Derron Heldt. “I thought we had a good crowd on opening night. The weather was chilly, but the inside was packed. We’re off to a good start.”

Prairie Meadows and TVG entered into a partnership in February, and the track is hoping the cross-promotion will help both groups. When TVG televised Prairie Meadows’ Quarter Horse races last September, the track’s simulcast handle sometimes jumped by as much as 50 percent.

Prairie Meadows' Thoroughbred meet runs through August 11 and will be followed by a 27-day Quarter Horse season from August 18-October 27. For more information, visit the track's website at www.prairiemeadows.com and click on the “Racing” link at the top of the homepage.

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A Toss Up, a homebred 3-year-old gelding by Sweet First Down racing for James Sills and Abel Flores, is one of 13 Oklahoma-breds nominated to Saturday's 400-yard, $100,000 Sooner State Stakes (RG1) at Remington Park.

A Toss Up is already a two-time stakes winner during the Remington meet, as the gelding won the 350-yard, $50,000 Eastex Handicap (G3) on March 4, and the 400-yard, $246,000 Remington Park Derby (R) on April 14. His stakes record also includes a half-length score in last year's $95,000 Black Gold 330 Futurity (R) at Will Rogers Downs.

Another nominee, Mary Passmore's Chi Ter, has won two of his three outs during the current meet. A stakes-winning 5-year-old gelding by the First Down Dash stallion Granite Lake, Chi Ter ran fourth in last year's Sooner State.

Past Sooner State winners include AQHA champion Country Chicks Man, who won the race every year from 2005-08. Entries for this year's Sooner State will be drawn on Wednesday.

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Ten New Mexico-bred fillies and mares have been nominated to Sunday's 400-yard, $85,000 Four Corners Senora Stakes (RG3) at SunRay Park.

The Four Corners Senora would mark the first start against older distaffers for J & M Racing and Farm's Call Me A Blazn Chic. The runner-up to Karolina in the April 14, $110,000 Sunburst Stakes (R) for state-bred 3-year-old fillies at Sunland Park, Call Me A Blazn Chic won three of her eight starts last season, including the $384,000 Zia Futurity (RG1) at Ruidoso Downs, and the $331,000 New Mexico Cup Futurity (RG2) at Zia Park.

Other nominees include Edilberto Estrada's Little Bit Southern, the winner of the December 18, $110,000 Lou Wooten Handicap (RG1) at Sunland Park, and KH Logax Inc.'s Snow Regard, a homebred 4-year-old Chicks Regard mare who won last year's 400-yard, $140,000 New Mexico Fillies & Mares Championship (RG1) at Zia Park.

Entries for the Four Corners Senora Stakes will be taken on Tuesday.

Started as the Inaugural Handicap in 1958, the Kaweah Bar is named to honor the palomino gelding by Alamitos Bar who was AQHA world champion in 1968 and '70 and was inducted into the American Quarter Horse Hall of Fame in 1998. Jose G. Santos' Frankie Shoots holds the stakes record of :17.21, which he set four years ago.

Our top selection in this year's Kaweah Bar is Jumpn Shake. A 4-year-old stallion by the Chicks Beduino stallion Jumpn, Jumpn Shake has won five of his nine races at this 350-yard distance, including the February 12, $16,000 Anaheim Overnight Hanidcap. Jumpn Shake has performed well since he shipped to California from Texas, where he chased the sophomores last season, including eventual AQHA world champion Cold Cash 123 and Grade 2 winner Wagon To Hollywood.

Frosty Younger makes his first start for high-percentage trainer Valentin Zamudio, who claimed the gray 4-year-old Separatist gelding for $16,000 back in December 18. Frosty Younger most recently ran second, three-quarters of a length behind Jumpn Shake despite a tough start, in the Anaheim Handicap. Also worth noting is that, according to TrackMaster statistics, Zamudio's barn wins at a 27-percent clip and shows a positive ROI when it moves horses up the class ladder.

Creston Goer moves up in class off of a half-length victory from the Grade 1-placed Feature My Corona in a stakes-quality 300-yard allowance dash on February 3. The 4-year-old gelding by TR Dasher earned a 104 TrackMaster speed rating in that win, and even though he's been on the shelf since then, he prepped for the Kaweah Bar with a solid :12.60 drill on March 10.

Forrest Fire, the 125-pound high weight, has won only one of his nine races at this distance, but that victory came in the March 11, $25,000 Katella Handicap. A 5-year-old Walk Thru Fire gelding, Forrest Fire has made the trifecta in six outs going 350, and he finished a solid third to two-time AQHA champion Jess You And I in a January 29 Los Alamitos Winter Championship (G1) trial.

Montana Horse Racing Board chairman Dale Mahlum told the news website Montana Watchdog that the manager of Katie O'Keefe's Casino in Missoula, Nick Alonzo, has approached the state about bringing back simulcast racing four days a week at seven sites in Montana.

Mahlum said the contract was submitted to the state and should be signed shortly, if it hasn't been inked already.

“I'm tickled to death,” Mahlum said about the possible return of simulcasts. “These people put a lot of money into the sites and they yanked them down. We should be able to get them up this weekend.”

Last week, Alonzo said he was hopeful the state would give him approval to offer the services to various sites throughout Montana, but he warned it was too early for him to confirm.

“I wish I could say more – we're kind of in limbo now,” Alonzo added. “We are moving forward and waiting for a couple of things to happen. I've been in business long enough to know there's no deal until there's a deal.”

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Indiana Downs opened its 60-day Thoroughbred and Quarter Horse meet with a 10-race program on Monday.

Located in Shelbyville, about 30 miles from downtown Indianapolis, Indiana Downs has scheduled seven Quarter Horse stakes worth $625,000 in purses. Five of the stakes will be contested during the track's all-Quarter Horse day on Saturday, June 30, including the 300-yard, $75,000-added Heartland Futurity for 2-year-olds, and the 350-yard, $75,000-added Indiana Live QHRAI Derby for 3-year-olds.

Indiana Downs' meet runs through July 11 and is followed by a Standardbred meet from July 24-November 7. For more information, including a condition book and complete stakes schedule, visit the track's website at www.indianadowns.com and click on the “Live Racing” link on the left side of the homepage.

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A committee to raise funds for the 2012 Santa Cruz County race meet in Sonoita, Arizona, has raised $59,000, which is 90 percent of the money needed to keep the county's 97-year horse racing tradition alive.

This year's two-day season will be held May 5-6.

According to a report in the April 13 edition of the Nogales International, committee chairman Jim Cosbey and his wife, Ginny, realized that the races were in jeopardy last December when Deborah Fellows spoke at the annual meeting of the Santa Cruz County Fair and Rodeo Association, pleading with the members to do anything they could to keep the races going. Because state funding for county fair racing has ended, Santa Cruz County is the only county planning to hold a race meet this year.

In February, Cosbey approached the Fair Board with the idea of trying to raise enough money in private donations to make racing possible, and the board enthusiastically endorsed his efforts. Serving with the Cosbeys on the Sonoita Horse Race Funding Committee are Linda Ford, Anita Kay, Harold and Carol Hager, Diane Collins, Steve and Gail Getzweiller, Doc and Frankie Clyne, Deborah Fain, Adrian Artigas, Fred and Deborah Fellows, Jim Rowley and Kyle Etchart.

The group focused its efforts first on what Cosbey calls “leadership” donations. The Fairgrounds Board got things started with a $20,000 pledge, then committee members contacted a target group of potential donors.

As of last week, 77 people have given at least $100, and there also have been three $5,000 donations. All donors will receive a limited-edition print donated by Fred Fellows, a well-known Western artist and Sonoita resident.

The committee is now concentrating on community-wide donations by placing donation jars at local businesses. Also, committee members Carol and Harold Hager have organized a benefit swap meet, which will be held at the Fairgrounds April 20-21, and Sulphur Springs Valley Electric will be including in its monthly bill an invitation to attend and support the races.

Cosbey also noted a partnership that is being established between the Sonoita Races and the University of Arizona Racetrack Industry Program. RTIP director F. Douglas Reed has been to the fairgrounds and will attend the races with some of his students to help out during the meet.

“Our fairgrounds board is very excited about this,” Cosbey said. “In the future, this opens up a venue for fundraising because of the educational component.”

Additional funding for the races will come from the sale of advertising in the race program, and from a “turf club” that will be set up in a building at the Fairgrounds. A wine garden, featuring local wineries, is also being considered.

Race sponsorships, at a minimum contribution of $500, will also be available.

“We’re looking to put additional money to increase the purses and make them attractive,” Cosbey said. “People have been coming out of the woodwork to donate, and we have an exceptional committee. Everybody has been so hardworking.

“The enthusiasm is so infectious,” he added. “It was so important for this to be a community event.”

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The fate of Yavapai Downs at Prescott Valley remains unclear after the federal government failed to reach a deal with the second-highest bidder at a bankruptcy auction.

According to a report in the Prescott Daily Courier, U.S. Dept. of Agriculture officials rejected a bid from Texas horseman Joe Davis on April 12. Davis submitted a bid of $3 million at an April 3 bankruptcy auction. USDA spokeswoman Dianna Jennings told the newspaper that she wasn't sure if Davis increased his offer during negotiations over the past week.

The USDA rejected a $3.25-million bid from high bidder Gary Miller, the president of the Arizona Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association, despite his offer to increase it by $250,000, and said it planned to negotiate instead with Davis. Because it holds $14.7 million in loans on the track facilities, the USDA has final say on the sale.

The USDA will talk with the bankruptcy trustee and judge about what to do next, Jennings said. It could continue negotiations or foreclose on the racetrack, or the bankruptcy trustee could voluntarily convey the facilities to the USDA.

The Yavapai County Farm & Agriculture Association, which operated the track, filed for bankruptcy last July, about two months after it had canceled its 2011 race meet. The HBPA, about 20 Arizona horsemen, and Arizona Senate President Steve Pierce (R-Prescott), have urged the USDA to reconsider Miller's offer.

“If Yavapai Downs is not open this year for racing, horsemen will have left the state and found homes and racing in other states,” an Arizona HBPA letter stated.

“The horse racing season at Yavapai Downs ...is one of the real economic engines of my district,” Pierce said in a statement. “It brings hundreds of jobs to an area hard hit by the recession.

Jennings said the USDA understands the concern that it could end up holding even more of the bag if the track doesn't open this summer, but she added that the federal government has to try to get the best deal for taxpayers.

The facilities include a one-mile horse track, the 93,328-square foot grandstand, about 860 horse stalls, and a neighboring car racetrack.

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If the Minnesota state legislature passes a racino plan, a group of investors in the Iron Range region of the state wants a piece of the action.

On April 12, investors and civic leaders in Hibbing – a town of 16,000 residents located about 60 miles northwest of Duluth – introduced a plan that would put a 620-acre racing and gaming complex just north of the town.

The proposed complex, which would be called the Iron Range Racing Complex and cost $40 million to build, is expected to become a premier tourist destination that attracts 300,000 visitors annually. It would consist of a casino, horse track, stock car racing track, and snowmobile/ATV track.

“Without the racino as the centerpiece, revenues generated would not be able to operate the facility,” said developer John Fedo.

KARE Channel 11, the NBC-TV affiliate in Minneapolis-St. Paul, asked Sen. Dave Tomossoni of Chisholm about the plan. He says he supports racino legislation, but only if the Hibbing complex is included in the bill.

"We haven't been able to get that passed, and we basically come in every single year and try to get it done and it hasn't happened yet,” Tomossoni said. “I'm not sure if there's a miracle in the legislature this time of year or not.”

According to Fedo, the 620-acre complex would create about 450 permanent jobs, 200 construction jobs, and $45 million worth of new investment, all private.

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A state purchasing agent has recommended that the New Mexico State Fair Commission deny Laguna Development Corp.’s protest of the commission’s awarding of a 25-year lease to The Downs at Albuquerque.

In a 12-page decision issued last Wednesday, purchasing agent Lawrence O. Maxwell said the lease was done in accordance with all applicable laws while ruling against all 14 points raised by Laguna Development in its protest.

Laguna Development Corp., which operates Route 66 and Dancing Eagle casinos west of Albuquerque for Laguna Pueblo, filed a protest in January that challenged the governor-appointed State Fair Commission’s decision to give the Downs a new 25-year lease to operate the racino at the state-owned Expo New Mexico fairgrounds. According to the Albuquerque Journal, Laguna Development claimed that Downs officials likely had access to Laguna’s confidential bid for the lease. It also alleged that the Downs “was allowed improper involvement in the procurement process.”

Downs President Traci Wolf has denied both claims.

In its protest, Laguna Development asked that all actions related to the lease be suspended until its protest is fully resolved, and that the State Fair rescind the award of the lease to the Downs and give it to Laguna Development. In lieu of that, the protest states, the procurement should be canceled and a new “request for proposals” that adheres to the State Procurement Code should be issued.

In his recommendations, Maxwell advised against doing any of those things.

“It is the recommendation of the state purchasing agent that the solicitation and award of the State Fairgrounds lease to The Downs (at) Albuquerque was done in accordance with the New Mexico Procurement Code, the Procurement Code Regulations, and the terms and conditions of the request for proposal,” Maxwell wrote. “Therefore, it is my recommendation the protest filed on behalf of Laguna Development Corporation be denied. In addition, the requested motion to stay performance of all work under the awarded lease is recommended to be denied.”

The recommendation will be considered by the State Fair Commission. Last summer, Expo New Mexico issued a request for proposals last summer seeking bids from parties interested in leasing the racetrack and casino at the state fairgrounds. Only two entities — Laguna Development and The Downs at Albuquerque — submitted bids within the 30-day response period.

The request for proposals process was criticized by neighborhood groups, some members of the State Fair Commission, a consultant for the state Legislative Finance Committee and others as being too rushed, too restrictive in its response window and tilted in favor of The Downs, which has leased the property since 1985.

Expo officials maintained that the process was fair and that, because The Downs’ lease was expiring in six months, they had to act quickly to maintain the cash flow provided by The Downs’ lease payments.

Gov. Susana Martinez appointed a three-member “evaluation committee” to review both proposals and the panel ultimately recommended that interim Expo manager Dan Mourning, another Martinez appointee, negotiate a lease with The Downs at Albuquerque.

Critics, including four members of the seven-member, governor-appointed State Fair Commission, complained that they had been prevented from reviewing the proposals until shortly before being asked to vote on The Downs’ proposal. The lease was narrowly approved on a 4-3 vote in November at a meeting some commission members said was supposed to be to discuss the lease, not to vote on it.

The state Board of Finance, chaired by Martinez, approved the deal on December 20, paving the way for The Downs to build a new multimillion-dollar casino at the fairgrounds. Work is currently being done on the new casino, which will be located near the south end of the grandstand.

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Emerald Downs in Auburn, Washington, opened its season last Friday. The track's stakes schedule includes the $60,000-added Bank of America Emerald Downs Championship Challenge (G?) on Sunday, September 2. Nominations for the 440-yard race close Friday, June 15.

The winner of the Emerald Downs Championship Challenge will earn a berth in the 440-yard, $350,000 Bank of America Challenge Championship (G1) at Prairie Meadows on October 27. Last year's race was won by Donald and Beverly Conway's Devon Dat Cash, a homebred gelding by Devon Lane (TB). A total of $130,162 was wagered on the race, which drew a full field of 10.

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A total of 15 aged runners have been nominated to Sunday's 350-yard, $25,000 Kaweah Bar Handicap (G3) at Los Alamitos.

Two of the nominees, Martha “Mimi” Wells' Forrest Fire and Vinewood Farms' Significant Cartel, ran first and second, respectively, in the 350-yard, $25,000 Katella Handicap on March 11. Other Kaweah Bar prospects include recent stakes winners Reina Del Fuego, who topped a field of California-bred fillies and mares in the February 25, 350-yard Denim N Diamonds Handicap (R), and Jumpn Shake, the winner of the 350-yard, $16,000 Anaheim Handicap on February 12.

The Kaweah Bar honors the memory of the two-time AQHA world champion. Known as the “Palomino Express,” Kaweah Bar was inducted in the American Quarter Horse Hall of Fame in 1998.

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Friday's 110-yard, $15,000 Texas Twister Stakes (R) for state-breds at Sam Houston Race Park has drawn 32 nominations, including 2011 Ruidoso Futurity (G1) winner Silver For Me.

A 3-year-old gelding by Corona For Me racing for Gary W. Hartstack and B & B Electric, Silver For Me has earned $267,849 from eight starts. Silver For Me is coming off of a fifth-place finish in a Sam Houston Derby (G3) trial on March 30.

Other prominent Texas Twister nominees include Malinche Cattle Co. Inc.'s Charal Kid, Filimon Saucedo's Executive Tone, and Marina Nino's Texas Kool.

Charal Kid, a homebred 6-year-old Streakin La Jolla gelding, was campaigned at Louisiana Downs last winter, where he scored a three-quarter length victory as the 7-5 favorite in the 400-yard, $20,000 Streakin La Jolla Stakes.

Executive Tone was undefeated in four starts last year, and his win streak included a three-quarter length victory in the second division of the Texas Twister Stakes (R), and Texas Kool earned two wins at Lone Star Park last fall, including a half-length score in a 100-yard, $9,000 allowance dash.

Entries for the Texas Twister will be drawn on Tuesday.

The Derby and Futurity top an 11-race program that includes seven stakes, six of which are for Quarter Horses.

Before it became restricted to Oklahoma-breds last season, the Remington Park Derby was one of the country's top open stakes for sophomores. The race began in 1989, during the track's inaugural Quarter Horse meet, and it first attained graded status the following year. The Remington Park Derby's list of winners include AQHA champions Rare Form (1992), Winalota Cash ('96), Dashin Is Easy ('98), A Real Man (2002), and Oak Tree Special ('03). The 400-yard stakes record of :19.34 was set two years ago by Dan W. Nicks' Diamond For Jess.

Our top selection in this year's Remington Park Derby is fifth-fastest qualifier Send Me A Candy Tree. A nicely bred daughter of Oak Tree Special out of 1996 Remington Park Futurity (G1) winner Send Me The Candy, Send Me A Candy Tree holds a class edge over her opponents here, as she boasts a four-race win streak that includes two stakes victories against open company in Texas and New Mexico. Also, her trial victory on April 1 came in her first start of the year, and her beaten opponents included A Toss Up, the longshot winner of the March 4, $50,000 Eastex Handicap (G2).

A Toss Up must also be respected, as his Eastex victory came against open company in his first-ever start against older runners. This gelding by the First Down Dash stallion Sweet First Down has made the exacta in three of his four outs over this track, and his 2-year-old resume includes a half-length victory in the $95,000 Black Gold 330 Futurity (R) at Will Rogers Downs.

Cruzin The Wagon is a filly by PYC Paint Your Wagon who has won eight of her nine starts, including two Grade 3 stakes at 350 yards last season. Cruzin The Wagon was a prompt 2-1 favorite in her trial, as she easily defeated a field that included 2011 Heritage Place Futurity (G1) third-place finisher DM Strait Up and the stakes-placed CC Runaway.

Fastest qualifier and 3-1 morning-line favorite BV Valentine Wagon is coming off of a half-length victory in the third of five trials. A gray daughter of PYC Paint Your Wagon, BV Valentine Wagon has won four of five races, all against Oklahoma-breds, and her current four-race win streak includes the 330-yard, $30,000 Prissy Gold Digger Stakes (R) on March 10.

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The Remington Park Futurity also became a restricted race for the first time in 2011. First contested in '89, when Roy Browning's Dela Creme Smash earned the winner's share of a $295,065 purse, the stakes earned Grade 2 status the following year and Grade 1 status in 1990.

I tend to favor the top qualifiers in early season futurities. My top choice in this year's Remington Park Futurity, second-fastest qualifier Lota PYC, is an undefeated colt by PYC Paint Your Wagon who earned a TrackMaster speed rating of 100 in his three-quarter length victory in the fourth of 10 trials on March 31. Lota PYC has also flashed talent in the mornings, as the colt was a three-quarter length winner of a 250-yard training race in February.

Fastest qualifier A Will And A Way was a runaway 1 1/4-length winner of the last of 10 trials on March 30. The brown Spit Curl Jess gelding prepped for that race, his career debut, with a 250-yard schooling race victory on February 29, during which he rallied late after a slow start.

Ramblin Cartel is a maiden and 10-1 morning-line longshot, but this nicely bred gelding by the Corona Cartel stallion Carters Cartel made his debut by finishing a close second to Lota PYC in his trial. Ramblin Cartel's dam, the First Down Dash mare Ima Ramblin Girl, was the AQHA champion sophomore filly in '06.

The La Primera was first contested in 1978, when Vinewood Farms' Jeanifer Jet banked the winner's share of a $175,000 purse. The stakes first achieved graded status five years later, and it has been graded ever since.

Past winners of the La Primera include Artesia (1985), Florentine ('87), Ah Sigh ('95), Champagne Lane ('97), Girl Secrets ('98), Mini Rock (2002), and Alice K White ('09). Brian Hyde's Fall For It holds the 400-yard stakes record of :19.35, which she set last season.

Third-fastest qualifier Flame N Flash, a nicely bred Walk Thru Fire filly out of the Shirley's Champion (TB) mare Oh La Proud, is our top selection for this year's La Primera del Ano Derby. Sent to post as the 1-2 favorite in what might have been the toughest of the three trials on March 17, Flame N Flash responded with a half-length victory. Earlier this season, the filly finished a close fourth to the nationally ranked Kobe in the 400-yard, $200,000 Los Alamitos Winter Derby (G1).

Fastest qualifier and 5-2 morning-line choice This Boogie Fires was a prompt even-money favorite in the second heat, as the daughter of Walk Thru Fire scored a half-length victory while earning a 102 TrackMaster speed rating. This Boogie Fires ran a close third to Separate Fire in last year's Grade 1, $340,000 Kindergarten Futurity, then she turned the tables on that two-time graded futurity winner when she outran her in a 400-yard Los Alamitos Two-Million Futurity (G1) trial later in the year.

Zoomdasher hasn't won a race since last July, but this black Azoom filly ran a close second to Flame N Flash in her La Primera trial, this despite not having the cleanest of trips. Natalie Dash won the first trial by one length against a field that included the Grade 1-placed Last To Check Him and the stakes-placed Chickitita.

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The El Primero del Ano Derby traces its history back to 1973. Past winners of the race, which first attained graded status in '83, include Kiptys Charger (1979), Tolltac ('84), Takin On The Cash ('91), Dash Ta Fame ('92), and Bono Jazz ('99). The 400-yard stakes record of :19.39 was last year by Mike Abraham and Alfonzo Pasque's PK Fire.

Our top choice, Kobe, is the 2-1 morning-line second choice despite being the only Grade 1 winner in the field of nine. This Mr Eye Opener colt had a tough trip and ran third as the 3-10 favorite in the third of three trials on March 18, but his overall record shows four wins in seven starts and stakes victories in the February 18, $200,000 Los Alamitos Winter Derby (G1), and the 350-yard, $20,000 Holiday Handicap on New Year's Day.

Fastest qualifier and morning-line favorite New Look must also be respected, as this sorrel Walk Thru Fire gelding earned a 111 TrackMaster speed rating while defeating a field that included Kobe in his trial. That race marked New Look's first start at this 400-yard distance, so he figures to improve off of that out.

Third-fastest qualifier One Famous Ferragamo is a well-bred son of all-time leading sire First Down Dash and a half brother to 2008 AQHA champion sophomore colt One Famous Eagle. The gelding gets his first real class test here, but he's made the trifecta in his last five races, and his trainer, reigning champion conditioner Paul Jones, has won this race five times, most recently three years ago with Royal Proclamation.

The AQHA champion distance horse the past two years, Steve A. Holt's De Passem Okey will make his 6-year-old debut in the Pauls Valley – just eight days after reigning world champion Cold Cash 123 scored a neck victory in the first race of his 4-year-old season, the $100,900 Leo Stakes (G1).

The Pauls Valley was first run in 1989 during Remington Park's first-ever Quarter Horse meet. Champion Snowbound Superstar is the stakes record holder at :44.33, which the gelding set during his 3 1/4-length victory in '09.

De Passem Okey drew the advantageous rail post for this year's Pauls Valley – that and his substantial class edge over this field makes him our top selection. A 6-year-old gelding by champion Okey Dokey Dale, De Passem Okey has won his last two starts in handy fashion, including an open 870 allowance race over this track on March 15. Also, his four 870 stakes victories last season included a 1 3/4-length score against a tough field in the Grade 2, $55,000 King Rick Rack Stakes at Zia Park.

Tango Blue ran second to De Passem Okey in the King Rick Rack, and this 5-year-old gelding by top 870 sire Favorite Trick (TB) has a solid record at this distance. Tango Blue ran third when very wide in an open $40,000 allowance race at Sunland Park on January 21, but this better post draw here might result in a better outcome at the wire.

A recent $10,000 claim by Anthony Arey, Dirty Boy Friend will be making his first start at Remington and getting his first real class test. An 8-year-old gelding by the Coup de Kas (TB) stallion Dirty Coup, Dirty Boy Friend is coming off of a half-length victory against a solid field of allowance-optional claimers in an 870 race at Louisiana Downs – his defeated opponents in that race included Come An Get Me, who was coming off of three consecutive claiming victories, and last-out starter allowance winner LD Streakin Bye. Dirty Boy Friend also drew the 2 post here, and that good draw might help him outrun his 12-1 morning line odds.

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Fastest qualifier and 5-2 morning-line favorite TF Featured Effort leads a full field of 10 3-year-olds in Saturday's 400-yard, $165,920 West Texas Derby (G3) at Sunland Park.

A race with a rich history, the West Texas Derby had its inaugural running in 1964, when Double Bid 2 earned the winner's share of a $2,500 purse. The stakes first achieved graded status 19 years later, and its past winners include champions Real Wind (1977), Royal Down Dash ('93), Winalota Cash ('97), and Double Down Special (2010), who holds the 400-yard stakes record of :18.61.

Despite his status as the 10th-fastest qualifier, VGC Moon Walk is our choice to win this year's West Texas Derby. A sorrel colt by Walk Thru Fire, VGC Moon Walk recovered from a stumble at the break to score a half-length victory in what might have been the toughest of the six trials on March 9. The colt recorded a TrackMaster speed rating of 101 in that race, and it's also worth noting that his 2-year-old campaign included a second-place finish to champion Feature Mr Bojangles in the 400-yard Hobbs America Futurity (G2) and a third-place run against a tough field in the 440-yard Southwest Juvenile Championship (G1).

TF Featured Effort must also be respected, as this Louisiana-bred colt by Feature Mr Jess – a Grade 1 winner at this distance – is coming off of a flawless 1 3/4-length win in the third West Texas Derby trial. TF Featured Effort has missed the trifecta in only one of his six outs at the 400-yard trip, and last season he wasn't embarrassed against some of the toughest 2-year-olds in the nation at both Sunland Park and Ruidoso Downs.

A lightly raced gelding by the First Down Dash stallion First Thoughts, FJ Ricky Bobby overcame a tough start to run second as the 4-5 favorite in the first trial. FJ Ricky Bobby has won two of his three starts, including an entry level 350-yard allowance race at Sunland on January 20, in which his defeated opponents included West Texas Derby rival Ocean La Jolla and the Grade 2-placed Storm Winds.

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Q-Racing Aces Jen Perkins and John Hernandez will be at Sunland Park this Saturday and Sunday. The Aces will co-host a free handicapping seminar with track announcer Robert Geller at Franklin's Lounge on Sunday, beginning at 11 a.m., and they will be distributing handicapping information and complimentary $2 wagering vouchers at the Q-Racing Aces table both days.

On that date, U.S. Bankruptcy Court Judge Redfield T. Baum will take bids at the hearing at the bankruptcy court building in Phoenix, beginning at 10 a.m. According to a report in the March 21 edition of the Prescott Daily Courier, bidders must bring $50,000 cashier's checks as security deposits.

Last Wednesday, Judge Baum agreed with the bankruptcy trustee's request to expedite the hearing and schedule it 13 days out instead of the usual required 21 days.

“The sooner a sale can be scheduled, the more likely it is that a (2012) horse racing season will result, and the more value the real property has to the estate,” the trustee noted in his request.

Gary Miller, president of the Arizona division of the Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association, told the newspaper that a delay in getting Yavapai Downs sold could make it difficult to get enough horses in for a 2012 meet. The track has traditionally opened its live racing season during Memorial Day weekend.

Miller added that most local horsemen would prefer to stay in Arizona, rather than ship their stock to other states, during the summer months.

“Our interest as horsemen is to get the track sold and Yavapai running,” Miller said.

Thus far, the Bankruptcy Court has received three bids in letters of intent, but two contained contingencies unacceptable to the court, said George Cunningham, whose Phoenix-based Cunningham & Associates is conducting the auction with National Commercial Auctioneers.

Court records show that the third bid was for $1.5 million, but the records don't reveal the identity of the bidder.

The auctioneer's asking price is $12.7 million, according to the Daily Courier. The Yavapai County Assessor's Office valued the facilities at $20 million in 2010, then dropped the value to $5.4 million in 2011 when it used a different valuation method at the request of the Yavapai County Farm and Ag Association, which declared bankruptcy last July.

The high bid on April 3 must be approved by Judge Baum and the U.S. Government, which still holds $14.7 million in loans on the track facilities. The U.S. Dept. of Agriculture will have 48 hours to accept or reject a bid. The original loan was to the Yavapai County Fair Association to build the new track facilities 11 years ago.

Cunningham said that several groups have expressed interest in purchasing Yavapai Downs, including track owners from other states, but he couldn't reveal their names. Turf Paradise general manager Vincent Francia told the newspaper that the owner of the Phoenix track, Jerry Simms, won't be one of the bidders, but he added that the track is interested in helping get Yavapai Downs back open because that would help get more horses to Turf Paradise during its meet, which runs from October-May.

The facilities for sale include 125 miles housing the one-mile horse track, the 93,328 square-foot grandstands, at least 862 horse stalls and an adjacent auto-racing track. The sale doesn't include government permits, including a racing license from the Arizona Department of Racing.

Those interested in keeping up with auction information can visit Cunningham's website at www.auctionaz.com.

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Ray “Topper” Tracy has resigned from the Montana Board of Horse Racing. A resident of Stevensville, Tracy, 73, has been involved in racing for three decades. He told the Montana Watchdog website news agency that he was asked by state Senator Cliff Larsen to resign due to his age.

Larsen was appointed by Gov. Brian Schweitzer to examine the board’s operation and investigate the $614,249 deficit it has fallen into after taking over the state’s simulcast operations in November 2010.

Though Tracy initially opposed Larsen’s suggestion that he resign, he eventually embraced the idea.

“Am I too old? I am not too old,” Tracy told the Watchdog. “But do I want to race horses? To tell you the truth, I’d rather go fishing.”

Tracy trains horses and was the publisher of The Racing Journal, a magazine that covers racing in the western states, for 25 years.

“Now that I resigned, I feel 100 times better,” Tracy said. “I am not mad at anybody.”

The seven-member board appointed new members Dale Mahlum (Missoula), Allen Fisher (Ashland) and John Hayes (Great Falls) on March 5 to replace two board members who had reached their term limits and the death of board chairman Al Carruthers. The remaining board members are Shawn RealBird of Crow Agency, Susan Egbert of Helena, and Susan Austin of Kalispell.

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Delta Downs ended its 2011-12 Thoroughbred meet with a nearly 6-percent increase in total handle.

A total of $129,156,637 was wagered during the 88-night season, compared to $122,282,916 for the 2010-2011 meet. The average nightly handle reached $1,467,689, an increase of 4.42 percent over last year's $1,405,551.

The highlight of the Delta Downs meet was Delta Jackpot Night, November 19. All-source wagering that night reached an all-time track record $4,434,099, a 16-percent increase over the previous year. The Delta Downs Jackpot Stakes (G3) itself, the track's only graded Thoroughbred stakes, drew a record single-race handle of $1,306,435.

“The support of our horsemen and race fans, along with the hard work and dedication of our entire staff, made for a tremendous season, and we are looking forward to an even brighter future, said Delta Downs vice president and general manager Steve Kuypers in a statement.

Part of that future includes Delta Downs' upcoming 46-night Quarter Horse meet, which opens April 27 and runs through July 14. For more information, visit the track's website at www.deltadowns.com, and click on the “Race” link at the top of the homepage.

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The Gillespie County Fair meet at Fredericksburg, Texas, will kick off its 2012 race meet on Saturday, July 7. The eight-day season will feature racing on the following weekend – July 7-8 and 21-22, and August 11-12 and 25-26. Post time for the first race every day will be 1 p.m. (CDT).

The featured race of the meet's stakes schedule will be the 350-yard, $15,000-added Gillespie County Fair Futurity (G3) on closing day. The 350-yard, $15,000-added TQHA Futurity (R) for Texas-bred 2-year-olds will be held on Saturday, July 21.

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A Minnesota Senate committee on March 19 voted down legislation to permit casino-style games at the state's two racetracks, including Canterbury Park in Shakopee.

The Senate State Government Committee's 8-5 vote against the “racino” proposal, which its proponents claim would generate up to $130 million in new tax revenue for Minnesota and revive the state's horse racing industry.

According to a report in the March 20 edition of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune, the proposal has long met opposition from both opponents of expanded gambling and from Minnesota Indian tribes and their political allies. Both tracks, Canterbury Park and Running Aces Harness Park in Columbus, operate card clubs and have invested hundreds of thousands of dollars lobbying for the expansion.

"Racino will live on," said Senate Majority Leader Dave Senjem, the sponsor of the bill that failed. He called the proposal "part of the Capitol fabric. I don't think it will ever be dead."

Also, racino lobbyist Dick Day said after the March 19 vote that he and allies were already working on a new version of the proposal. The full Minnesota House passed a racino bill eight years ago, but it died in the Senate. "I get a little bitter, because it keeps going this way,” Day told the Star-Tribune. “But we have another plan in the works.”

The latest plan had called for directing the new tax revenue toward merit-based college scholarships, modeled on Georgia's HOPE Scholarship program. Racino backers have also floated racino revenues as a way to pay for everything from local economic development projects, to accelerating repayment of delayed state aid payments to public schools, to a source of public financing for construction of a new stadium for the Minnesota Vikings of the National Football League.

Several members of the State Government Committee said there was a lot to like about the scholarship proposal, but that they didn't want to expand gambling to accomplish it.

"I cannot support the expansion of gambling to educate our kids," said Sen. Patricia Torres Ray of Minneapolis.

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Sam Houston Race Park racing secretary Eric Johnston has received just six nominations for Friday's 550-yard, $15,000 Ricoh Stakes (R) for Texas-bred older horses.

One of the nominees, Margaret F. White's Shineys Magic T, is coming off of a neck victory in an open 550-yard allowance race on a muddy track at Lone Star Park on October 27. The 6-year-old gray gelding by the First Down Dash stallion Dreams Work also ran second, one length behind Ricoh nominee JC My Diamond Man in last year's $34,500 Gulf Coast 4 Star Trailer 550 Stakes (R) for Texas-breds at Retama Park.

Also part of Sam Houston Race Park's Friday card will be trials for the 440-yard, $100,000-added Bank of America Texas Challenge (G1) and the 350-yard, $35,000-added Sam Houston Derby (G3). Entries for the scheduled 10-race program will be drawn on Tuesday.

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Reigning AQHA champion distance horse De Passem Okey is one of 24 distance specialists nominated to Sunday's 870-yard, $50,000 Pauls Valley Handicap (G3) at Remington Park.

A 6-year-old gelding by Okey Dokey Dale racing for Steve A. Holt, De Passem Okey has been assigned by racing secretary Dan Fick to carry 127 pounds for the Pauls Valley. De Passem Okey won four 870 stakes last season, and he recently prepped for the Pauls Valley with an easy 4 1/2-length victory in an open $23,000 870 allowance race at Remington on March 15.

Another prominent Pauls Valley nominee, Dan I. Frazier's Skyline Lover, a four-time stakes winner during the recent Hialeah Park winter meet, has also been assigned 127 pounds. The 6-year-old gelding by Feature Mr Jess is winless in two starts at the 870 distance, but he won a pair of 1,000-yard stakes at Hialeah, including the $25,000 Sailfish Stakes in his most recent out on February 19.

The Pauls Valley was first run during Remington Park's inaugural Quarter Horse meet in 1989, and its past winners include King Rick Rack (2002) and AQHA champion Snowbound Superstar ('09). Entries for Remington Park's Sunday program will be drawn on Thursday.

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Fastest qualifier TF Featured Effort drew post 10 for Saturday's $165,920 West Texas Derby (G3) at Sunland Park.

A colt by Feature Mr Jess racing for S/M Cattle Export Co. and Jaime Dominguez, TF Featured Effort won the third of six 400-yard trials by 1 ¾ lengths on March 9. TF Featured Effort has won two of 10 starts and has earned $44,328, and his West Texas Derby trial represented his first out since December 30, when he ran sixth in the Sunland Park Winter Futurity (G3).

Henry “Butch” Southway's Sixes Straw, a Texas-bred gelding by all-time leading sire First Down Dash, will break from post 8. Sixes Straw is coming off of a half-length victory in the first trial heat.

The West Texas Derby is the fifth race on Sunland Park's 12-race program. Scheduled post time for the stakes is 2:25 p.m. (MDT).

The Leo Stakes honors one of the most influential sires in the early history of Quarter Horse racing. The race has been a fixture of Remington Park's spring meet from 1997-2003 and since 2006. Louisiana Senator holds the stakes and track record of :19.10, which he set last season.

The 5-2 morning-line favorite, Cold Cash 123 is our top selection for this year's Leo Stakes. The gelding hasn't raced since December 31, when he scored a one-length victory as the 19-10 choice in the 400-yard, $350,000 Championship at Sunland Park (G1), but his past performance lines show several wins off the shelf, and he prepped for his return by breezing 220 yards over the track in :11.80, the fourth-fastest of 32 drills at the distance on March 13.

Llano Teller must also be respected on class, as the 4-year-old gelding by Teller Cartel won two Grade 1 stakes at Ruidoso Downs during his sophomore campaign, including the 440-yard All American Derby (G1) with a 109 TrackMaster speed rating. Also, Llano Teller is dropping in class off of his troubled sixth-place finish in the December 10 Champion of Champions (G1) at Los Alamitos.

Streakin Down is a horse for the course – the 5-year-old Streakin Sixes gelding has won or finished second in 10 of his 13 starts at Remington. His 2011 season included a second-place finish to Louisiana Senator in last year's Leo, and a third-place finish in champion aged gelding Rylees Boy's Remington Park Invitational Championship.

PK Fire will be making his first start at Remington, but this sorrel 4-year-old gelding by Walk Thru Fire had a solid 3-year-old season that included a longshot 1 1/4-length victory in the Grade 2, 400-yard El Primero del Ano Derby in California.

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Remington Park's 11-race Saturday program also features nine mares matching strides in the 350-yard, $50,000 Decketta Stakes. The race honors the memory of Decketta, the Oklahoma-bred and -owned filly by Top Deck (TB) who won the 1964 All American Futurity.

The Decketta began as the Red Earth Stakes in '89, when Fabulous Figure earned the winner's share of a $20,225 purse. AQHA champion Spit Curl Diva holds the 350-yard stakes record of :17.243, which she set two years ago.

Our top selection for Saturday's Decketta renewal is the versatile Candy Cartel, a 4-year-old Corona Cartel mare whose current five-race win streak includes victories at 250, 330, 350, and 440 yards. Candy Cartel ended her sophomore season with a three-quarter length score in the 440-yard Fort Erie Derby in Canada, and she began her 4-year-old campaign with a solid half-length win against a strong group of distaffers in a 330-yard open allowance sprint at Remington on March 9.

The Decketta marks the first Remington Park start for Touch Of Paso, but this 4-year-old daughter of the Chicks Beduino stallion Jumpn will be dropping in class off of her runner-up finish to the solid Reina Del Fuego in the 350-yard Denim N Diamonds Handicap (R) for California-breds at Los Alamitos. A one-time $5,000 claimer, Touch Of Paso won four of her six outs at Los Al last season, including a half-length victory against a field that included Reina Del Fuego in the 350-yard Corona Kool Handicap.

A 10-1 morning-line longshot, Jakes Charming Jody wasn't embarrassed by the tough EBW Obsession and Bertha Venation when she ran a close third to those two in the October 1, 400-yard Merial Lone Star Distaff Challenge in Texas. The 4-year-old Jody O Toole mare had a solid 2011 season that included a four-race win streak at Sam Houston Race Park.

Sam Houston's extensive stakes schedule gets underway with Saturday's 330-yard, $15,000 Silestone Stakes (R) for Texas-bred 3-year-old fillies. Racing secretary Eric Johnson has received 17 nominations for the Silestone, including Jorge Haddad's Massima, a sorrel daughter of Tres Seis who won last year's $25,000 Sam Houston Juvenile Invitational Stakes (R); Bullard Farms' Pink Cartel, the longshot winner of the October 8, $46,000 Dash For Cash Invitational Stakes (R) at Lone Star Park; and Bobby D. Cox's Zenergy, a finalist in last year's Grade 1, $414,000 Dash For Cash Futurity at Lone Star.

Entries for Saturday's program will be taken on Wednesday.

Sam Houston's stakes program will consist of 19 races worth approximately $546,000 in added money, topped by three graded stakes on April 14 – the 440-yard, $100,000-added Bank of America Texas Challenge Championship (G1), the 330-yard, $100,000-added Sam Houston Futurity (G2), and the 350-yard, $35,000-added Sam Houston Derby (G3).

Other major stakes include the 440-yard, $50,000 Sam Houston Classic (G2) on May 5, and the 870-yard, $25,000 Governor's Cup Marathon Stakes on closing night.

For more information, visit Sam Houston Race Park's website at www.shrp.com, and click on the “Racing” link at the top of the homepage.

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Portland Meadows registered a 2.63 percent increase in average daily handle during its 55-day Thoroughbred and Quarter Horse meet, which ended March 14.

All sources handle during the season totaled $38,001,156 for an average of $690,930 per day, compared to $673,215 per day during the track's 73-day 2010-11 season.

“Portland Meadows staff and horsemen worked hard, and more importantly worked together, to ensure the meet was a success,” said track general manager Will Alempijevic in a release. “We are very pleased with the handle from the meet, which benefited from our promotions that included the Portland Meadows Ultimate Show-Vivor contest and the newly established Claiming Series' (for Thoroughbreds) on the track, both of which generated a lot of interest and support.”

Portland Meadows paid $2,311,000 in purses during the meet, and the average number of starters increased 3.3 percent to 7.70 per race.

Javier Matias led all jockeys with 70 wins from 348 mounts, and Luis Torres was the leading Quarter Horse rider with 18 victories. Felimon Alvarado won 34 races from 104 starters to lead all trainers, while Juan Sanquino saddled the winners of 16 races to lead all Quarter Horse trainers.

Live racing will return to Portland Meadows for its inaugural summer race meet on July 15. The 60-day season will run through December 8. For more information, visit the track's website at www.portlandmeadows.com.

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Penn National Gaming Inc. has reached an agreement with the state of Ohio to relocate the two tracks it owns in the state, with the intention to add video lottery terminals – or VLTs – to their gaming menus.

In a news release, PNGI announced that it will pay a fee of $75 million per track to the state to move Beulah Park from the Columbus suburb of Grove City to the Youngstown area, and the Raceway Park harness track from Toledo to Dayton.

The fees would be in addition to the PNGI's $50 million licensing fee for the rights to install VLTs. The company will also invest $150 million in each new racetrack.

PNGI is also the owner and operator of two of the state's new casinos in Columbus and Toledo. Moving Beulah Park and Raceway Park to areas of Ohio that won't have casinos will enable the company to tap a new market while cutting down on competition near their new casinos.

Beulah Park hosts several Quarter Horse races during its fall meet, including the $25,000-added All American Congress Futurity and $15,000-added All American Congress Derby, which this year will be run on October 27.

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The University of Arizona Race Track Industry Program is exploring a collaborative effort that would connect its students with this year's Santa Cruz County Fair race meet, scheduled for May 5-6 at nearby Sonoita.

According to the March 13 edition of the Nogales International newspaper, Arizona RTIP associate coordinator Wendy Davis contacted Sonoita racing advocate Deborah Fellows to discuss the possibility after she'd read about efforts to save the season, which is in trouble because of state budget cuts, which have resulted in a lack of funds that helped put on the meet, purchase jockey insurance, maintain the track and provide money for purses.

Davis proposes that the RTIP's 10 students, along with three faculty members, attend this year's Sonoita races in an observation mode. In addition, some of them would help in the racing official management duties.

After the race meet, the students would be assigned a year-long laboratory project as an adjunct to their classroom studies and receive course credit for their efforts. They would assist local volunteers in the planning for the 2013 Sonoita meet and integrate that into their course work.

Davis calls this a “living laboratory,” and adds that it has never been tried before.

“This is really big,” Fellows told the International. “The university is responding to a passion in our neighborhood to keep the sport of racing alive.”

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William J. Walsh is the new director of the Arizona Department of Racing. Walsh had been serving as the interim director since the resignation of Lonny Powell on December 31.

The Department of Racing regulates Arizona's pari-mutuel horse and greyhound racing industry and supervises all commercial horse, greyhound, and county fair race meets. The department also regulates and supervises boxing, kickboxing, tough man and mixed martial arts events in the state.

Walsh has served the department as chief horse steward/supervisor of officials and wagering since 1993.

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Wyoming Gov. Matt Mead has signed a law that allows the state pari-mutuel commission to issue three-year permits to horse racing businesses, a move that industry leaders think will bring stability to racing in the state.

The Wyoming Pari-Mutuel Commission had been limited to one-year permits. The change will help track operators negotiate better terms when they borrow money or sign long-term contracts with vendors.

“It's a positive signal, not only to an operator like myself, but to the outside world, that Wyoming is willing to help a small business and an industry that was literally left for dead a year and a half ago,” said Eugene Joyce, managing partner of a group that operates a live race meet at Sweetwater Downs in Rock Springs.

Joyce's group, Wyoming Horse Racing LLC, ran a four-day meet last year, the first live races held in the state since Wyoming Downs in Evanston shut down in 2009. His company also operates six off-track betting sites in the state.

Sweetwater Downs has been licensed to host another four-day meet in August and September of this year. Joyce told the Casper Star-Tribune that he will wait until after this season before deciding whether his company will apply for a longer-term permit.

“We're hoping the business levels are sky high and we can go with a three-year,” Joyce said.

The permit bill, which was supported by the Wyoming All Breeds Racing Association and Wyoming Horse Council, easily cleared both houses in the state legislature before Mead signed it into law.

In other Wyoming racing news, former Wyoming Downs owner Eric Nelson repurchased the track for $450,000 last November. He plans to run a 16-day live meet as early as 2013.

Nelson told the News-Tribune that the passage of the bill sends an important message about Wyoming's support for the horse racing industry.

“(It shows) they want racing back,” he said.

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Remington Park's Quarter Horse meet continues with two more graded stakes races on Saturday, including the 14th running of the 400-yard, $100,000 Leo Stakes (G1) for older sprinters.

Racing secretary Dan Fick has received 22 nominations for the Leo, which is named to honor one of the most influential sires in the early years of the American Quarter Horse Association. Topping the list of nominations is T Bill Stables Inc.'s Cold Cash 123, the reigning AQHA world champion who won six of eight races last season, including three Grade 1 stakes. If he starts in the Leo on Saturday, the 4-year-old Oak Tree Special gelding would be making his first start since December 31, when he scored a one-length victory in the 400-yard, $350,000 Championship at Sunland Park (G1).

Also nominated to the Leo is Llano Teller, a 4-year-old homebred gelding by Teller Cartel campaigned by Wootan Racing and Reed Land and Cattle. Llano Teller ran sixth in last year's Grade 1, $750,000 Champion of Champions at Los Alamitos, and he recorded wins in the Grade 1 All American and Ruidoso derbies.

A total of 25 fillies and mares have been nominated to Saturday's 350-yard, $50,000 Decketta Stakes (G3). One of the nominees, Carl C. Pevehouse's Candy Cartel, boasts a five-race win streak that includes a 330-yard open allowance victory for distaffers at Remington on March 9.

Entries for the Leo and Decketta will be taken on Wednesday.

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Reigning AQHA champion aged gelding Rylees Boy is one of 18 older sprinters entered in Tuesday's 440-yard trials for the Bank of America Sunland Challenge (G2) at Sunland Park.

A 7-year-old gelding by Heza Motor Scooter owned and trained by Gerardo Ochoa, Rylees Boy is the 8-5 morning-line favorite. He has earned $722,231 from 37 starts, and he is coming off of a second-place finish as the even-money choice in the 350-yard, $50,000 KFOX-FM Handicap (G3) on January 28.

Leticia Jaquez's A Spring Snow is the 9-5 morning-line favorite in the second trial. The 7-year-old gelding by This Snow Is Royal won last year's 350-yard, $30,000 O.B. Cockerell Handicap (G3) at The Downs at Albuquerque.

The 10 fastest qualifiers will meet in the $110,000-added Bank of America Sunland Challenge final on April 8. The winner will earn a berth in the October 27, $350,000 Bank of America Challenge Championship (G1) at Prairie Meadows.

Our top selection in this year's Oklahoma Derby is fastest qualifier Cruzin The Wagon. A brown daughter of PYC Paint Your Wagon, Cruzin The Wagon has won six of her seven starts for high-percentage trainer Brent Clay, including the first of six Oklahoma Derby trials on March 4. The filly is the only two-time stakes winner in this group, as she scored visually impressive victories in last year's $229,000 Valley Junction Futurity (G3) at Prairie Meadows and $64,000 Northlands Futurity (G3) at Canterbury Park, both at this 350-yard distance.

Second-fastest qualifier and 15-1 morning-line longshot Folly Del Rey was a beaten favorite in Cruzin The Wagon's trial, but the bay PYC Paint Your Wagon filly just missed by a head while earning a 101 TrackMaster speed rating and returning to her best distance. Racing in Texas last fall, Folly Del Rey won a tough Texas Classic Futurity (G1) trial heat by a head, and her trainer, Trey Wood, has a solid 35-percent win mark with horses making their second start off of a 2-6 month layoff.

Troubador B has won three of his four races at this distance, including last year's $95,000 Black Gold 350 Futurity (R) at Will Rogers Downs. This colt is part of a solid coupled entry with Tel A Story, a consistent daughter of Corona Cartel who has made the trifecta in nine of her 11 outs, including all five of her starts at the 350 trip.

Easydoesitcindy is one of two finalists qualified by jockey Jimmy Brooks, and the veteran will ride this filly by the Okey Dokey Dale stallion Scrutinizer in Saturday's final. Easydoesitcindy is an undefeated 3-for-3 over this track, and her stakes resume includes a solid three-quarter length victory as the 3-2 favorite in last year's Bugs Alive In 75 Stakes for Oklahoma-breds.

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The Oklahoma Futurity is the first of three lucrative futurities to be run during the Remington Park meet – the others to follow are the $750,000-est. Remington Park Futurity (R) for state-breds on April 14, and the $1 million-est. Heritage Place Futurity (G1) – the richest race for any breed in the state – on May 26. The race has a rich history, as it began in 1947 at a track in Tulsa, and its past winners include such noted runners as Garrett's Miss Pawhuska, Savannah Jr., and Real Easy Jet.

Madresita, the third-fastest qualifier and 3-1 morning-line favorite, is our top selection for this year's Oklahoma Futurity. A sorrel filly by the nicely bred freshman sire Pappasito, Madresita made her career debut with a visually impressive 1 1/4-length victory in the ninth of 14 heats on March 3, a race in which she earned an 89 speed rating. Madresita also flashed some talent in her lone published work, as she scored a 1 ¼-length victory under a hand ride in the first of 11 training races on February 10.

JA Joanies Fly Boy is the 10th-fastest qualifier and a 12-1 morning-line longshot, but this sorrel gelding by Fly Jess Fly was a prompt 7-10 favorite in the 11th trial. JA Joanies Fly Boy also tipped her hand in the morning, as he broke sharply to win a February 10, 250-yard schooling race by one length in :13.46, the second fastest of the 11 training races that day.

Teller Ima Rockstar was a beaten choice in his trial, but this Teller Cartel colt is bred to win early – his sire was the AQHA champion 2-year-old colt in 2005, and 2-year-old starters from his dam, the Calyx mare Newport Fancy, have been winning at a 23-percent clip from 26 races. Teller Ima Rockstar scored a neck victory in the fastest of 11 training races on February 8.

BV Jesse James, a colt by the Corona Cartel stallion Ivory James, prepped for his debut by running second to the promising KC Corona Cuz in the fastest 250-yard training race on February 10. BV Jesse James rallied smartly from the outside part of the track to win the sixth trial by a neck.

Introduced on February 24, Senate Bill 1390 is expected to get first hearing before the senate's government organization committee, which oversees horse racing and public gaming and is chaired by Wright, whose district includes Hollywood Park.

The measure would also allow card club and tribal gaming casinos to conduct sports betting, which is currently allowed in just four stakes – Montana, Oregon, Delaware, and Nevada. More than the revenue it would provide, sports betting is being viewed primarily as a way to get people back to the racetrack, according to Paul Donahue, a governmental organization committee consultant who is preparing an analysis of the bill.

“Senator Wright has a real affinity for the horse racing industry,” Donahue told Blood-Horse.com. “He's kind of old school in that he doesn't want to see these racetracks turned into condominiums.”

According to the bill's provisions, sports betting could only be conducted in person at licensed facilities. The California Horse Racing Board and the California Gambling Control Commission, in collaboration with the state's Dept. of Justice, would regulate the activity and oversee licensing.

“The bill is legitimizing something that has been going on in California illegally for a long time,” Donahue said. “It also provides an economic incentive (tracks and simulcast facilities) to enhance their business opportunities, and it's something the people of California should be allowed to do.”

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A group hoping to get legalize pari-mutuel wagering on horse races in Georgia has released a poll showing that 72 percent of those questioned favor a statewide vote on allowing racetrack gambling.

The poll, conducted by Landmark Communications for the Georgia Horseracing Coalition, emphasized the jobs that horse racing could bring to the state. The survey of 1,038 registered voters was conducted on February 13. It has a 3-percent margin of error.

Hal Barry, an Atlanta developer who chairs the coalition, told the Augusta Chronicle that Atlanta's population – coupled with its distance from tracks in Kentucky and Florida – make it an attractive market for a complex that would include a track, retail stores, and residences.

“The economic impact is big,” Barry said.

Also, the Andrew Young School of Policy at Georgia State University has issued a report showing that horse racing would bring financial benefits to the state and its nearly 10 million residents.

“Overall, we find compelling evidence supporting arguments that legalizing pari-mutuel wagering would produce a broad range of economic benefits,” the university authors wrote. “Growing the state equine industry and increasing state revenues would be the two most likely possibilities. Broader impacts are also possible that would contribute to enhancing Georgia as a destination state and possibility creating a more positive synergy between urban and rural areas of the state.”

Veteran pollster Mark Rountree, the president of Landmark, told the Chronicle that his goal was not to sway the results to please his client.

“We phrased these questions neutral, and the results are very positive,” he said.

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A 2011 annual report issued by the Minnesota Racing Commission says that card club operations at both of the state's racetracks continued to perform well, while racing purses and the number of Minnesota bred Quarter Horses and Thoroughbreds continued to decline.

The commission regulates horse racing and card clubs at Running Aces Harness Park in Columbus and Canterbury Park in Shakopee.

According to the report, the decline has resulted in breeders favoring venues outside Minnesota that allow other revenue generating opportunities that increase purses, leading to a substantial reduction in the number of horses being bred and raced in Minnesota.

"Many Minnesota horse breeders are being forced out of business or they are moving their horses to race in states that allow more revenue sources to increase the purses," said commission chairman Jesse Overton in a news release about the report. "The horse racing industry is in serious danger with an all-time low in the number of foals being bred in the state."

Overton says that will harm small businesses supporting the horse racing industry, putting many thousands of jobs at stake.

The 2011 report also notes that budget and regulatory activities were well managed, and the number of mediation violations for each racetrack was significantly less than in 2010.

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New Mexico's state-licensed racinos and tribal casinos grossed $973.8 million from their slot machines last year, a nearly 2-percent increase over 2010, the Albuquerque Journal reported on March 1.

Also, the racinos and casinos paid the state of New Mexico $130.2 million in gaming taxes in 2011, a 1-percent increase from the previous year.

Figures released by the New Mexico Gaming Control Board, which regulates gaming at the state's 14 tribe-operated casinos and five racetrack casinos, show that the racinos reported a total “net win” of $248.9 million last year, which was 1.3-percent better than 2010. Net win is the amount wagered on slot machines minus payouts and approved regulatory fees.

American Gaming Association director of communications Holly Wetzel told the Journal that the increase in gambling activity at New Mexico's racinos is about half of that being experienced by the other 21 states that offer non-Indian gambling, racino gambling, or both.

“At the national level, (non-Indian and racino revenues) are trending in the right direction in terms of recovering from the recession,” Wetzel said. “We've been saying for the past couple of years that this was going to be a slow recovery for the industry. Just like all other industries that depend on the consumer entertainment dollar, the gaming industry has suffered during the recession.”

Wetzel added that the number of people visiting commercial casinos and racinos has not declined during the recession, but their level of spending has.

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Saturday's scheduled 11-race program at Remington Park will include two Quarter Horse stakes – the 330-yard, $30,000-added Prissy Gold Digger Handicap (R) for Oklahoma-bred 3-year-old fillies, and the open 550-yard, $35,000 SLM Big Daddy Stakes.

Named to honor the Oklahoma-bred and owned daughter of Easy Jet who won four major stakes at Los Alamitos from 1978-79, the Prissy Gold Digger attracted 20 nominations. Topping the list are Carl C. Pevehouse's Send Me A Candy Tree, the winner of last year's 440-yard, $255,000 Southwest Juvenile Championship (G1) against open 2-year-olds at Zia Park, and Ranch Candy, a homebred filly who ran third in last year's Grade 1 Heritage Place Futurity for owner Rick Sumner.

The SLM Big Daddy honors the two-time AQHA world champion and three-time winner of Remington Park's Eastex Handicap (G2) back in the late 1990s. This year's race drew 32 nominations, including Steve A. Holt's De Passem Okey and Dusty Rose Ranch LLC's Docs Dusty Okie.

De Passem Okey is a 6-year-old gelding by Okey Dokey Dale and the reigning AQHA champion distance horse. His 15 wins in 32 outs include seven stakes, all at the 870-yard distance, and he has earned $290,821.

A 5-year-old Okey Dokey Dale gelding, Docs Dusty Okie won five stakes last season, including the 550-yard, $28,000 Aggie Stakes at Remington.

Entries for Saturday's Remington Park races will be drawn on Wednesday.

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Here Kittykittykitty has been assigned the top weight of 126 pounds for Sunday's 350-yard, $110,000 Mesilla Valley Speed Handicap (RG2) for New Mexico-breds at Sunland Park.

A 5-year-old Genuine Strawfly gelding racing for Melvin Neugebauer and Jill Giles, Here Kittykittykitty most recently ran fifth, 3 ½ lengths behind eventual AQHA world champion Cold Cash 123, in the $350,000 Championship at Sunland Park (G1) on December 31. Here Kittykittykitty has earned $347,924 from 17 starts, and his five wins include the December 10, $110,000 Jess Burner Memorial Handicap (RG2) at Sunland.

Other prominent nominees include Richard R. Shearer's A First Caller and J & L Stables LLC and Fredda Draper's Genuine American, both of whom have been assigned by racing secretary Mike Shamburg to carry 125 pounds.

A First Caller, a 7-year-old gelding by Calligrapher, has banked $443,964 while racing exclusively in New Mexico, and his stakes record includes a half-length victory at odds of 31-1 in last year's $50,000 New Mexico Breeders' Championship (RG3) at The Downs at Albuquerque. Genuine American is an 8-year-old Genuine Strawfly gelding who has won both of his starts during the current Sunland Park meet.

Entries for the Mesilla Valley Speed Handicap, which drew 16 nominations, will be drawn on Tuesday.

Sunland Park's weekend action also includes trials for the 400-yard, $65,000-added West Texas Derby (G3) and the 870-yard, $55,000-added Red Cell New Mexico Distance Challenge (G2) on Friday. The West Texas Derby trials drew a total of 52 3-year-olds, topped by Paul Blanchard's Bills Last, the ninth-fastest qualifier to last year's $1.9-million All American Futurity (G1) at Ruidoso Downs, and Junior's Quarter Horses Inc.'s Top Gun, the winner of last year's $194,262 Sunland Park Winter Futurity (G2).

The New Mexico Distance Challenge trials drew 16 entries in two heats. Cat Five Storm, a 5-year-old Panther Mountain mare campaigned by the Louisiana-based I'll Take A Twirl LLC partnership, is the 2-1 morning-line favorite in the first trial. Cat Five Storm will be making her first start in New Mexico on Friday, but the mare won three stakes last season, including the Red Cell Sam Houston Distance Challenge in Texas.

The West Texas Derby final will be held on March 31, followed by the New Mexico Distance Challenge final on April 1.

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Fastest qualifier Ms Jingles drew post 3 for Saturday's 300-yard, $256,604 Mardi Gras Futurity (RG2) for state-bred 2-year-olds at Louisiana Downs.

A brown daughter of the Chicks Beduino stallion Bigtime Favorite, Ms Jingles is one of two Mardi Gras finalists from the barn of Frank Cavazos. The filly, who races for Lauro Antonio Bazan, is coming off of a half-length victory in the sixth of 14 trials on February 21.

Second-fastest qualifier, Cajun On Star, is a colt by the Okey Dokey Dale stallion Real Easy Okey owned and trained by Miguel Rodriguez. Cajun On Star ran second to Ms Jingles in the sixth trial heat.

The Mardi Gras Futurity shares Louisiana Downs' Saturday spotlight with the $95,684 Mardi Gras Derby (R), which will match 10 state-bred 3-year-olds going 400 yards. Ana L. Alvidrez's Mr T Perry, the fastest qualifier from the three trials held February 25, will break from post 10 under jockey J.R. Ramirez.

Inaugurated in 1988, the West Texas Maturity has a rich history – its past winners include AQHA champions Treacherously ('96) and Gotta Get (2007). The stakes record of :18.91 was set by Juniors Quarter Horses Inc.'s Perrys Queen Bug in 2009.

Our top selection for this year's West Texas Maturity is First Down Master. This 4-year-old First Down Dash stallion posted a 101 TrackMaster speed rating when he won the second of three trials on February 10, and he figures to improve off of that start. First Down Master also earned solid speed numbers while he was chasing the best 3-year-olds last year, including eventual AQHA world champion this 4-year-old stallion by First Down Dash, at Ruidoso Downs.

First Down Master is one of two finalists trained by former champion jockey Joe Badilla Jr. The other, second-fastest qualifier Zulu Dragon, won the second trial by a neck with a 100 speed rating. A 5-year-old stallion by First Down Dash, Zulu Dragon also has a solid record at this 400-yard distance that includes a victory in last year's Grade 3, $50,000 La Plata Stakes at SunRay Park and a second-place finish in the Grade 3, $30,000 Mr Jet Moore Handicap at Ruidoso.

First Corona Call was a beaten favorite in Zulu Dragon's trial. This sorrel 5-year-old Southern Corona gelding had strong 2- and 3-year-old campaigns that included appearances in the finals of several Grade 1 stakes in New Mexico and Texas, and he's likely to move up off his fourth-place West Texas Maturity trial run.

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Sunday's 350-yard, $50,000 Eastex Handicap (G3) is named in honor of the Texas Dancer (TB) gelding who won the 1984 All American Futurity (G1) and was that season's AQHA champion 2-year-old. First run in 1990, the Eastex first gained graded status the following year.

Past winners of the Eastex include AQHA world champion SLM Big Daddy, who won the race three consecutive years from 1997-99, and champion Country Chicks Man, who won the Eastex in the 2005 and '06. Separate Bet holds the 350-yard stakes record of :17.27, which he set three years ago.

Our top choice in this year's Eastex is Cold Granite Stone, a 4-year-old son of the First Down Dash stallion Granite Lake. Cold Granite Stone will be making his first start in nine months, but the stallion shows several wins off of a layoff. Also, he's won four of his eight outs at Remington, including last year's 350-yard Jack Brooks Stakes (RG3) and 400-yard Remington Park Derby (R). He also showed his readiness for this race with a :11.60 gate work on February 10, the third-fastest of 78 drills at the distance that day.

Thru The Fire is also coming off the shelf, but this 4-year-old Walk Thru Fire gelding won a strong 400-yard Los Alamitos Super Derby (G1) trial off a layoff back in October. Thru The Fire is also back at his best distance here, as he's unbeaten in two starts at the 350 trip.

Heza Awesome Blue hasn't raced since September 16, but the 5-year-old stallion by champion Jess Louisiana Blue has a four-race win streak that includes last year's 350-yard Fair Meadows Maturity. Heza Awesome Blue shows several wins off the shelf, and he has made the exacta in five of his seven races over this track.

Longshot players might want to take a look at Oklahoma Bandido and Wcrseperateandcool. Oklahoma Bandido ran fifth in a pair of shorter stakes during the winter meet at Hialeah, but the 5-year-old Take Off Jess gelding has made the exacta in all eight of his outs at this 350-yard trip. Wcrseperateandcool ships in from New Mexico, where he has a four-race win streak that 350 allowance victories at Sunland Park and Zia Park.

Earlier this year, Remington Park management made a player-friendly move when it lowered the takeout rate on trifecta wagers from 24 to 21 percent. To put this in perspective and give readers a better idea of what this means, consider this example:

Let's say there are five winning trifecta tickets from a $10,000 pool. With the old 24-percent takeout, those five winning ticket holders would get a one-fifth share of a $7,600 pot ($10,000 less 24 percent), and every ticket would return $1,520.

With Remington's reduced takeout, those ticket holders would get a one-fifth share of a $7,900 pot ($10,000 minus 21 percent), and their winning tickets would be worth $1,580. Considering the large number of full fields at Remington, the trifecta has always been a good value bet at that track. It's even better now.

Remington Park's lucrative Quarter Horse stakes schedule kicks off with two races on Sunday, and director of racing and racing secretary Dan Fick has made millionaire Llano Teller the 128-pound highweight for the 350-yard, $50,000 Eastex Handicap (G2). A 4-year-old Teller Cartel gelding racing for Wootan Racing and Reed Land & Cattle, Llano Teller is coming off of a sixth-place finish in the December 10, $750,000 Champion of Champions (G1) at Los Alamitos, but his 2011 record includes victories in the Grade 1 All American and Ruidoso derbies at Ruidoso Downs.

Other prominent Eastex nominees include Ed Melzer's Streakin Down and Joe Hurdle's Cold Granite Stone. The runner-up to Louisiana Senator in last year's Eastex, Streakin Down hasn't raced since May 28, when he ran third in the 440-yard, $250,000 Remington Invitational Championship (G1). Cold Granite Stone won three of his four outs at Remington Park last spring, including the $280,000 Remington Park Derby (R) and $50,000 Jack Brooks Stakes (R), both of which were restricted to Oklahoma-breds.

Sunday's other stakes, the 250-yard, $30,000-added Mighty Deck Three Handicap (R) for state-breds, drew 22 nominees. The 126-pound highweight and defending Mighty Deck Three champion, Finche, won two races during the 2011 Remington meet, including the 400-yard, $100,000 Sooner State Stakes (RG1). Finche races for Chris Sheehy and trainer Larry Abney.

Entries for Remington Park's opening-night program will be drawn on Tuesday. Sunday's card, including the Eastex and Mighty Deck Three handicaps, will be taken Thursday.

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Louisiana Downs' weekend racing program is highlighted by seven Harrah's Futurity (G2) trials. A total of 63 2-year-olds – all of whom will be making their career debuts – have been entered in seven heats, with the 10 fastest qualifiers advancing to the 300-yard, $75,000-added final on March 18.

One of the Harrah's Futurity hopefuls, Javier G. Ramirez's Interesting Man, drew post 9 in the final heat. A Heza Fast Dash gelding out of the This Snow Is Royal mare Fit To Celebrate, Interesting Man breezed 220 yards in :11.06 on February 21, the second-fastest of 27 works at the distance that day. Adalberto Candanosa gets the call for trainer Javier Contreras.

Another 2-year-old entered from the Contreras barn, Martin Cavazos' Just Galilea, is a sorrel daughter of the Spiritual High stallion Galileo Hi who also breezed 220 in :11.06 on February 21. Just Galilea will break from post 5 under Candanosa in the second trial.

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Things are looking up for a six-day spring meet this year at Sun Downs in Kennewick, Washington.

Last Saturday's Tri-City Herald reported that the dates will likely be the last two weekends of April and the first weekend in May.

“I'm sure there is going to be racing, because the county will come up with some contract,” said Tri-City Horse Racing Association board member Nancy Sorick.

A substantial increase in jockey insurance premiums had put the 2012 Sun Downs meet in jeopardy. Last year, the TCHRA paid about $3,800 a day in premiums. This year, that cost has increased to $11,000 per day, or an extra $43,200 for the meet.

"All the horsemen want to run," said TCHRA board member Cliff Schellinger. "That's the plan right now. We've just about got all of the money put together.”

Sorick told the Herald that people have stepped forward to donate to make up the difference for the insurance premiums.

"We feel reasonably sure we can come up with the additional amount," she said. "It won't be the easiest thing to do.

"That first week of March, we're hoping as soon as they get the equipment, we can get the track in condition," Sorick added. "Portland Meadows closes down in the middle of March, so a lot of horsemen will be moving into here."

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A bipartisan group of Georgia senators on February 22 proposed a constitutional amendment to legalize pari-mutuel wagering on horse races.

According to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, the move comes as hopes of passage on the issue this year have faded. A similar proposal stalled in the House going into this year's session, where it still languished in committee despite two weeks until Crossover Day on March 7, which is the deadline for most bills to pass from one chamber to the other to have a realistic shot of approval.

Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal has also said he would not support any effort to expand gambling in the state, but Sen. Ron Ramsey (D-Decatur) said it is worth a try.

. “This gives us an opportunity to create another revenue stream for education,” said Ramsey, who sponsored the amendment. “I know this is going to be an uphill endeavor. If it works, great -- we can go along and expand it. If it doesn't, at least we tried.”

Supporters have said legalized gambling would bring in new revenue for popular programs, including Georgia's HOPE college scholarship program and Pre-K classes , without raising taxes.

State Resolution 1025 would allow a public vote on amending the state constitution to allow parimutuel betting. It requires a two-thirds vote of the Legislature to pass. With it, legislators can vote to put the measure on the ballot without the governor's signature.

SR 1025 would also allow the state to pilot gambling on horse racing at the Georgia International Horse Park in Conyers, which opened in 1995 and served as the equestrian venue during the 1996 Olympics, which Atlanta hosted.

State Rep. Harry Geisinger, R-Roswell, sponsored the horse racing amendment in the House -- House Resolution 186. Last November, Geisinger brought in former Breeders' Cup board Chairman Bill Farish and Nick Nicholson, president and chief executive officer of Kentucky's Keeneland Association, to meet with Deal and talk about potential economic benefits for Georgia.

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A group of Santa Cruz County (Arizona) residents are working hard to keep the tradition of live horse racing at the Sonoita Fairgrounds alive.

Last December, Santa Cruz County Fair and Rodeo Association chairman Audrey Wystrach announced that the races would likely be canceled due to a lack of funds, but local artist Deb Fellows appealed to the community to step up and find a way to continue the 96-year-old tradition of horse racing in Sonoita.

In the past, the Santa Cruz County Fair received money to fund racing from the state of Arizona, but those funds were not available in 2011. According to the February 24 edition of the Nogales International newspaper, racing was able to take place last year through the generosity of an anonymous donor, but the meet was cut back from two weekends to one.

Jim and Ginny Cosbey, who recently retired to Sonoita after five years of managing the Circle Z Ranch in Patagonia, put together a committee early this month to explore ways to raise the $65,000 needed to fund the races. Serving on the committee with the Cosbeys are Deborah Fain, Jim Rowley, Doc and Frankie Clyne, and Carol Schmitt. At the monthly fair board meeting on February 15, Jim Cosbey presented the group's plan to the board.

Cosbey listed three reasons why the races in Sonoita are important.

“First, the races promote tourism; second, it carries on a long community tradition; and third, it is fun family entertainment,” he said.

Cosbey added that his committee is launching its fund-raising effort with a leadership gift challenge.

“The committee has established a target market,” he said, of 25-30 individuals who might be willing to make donations that would kick off the fund raising.

The second phase of fund raising will be a community-wide appeal, reaching across Santa Cruz County and into Tucson with fliers and “lots of marketing,” according to Cosbey. He has arranged for announcements at Rillito Park Racetrack, and he hoped to get the fund-raising effort publicized at the Tucson Rodeo, which ended last Sunday.

The Santa Cruz County races are scheduled for the first weekend in May, in conjunction with the Kentucky Derby (G1) at Churchill Downs.

“We hope the (fund-raising) momentum will be self-generating,” Cosbey said. “When the races are completed this May, we need to start planning for next year. This needs to be a self-sustaining community effort.”

Several well-known Quarter Horses got their start at the Sonoita track, including Mars Blackman. The brown gelding by On A High won the $35,775 Santa Cruz County Futurity in 1994, one year before he was voted AQHA champion 3-year-old gelding.

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The company that owns Hoosier Park Casino and Racing in Anderson, Indiana, is considering a bid for the state's other racino, the bankrupt Indiana Downs and Indiana Live casino in Shelbyville.

Rod Ratcliff, chief executive officer of Centaur LLC, told the Anderson Herald Bulletin that his company would be among the top suitors going after the Shelbyville racino. He estimated the purchase price would be about $400 million.

Indiana Downs/Indiana Live filed for bankruptcy last April, and last Wednesday it filed a Section 363 motion in bankruptcy court in Delaware that would, if approved, effectively place the facility up for sale. Ratcliff said the court could rule on the motion within the next two months.

Hoosier Park itself emerged from bankruptcy on October 1, 2011. The racino's chief operating officer, Jim Brown, said that would not affect Centaur's ability to proceed with an acquisition.

“We have new major investors, and this would be a decision that we believe, under the right circumstances, could be a very wise investment and further ensure long-term success,” Brown said.

Located just 42 miles apart east of Indiana's largest city, Indianapolis, Hoosier Park and Indiana Downs host the state's only live race meets. Each opened casinos within a nine-month span in 2008 and '09, and the $250-million state casino licensing fee each paid – coupled with the onset of the recession in 2009 – helped trigger bankruptcy at both racinos.

A 2011 state law allowing a single company to own two pari-mutuel racetracks in the state opened the door for Centaur to consider acquiring Indiana Downs and its casino.

“There's a lot of synergy between the two facilities being under the same ownership,” Ratcliff told the Herald Bulletin. “The cost of overhead would go down considerably, and money could be reinvested in the community.”

Indiana Downs opens its 2012 Thoroughbred and Quarter Horse season on April 16. The 61-day meet runs through July 11 and includes an all-Quarter Horse racing day on Saturday, June 30.

Our top selection, Taylors Toastin Papa, has won four of his last five starts and is a horse for the Louisiana Downs course – he's won three races and has made the trifecta in all seven of his outs at this track. A 5-year-old stallion by Toast To Dash, Taylors Toastin Papa broke the three-race win streak of King Of The Bunnys when he defeated that rival by a neck in an open 350-yard allowance on January 8.

Blue Louisiana Jolla has a solid record at this distance, and he scored a three-quarter length victory in last year's Mr Jess Perry Stakes. The 7-year-old gelding by Jess Louisiana Blue is dropping in class and distance off of his fifth-place finish in the December 10, 440-yard Louisiana Champions Day Classic (RG2) at Fair Grounds.

Awholeseparategame is coming off of a one-length victory against a solid group of state-bred 3-year-olds in the 400-yard, $100,000 Louisiana Champions Day Derby (G2). The Game Patriot gelding faces older runners for the first time here, but on November 19 he ran a close second to Grade 2 winner Wagon To Hollywood and earned a 90 TrackMaster speed rating in what was probably the strongest division of the $50,000 Evangeline Downs Derby.

The only mare in the full field of 10, She Is A Fast Dash earned a solid 92 TrackMaster speed rating in her victory against a strong field of fillies and mares in the 350-yard Harrah's Distaff Stakes on January 7.

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A field of six California-bred 4-year-old mares will square off in Saturday's 350-yard, $25,000 Denim N Diamonds Handicap at Los Alamitos.

Our top choice, Touch Of Paso, has been favored in her last six starts, and she's responded with victories in three of those races. The brown daughter of the Chicks Beduino stallion Jumpn most recently ran second to Significant Cartel in the January 15 Cypress Handicap, and she earned a TrackMaster speed rating of 101 in her half-length score in the 350-yard Corona Kool Overnight Handicap back in December.

Reina Del Fuego takes a significant class drop after her sixth-place finish in a January 29 Los Alamitos Winter Championship (G1) trial. A sorrel mare by Walk Thru Fire, she ran second to our top choice in the Corona Kool Handicap.

Morning-line favorite Getit Together must be respected on class, as this brown daughter of Separatist ran second to Dash Back Perry with a 108 speed rating in the 400-yard, $100,000 Charger Bar Handicap (G2) on January 8. She also ran second to that rival in the 400-yard, $35,000 Las Damas Handicap (G3) back in November, but this distance might be too short for her, as she has failed to run first or second in four starts at 350.

HRND president Wes Heinert told the Fargo Forum that he was “very, very happy” to get racing back in Fargo. He also praised the support of the community for making it happen, and he added that he was “almost positive” enough money can be raised to offer the second weekend.

Heinert will have until April 1 to collect the additional $36,000 needed for the second weekend’s operating expenses.

The commission also approved race dates for Chippewa Downs in Belcourt: June 9-10, 16-17, 23-24, and June 30-July 1. The Belcourt Outdoor Recreation Development Association, which operates the track, will receive $142,000 of purse money for this year’s races, while HRND will receive $89,000.

The North Dakota Horse Park in Fargo first opened for live racing in 2003 and held race meets through '09. Racing at the park was put on hold after the 2009 season to pay bills and raise new sources of revenue.

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The Ohio Quarter Horse Racing Association has announced that nomination forms for the 2012 All American Congress Futurity, Derby, and Maturity are available online.

The nomination deadline for the 400-yard, $25,000-added All American Congress Futurity and 440-yard, $15,000-added All American Congress Derby is May 1. The trials for both races will be run at Beulah Park near Columbus on October 15, with the final scheduled for October 27.

This year's 440-yard, $20,000-added All American Congress Maturity is part of the AQHA Bonus Challenge program. The nomination deadline is October 17, and all nominees must be enrolled in the Challenge program.

For more information, visit the OQHRA website at www.ohioquarterhorseracing.com, or contact Tamie Grandstaff at (419) 253-2048 or horses@sgstables.com.

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Codere, a prominent gaming and horse racing company based in Spain, has purchased 35.8 percent of ICELA, the parent company of Hipodromo de Las Americas Racetrack in Mexico City.

Codere, which has its headquarters in Madrid, paid $209 million (US) for its share of ICELA. The company also owns Hipodromo Presidente Remon in Panama, which hosted the 2011 Clasico del Caribe, and it owns 50 per cent of Maronas National Racetrack in Montevideo, Uruguay.

In addition, Codere has a management contract with Jockey Club do Brasileiro in Rio de Janeiro, Jockey Club Rio Grande do Sul in Porto Alegre, and Jockey Club de Parana in Parana.

Hipodromo de las Americas operates 150 race days per year and includes a children's theme park, gaming centers, sports wagering, international simulcasting, and electronic games, as well as the main convention center in Mexico City.

“Taking over this impressive complex underscores our commitment to horse racing, and it reinforces our integration strategy for the region,” said Ramon Rionda, director of racing operations for Codere.

Hipodromo de las Americas has been part of the AQHA Racing Challenge program since it began in 1993. This year, the track will host qualifying races for the Pfizer Starter Allowance Challenge (on May 27), Adequan Derby Challenge (August 5), John Deere Juvenile Challenge (August 19), and Bank of America Championship Challenge (August 26).

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Kim C. McKenzie's Louisiana Wrangler will put his three-race win streak on the line in Saturday's 350-yard, $50,000 Mr Jess Perry Stakes (RG3) for aged state-bred runners at Louisiana Downs.

A 5-year-old gelding by champion Jess Louisiana Blue, Louisiana Wrangler will be making his first start since December 10, when he scored an upset victory in the $100,000 Louisiana Champions Day Classic (RG2) at Fair Grounds Racecourse in New Orleans.

Louisiana Wrangler drew the rail post for his first race of the 2012 season. The gelding's nine opponents include Dehart Farms' Awholeseparategame and She Is A Fast Dash, a 4-year-old Heza Fast Dash mare owned and trained by Henry Padgett.

Awholeseparategame is coming off of his first stakes win in the December 10, $100,000 Louisiana Champions Day Derby (RG2) at Fair Grounds, and She Is A Fast Dash has won two of her last three outs, including the 350-yard, $20,000 Harrah's Distaff Stakes against open mares on January 7.

Scheduled post time for the Mr Jess Perry Stakes is 3:48 p.m. (CDT).

Fastest qualifier and 2-1 morning-line favorite Deniro heads a field of 10 3-year-olds in the Winter Derby, which was first contested in 2001, when eventual AQHA world champion Whosleavingwho earned the winner's share of a stakes-record $260,500 purse. The stakes record of :19.167 was set last year by Ronald Skeen and Fawna Knight's Oatman.

Deniro must be respected as the fastest qualifier, as the Washington-bred Desirio gelding impressively won his trial in what was his California debut, but we're going to go with Long Gone as our top selection. This bay colt by TR Dasher has won six of his 10 starts, including three of four at this 400-yard distance, and he scored a neck victory in what might have been the toughest of the four trials. Long Gone also has experience against the best sprinters, as his record includes a second-place finish to Ima Chickie Two in last year's 350-yard, $500,000 PCQHRA Breeders' Futurity (G2).

Kobe ran a close second in Long Gone's trial. The colt by Mr Eye Opener has been well-backed in all five of his races, and his three victories include a half-length score in the January 1, 350-yard Holiday Handicap, a race in which he posted a 100 TrackMaster speed rating.

BF Farm Girl is a nicely bred daughter of First Down Dash and half sister to two-time AQHA champion Strawkins and Winter Championship finalist BF Farm Boy. The filly won the second trial by a head and is one of two finalists from the barn of reigning champion trainer Paul Jones, who has won this race three times.

Flame N Flash was a beaten favorite in BF Farm Girl's trial, but this Walk Thru Fire filly and half sister to champions Hawkinson and Hawkish earned a 107 speed rating for his half-length victory in the 400-yard Los Alamitos Juvenile Invitational Stakes win back in December. Flame N Flash has made the trifecta in seven of her eight races.

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The winner of the Los Alamitos Winter Championship earns a berth in this year's Grade 1, 440-yard Champion of Champions. Past winners of this race, which also began in 2001, including AQHA champions Hawkinson (2001), Corona Kool ('02), Whosleavingwho (2003 and '05), Jess You And I ('09), Freaky (2010), and Good Reason SA ('11). Freaky holds the stakes record of :19.243, which the gelding set two years ago.

Our top choice for Sunday's Winter Championship is second-fastest qualifier Senor Toby, a 4-year-old gelding by Mighty Invictus who has won seven consecutive races and has posted triple-digit TrackMaster speed ratings in his last four outs. Senor Toby's win streak includes four stakes, and back on December 16 the gelding won the 350-yard A Ransom Handicap by an impressive 1 ¼ lengths from next-out stakes winner Significant Cartel.

Two-time AQHA champion Jess You And I keeps on rolling, as evidenced by his half-length trial win as the 3-5 favorite. The 8-year-old Feature Mr Jess gelding won three races last year, including the Grade 1, 440-yard Los Alamitos Invitational Championship, and he closed out his season with a close fourth-place finish to Good Reason SA in the Champion of Champions (G1).

Fastest qualifier Noconi is also a two-time AQHA champion, with his most recent title coming in 2010. This 7-year-old gelding by Mr Jess Perry won the second of three trials by three-quarters of a length as the 4-5 choice, and his 2011 campaign includes victories in two graded stakes last summer at Ruidoso Downs.

The lone mare in the field, Dash Back Perry defeated tough groups of distaffers in the 400-yard Charger Bar Handicap (G1) on January 8 and 400-yard Las Damas Handicap (G3) back in November. This speedy 5-year-old Mr Jess Perry mare has recorded TrackMaster speed ratings of 109-plus in her last four outs, three of which were at this 400-yard trip.

The Denver Business Journal reported last week that House Bill 1280, sponsored by Republican Reps. Don Coram of Montrose and Jerry Sonnenberg of Sterling and introduced on February 7, would allow VLTs operated by the Colorado Lottery, at three tracks: one on the Front Range, one near Pueblo and one on the Western Slope.

Mile High Racing and Entertainment Inc. operates Arapahoe Park near Denver, but there are no tracks yet in the other two locations. Proponents of HB 1280 said in a news release that the bill could create 1,200 “good-paying full-time jobs” and fund education, but opponents are contending that the proposal would destroy Colorado's Indian gaming industry, and that putting gaming machines anywhere but the three former mining towns to which they're now limited is unconstitutional without a vote of Coloradans.

The Business Journal reported that the issue is expected to be one of the most heavily lobbied in the legislature this year.

Arapahoe Park's 2012 season runs from May 26-August 19.

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The Oklahoma Quarter Horse Racing Association will hold its 2011 awards banquet on Friday, February 24. The event will take place at Heritage Place in Oklahoma City and begin at 6 p.m. (CDT).

“The food will be awesome and this year's event is free, so there is no excuse not to attend,” said OQHRA executive director Debbie Schauf. “Bring your friends and help us honor the racing champions from 2011.”

The OQHRA will also host its annual legislators' steak dinner at Heritage Place on Tuesday, February 28. Admission to this event is also free.

“We have invited every state representative and senator from every district and have had a huge response from the legislators looking forward to attending,” Schauf said. “If you are an Oklahoma horsemen and you can come to Oklahoma City, please come meet and greet and help us visit with these influential legislators about how their actions affect your participation in the horse racing industry in Oklahoma.”

For more information about these OQHRA events, contact the office at oqhra4@aol.com or (405) 216-0770.

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Hialeah Park ends its 32-day meet with a 10-race program on Sunday. Post time for the first race is 2:05 p.m. (EST).

Hialeah's closing-day card features four stakes, including the 440-yard, $75,000 Hialeah Invitational Championship, and the 440-yard, $100,000-added South Florida Derby. The Hialeah Invitational has drawn a full field of 12, including Mary Passmore's Chi Ter, a 5-year-old Granite Lake gelding who brings a three-race win streak into the race.

Chi Ter will be coming off of a 1 1/4-length victory in the 440-yard Sawgrass Stakes on February 5. The gelding has won four of his last six starts, including last season's Hialeah Invitational at odds of 26-1.

Robert A. Gentry's Fredaville, the only mare in the field, ran second to Chi Ter in last year's Hialeah Invitational. The homebred 6-year-old daughter of Mr Jess Perry has been competing in California, where she ran third, one length behind winner Dash Back Perry, in the January 8, $100,000 Charger Bar Handicap (G1) at Los Alamitos.

Other contenders include Ricardo Martinez's Freaking, a 6-year-old gelding by TR Dasher who has won two stakes at shorter distances at Hialeah, and JK Running Horses LLC's Jess A Runner, a Grade 1-placed 6-year-old Jess Louisiana Blue gelding who ran third in Favorite Cartel's October 29, $350,000 Bank of America Challenge Championship (G1) at Los Alamitos.

The South Florida Derby will be led by fastest qualifier TF First Pick. A Louisiana-bred gelding campaigned by Donald Ray Jacobs, TF First Pick has won three of his last four outs, including the 400-yard, $224,000 Hialeah Laddie Futurity on December 26.

The two other stakes on Hialeah's closing-day program are the 300-yard, $20,000-added Three Cherries Stakes for 3-year-olds, and the 1,000-yard, $25,000-added Sailfish Stakes, which features Dan I. Frazier's Skyline Lover, the track's all-time leading Quarter Horse stakes winner.

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Sunland Park racing secretary Mike Shamburg has received 17 nominations for Sunday's 400-yard, $110,000 New Mexico Horse Breeders' Association Stakes (RG2) for state-bred 3-year-olds.

One of the nominees, J &M Racing and Farm's Call Me A Blazn Chic, is coming off of a fourth-place finish in the 400-yard Shue Fly Stakes (RG2) on January 7. The brown daughter of Chicks A Blazin has earned $379,885 from nine starts, and her three wins include last year's $331,000 New Mexico Cup Futurity (RG2) at Zia Park and $384,000 Zia Futurity (RG2) at Ruidoso Downs.

Another top contender, the Chicks A Blazin colt First Blazin Love, has won four of his five outs, including the Shue Fly Stakes.

Entries for the NMHBA Stakes will be drawn on Tuesday.

Our top selection in the Magnolia, morning-line favorite Leading Patriot, has won or finished second in his last eight races. A 6-year-old gelding by Game Patriot, he's making his first start since July 3, 2011, when he broke the track record with a three-quarter length victory in the 870-yard, $60,000 Live Oak Stakes (R) at Delta Downs. The layoff shouldn't be a problem for Leading Patriot, as he's shown an ability to win off the shelf, and he has a solid 660 work over the track on January 20.

Slinkys Fortune didn't draw the best post (6), but this 8-year-old Dashs Slinky gelding is coming off of a solid second-place finish against open company in the 870-yard Marathon Stakes. Also, he's reunited with jockey Orlando Baldillez, who rode him to open stakes victories at Fair Grounds and Evangeline Downs last season.

Cat Five Storm drew the rail post for this, her first out in seven months. The 5-year-old daughter of Panther Mountain showed her class against open company last season with wins in the $30,000 Virgil Bond Stakes at Delta Downs and $24,000 AQHA Sam Houston Distance Challenge.

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Sunday's $20,000 Roble Rojo Bonus Challenge at Hialeah Park drew a group of nine aged runners going 300 yards. Our top choice is Jess Phenomenal, a 7-year-old Feature Mr Jess gelding who is three weeks removed from a nose victory in the 250-yard, $20,000 Banyan Tree Stakes at Hialeah. A one-time $5,000 claimer, Jess Phenomenal earned a 105 TrackMaster speed rating in that race, and he's made the trifecta in all three of his starts at this longer distance.

Bold Badon ran second in the Banyan Tree. The 6-year-old gelding by the Corona Cartel stallion Dale Badon faced tougher on the midwest circuit last spring.

Ethics Aside is winless in four starts at the 300-yard distance, but the 6-year-old Mr Jess Perry stallion has been competitive in his three races at Hialeah this winter. Back in December, Ethics Aside won a stakes-quality 220-yard allowance sprint in which he earned a 99 speed rating and his defeated opponents included stakes winners Sailin Corona and Struttin High.

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Q-Racing Ace Jen Perkins will be at Rillito Park in Tucson on Saturday. She and track announcer Jim Collins will conduct a handicapping seminar before the races, and they will be distributing complimentary $2 wagering vouchers while supplies last.

Rillito's eight-race program features three Quarter Horse races, including the 330-yard, $8,400 John Deere Rillito Park Bonus Challenge Stakes. Jose Gallardo's Fly Jess For Perks, the morning-line favorite, is coming off of a third-place finish in the December 11, $65,930 AQRA Turf Paradise Futurity.

Post time for Rillito Park's first race is 1 p.m. (MST).

North Dakota Racing Commission director Winston Satran said last Friday that Horse Racing North Dakota – the group that runs the Horse Park – has paid off several thousands of dollars owed to suppliers and vendors. The last live Thoroughbred and Quarter Horse meet held at the track took place in 2009.

“We definitely have to have horse racing in Fargo,” Satran told Associated Press. “The commission is going to give it an all-out effort to get it started again.”

The commission is scheduled to meet in Bismarck on February 16 to discuss race dates for North Dakota's two tracks, including Chippewa Downs in Belcourt. It's likely that the Horse Park will have a shorter meet than 2009, when the season was scheduled to run from July 18-September 7.

"We have a limitation on funds," Satran said.

Also, Horse Racing North Dakota officials say that some work will need to be done to get the track ready for racing.

“The track isn't ready to run if we ran tomorrow,” said HRND president Wes Heinert. “It's going to take some money and it's going to take some volunteers.”

Heinert also said three new sources of financing for the park have been obtained, including two simulcast betting companies scheduled to start up in North Dakota and an electronic pull-tab site planned for Bismarck. He added that it would be realistic to expect three weekends of live racing at the Horse Park this summer.

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According to its latest financial report, Penn National Gaming Inc. plans to move Beulah Park from its present location near Columbus, Ohio, to a site near Youngstown.

With the expected advent of racetrack video lottery terminals in Ohio, PNGI has said it wants to move the track to avoid competition with a full-scale casino it plans to build in Columbus. The Ohio State Racing Commission must approve the relocation.

Youngstown is located in eastern Ohio near the border with Pennsylvania, about 75 miles southeast of Cleveland and 70 miles northwest of Pittsburgh. Beulah Park has been the home of several Quarter Horse stakes, including the All American Congress Futurity, Derby, and Maturity.

PNGI reported net income of $242.4 million for 2011, $44 million of which came in the fourth quarter. The company posted a net loss of $59.5 million in 2010, according to financial documents.

PNGI owns and operates several racetracks, racinos, and stand-alone casinos in North America, including Zia Park and Black Gold Casino in Hobbs, New Mexico.

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The Thoroughbred meet at Sam Houston Race Park has gotten off to a good start. For the first two Fridays and Saturdays of the season, which opened on January 20, the track reported a 53-percent increase in attendance over the four corresponding dates in 2011. Sam Houston's attendance figures include a crowd of 12,856 on opening night, the largest opening turnout since the track opened for business 18 years ago.

Sam Houston's handle is also up over last year. Wagering during the first two weekends of the meet has reached $10.7 million, up from $9.4 million during the same period in 2011.

Sam Houston's Thoroughbred meet runs on a Friday-Monday schedule through March 12, and it will be followed by a 28-night Quarter Horse season from March 22-May 19. The track's Quarter Horse stakes schedule is topped by several graded stakes, including the $100,000 Bank of America Texas Challenge Championship (G1) and $100,000-added Sam Houston Futurity (G2) on April 14.

Stall applications are due on Wednesday, February 15. For more information, contact Sam Houston Race Park at (281) 807-8780, or visit www.shrp.com and click on the “Racing” link at the top left side of the homepage.

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Vince Mares has been appointed executive director of the New Mexico Racing Commission, a position he had been serving in on an interim basis since September.

Mares was a 19-year veteran of the Raton (New Mexico) Police Dept., serving the last 14 years of his tenure as the chief. He was the chief investigator for the racing commission when he was named to temporarily fill the director's post when the commission asked India Hatch to end her tenure as director.

Mares permanent appointment was announced by commission chairman Robert Doughty III at the board's most recent meeting in Albuquerque on January 25. Doughty said that Mares' management experience with the Raton Police Dept. coupled with the experience he gained as an investigator with the commission, made him a good choice for the executive director's post.

“I look forward to the challenges involved in this position,” Mares said. “I would like to maintain an open dialogue with those associations involved with the industry, such as the New Mexico Horsemen's Association, New Mexico Horse Breeders' Association, Jockey's Guild, each of the five racetracks, and most importantly the general public.”

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A total of nine older runners have been entered in Sunday's 300-yard, $20,000 Roble Rojo Bonus Challenge Stakes at Hialeah Park.

Alejandro Medina's Jess Phenomenal drew post 8 for the race, which is restricted to horses enrolled in the AQHA Bank of America Racing Challenge program. A 7-year-old Feature Mr Jess gelding trained by Ricardo Martinez, Jess Phenomenal is coming off of a nose victory at odds of 13-1 in the January 22, 250-yard Banyan Tree Stakes at Hialeah.

Another contender, Lucas Racing Inc.'s Aquafina, drew post 6. The homebred 4-year-old mare by First Down Dash has earned $149,143 from 16 races, and her two wins include last year's $37,710 AQHA California Derby Challenge Stakes at Los Alamitos.

Post time for the Roble Rojo Bonus Challenge is scheduled for 5:04 p.m. (EST).

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Louisiana Downs' weekend racing schedule will be highlighted by the seventh running of the 870-yard, $40,000 Magnolia Stakes for state-breds on Saturday.

Likely favorite Slinkys Fortune drew post 6 in the seven horse field. An 8-year-old Dashs Slinky gelding owned and trained by Henry Padgett, Slinkys Fortune is coming off of a second-place finish against open company in the $20,000 Marathon Stakes at Louisiana Downs on January 21.

Other Magnolia contenders include Leading Patriot and Lookinbackatdapack, a pair of 6-year-old geldings who will be making their first starts since July 3, when they ran first and second – respectively – in the 870-yard, $60,000 Live Oak Stakes (RG3) at Delta Downs.

The Magnolia Stakes is scheduled to go off at 3:48 p.m. (CST).

The Party Girl Stakes has drawn a field of five state-bred fillies and mares going 350 yards. Our top selection, 5-2 morning-line favorite La Mos Chingono, drops in class and distance off of her second-place finish to Louisiana Rangler in the 440-yard, $100,000 Louisiana Champions Day Classic Stakes (RG2) at Fair Grounds on December 10. A 5-year-old mare by Heza Fast Dash, La Mos Chingono has made the trifecta in all five of her outs at this shorter distance, and her record at the trip includes a close third to the tough Jes A Game in the September 10 Audubon Stakes at Fair Grounds.

She Is A Fast Dash, a 4-year-old daughter of Heza Fast Dash, has won two in a row, including the 350-yard Harrah's Distaff Stakes against open company on January 7. The mare's defeated opponents in that race included graded stakes winner Bertha Venation and next-out allowance winner XO Kate.

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One of two stakes on Hialeah Park's Sunday program, the Sawgrass brings together a field of eight older runners at the classic 440-yard distance. Our top choice, Fast N Furrious, takes a slight class drop off of his close fourth-place finish in the January 22, 400-yard City of Hialeah Stakes. The 4-year-old stallion by champion Country Chicks Man regains the services of leading rider Alex Baldillez Jr. here, and he has a 440 stakes win over the track this season.

Chi Ter, the 3-2 morning-line choice, also must be respected. This 5-year-old gelding by the First Down Dash stallion Granite Lake is coming off of a visually impressive 1 3/4-length victory in an open 440 allowance on December 30, and his three wins in seven outs at this distance includes last year's $60,000 Hialeah Invitational Championship.

Sassy Shaelan is a 7-year-old Bono Jazz mare who is making her first start at the quarter-mile trip, but she's bred to like it. She moves up in class off of a neck victory in a 300-yard entry level allowance sprint on January 15.

“Companies must operate in a way that protects vital water resources,” said EPA regional administrator Al Armendariz in a statement. “When a facility fails to meet its responsibilities, the EPA will work closely with our state partner agencies to enforce the law.”

On November 15, 2011, the New Mexico Environmental Department conducted an on-site inspection and found that the facility lacked a properly designed storm water runoff containment structure. The facility also does not have a National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System permit which allows facilities to discharge into US waters.

Pollutants commonly associated with animal waste or manure often include nitrogen and phosphorus, organic matter, bacteria and sediments. These pollutants can clog rivers and streams with algae, kill fish by reducing oxygen in the water, transmit waterborne diseases and impair the enjoyment of waterways.

To comply with the order, the EPA says the Downs and EXPO New Mexico must immediately take all necessary actions to prevent future discharges of pollutants into U.S. waters and must tell the EPA if they ever happen again.

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The Western Montana Turf Club has abandoned efforts to produce a race meet during this year's Western Montana Fair in Missoula.

“We have a budget, but without the money from the state board from simulcast, we don't have the start-up operating capital,” WMTC's Jim Johnson told the Missoulian newspaper last on January 24. “But we haven't given up on 2013.”

No racing during the 2012 Western Montana Fair would mark the event's fifth time in the last six years without racing. In a letter to fairgrounds director Steve Earle and the Missoula County Commission dated January 23, the WMTC said it was withdrawing a proposal to run a two-day meet in 2012. Its plan was to fund the meet with percentages of the increased gate, concession, and beer garden revenues the fair realizes when racing does take place.

Some funding would normally be governed by the Montana Board of Horse Racing, which distributes a share of revenue from simulcast wagering to tracks that hold live meets. But the racing board is currently experiencing red ink and announced last fall that it can't pay the tracks their shares this year.

Montana's seven off-track betting sites shut down on January 1 and will remain closed until the racing board works with the state Dept. of Livestock and a three-man advisory committee appointed by Gov. Brian Schweitzer to identify its debts, straight out its financial situation and revamp its operating plan.

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A new $32-million hotel and conference center at Prairie Meadows is scheduled to open on March 1, a moment its executives and directors have been anticipating for more than 10 years.

“We were probably the only casino in the country without a hotel,” Prairie Meadows president Gary Palmer told the Des Moines Register last week. “We are probably the only debt-free casino in the world.”

The four-story hotel began taking reservations from the general public on January 16. The facility includes 39 suites, a restaurant-style cafe, lobby lounge and bar, saltwater pool, and a direct link to the casino and the entire Prairie Meadows complex.

A horse racing theme defines all 168 rooms with large prints captured from Prairie Meadows races. A fourth floor Presidential suite features views of downtown Des Moines and a large double-sided fireplace that divides the living and dining rooms.

For more information on the Prairie Meadows hotel, visit www.prairiemeadows.com and click on the “Hotel” link at the top of the homepage.

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Rillito Park in Tucson opened its 16-day season on Saturday, as an opening-day crowd of 4,362 wagered 97,361 on the historic track's eight-race program.

Total attendance for Rillito's two-day opening weekend reached 8,880. A total of $182,962 was wagered on track, which was nearly 35 percent higher than last year's opening-weekend handle of $135,738.

Rillito Park's meet runs weekends through March 25. The track will be dark this Saturday and Sunday due to Super Bowl weekend. For more information, including entries and results, visit www.rillitodowns.com.

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She Is A Fast Dash, a 4-year-old mare by Heza Fast Dash owned and trained by Henry Padgett, is one of five state-bred distaffers entered in Saturday's $40,000 Party Girl Stakes (R) at Louisiana Downs.

She Is A Fast Dash brings a two-race win streak into the 350-yard Party Girl, including the 350-yard, $20,000 Harrah's Distaff Stakes. The mare has earned $39,811 from nine starts.

Another contender, Oscar Rohne's La Mas Chingono, will be making her first start since December 10, when she ran second in the 400-yard, $100,000 Louisiana Champions Day Classic Stakes (RG2) at Fair Grounds Racecourse in New Orleans.

Post time for the Party Girl Stakes is scheduled for 1:48 p.m. (CST).

The 9-5 morning-line favorite, Rylees Boy is coming off of a third-place finish in the December 31 Championship at Sunland Park (G1) , and he must be respected for his class edge over his nine opponents. However, our top selection is A Spring Snow, a 7-year-old gelding by This Snow Is Royal and a 350 distance specialist. A Spring Snow is dropping in class off of his fifth-place finish in the 440-yard Zia Park Championship (G1) on December 4, but he has made 23 of his 40 career starts at this distance, and he earned a solid 119 TrackMaster speed rating in his half-length victory in the August 14, 350-yard O.B. Cockerell Handicap (G3) at The Downs at Albuquerque.

Rylees Boy ran a solid second to Strike It Quick in last year's KOFX Handicap. The 7-year-old gelding by Heza Motor Scooter won two graded stakes last year, including the Grade 1, $250,000 Remington Park Invitational Championship, but both of those victories came at the longer 440-yard distance.

Kool Angel faces older horses for the first time, but the 4-year-old daughter of First N Kool has won both of her starts since moving to the barn of AQHA champion trainer Paul Jones, including the Grade 2, 400-yard Sunland Park Winter Derby on December 30. Kool Angel earned a strong 105 speed rating in that race, and her defeated opponents included Dash For Cash Derby (G2) runner-up Zoomandkicken.

Longshot players might want to look at Dr Proctor, a 7-year-old Feature Mr Jess gelding who will be making his first start since March 15, 2011, when he won a stakes-quality 350-yard allowance race at Sunland Park off of a shorter layoff. Dr Proctor gets a class test here, but he sports two solid recent works over the track, and his trainer, Carl Draper, has finished first, second, or third with eight of his 11 recent starters off of a layoff of six months or longer.

An earner of $322,320 from six starts last season, Rylees Boy won three races – all at the 440-yard distance – including the $250,000 Remington Park Invitational Championship (G1) and the $117,000 Bank of America Sunland Challenge Championship. The Arizona-bred gelding by the Heza Fast Man stallion Heza Motor Scooter most recently ran third, 1 ¼ lengths behind eventual world champion Cold Cash 123, in the 400-yard, $350,000 Championship at Sunland Park.

Rylees Boy has been assigned top weight of 127 pounds by racing secretary Mike Shamburg. Among his 10 opponents are graded stakes winners A Spring Snow and Corona For You.

Scheduled post time for the KOFX Radio Handicap is 1:37 p.m. (MST).

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Historic Rillito Park in Tucson, Arizona, opens its 16-day meet with a scheduled eight-race program on Saturday. Post time for the first race is 1 p.m. (MST).

Rillito's Quarter Horse stakes schedule includes the 330-yard, $8,000-guaranteed John Deere Rillito Park Bonus Challenge on Saturday, February 11. Nominations for the race, which is restricted to horses enrolled in the AQHA Bank of America Challenge program, close on January 29.

Also, new racing secretary Susan Rich has received 15 nominations for Sunday's 350-yard, $4,000 Rillito Park Quarter Horse Derby. The top nominee, LEMA Racing Stables' Jumpn Fly, is coming of a second-place finish to Block N Tackle in the December 11, $65,930 AQRA Turf Paradise Futurity.

Opened in the early 1940s, Rillito Park is considered to be the birthplace of modern Quarter Horse racing and was designated a national historic landmark in 1988. Famous horses who have raced at the 5/8-mile oval include Shue Fly, Joe Reed II, and Hard Twist.

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Sam Houston Race Park began its 31-date Thoroughbred meet last Friday, as the track drew a opening-night record 12,856 fans for its 10-race program.

The track has introduced two new wagers for 2012 – the Houston High-5 and the Pick-5, both of which have a minimum wager of 50 cents. The Houston High-5 will be offered twice a day and challenges handicappers to select the first five finishers of a selected race in order. The Pick-5 requires bettors to select the winners of five consecutive races.

The takeout rate for both new bets is 12 percent.

Sam Houston Race Park's 27-night Quarter Horse meet opens March 22 and runs through May 19. For more information, visit the track's website at www.shrp.com.

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Bobby R. Byrd's Rapid Ivory is one of 10 3-year-olds entered in Sunday's 250-yard, $20,000 Tallahassee Stakes at Hialeah Park.

A bay colt by Ivory James trained by Ron Raper, Rapid Ivory has earned $137,688 from seven starts, and his four wins include last year's $109,400 Governor's Stakes at Hoosier Park and $115,160 Heartland Futurity at Indiana Downs.

Scheduled post time for the Tallahassee Stakes is 5 p.m. (EST).

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Saturday's nine-race card at Louisiana Downs includes the $15,000 Swift Stakes, which drew a field of nine aged runners set to go 350 yards.

Likely favorite Eyesa Western, the runner-up at odds of 23-1 in the January 7 Harrah's Dash Stakes at Louisiana Downs, drew post 4 for the Swift. The sorrel 7-year-old gelding by Eyesa Special is owned and trained by Anireal Chavira and hasn't finished worse than third in his last four outs.

Other prominent Swift entries include Jose Luis Salazar's Bertha Venation, a 5-year-old daughter of Corona Caliente who ran second in the 350-yard, $20,000 Harrah's Distaff Stakes for fillies and mares on January 7, and Javier Noel Contreras' Point Of Deception, a 6-year-old Feature Mr Jess gelding and stakes winner during the 2011 Lone Star Park meet.

Post time for the Swift Stakes is scheduled for 3:48 p.m. (CST).

The Marathon Stakes has drawn a full field of eight, including 5-2 morning-line favorite Slinkys Choice. Our top selection here is Dr Drip, an 8-year-old First To Shine gelding who is coming off of a second-place finish to Slinkys Choice in the 870-yard Au Revoir Stakes at Evangeline Downs on December 16. Dr Drip's recent form, which has been solid, includes a one-length victory over Slinkys Choice in an 870-yard allowance race for state-breds at Evangeline, and the gelding drew a good post (3) for the Marathon.

Eyeontheline has won his last two 870 starts in impressive fashion. A 4-year-old gelding by Eye Yin You, Eyeontheline most recently scored a 3 3/4-length win against an open allowance field that included last-out stakes runner-up Louisiana Blue Step. The gelding's trainer, Kenneth Roberts Sr., has been winning at a 34-percent clip in 870 races.

Slinkys Fortune must also be respected, as the 8-year-old Dashs Slinky gelding has won two 870 stakes this season. However, Slinkys Fortune drew the 7 post here, and it's a tough assignment to win from that outside draw on a one-mile oval.

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The Billy Montgomery has attracted a evenly matched group of 10 Louisiana-bred sophomores. Our top choice, morning-line favorite Mossy Oak Tree, is coming off of a second-place finish to the classy Coors Select in the 350-yard, $100,000 Louisiana Champions Day Juvenile Stakes (RG2) at Fair Grounds Racecourse on December 10, a race in which the gray Oak Tree Special gelding earned a 103 TrackMaster speed rating.

Oak Tree Corona comes into the Billy Montgomery in good form, as this Oak Tree Special colt has finished first or second in his last five outs. Oak Tree Corona is coming off of a two-month layoff, but all three of wins have come from off the shelf.

Mr Sonic Boom had an excellent 2-year-old campaign that included a 1 3/4-length victory against open company in the 350-yard, $133,000 Gillespie County Fair Futurity (G3) in Texas, and a head win against state-breds in the 350-yard, $277,000 LQHBA Sale Futurity (RG1) at Fair Grounds. The sorrel gelding by Easy Winning Jet has won four of his six races at the 350 trip, and he is reunited here with jockey Eleazar Guillen, who was aboard the gelding for his two stakes wins last year.

Mr T Perry gets his first class test here, but the First Prize Perry gelding shows improving speed figures – an important handicapping angle for young horses – and he defeated a field that included last-out stakes winner Intriguing Jess Blue and last-out allowance winner Rockin Chocolate in a December 16 allowance sprint at Evangeline Downs. Also, give Mr T Perry extra consideration if the track comes up wet, as he's two-for-two on wet-fast surfaces.

The awards presentation will begin at 6 p.m. (CST). Admission is free to the public, but seating is limited. For those who can't make it, the show will be webcast live at www.aqharacing.com.

As I say every year, predicting the champions in some of the categories can be as challenging as handicapping a horse race. For 2009, I correctly selected the champions in every category – equine and human – but for 2010 I missed in eight of the 17 categories.

I'm not an official voter, but if I did have a vote these would be my 2011 selections. As always, we invite you to share your opinions with us.

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TWO-YEAR-OLD COLT – Feature Mr Bojangles is the odds-on favorite to win this category, as the sorrel son of Feature Mr Jess banked $541,612 from seven races, and his three stakes scores included the 400-yard, $700,000 Rainbow Futurity (G1) at Ruidoso Downs, and the 400-yard, $259,943 Hobbs America Futurity (G2) at Zia Park.

TWO-YEAR-OLD GELDING – This is the most contentious of the 2-year-old categories, but my vote goes to Ochoa. A gelding by 1999 champion 2-year-old Tres Seis. Ochoa won three of his four races, including the 440-yard, $2.4-million All American Futurity (G1), one of only two Grade 1 futurities at the classic quarter-mile distance.

Also likely to get some support are Los Alamitos Two-Million Futurity (G1) winner I Like The Odds, who unfortunately lost his life last Friday to laminitis; Jess Tee Off, who opened his season with a four-race win streak that included the $600,000 Sam Houston Futurity (G2); and Texas Classic Futurity (G1) winner Sure Shot B.

TWO-YEAR-OLD FILLY – Separate Fire completed her season with two disappointing losses as the wagering choice, but this California-bred filly by Walk Thru Fire did more than enough during the spring to get the nod here. Separate Fire was favored in all eight of her races, and she earned $631,250, more than any of the other nine candidates. The filly's five wins included the 300-yard, $339,600 Kindergarten Futurity (G1) in May, and the 350-yard, $1,086,000 Ed Burke Million Futurity (G1) in June.

TWO-YEAR-OLD – Feature Mr Bojangles gets my vote in a photo finish over Separate Fire.

THREE-YEAR-OLD COLT – The only two-time open stakes winner among the seven nominees, Prospect To The Top gets my vote in this category. A bay son of Coronas Prospect, Prospect To The Top led all candidates with earnings of $413,320, and his three wins in 10 outs included the Hobbs America (G2) and West Texas (G3) derbies. He also ran a close second to Llano Teller in the 440-yard, $1.3-million All American Derby (G1) at Ruidoso Downs.

THREE-YEAR-OLD GELDING – Cold Cash 123 is the clear standout among the eight candidates in this group. The Michigan-bred son of Oak Tree Special faced the toughest sprinters in the country all season and won three Grade 1 stakes: the Rainbow and Texas Classic derbies, and the Championship at Sunland Park. His season earnings reached $802,018.

Llano Teller also had a good season, as his six victories in nine races included the Grade 1 All American and Ruidoso derbies.

THREE-YEAR-OLD FILLY – Miss Racy Jess gets my vote in a photo finish over Fall For It. A sorrel filly by Mr Jess Perry, Miss Racy Jess put together a three-race win streak in California and New Mexico that included the 400-yard, $933,350 Los Alamitos Super Derby (G1) in November.

Fall For It had a good season, but she did her best running against her own gender, as she won the $182,700 La Primera del Ano Derby (G1) for fillies and ran a close second to Fovee in the $150,000 Mildred N. Vessels Memorial Handicap (G1) for fillies and mares.

THREE-YEAR-OLD – Cold Cash 123 is my clear choice in this category.

AGED STALLION – This evenly matched category features four open Grade 1 winners among the five candidates. My vote goes to Good Reason SA, a 5-year-old son of Favorite Trick (TB) who began his season by winning the 400-yard Los Alamitos Winter Championship (G2) and ended it with an upset victory in the 440-yard, $750,000 Champion of Champions (G1).

Good Reason SA's defeated opponents in the Champion of Champions included two other aged stallion nominees, Louisiana Senator and Favorite Cartel.

AGED GELDING – This was by far the most difficult category for me, but Chivalry SR gets my vote. A 5-year-old gelding by Walk Thru Fire, Chivalry SR earned $206,388 from seven starts, and his three wins included victories in the 400-yard, $100,000 Spencer Childers California Breeders' Championship (RG1) for California-breds and the first division of the 400-yard Z. Wayne Griffin Director's Stakes.

Chivalry SR was also very competitive in four open Grade 1 races, as he ran second in the Vessels Maturity and Go Man Go Handicap, and third in the Champion of Champions and Robert L. Boniface Los Alamitos Invitational.

However, good cases can be made for several of the other candidates. Jess You And I, a two-time AQHA champion, won the Los Al Invitational and finished a close fourth in the Champion of Champions, Rylees Boy won three races at the 440 distance, including the $117,000 Bank of America Sunland Challenge (G2) and the $250,000 Remington Park Invitational Championship (G1), and Snitcher scored an impressive victory in the Vessels Maturity and was placed first in the Go Man Go when Freaky was disqualified for a positive test.

AGED MARE – Fovee was lightly raced, but the 5-year-old Cuvee (TB) mare made the most of her four outs. Both of Fovee's wins came in stakes, including the 400-yard, $150,000 Mildred N. Vessels Memorial Handicap (G1).

Defending champion aged mare Spit Curl Diva had another good season that included a victory in the 440-yard, $71,280 Bank of America Prairie Meadows Championship Challenge (G2). Sheza Bad Habit's fall campaign included two graded stakes wins at Los Alamitos, and Fredaville won four stakes and ran second to Sheza Bad Habit in the $125,000 Merial Distaff Challenge Championship (G1).

AGED HORSE – Good Reason SA, the winner of the Champion of Champions against a tough group, gets my vote here.

WORLD CHAMPION – The only winner of three open Grade 1 stakes, Cold Cash 123 is my choice for 2011 AQHA world champion.

DISTANCE HORSE – De Passem Okey is my selection to win this category for the second consecutive season. The 6-year-old gelding ended his season with a convincing two-length victory in the $55,180 King Rick Rack Stakes (G2) at Zia Park, one of his four 870-yard stakes wins during the campaign, and his earnings from eight starts totaled $127,710.

Yin Your Eyes is also likely to get a lot of support from voters, as this 5-year-old gelding ended his campaign with an upset win in the 870-yard, $125,000 Red Cell Distance Challenge Championship (G1) at Los Alamitos, the season's only Grade 1 race at the distance.

CANADIAN CHAMPION – The Diamond Side was the only two-time stakes winner among the 10 nominees in this category. A 5-year-old gelding by The Down Side, The Diamond Side earned $81,992 from eight outs, and he ended his season with victories in the $59,574 Fort Erie Maturity and $57,547 Ontario Bred and Foaled Maturity (R) at Ajax Downs. His win in the Fort Erie Maturity came against open company.

MEXICAN CHAMPION – SF Mexicana Brave earned $133,772 last season, more than any of the 10 candidates. The 3-year-old daughter of the First Down Dash stallion SF Brave Heart won three of her six starts, including two stakes.

SOUTH AMERICAN CHAMPION – This is a new category for 2011, and the honor will go to the winner of the Bank of America South America Challenge Championship.

CHAMPION BREEDER – This is another tough category with several worthy candidates. My vote goes to the List family's Double Bar S Ranch, whose 210 starters earned $1,400,425 and included Golden State Million Futurity (G1) winner Igotyourtac, Heritage Place Futurity (G1) winner High Rate Of Return, and Bitterroot Futurity (RG3) winner Illtacmanhattan.

Double Bar S starters earned an average of $6,669 per start, which was a much better average than any of the other nominees.

Dr. Ed Allred, an 11-time AQHA champion breeder, had another good season, as his homebreds banked $3,059,005 from 1,155 starts (average, $2,648) and included Grade 1 winners Snitcher and Hot Hitter, Grade 2 winners Oatman, Fall For It, and Fixin To Fly, and Grade 3 winner Freaky. Dr. Steve Burns' homebreds earned $1,497,303 from 400 starts (average, $3,743) and included two-time Grade 1 winner Separate Fire.

CHAMPION OWNER – Double Bar S Ranch gets my vote in this category also, as horses campaigned by the List family's operation in Moreno Valley, California, earned $983,662 from 98 starts. Double Bar S raced two different Grade 1 winners: Golden State Million Futurity (G1) winner Igotyourtac and Los Alamitos Invitational Championship (G1) winner Jess You And I.

CHAMPION TRAINER – Paul Jones has dominated this category since '02, and he gets my vote for 2011 in a photo finish over C. Dwayne “Sleepy” Gilbreath. Jones' starters earned nearly $4.7 million from 1,017 and won graded stakes at Los Alamitos in California and Zia Park, Sunland Park, and Ruidoso Downs in New Mexico.

Jones' stakes winners included Grade 1 winners Igotyourtac, Separate Fire, Good Reason SA, Favorite Cartel, Jess You And I, and Stylish Jess BR. He also scored with the New Mexico-bred stallion Down With You in the restricted $180,480 New Mexico Cup Quarter Horse Championship (RG1).

Gilbreath had a lot of success with a limited number of starters – 122 – as he saddled the earners of $2,469,319, including likely world champion Cold Cash 123 and All American Futurity (G1) winner Ochoa.

CHAMPION JOCKEY – G.R. Carter Jr.'s mounts earned $4,311,726, but what was more remarkable about his 2011 accomplishments was that his 20 stakes wins came at nine tracks in five different states: New Mexico, Oklahoma, Iowa, Arizona, and Texas.

An eight-time champion jockey, Carter scored unrestricted Grade 1 victories with Louisiana Senator (Refrigerator Handicap and Leo Stakes), Llano Teller (Ruidoso Derby), and Sixes Streak (Dash For Cash Futurity). He also rode Feature Mr Bojangles (Hobbs America Futurity) and Louisiana Senator (Eastex Handicap) to wins in Grade 2 stakes.

Ramon Sanchez also had a good season, as the veteran rider's mounts banked $4,215,954 and included Grade 1 winners I Like The Odds, Llano Teller, Separate Fire, Favorite Cartel, and Stylish Jess BR. Sanchez rode the winners of 17 stakes at four different tracks.

Our top selection, Ann Jemima, is a 4-year-old daughter of Country Chicks Man who is coming off of a half-length victory in an open 220-yard, $16,000 allowance race on December 24, and her defeated opponents in that dash included Sunshine State Stakes winner Doctor Onaka. Ann Jemima also had a solid Prairie Meadows summer meet that included two wins in three outs.

Aquafina, the 3-1 morning-line favorite, makes her third start at the Hialeah meet, after she'd chased graded stakes company last fall at Los Alamitos. The nicely bred 4-year-old mare by First Down Dash is just two weeks removed from a second-place finish against a good field in the 440-yard, $20,000 Hialeah Sophomore Invitational Stakes, and she is a full sister to two AQHA champions, including 2006 world champion Wave Carver.

Marys Corazon ran second, a nose behind Doctor Onaka, in the Sunshine State Stakes. A 4-year-old daughter of Azoom, Marys Corazon takes a class drop following her sixth-place finish against males in the January 1, 250-yard Beautiful Prairie Stakes.

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Sunday's 350-yard, $25,000 Cypress Handicap at Los Alamitos has drawn a group of seven 4-year-olds, including Significant Cartel, a sorrel gelding by Corona Cartel who has been assigned the top weight of 125 pounds by racing secretary Ron Church.

Coming off of a second-place finish against a better field in the December 16 A Ransom Handicap, Significant Cartel is our top choice in the Cypress. In that 350-yard race, Significant Cartel finished 1 ¼ lengths behind Senor Toby, the winner of his last six races, and his eight defeated opponents included two-time graded stakes winner and $505,827-earner Hot Hitter.

Jumpn Shake ships to the Jaime Gomez barn from Texas, where in significantly longer races the stallion chased the likes of graded stakes winners Cold Cash 123 and Wagon To Hollywood. He should find the 350 trip more to his liking, as he's won four of his seven starts at the distance.

Morning-line favorite Touch Of Paso must also be respected, as this mare is coming off of a half-length victory as the odds-on favorite in the December 3, 350-yard Corona Kool Overnight Handicap for distaffers. Touch Of Paso earned TrackMaster speed ratings of 101-plus in four of her six races last year.

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The AQHA will host its annual racing champion announcements at the Heritage Place Sale Company in Oklahoma City next Wednesday. Our next blog update, which I plan to post by Monday night, will include my predictions in every champion category, and of course – as I did last year – I will invite all of you readers to contribute your opinions as well.

Last Wednesday's edition of the Albuquerque Journal reported that on December 16 Paternoster upheld the injunction, turned the case over to the Court of Appeals, and allowed the two groups hoping to compete for the racing license – Penn National Gaming Inc., which owns Zia Park/Black Gold Casino in Hobbs, and Coronado Partners, a group headed by Albuquerque businessman Don Chalmers that hopes to build a racino in Tucumcari – to intervene in the case.

Coronado Partners filed a license application with the racing commission before Paternoster’s September injunction. That application remains the only one on file.

The injunction was sought by Canadian developer Michael Moldenhauer, who is protesting the revocation of his state racing license, which is required to conduct horse racing and wagering, and of his state gaming license, which is needed to operate slot machines. Moldenhauer lost both licenses, which he first obtained in 2008, after he failed to build a proposed $50-million racino in Raton in time to conduct live racing by Memorial Day weekend of 2010.

All of those issues have been combined into a single Court of Appeals case which, according to the Journal, is likely to delay action on the racino license for months.

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The South Dakota Commission on Gaming has released the state's 2012 horse racing schedule.

The Stanley County Fairgrounds at Fort Pierre will race weekends (six days, one more scheduled than last year) from April 21-May 6. Post time for the first race will be 1 p.m. (Central).

The Brown County Fair meet at Aberdeen will run six days from May 12-28. First race post time at Aberdeen will be 1:30 p.m.

For more information on the 2012 South Dakota schedule, visit www.gaming.sd.gov

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De Passem Okey, one of the top distance runners in training, is one of 14 horses nominated to the 870-yard, $20,000 Marathon Stakes at Louisiana Downs on January 21.

A 6-year-old gelding by Okey Dokey Dale, De Passem Okey has won 15 of 32 starts and has earned $290,821 for his owner, Steve A. Holt. He banked $127,710 from eight outs last season, and his five wins included four stakes.

Also at Louisiana Downs, racing secretary David Heitzmann received 24 nominations for the 350-yard, $40,000 Billy Montgomery Stakes (RG3) for state-bred sophomores. The Billy Montgomery is also scheduled for January 21.

Entries for the Marathon and Billy Montgomery will be drawn on Saturday.

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At Hialeah Park, a full field of 10 fillies and mares have been entered in Sunday's $20,000 Perseverance Stakes. Likely choice Eye Opening Favorite is coming off of a nose victory in the 300-yard, $22,500 Foxy Lady Stakes at Hialeah on December 11.

Eye Opening Favorite has won three of 12 races and has earned $45,234 for owner Dan I. Frazier. The gray 4-year-old daughter of Mr Eye Opener drew post 6 and will be ridden by Shanley Jackson in the 330-yard Perseverance.

Other contenders include Lisa Joneson's Ann Jemima, a 4-year-old Country Chicks Man mare who won a 220-yard, $16,000 allowance sprint on December 24, and Lucas Racing Inc.'s Aquafina, the winner of the August 21, $37,710 AQHA California Derby Challenge at Los Alamitos.

Post time for the Perseverance is scheduled for 4:17 p.m. (EST).

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Weights have been released for two stakes scheduled at Los Alamitos this weekend: Saturday's 440-yard, $20,000 Barbra B Handicap, and Sunday's 350-yard, $25,000 Cypress Handicap for 4-year-olds.

Racing secretary Ron Church received six nominations for the Barbara B, including co 124-pound top weights Pathological Liar and Rare Bac. A homebred 4-year-old gelding racing for Jeannie Knuchell and Caitlin Smith, Pathological Liar is coming off of a 3 1/2-length win in the 870-yard, $67,200 Gold Rush Derby at Los Alamitos. Rare Bac is a 4-year-old gelding by Splash Bac who on December 9 ran second in the 550-yard Paul Ford Memorial Handicap for owners Vaughn Cook, Vince Genco, and Benny Rosset.

The Cypress drew 10 nominations, including Vinewood Farms' Significant Cartel. The sorrel gelding by Corona Cartel and half brother to two-time AQHA champion Significant Speed ran third, one length behind winner Docs Apollo, in last year's $238,250 Golden State Derby (G1).

Entries for the Barbra B will be drawn on Wednesday, and entries for the Cypress will be taken on Thursday.

Named in honor of the AQHA world champion in 1971, the Charger Bar has been contested at Los Alamitos every year but one since '01. Its past winners include champions Corona Kool (2001), AB What A Runner ('04), and Stylish Jess BR (2010 and '11). Stylish Jess BR holds the stakes record of :19.293, which she set in her one-length win last season.

This year's Charger Bar has drawn several distaffers who raced in the 400-yard Las Damas Handicap (G2) on November 26, including the top three finishers. Our top selection, Dash Back Perry, won the Las Damas with a 111 TrackMaster speed rating. The 5-year-old Mr Jess Perry's half-length score in the Las Damas came just four weeks after she'd run a competitive second to eventual Z. Wayne Griffin Director Stakes runner-up Flaming Out in a 440-yard stakes on the Bank of America Challenge Championship undercard.

Fovee takes a big class drop and faces a much easier task after her last-place finish in the December 10 Champion of Champions (G1). This 5-year-old daughter of the Carson City (TB) stallion Fovee (TB) entered that race off of good races against fillies and mares, including a nose victory with a 111 rating in the 400-yard, $150,000 Mildred N. Vessels Memorial Handicap (G1).

Sheza Bad Habit had a tough trip in the Las Damas, as the 5-year-old Looking For Chicks mare ran a distant sixth as the 9-5 favorite. The good TrackMaster speed ratings she earned in her two stakes wins over this track last fall put her right in the hunt here.

Las Damas runner-up Getit Together is coming off of two good 400-yard races at big odds, and there's no reason to think this 4-year-old daughter of champion Separatist won't turn in a good performance here. Her stakes resume includes a half-length victory against distaffers in the 400-yard AQHA Members Plus Stakes on October 29.

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Call Me A Blazn Chic will attempt to build on the momentum she established as a 2-year-old in Saturday's 400-yard Shue Fly Stakes (RG2) for New Mexico-bred sophomores at Sunland Park.

A winner of two state-bred futurities last season, fastest qualifier Call Me A Blazn Chic is our top choice to take home the winner's share of the Shue Fly's $296,332 purse. This brown daughter of Chicks A Blazin is coming off of a visually impressive 1 3/4-length victory in the sixth of seven trials on December 16, a race in which she earned a TrackMaster speed rating of 108, and she recorded a solid 100 speed rating when she won the 400-yard, $331,000 New Mexico Cup Futurity (RG2) at Zia Park on October 30.

Third-fastest qualifier Sammy James has made the exacta in his last five outs, including a two-length win in the 350-yard, $277,000 Mountain Top Futurity (RG2) at Ruidoso Downs back in June. A sorrel colt by the Mr Jess Perry stallion Jesse James Jr, Sammy James ran a close second to eventual Texas Classic Futurity (G1) runner-up Algorithmic in a Dash For Cash Futurity (G1) trial at Lone Star Park on September 24.

My Big Chief, the second-fastest qualifier, has won two consecutive races at this 400-yard distance. The sorrel gelding by the Mr Jess Perry stallion Get Down Perry earned a 103 TrackMaster speed figure in his neck victory over Sammy James in the fourth Shue Fly trial.

The track's opening-day program includes two stakes, the 350-yard, $20,000 Harrah's Distaff Stakes for fillies and mares, and the 250-yard, $20,000 Harrah's Dash for 4-year-olds and older. New racing secretary David Heitzmann has received 20 nominations for the Harrah's Distaff and 30 for the Harrah's Dash.

Louisiana Downs' stakes schedule features 12 races worth approximately $850,000 in purses, topped by the silver anniversary running of the 300-yard, $250,000-est. Mardi Gras Futurity (RG2) for state-bred 2-year-olds on March 10, and the sixth running of the 300-yard, $250,000-est. Harrah's Entertainment Futurity (G3) on March 18.

Past winners of the Mardi Gras Futurity include Vals Fortune, who won the race in 2003 and was that season's AQHA champion 2-year-old, and Jet Black Patriot, who later in the '08 season ran second to eventual world champion Stolis Fortune in the Grade 1, $1.9-million All American Futurity at Ruidoso Downs.

Louisiana Downs' Quarter Horse meet runs through March 21. For more information, visit the track's website at www.harrahslouisianadowns.com and click on the “Racetrack” link on the left side of the homepage.

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The California Horse Racing Board has filed six complaints against trainer Adan Farias after horses he started at Los Alamitos in late October, including four winners, tested positive for the banned medication zilpaterol.

Four of the positives were taken from runners on the Bank of America Challenge Championship program at Los Alamitos on October 29: T Gold J, the winner of the $200,000 Derby Challenge, Illegal Smile and FDD Moon, who were first and third, respectively, in the $150,000 Juvenile Challenge, and Azshecanfly, the runner-up as the 9-10 favorite in the $25,000 AQHA Members Plus Stakes on the Challenge Championship undercard.

The two other positives were taken from horses who had competed in claiming and starter allowance races at Los Alamitos.

Zilpaterol is used as a feed supplement that promotes increased muscle gain in livestock. The complaints against Farias will be the subject of a hearing which has not yet been scheduled. The Association of Racing Commisioners International model rules suggest that the penalty for each positive of zilpaterol be a one-year suspension and a $10,000 fine.

Farias’s Los Alamitos stable was disbanded in November, with his horses transferred to other trainers. In the final 2011 standings, Farias ranked second among the nation’s Quarter Horse trainers in wins with 100 and fourth in purse earnings at $2,005,030.

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Georgia Rep. Harry Geisinger says that support is growing among the state's lawmakers for legislation that would legalize parimutuel wagering on horse racing.

House Resolution 186 proposes a constitutional amendment allowing voters to decide if they want horse racing in the areas where they live. Proponents say the legalization of horse racing in Georgia would raise millions of dollars in revenue and create 10,000 jobs within five years.

“The important thing about horse racing in Georgia would be one, it's all private sector money, and two, it would generate thousands of jobs,” Geisinger said.

Approval would require a two-thirds majority vote in the state House and Senate.

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Citing the downturn in the economy, the directors of the Don MacBeth Memorial Jockey Fund have announced that it would be ending operations and disbursing all funds by the end of December.

For the past 25 years, the Fund provided money to more than 2,000 injured jockeys and exercise riders who needed assistance paying medical bills. The Fund was named for jockey Don MacBeth, who in 1987 died of cancer at the age of 37.

The Fund was founded after comedian and horse racing enthusiast Tim Conway made an appearance at Canterbury Park in Minnesota in the summer of '87 and wanted to donate the fee paid him by the track to a fund to benefit riders. After he was informed that there was no such fund, he approached Chris and Judy McCarron, and the three co-founded the fund and named it after MacBeth.

In 1989, the Fund launched Jockeys Across America Day, which would become a major annual fundraiser where riders at tracks across the country would donate to the Fund their fees from at least one mount that day. That event alone raised millions of dollars during the past 22 years.

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The Minnesota Quarter Horse Racing Association is currently holding its online stallion service auction.

A total of 48 stallions are listed, including Grade 1 winners Gol and Royal Shake Em, and graded stakes winner and 2008 All American Futurity (G1) runner-up Jet Black Patriot.

Bidding ends on Sunday, January 23. All 2013 foals sired by stallions whose services sell in the auction will be eligible to nominate to the $35,000-est. Minnesota Stallion Breeders' Futurity (R) in 2015.

For more information or to place a bid, visit the MQHRA's website at www.mqhra.com, and click on the “2012 Stallion Service Auction” link at the bottom of the homepage.

The new fee schedule, which took effect December 10, calls for a minimum mount fee of $65 up to $105, depending on the purse of the race. Previous mount fees at Hialeah were scaled at $45-105.

“I would like to thank Duayne Didericksen, who is the horsemen's representative for the Florida Quarter Horse Association, all of the horsemen at Hialeah, as well as Guild regional managers John Beech and Herbie Rivera, for their efforts in putting this agreement together,” Jockeys' Guild national manager Terry Meyocks said. “The jockeys look forward to working with the horsemen and management at Hialeah to ensure a successful meeting this season.”

The new scale at Hialeah follows increases in mount fees through legislation at California tracks and several other tracks throughout the U.S., including Delta Downs, Evangeline Downs, Turf Paradise, Indiana Downs, Hoosier Park, Canterbury Park, and all five tracks in New Mexico.

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The South Dakota Commission on Gaming on Wednesday approved the disbursement of funds to the state's horse racing tracks for the 2012 season.

Currently, administrative and regulatory costs for horse racing at the Stanley County Fairgrounds in Fort Pierre and Brown County Fairgrounds in Aberdeen are covered by money raised from gambling revenue in Deadwood. But one commissioner, Harry Christianson, is questioning whether this setup needs to be reviewed.

However, commissioner Harry Christianson has questioned whether or not this setup needs to be reviewed.

“I don't think they should be able to pass the total cost of (administration and regulation) to the state,” Christianson told the Rapid City Journal. “Since they do have pretty significant revenue now, they should participate in the expense of regulation.

“There's no reason we should be paying the administrative costs for this industry,” he added. “We don't do it for any other industry. There's no reason for Deadwood to subsidize the tracks.”

Christianson said he recognized that the South Dakota legislature would probably have to act to adjust current policy. The commissioners said they would revisit the topic at a later meeting.

Meanwhile, the commission also decided to continue payments to recruit jockeys to the state.

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Hoosier Park opened its newest off-track wagering facility in downtown Indianapolis last week. According to a statement released by the track, the 8,000-square foot, $3-million Winner's Circle Pub, Grille, and OTB is designed so that guests can enjoy a high-quality and comprehensive entertainment destination in the heart of Indiana's capital city.

“The Winner's Circle is a redefinition of an off-track wagering facility,” said Hoosier Park president and chief operating officer Jim Brown. “With expanded and upgraded pub and dining opportunities, we're hoping to attract a broader range of customers and downtown business people while enhancing the experience of our existing and loyal customers.”

The dining options at the Winner's Circle include a full array of lunch and dinner choices, from seared ahi tuna and house-smoked salmon to hand-cut New York strip steaks and house-made shrimp and grits. In addition, a private dining area seats up to 16 people with personalized menus and service. Outdoor seating for the grille will also be available during the warmer months of the year.

The race-wagering lounge seats 160 people and includes both self-serve and staffed mutuel windows. A special room, named the “Triple Crown Room,” is also available for special meetings and receptions.

“Eighteen million people visit downtown Indianapolis every year, and that doesn't include downtown workers and residents,” Brown said. “The Winner's Circle creates a beautiful front door for first exposure to Hoosier Park and the sport of horse racing.

“By presenting a beautiful facility with great food, a state-of-the-art pub and a great race wagering lounge, it will make a visit to Hoosier Park even more appealing to those potential customers,” he added. “And, it gives our existing customers another Hoosier Park facility to visit when they are in downtown Indy.”

Hoosier Park currently owns OTB facilities in Fort Wayne and Merrillville in addition to the new location in downtown Indianapolis.

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Lone Star Park's $3-million renovation of its simulcast pavilion has been completed. The facility reopened on December 5, and a formal launch is scheduled for January 2.

Renovations on the building, which sits adjacent to the Lone Star grandstand, began last July. The project was the first undertaking of Global Gaming, the Oklahoma-based company that assumed ownership of the track last May.

“The pavilion was 15 years old,” said Lone Star president Drew Shubeck. “It was crying for a remodel, and Global Gaming really stepped up and got it going. The whole building has been renovated.

“Now there’s a non-smoking side and a smoking side,” he added. “There’s a new high-energy sports bar in the center of the building. There’s a lot of high-definition projection televisions. There’s new food presentation. There’s three new VIP suites.”

Shubeck said the pavilion now offers free admission for simulcasting; the cost had previously been $3 per person. Live racing returns to Lone Star in April.

“Hialeah Park is as important to South Florida as the Yankees are to New York,” track owner John Brunetti told the newspaper. “It's a brand.

“It's our goal to preserve the beauty, the culture, the history, and the importance of the past, through the present and on to the future,” he added. The story also quoted William “Snuffy” Smith, a racehorse owner from Georgia whose In Casey Runs ran fifth in a FQHRA Stallion Futurity (R) trial on Friday.

“The park is of the best there is,” Smith said of Hialeah. “And it’s getting bigger every year.”

Hialeah Park's Quarter Horse meet runs Fridays-Sundays through February 21. The track will be dark this Sunday, Christmas Day, but will hold a special holiday racing program on Monday, December 26.

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With the holiday season in full swing, the racing schedule is a little light this week. Hialeah Park will present an eight-race program on Saturday, beginning at the track's regular post time of 1:15 p.m. (EST). The card includes two 400-yard, $20,000 stakes for 2-year-olds – the La Nina Invitational for fillies and the El Nino Invitational for colts and geldings.

Arbeka Raincloud, a sorrel daughter of the Shazoom stallion Voghts Gold, is the 3-1 morning-line favorite in the La Nina. Racing for Arthur W. Devereaux from the barn of Larry Devereaux, Arbeka Raincloud is coming off of a fourth-place finish in a 400-yard Hialeah Lassie Futurity trial on December 10.

Other La Nina contenders include Drinkin The Gold, a filly by Gold Medal Jess who won a 330-yard non-winners-of-two allowance at Prairie Meadows back in August, and Chalone, a daughter of FDD Dynasty who broke her maiden at Ruidoso Downs on September 4.

The El Nino drew a full field of 10, including Tom Maher's Uno Dos Tres B. The bay gelding by champion Tres Seis scored a 1 1/4-length victory in a Hialeah Laddie Futurity trial on December 11 but failed to qualify for the final.

I'll take a closer look at both races, from a handicapper's perspective, in my Friday blog update.

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Sunland Park will be dark for the entire holiday weekend, December 24-26. When racing resumes the following week, the track will present the 400-yard, $50,000 Sunland Park Winter Futurity (G2) and Sunland Park Winter Derby (G2) on Friday, December 30.

Hialeah Park is taking bets on the full cards of nearby Gulfstream Park and of the nine tracks that Gulfstream imports. Under Florida law, Hialeah can take those Thoroughbred signals only if it has an agreement with Gulfstream and the Florida Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association. The three parties signed the agreement on December 2.

Gulfstream Park is located in Hallandale Beach, about 16 miles from Hialeah Park.

“We feel and they (Gulfstream) seem to agree with us that there are a lot of people who live in our market and do not go to Gulfstream but would come to Hialeah if we had simulcasting,” Hialeah Park general manager Randy Soth told Bloodhorse.com.

In September, Hialeah announced plans to build a $150-million casino that it hopes to open by November 2012. The track is currently undergoing renovations to its existing grandstand building, which would join a planned adjacent building as the casino site.

Hialeah Park's Quarter Horse meet runs through February 19. The track will pay average daily purses of $120,000, with most days having between eight and ten races, according to its agreement with the Florida Quarter Horse Racing Association.

Approximately 800 horses are currently stabled on Hialeah Park's backstretch.

“Most of last year's leading trainers and jockeys are back, and we will have more of the top outfits and jockeys,” Soth said. “The Quarter Horse people like coming to Hialeah, and as we keep running our meets, the quality will keep improving.”

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Bullets Brother drew post 8 for Saturday's 870-yard, $110,000 Challenger Six Handicap (R) for New Mexico-breds at Sunland Park.

A 7-year-old Real Runaway gelding racing for Veronica O. Gonzalez and trainer Martin Orona Sr., Bullets Brother most recently ran sixth against open company in the 870-yard King Rick Rack Stakes (G2) at Zia Park on November 20. Bullets Brother has won three of seven races this season, including the October 30, $148,240 New Mexico Cup 870 Championship (R) at Zia.

Another Challenger Six contender, Rogelio Carrasco's BRT Opulence, drew post 4. Another 7-year-old gelding by Real Runaway, BRT Opulence won New Mexico-bred stakes at Ruidoso Downs and SunRay Park last July.

The Challenger Six Handicap honors the memory of the horse by the same name, a Six Fortunes gelding who won 20 races in New Mexico from 1991-99.

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Sunland Park racing secretary Mike Shamburg has received 13 nominations for Sunday's 400-yard, $110,000 Lou Wooten Handicap (RG1) for New Mexico-bred fillies and mares.

Fredda Draper's Jenuine Joy, a homebred 5-year-old daughter of Genuine Strawfly, has been assigned the top weight of 126 pounds. Jenuine Joy has won eight of 14 races, including five stakes, and has earned $381,680. The mare is coming off of a third-place finish as the 3-5 favorite in the November 26, $149,000 New Mexico Filly & Mare Championship (RG1) at Zia Park.

Other prominent Lou Wooten nominations include KH Logax Inc.'s Snow Regard and Pedro Hernandez's BJ Bring It On, the respective winner and runner-up of the New Mexico Filly & Mare Championship. Snow Regard has won two stakes this season, including the 350-yard, $75,000 Sunburst Stakes (R) for state-bred sophomore fillies at Sunland Park in April.

Entries for the Lou Wooten will be drawn on Tuesday.

The Champion of Champions has been the sport's most prestigious race for older runners since its first running in 1972, when AQHA world champion Mr Jet Moore earned the winner's share of a $50,000 purse. Reigning world Apollitlcal Jess holds the stakes record of :20.939, which he set last season.

Jess You And I, an ageless 7-year-old gelding by Feature Mr Jess and the winner of the 2008 Champion of Champions, is our top selection to get the trophy this year. Jess You And I hasn't raced since October 9, when he won the 440-yard Robert L. Boniface Los Alamitos Invitational Championship (G1) with a TrackMaster speed rating of 114, but he's shown strong performances off of a layoff in the recent past, and he tuned up for this race with a solid 350-yard gate work on November 19.

It's also worth noting that Jess You And I has won four races at this 440 distance, with all of those victories coming in Grade 1 stakes.

Chivalry SR has been a picture of consistency for the last year and a half. A 4-year-old gelding by Walk Thru Fire, Chivalry SR is coming off of a visually impressive 1 1/4-length victory in the first division of the 400-yard Z. Wayne Griffin Director's Stakes on November 19, a race in which he earned a 115 speed rating. Chivalry SR is relatively untested at the Champion of Champions distance, but he did run a close third to Jess You And I in the Los Al Invitational Championship.

One of only two 3-year-olds in the race, Miss Racy Jess appears to be peaking at the right time. A well-bred daughter of Mr Jess Perry and Miss Racy Vike, she has won three consecutive starts, including the 400-yard, $987,000 Los Alamitos Super Derby (G1) on November 6. Miss Racy Jess has won two races at the 440 distance, and she shows a pattern of improving speed ratings coming into this race.

Louisiana Senator has won three of his four races this season, including two of three at the tough Remington Park spring meet. The 5-year-old stallion by Jess Louisiana Blue is coming off of a 2 1/2-length victory as the 3-10 favorite in the 440-yard, $100,000 Refrigerator Handicap (G1) at Lone Star Park on October 1.

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Sunday's Los Alamitos Two-Million Futurity matches 10 2-year-olds vying for the winner's share of a stakes-record purse. The stakes record of :19.31 was set by Blues Girl Too in 2006.

Last To Fire, the fastest qualifier and 9-5 morning-line favorite, is our top selection. A brown gelding by Walk Thru Fire, Last To Fire is coming off of a three-length victory as the 6-5 favorite in the 13th of 14 trials on November 20, a race in which he earned a 107 TrackMaster speed rating. Last To Fire has won two of his last three outs, with his only setback being a close third-place finish in the 400-yard Golden State Million Futurity (G1) on October 30.

Last To Check Him won the 11th trial against a field that included two-time graded futurity winner Separate Fire and Kindergarten Futurity (G1) third-place finisher This Boogie Fires. The bay daughter of Check Him Out is a stakes winner, as she scored a head victory over state-breds in the July 30, $25,000 California Breeders' Freshman Fillies Stakes (R).

Second-fastest qualifier I Like The Odds has won two of three races at Los Alamitos after he'd chased the country's best 2-year-olds last summer at Ruidoso Downs. The sorrel gelding by Corona Cartel won his trial by a half of a length with a 101 speed rating, and his trainer, Joe “Bear” Bassett, sent out stakes-record holder Blues Girl Too to win this race five years ago.

Igotyourtac must also be respected, as this bay colt by Tac It Like A Man has won four of his last five starts, including the Golden State Million Futurity (G1) with a 107 TrackMaster speed rating. Igotyourtac's trainer, Paul Jones, has won this race twice, most recently with champion Good Reason SA in 2009.

Racing secretary Sam Abbey has received 39 nominations for the Orange Blossom, headed by defending champion Skyline Lover. In addition to winning last year's Orange Blossom, Skyline Lover won the 550-yard, $50,000 SLM Big Daddy Stakes (G3) at Remington Park on March 12.

The Sunshine State has drawn 34 nominees, including KT Makin A Tax Move, a 3-year-old Maknmoves gelding who has won three of his last four starts, including the $30,000 All American Congress Derby at Beulah Park in Ohio, and One Tough Dude, a 5-year-old gelding by Corona Cartel who is coming off of a half-length victory in the 400-yard, $75,000 Bradford Stakes at Hoosier Park in Indiana.

Entries for Hialeah Park's opening-day card will be drawn on Tuesday. The track's Quarter Horse meet runs through February 19, with live racing primarily on a Friday-Sunday schedule. For more information, including a complete stakes schedule, visit www.hialeahparkracing.com.

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Sunland Park opens its 77-day meet on Tuesday, and entries have been drawn for the track's first Quarter Horse stakes trials of the season.

Friday's 400-yard Sunland Park Winter Futurity (G2) trials have drawn 85 entries. Valle Guadiana Corporation's VGC Moon Walk, a colt by Walk Thru Fire who most recently ran third in the $200,000 Southwest Juvenile Championship (G1) at Zia Park on November 27, drew post 10 in the first of nine trials.

VGC Moon Walk also finished second, a half of a length behind winner Feature Mr Bojangles, in the $265,000 Hobbs America Futurity (G3) at Zia Park back in October.

Other prominent Winter Futurity hopefuls include Cypress City, the winner of the May 28 Heritage Place Juvenile Invitational Stakes at Remington Park; West Texas Futurity (G1) runner-up Get Gone Gol; Four Corners Futurity (G3) runner-up Executive Brass; and AQHA Ruidoso Juvenile Challenge (G3) runner-up Our First Corona.

The 10 fastest qualifiers will face off in the $50,000-added Sunland Park Winter Futurity final on December 30.

Also at Sunland, a total of 43 3-year-olds have been entered in Saturday's 400-yard Sunland Park Winter Derby (G2) trials, including graded stakes winners Prospect To The Top, Rockin, and Featured Tip. The 10 fastest qualifiers will meet in the $50,000-added final on December 30.

A colt by Coronas Prospect owned by Joel Tavarez and trained by Ralph Muniz, Prospect To The Top is coming off of a 1 1/4-length victory in the October 9, $155,000 Hobbs America Derby (G3) at Zia Park. He was entered in last Sunday's $150,000 Zia Park Championship (G1) but was scratched from that 440-yard stakes against older sprinters to point to the Winter Derby trials.

Rockin has earned $171,207 from 14 starts for his owners, S/M Cattle Export Co. and Jaime Dominguez, and his six wins include last year's $143,000 Mile High Futurity (G3) at Arapahoe Park. Featured Tip, a colt by Feature Mr Jess racing for Karen Diliam Quintana, won the April 29 AQRA Spring Derby at Turf Paradise, as well as last year's Grade 3 Prescott Valley and Yavapai Downs futurities.

Visitors to Sunland Park this season will be greeted by several capital improvements, including a remodeled paddock and a new infield video board. Sunland Park's meet runs through April 17, 2012, and more information can be found on the track's website at www.sunland-park.com.

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The Horse Racing Radio Network (HRRN) will provide special coverage of this week's Symposium on Racing and Gaming in Tucson, Arizona.

Coverage will begin on Tuesday and continue through Wednesday. Co-anchored by HRRN president Mike Penna and Jude Feld and sponsored by Keeneland, the two-hour shows will air live from 7-9 a.m. (PST), and they will be available via podcast on the HRRN site (www.horseracingradio.net) following each broadcast.

“I have attended the Symposium the past couple of years and have always thought it would be a great event to cover,” said Penna. “Many of racing’s most prominent industry professionals are in attendance to discuss topics that impact the sport on a daily basis.

“As HRRN continues to expand our reach, we pride ourselves on being able to provide coverage of racing’s biggest events, and the Symposium on Racing & Gaming is certainly one of those events,” he added.

Doug Reed, director of the University of Arizona Race Track Industry Program, said that this year's symposium will focus more than it ever has before on digital-age applications.

“In addition, guests will hear from many speakers outside the industry which will provide new and different ideas that can be implemented,” Reed added.

Each HRRN show will feature live interviews with special guests to discuss various industry issues being addressed at the symposium. A schedule of symposium events can be found on the University of Arizona RTIP site at www.ag.arizona.edu/rtip.

Run every year since 2006, the Zia Park Championship has traditionally closed the fall meet at the southeastern New Mexico track. Noconi holds the stakes record of :21.06, which he set last year.

Noconi, a specialist at this quarter-mile distance, is our top choice to successfully defend his Zia Park Championship title. A two-time AQHA champion, Noconi hasn't raced since September 4, when he won the Grade 2, 440-yard All American Gold Cup at Ruidoso Downs. The 6-year-old gelding by Mr Jess Perry has won six of his last seven starts, with his only set back coming against a tougher field in the May 28 Remington Park Invitational Championship (G1), and he has made the trifecta in 12 of his 14 races at the 440 trip.

Prospect To The Top, one of only two 3-year-olds in the Championship field, faces older runners for the first time, but the bay colt by Coronas Prospect has also shown an affinity for the 440 distance. Prospect To The Top is coming off of a visually impressive 1 1/4-length victory in the 440-yard, $155,000 Hobbs America Derby (G3) at Zia Park on October 9. Also, he earned a TrackMaster speed rating of 111 when he ran second to Llano Teller in the 440-yard, $1.3-million All American Derby (G1) at Ruidoso Downs.

A Spring Snow ran a close second to Double Chiseled as the 4-5 favorite in the November 6, 400-yard Lovington Stakes (G2). This 6-year-old gelding by champion This Snow Is Royal is two-for-four at the 440 distance.

A 20-1 morning-line longshot, Sir Seth is back at what might be his best distance. The sorrel 4-year-old stallion by First Down Dash has missed the trifecta in just one of his five 440 starts, and he is coming off of a 220-yard allowance-optional claiming victory on November 21.

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Sunday's stakes schedule also features the 870-yard, $67,200 Gold Rush Derby for 3-year-old Quarter Horses and Thoroughbreds at Los Alamitos. Our selection, fastest qualifier and morning-line favorite Warrens Heartthrob (TB), is a perfect 4-for-4 over the track, including his 1 3/4-length victory in the first of two trials on November 11.

Also worth a look is Double Kool, a gelding who figures to improve off of his third-place finish in the second trial, which marked his 870 debut. Double Kool is by Snowbound (TB) out of a Chicks Beduino mare, so he's bred to like the distance.

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Q-Racing Ace Jen Perkins and I will be guest instructors for this coming Monday's Night School session on HorseplayerNow.com. The topic will be Quarter Horse handicapping, and we will also discuss the two big upcoming stakes at Los Alamitos – the $750,000 Champion of Champions (G1) on December 10, and the $2-million Los Alamitos Two-Million Futurity (G1) on December 11.

Please join us at www.horseplayernow.com for what promises to be a lively and informative discussion. Class begins at 5:30 p.m. (PST).

Handle for the fall meet's racing reached $2.2 million, compared to $1.2 million last year.

Will Rogers Downs' spring Thoroughbred meet, which ran March 7-May 21, registered a 93-percent increase in off-track wagering and a 12-percent increase in on-track wagering. On April 4, the track posted a record one-day total handle of $958,163.

“This has been an outstanding year for horse racing at Cherokee Casino Will Rogers Downs,” said racing secretary Kelly Cathey. “It’s easy to look at the numbers and see the positive difference, but what doesn’t show on paper is the hard work and dedication our employees and horsemen put forth to achieve these great results.”

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Prairie Meadows Racetrack and the Iowa Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association are in the process of developing the state's first legal online wagering platform.

The advanced deposit wagering system is scheduled to be implemented before the 2012 Prairie Meadows Thoroughbred meet. The provider of the wagering platform to be used in the venture will be determined soon, but California-based Paladin Capital Partners and its principals, Chuck Champion and Gary Sproule, have already been selected to deploy and market the ADW system. Both Champion and Sproule were involved with the formation and growth of Youbet.com.

“Our two organizations share a vested interest in providing an outstanding customer experience,” said Prairie Meadows chief executive officer Gary Palmer in a statement. “Today, that means having a robust, vertically integrated online wagering platform to help attract new customers and generate the kind of revenue we need to sustain the quality of our racing products.”

“The partnership with Prairie Meadows has exciting prospects, and we're eager to work with the track to create a delivery channel that connects with the digital media generation,” added Iowa HBPA president Leroy Gessman. “Our interest is straightforward – the more successful Prairie Meadows is in engaging fans, the more successful we will be as owners and trainers which, in turn, will help the Iowa breeding industry.”

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Zia Park will end its 50-day season on Sunday with an 11-race program that includes the 440-yard, $150,000 Zia Park Quarter Horse Championship (G1).

Racing secretary Fred Hutton has received 21 nominations for the race, including Double Chiseled, a two-time graded stakes winner during the meet. A 5-year-old gelding by SC Chiseled In Stone racing for Top Roustabouts and Backhoe Service from the barn of Martin Orona Sr., Double Chiseled has scored victories in the 400-yard, $55,000 Lovington Stakes (G2) on November 6, and the 350-yard, $55,000 James Isaac Hobbs Stakes (G3) on September 17.

Other prominent nominees include 2009 AQHA world champion Freaky and two-time AQHA divisional champion Noconi. On September 11, Freaky scored a head win in the 400-yard, $100,000 Go Man Go Handicap (G1) at Los Alamitos, but the 6-year-old TR Dasher gelding was disqualified from the win following a positive test for Clenbuterol.

Noconi hasn't raced since September 4, when he scored a neck victory as the 2-5 favorite in the 440-yard, $40,000 All American Gold Cup (G3) at Ruidoso Downs. The 6-year-old gelding by Mr Jess Perry was the AQHA champion 3-year-old gelding in 2008 and the champion aged gelding last season.

Entries for Zia Park's closing-day program will be drawn on Tuesday.

The last stakes race of the season for distaffers in California, the Las Damas has a rich history that dates back to its first running in 1975, when Native Empress and Osage Rocket finished in a dead heat for the winner's share of a $16,550 purse. The 400-yard stakes record of :19.42 was set by Strength In Numbers in 2008.

Our top selection in this year's Las Damas is Sheza Bad Habit, a 4-year-old daughter of the Chicks Beduino stallion Looking For Chicks who has a number of handicapping angles going for her. For one, she has earned 103-plus TrackMaster speed ratings in two consecutive 400-yard stakes wins over the track, and she's won seven of her 12 starts at this distance and five of her 11 outs under the lights at Los Alamitos.

Fredaville ran second, a half of a length behind our top selection, in the 400-yard, $125,000 AQHA Distaff Challenge Championship (G1) on October 29. This 5-year-old daughter of Mr Jess Perry won two stakes during the tough Remington Park spring meet, including the 400-yard AQHA Remington Distaff Challenge.

Another contender who might provide some value is New Mexico shipper KR Dragonfly. Listed at 10-1 odds in the morning line, the 4-year-old mare by Separatist hasn't raced since October 1, when she scored a half-length victory over a good field in the Grade 3, 400-yard Lubbock Stakes at Zia Park – her defeated opponents in that race included Raise Ur Corona and Personal Glory, two 3-year-olds who ran one-two, respectively, in the September 5 Manuel Lujan Stakes at The Downs at Albuquerque. Also, KR Dragonfly shows recent wins off the shelf, and her trainer, Cody Joiner, wins at a 23-percent clip and shows a positive ROI off of a one-to-two month layoff.

Dash Back Perry fits against this field class-wise, but this 4-year-old mare by Mr Jess Perry might want more distance. Most recently, she ran second in the 440-yard Farnam Stakes on the AQHA Challenge Championship undercard, and she shows good 440 races against tougher competition last year in New Mexico and Texas.

With a total purse of $514,844, the LQHBA Futurity will be the richest Quarter Horse race in Louisiana this year. The race was first run in 1967, when a sorrel filly named Miss Flasholee earned the winner's share of a $11,300 purse. The LQHBA Futurity has been contested at three different distances – 3050, 400, and 440 yards – at three different tracks, including Delta Downs and Louisiana Downs. JLS Speed-Horse Ranch Inc.'s JLS Mr Bigtime holds the 400-yard stakes record of :19.411, which he set during his 1 3/4-length victory last season.

Our top selection, third-fastest qualifier Political Option, is coming off of a visually impressive 1 1/2-length victory in his trial on November 4, a race in which he easily defeated a field that included graded stakes winner Jessalittlecourage, a talented filly who earlier this year began her career with a four-race win streak. A gelding by champion Jess Louisiana Blue, Political Option ran third, a neck behind winner Mr Sonic Boom, in the September 24 LQHBA Sale Futurity (RG1) at Fair Grounds Racecourse.

Fastest qualifier Rapid Transit has improving TrackMaster speed ratings, which is a handicapping angle I like in 2-year-old races. This Dashin Bye gelding won his trial by three-quarters of a length with a 98 speed rating, and his trainer, Miguel Rodriguez, has been winning at a 23-percent clip and shows a positive ROI with his 2-year-old starters.

Second-fastest qualifier Toast To Patriot was a beaten favorite in Rapid Transit's trial victory. A sorrel gelding by Game Patriot, he is a well-regarded 2-year-old who has been favored in five of his seven starts, including his neck victory in the 300-yard Mardi Gras Futurity (RG2) at Louisiana Downs back in March.

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The Evangeline Downs Derby is unique for a 3-year-old stakes in that there were no trials held for it. This year's running drew an evenly matched field of 10 sophomores, including Wagon To Hollywood, the recent longshot winner of the Grade 2, $153,000 Dash For Cash Derby at Lone Star Park.

Our top selection, Givinitaroyaleffort, drops in class after running second to eventual Los Alamitos Super Derby (G1) winner Miss Racy Jess in an August 19 All American Derby (G1) trial at Ruidoso Downs. This sorrel colt by all-time leading sire First Down Dash also is returning to what might be his best distance, as he scored a 1 1/4-length victory despite trouble at the break in a 400-yard Texas Classic Futurity (G1) trial last year.

Awholeseparategame moves up in class following a second-place finish in a 350-yard non-winners-of-three allowance over the track on November 9. The Game Patriot gelding was coming off of an eight-month layoff, so he might have needed the out. Awholeseparategame also likes this longer distance, as he's made the trifecta in five of his six races at the trip.

Blue Rare Bear has raced consistently in his last eight starts dating back to November 2010. A gray gelding by the Rare Form stallion One Rare Bug, he ran a close second to Salty King Corona, who was collecting his fifth straight win, in an open 330-yard allowance dash on October 14.

Wagon To Hollywood shortens up in distance following his Dash For Cash victory at odds of 31-1, but this colt by PYC Paint Your Wagon must be respected in this spot. He earned a career-best 103 TrackMaster speed rating in that race, and his trainer, Heath Taylor, has been winning with 42 percent of his class droppers (from a 50-race sample).

Tycoon Jess is winless in six starts at this distance, but the Mr Jess Perry gelding is coming off of a 440-yard allowance victory at Lone Star Park on October 8. Tycoon Jess earned a solid 88 speed rating in that win, and his defeated opponents included next-out allowance winner The Field Cricket.

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Martha Clausen of the Q-Racing Aces will be at Evangeline Downs on Saturday, where she and track announcer John McGary will conduct a handicapping seminar before the races. She also will be distributing complimentary tip sheets and $2 wagering vouchers, while they last.

According to Canterbury Park president and chief executive officer Randy Sampson, the shutdown cost the company about $1 million per week in revenue over the 19 days. The company recorded a pre-tax loss of nearly $300,000, its worst third quarter since its card room opened 11 years ago.

Last week, Canterbury Park Holding Corp. announced net income of $230,132 on revenues of $10,917,762 for the three months ending September 30, compared to a net loss of $132,875 on revenues of $12,011,366 for the same period in 2010.

For the first three quarters ending of this calendar year, net income was $92,631 on revenues of $30,891,092, compared to a net loss of $1,153,485 on revenues of $31,253,858 for the same nine-month period last year.

During the state government shutdown, which occurred from July 1-20, revenues at Canterbury Park's card room decreased nearly 8 percent, and revenues on the track's parimutuel side dropped 17 percent.

For the first three quarters of 2011, Canterbury Park's parimutuel revenues decreased by 9.5 percent compared to the first three quarter of the previous calendar year. That was offset somewhat by a 2.3-percent increase in card club revenues when compared to the same period last year.

“Because the shutdown occurred during the heart of our live-racing season, we estimate that Canterbury Park lost as much as $1 million in revenue each week,” Sampson said. “While it’s impossible to determine the full effect of the shutdown, we do know that the financial impact was significant as the pre-tax loss of nearly $300,000 was the worst third quarter for Canterbury since our card room opened in 2000.

“I'd like to express my appreciation to our loyal employees, horsemen, and others who supported us during this difficult period,” he added. “We were able to reschedule several race days by extending the live meet through September 11, and we finished the 2011 meet with strong fan support, achieving record average daily attendance of 6,143.”

Sampson also continued to push for state approval to offer slots at Minnesota's two horse tracks, including Canterbury.

“Studies have shown that a racino would generate much-needed revenues for the state of Minnesota, while creating a significant number of jobs in the racing, hospitality and equine industries,” he said. “A racino would also enable Minnesota’s horse racing industry, which already employs several thousand individuals, to remain competitive and viable.”

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The Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission on Thursday approved a 67-day Thoroughbred meet for Prairie Meadows in 2012.

Prairie Meadows' season will run from April 20-August 11 and offer live racing four days a week on a Thursday-Sunday schedule. That schedule represents a change from recent years, during which the track raced Monday and Tuesday afternoons and Friday and Saturday evenings.

Prairie Meadows' $32-million hotel is scheduled to open by April 1, and track officials are hoping that the new schedule will help it draw fans who will stay for the entire weekend.

“We think it's an opportunity for people to come in for the weekend and see the races,” Prairie Meadows general manager Gary Palmer said. “With the hotel and convention center, people will have a reason to come.

"Sundays are our third-best (casino) day of the week,” he added. “It makes sense to do it. It's an opportunity to use our hotel to showcase our racing."

The commission deferred action on Prairie Meadows' 2012 quarter horse season until the track finds out if its bid to host the Bank of America Challenge Championships is accepted by the American Quarter Horse Association. If the track's bid is unsuccessful, its 26-day quarter horse season will run from August 17-October 6, with racing three to four days per week.

If Prairie Meadows gets the Challenge Championships, its season will run 27 days through October 27, with racing on just Fridays and Saturdays.

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A recent court victory has the Tohono O'odham Nation considering whether to go back to its original plan, which called for a much larger casino and adjoining amenities near Glendale, Arizona.

The November 7 edition of the Arizona Republic reported that the Arizona Supreme Court denied the City of Glendale's request to hear an appeal related to whether a third of the nation's 135 acres falls within the city's boundaries. The tribe initially had asked the federal government to take all the Glendale-area land it owns into the reservation system. However, during the annexation dispute, the tribe downsized its request to 54 acres.

The Tohono O'odham's original plan, which was unveiled in January 2009, included a 150,000-square foot casino, a 600-room hotel, and a three-acre glass enclosed atrium. A revised plan released earlier this year eliminated the atrium, downsized the hotel to 400-500 rooms, and reduced the casino to 54,750 square feet.

Although the annexation issue is now settled in the Tohono O'odham's favor, two other active lawsuits that aim to stop the project must still be resolved. The tribe's revised plan calls for the casino to be build at the corner of 95th and Northern Avenues, about eight miles southwest of Turf Paradise Racetrack.

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Officials from Les Bois Park in Idaho have announced that the track's 2012 meet will open on Kentucky Derby Day, May 2, and run for 36 days.

This year's Les Bois meet, which broke several single-day and average daily attendance records, was its first in three years and ran 15 days. The track is currently run by Treasure Valley Racing LLC, a partnership of local investors Jim Grigsby, Harry Bettis, Linda Yanke, and Larry Williams.

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Racing secretary Fred Hutton has received 19 nominations for Sunday's 870-yard, $55,000 King Rick Rack Stakes (G2) at Zia Park.

One of the distance specialists nominated, Bullets Brother, is fresh off of a half-length victory over state-breds in the $140,000 New Mexico Cup 870 Championship (R) on October 30. The 7-year-old gelding by Real Runaway races for Veronica O. Gonzalez and trainer Martin Orona Sr.

Another contender, Steve A. Holt's De Passem Okey, has won three 870-yard stakes this season, including the $77,400 Remington Distance Handicap (G3) on May 28. Get Er Done, an 8-year-old Holland Ease gelding, has won a pair of 870 stakes this year, including the Grade 3, $55,000 Herman Jefferson Stakes at Zia Park on October 15.

Entries for the King Rick Rack Stakes will be taken on Tuesday.

The purchase will be complete November 15. Previously, Les Bois Park Racing and Alabama Idaho each owned 50 percent of Treasure Valley Racing.

“We are currently in final preparations to expand the number of race days in 2012 and are looking at various alternatives to improve the overall experience for our customers and racing fans,” Grigsby said.

Last summer, Treasure Valley Racing held the first live race meet at Les Bois Park since '08.

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Wyoming Downs in Evanston will be auctioned on November 16.

The track, which is situated on 220 acres in southwestern Wyoming, opened in 1985, and it includes a 7 1/2-furlong dirt track, 860 stalls, and a grandstand that seats 2,100 spectators. The property will carry a suggested opening bid of $400,000.

During its heyday, Wyoming Downs conducted 30-day race meets and had an annual $6.5-million impact on the state's economy. The track is currently owned by Wyoming Entertainment. In 2010, Wyoming Entertainment president Eric Spector told the Uinta County Herald that Wyoming Downs would not be able to conduct live racing due to changes to minimum requirements for racing affecting the track's ability to carry simulcasting.

Spector also said the track was affected by declining available purse money and a declining local horse population.

For more information on the auction, visit https://www.cbremarketplace.com/listings/8349/default.aspx.

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Local attorney and radio personality Ron Rosenbaum is now the primary spokesman for Canterbury Park’s efforts to get a racino bill through the Minnesota state legislature.

That role had been filled by former state Sen. Dick Day, who left the Senate in January 2010 to lead Racino Now, the major lobbying effort for passing a bill that would allow the state's two racetracks, including Running Aces Harness Park, to add slot machines.

Day left Racino Now in October to form a new lobbying group, Day & Associates.

Rosenbaum said that although he will be the new spokesman for the group, he will not be a registered lobbyist on the issue at the Capitol. Advocates for racinos have claimed that they could generate $250 million per biennium for the state. They also note that racino would help the state’s horse-racing industry by allowing Canterbury Park and Running Aces to offer purses large enough to compete with other tracks across the country.

Advocates also say that benefits of racinos would be felt across rural Minnesota. Polls consistently have shown public support for racinos, but that support always has stopped at the doors of the legislative chambers.

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Churchill Downs Inc. reported net income of $19,780,000 in the third quarter of this year, up significantly from a $689,000 loss during the same period in 2010, according to financial results released on October 26.

Revenue in the quarter was a third-quarter record $166.3 million, up 13 percent compared to revenue during the third quarter of last year. Revenue was helped by the operation of a Mississippi casino that CDI purchased in December 2010, along with revenue growth for the company's account-wagering operation, TwinSpires.com.

CDI also recorded a one-time gain of $19.3 from a court-ordered distribution of money from a fund set aside for the racing industry from casinos in Illinois, where Churchill owns Arlington Park. Churchill recorded the gain in miscellaneous income, so that figure was not included in the record third-quarter revenue figure. However, without the release of the funds, which had been accruing for several years, Churchill's overall net income would have been $400,000.

Wagering through TwinSpires.com was up 4 percent during the third quarter, despite an overall 7-percent decline in U.S. handle during the quarter. CDI attributed the growth to an increase in new customers and an increase in average daily wagering from its customers through the online platform.

“It was a very good quarter, even when we exclude the impact of the Illinois Horse Racing Equity Trust Fund proceeds,” said CDI chairman Robert L. Evans. “Once again, the decline in net revenues and EBITDA—excluding those Trust Fund proceeds—in our Racing Operations was more than offset by significant gains in our Online and Gaming businesses. We used the resulting cash flow to pay down another $28.6-million in long-term debt during the third quarter, bringing our debt reduction for the first nine months of the year to $108.8-million.”

For the first nine months of this year, CDI has net income of $56.7 million on revenue of $547.6 million. Through the first nine months of 2010, the company had net income of $23.8 million on revenue of $448.1 million.

In addition to the Mississippi casino, Churchill operates casinos at its Calder Race Course in Florida and Fair Grounds racetrack in New Orleans.

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Canterbury Park is asking the Minnesota Racing Commission to approve a 62-day Thoroughbred and Quarter Horse meet for 2012. The request for the meet, which would run from May 18-September 3, will be considered by the commission during a public hearing on November 17, beginning at 3:30 p.m., at the Shakopee Police Dept. at 475 Gorman Street.

According to Canterbury Park's proposal, post time would be 7 p.m. on Thursdays and Fridays and 1:30 p.m. on Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays, with a special post time of 4 p.m. on July 3.

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Reigning AQHA champion aged gelding Noconi is one of 31 horses nominated to Sunday's 400-yard, $55,000 Lovington Stakes (G2) at Zia Park.

A homebred 6-year-old son of Mr Jess Perry racing for R.D. Hubbard, Noconi is coming off of a neck victory as the 2-5 favorite in the September 4, 440-yard All American Gold Cup (G3) at Ruidoso Downs. Noconi has earned $1,272,563 from 29 starts, and his 13 wins include last year's Lovington Stakes.

Noconi was also the champion 3-year-old gelding in 2008.

Entries for the Lovington Stakes will be drawn on Tuesday.

Post time for the first of 12 races will be 7 p.m. (PDT), with the first of the six Challenge Championship races is scheduled to go off at 9 p.m.

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Let's start our analysis of this year's Challenge Championship races with the 350-YARD, $75,000 PFIZER STARTER ALLOWANCE CHALLENGE CHAMPIONSHIP. Top selection Snow Patrol has won two consecutive races, including the September 4 Pfizer Emerald Downs Starter Allowance Challenge with a TrackMaster speed rating of 101. The consistent 6-year-old gelding has missed the trifecta only once in his last 12 outs. Watch Out Bambino was the beaten 7-5 favorite in the Pfizer Los Alamitos Starter Allowance Challenge on August 26, but a cleaner trip puts him in the hunt here. Don Bandido has been solid since he was claimed by his current connections for $5,000 back in June. Eyes Movin ran a close second to Snow Patrol at Emerald Downs. Another contender with consistent recent form, this 4-year-old gelding will be making his first start at Los Alamitos, but he has a solid 300-yard work over the track on October 21.

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A field of eight, including even-money favorite and our top choice Docs Dusty Okie, meet in the 870-YARD, $125,000 RED CELL DISTANCE CHALLENGE CHAMPIONSHIP (G1). Docs Dusty Okie ships in from Oklahoma, where the 4-year-old Okey Dokey Dale gelding has won five of his last six starts, including the October 2 Will Rogers Distance Challenge by nearly six lengths as the 7-10 favorite. Cat Five Storm will be making her first start since July 3, but the 4-year-old daughter of Panther Mountain shows two recent stakes wins off of a layoff. On June 12, she beat a field that included next-out stakes winner Leading Patriot in the 870-yard, $30,000 Virgil Bond Stakes at Delta Downs. Apollos First Down ran a close second as the odds-on favorite in the October 16 Turf Paradise Distance Challenge. The New Mexico-based 4-year-old Apollo (TB) gelding scored a 1 3/4-length victory in the 870-yard, $30,000 Special Hank Handicap at The Downs at Albuquerque on August 28.

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A quality field of 10 2-year-olds is entered in the 350-YARD, $150,000 JOHN DEERE JUVENILE CHALLENGE CHAMPIONSHIP (G1). Morning-line favorite Illegal Smile drops in class of of a third-place finish in the October 1, $500,000 PCQHRA Breeders' Futurity (G1). The sorrel gelding earned a 104 TrackMaster speed rating in that race, and he hasn't missed the trifecta in his last six starts, five of which have been at this 350 distance. Another class dropper, Sompin About First, ran second to eventual Dash For Cash Futurity (G1) winner Sixes Streak in an All American Futurity (G1) trial back in August. The First Down Dash colt has won three of his five races at Los Al, including Kindergarten (G1) and Ed Burke Million (G1) futurity trials. Baby I Like It won the June 18 Cherry Creek Futurity (RG3) at Arapahoe Park as the fastest qualifier. The colt has two good starts over the track, including a second-place finish to Red Dirt Bono in the 350-yard Autumn Handicap.

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The 400-YARD, $175,000 ADEQUAN DERBY CHALLENGE CHAMPIONSHIP (G1) has drawn a full field of 10 sophomores. Our top choice, T Gold J, won two races last summer at Prairie Meadows, including the September 2 Prairie Meadows Derby Challenge (G3) against a tough field that included next-out allowance winner Chicks Clever Way and 2010 John Deere Juvenile Challenge Championship (G2) winner Plain Brown Rapper. Feature Honor was campaigned at Ruidoso Downs last summer, where he defeated a field that included eventual Dash For Cash Derby (G1) runner-up Zoomandkicken in the $54,000 Ruidoso Derby Challenge. He's made the exacta in all four of his outs at this distance. Rockin will be making his first start under the lights, but this Grade 3 winner must be respected for his class and his six career wins in eight outs at this distance. Morning-line favorite Touch Of Paso is lightly raced at the distance, but the filly is coming off of a fast 300-yard non-winners-of-three allowance win against a group that included La Primera del Ano Derby (G2) runner-up Vivid Lady.

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Our top selection, Fovee, holds a class edge in the deep 400-YARD, $125,000 MERIAL DISTAFF CHALLENGE CHAMPIONSHIP (G1). A 4-year-old mare by Cuvee (TB), Fovee has won her last two races, including the Grade 1, 400-yard Mildred N. Vessels Memorial Handicap on September 17. Also, she has earned 100-plus TrackMaster speed ratings in her last four outs. Sheza Bad Habit earned a 104 speed rating in her three-quarter length victory against males in the 400-yard Blane Schvaneveldt Handicap. She ran a close third behind reigning champion aged mare Spit Curl Diva in this race last year. The 2009 champion aged mare, Stylish Jess BR, won the January 8 Charger Bar Handicap (G1) with a 112 speed rating. EBW Obsession ships in from Texas, where she won the October 1 Lone Star Distaff Challenge by a half of a length from Grade 3 winner Bertha Venation. Fredaville won three races, including two stakes, during the tough Remington Park spring meet.

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This year's 440-YARD, $350,000 BANK OF AMERICA CHALLENGE CHAMPIONSHIP (G1) offers a berth in the December 10, $750,000 Champion of Champions (G1) to its winner. Top choice Rylees Boy has won three consecutive races, all at this quarter-mile trip. The 6-year-old Heza Motor Scooter gelding is coming off of a victory against a tougher field in the May 28, $250,000 Remington Invitational Championship (G1). Another class dropper, Favorite Cartel, earned a 106 TrackMaster speed rating in his fifth-place finish in the October 9, 440-yard Robert L. Boniface Los Alamitos Invitational Championship (G1). Spit Curl Diva scored two convincing wins at Prairie Meadows, including the September 3 Prairie Meadows Championship Challenge (G2).

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Other handicapping aids are available for this year's Challenge Championships. The Q-Racing Aces have produced a four-page wagering guide that can be accessed at http://www.aqha.com/Racing/News-Articles/Q-Racing-Aces-in-California.aspx.

The Q-Racing Aces will also be on the second floor of the grandstand at Los Alamitos on Saturday night, where they will distribute betting vouchers and tip sheets. They will also appear with track handicapper Chris Wade for paddock previews and analysis of the six Challenge Championship races.

Portland Meadows' 2011-12 season runs through March 14, and it might mark the last time the track runs a meet during its traditional winter dates.. Track general manager Will Alempijevic said that Portland Meadows will shift to a July-November schedule beginning next year, pending approval from the Oregon Racing Commission.

“We've talked to the racing commission about (the schedule change), and I think there is excitement from all parties,” Alempejevic told Daily Racing Form on Friday. “While we can race in the winter when it's not unbelievably cold, it's not the best outdoor sporting event for the fan experience.”

For the 2011-12 season, Portland Meadows will conduct live racing on a Monday-Wednesday schedule through December and on a Monday and Wednesday schedule from January through closing day. The lone exception to this format is a live program on Sunday, December 11, Oregon Champions Day. There will be no live racing the following Tuesday of that week.

Portland Meadows' Quarter Horse stakes schedule includes the $21,000-est. Baxter Andruss Oregon-Bred Futurity (R) on November 7, and the $10,000-added Far West Futurity (R) on December 19.

For more information, visit the track's website at www.portlandmeadows.com

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Cesar Rosales' Speed Smith is one of 25 3-year-olds nominated to this Saturday's 400-yard, $75,000-added Quarter Horse Racing Association of Indiana Derby at Hoosier Park.

A Texas-bred colt by Prime Talent out of 1996 AQHA co-champion 2-year-old filly Speedy Empress, Speed Smith is coming off of a neck victory as the 3-5 favorite in the August 20 Indiana Stallion Derby at Hoosier Park. Prime Talent has won four of 12 races and has earned $43,786, of which $41,660 has been banked this season.

Other prominent sophomores nominated to the QHRAI Derby include Randy Thompson's Air Born Leader, the winner of the May 21 Born Runner Stakes (R) for state-breds at Indiana Downs; Bitter Sweet Song, a filly by Agouti who won the July 2 Blue River Derby (R) for Indiana-breds for owners Debbie Smith and Randy Haffner; and Jesus Gonzalez Jr.'s Tortuga Tony, the three-quarter length winner of the 350-yard Indiana Downs QHRAI Derby on July 2.

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Will Rogers Downs racing secretary Kelly Cathey has accepted 31 nominations for Saturday's $50,000-guaranteed Cherokee Challenge Stakes.

Trainer Eddie Willis has nominated three 3-year-olds to the 300-yard stakes, all of whom are the top three money-earning nominees in 2010-11, including James Sills and Gerald Swindell's Freighttrain B. A colt by PYC Paint Your Wagon, Freighttrain B has earned $390,909, and his eight wins in 15 outs include the March 19, $135,000 Oklahoma Derby at Remington Park.

Willis has also nominated Capo De Capi, a sophomore colt by Corona Cartel whose five wins this year include the May 28, $286,000 Heritage Place Derby (G2) at Remington, and the graded stakes winning Brimmerton filly Brimmies Alli Bi B.

Other Cherokee Challenge nominations include Williams Racing Stable Inc.'s WRS Special Shoe, Denis and Julie Schoenhofer's First Klas Fred, Mickey W. Tiner's Comin Thru, and Narciso Flores' Wagon To Hollywood.

Entries for the Cherokee Challenge will be drawn on Wednesday.

A full field of 10, including morning-line favorite Time For A Cigar, is set to meet in the 440-yard, $60,000-added Bank of America Turf Paradise Challenge Championship (G3), while another full field of 2-year-olds has been entered in the 350-yard, $20,000-added John Deere Turf Paradise Juvenile Challenge.

Also on Sunday, five distance specialists will meet in the $17,000-added Red Cell Turf Paradise Distance Challenge. The winners of these three races will earn berths in this year's Challenge Championships at Los Alamitos. Apollos First Down, a 4-year-old gelding by Apollo (TB) coming off of a victory in the August 28, 870-yard Special Hank Handicap at Albuquerque, is the 9-5 morning-line favorite.

We'll first take a look at the Bank of America Challenge Championship. Time For A Cigar is our overwhelming top choice here, as this 5-year-old Corona Cartel gelding is taking a big class drop after running a close second to two-time champion Noconi in the September 4 All American Gold Cup (G2) at Ruidoso Downs. While competing at the tough Ruidoso meet, Time For A Cigar recorded TrackMaster speed ratings of 100-plus in all three of his starts, including his victory in the 400-yard Mr Jet Moore Handicap (G3) back in August.

Kays Gunslinger ran a close second to the Grade 3-placed Ucallit in an open 350-yard allowance dash at SunRay Park on July 9. The 5-year-old gelding by Special Leader hasn't raced since then, but his past performances show a win off of a layoff, and he won the Turf Paradise Championship at this distance back in 2009.

Blue Piranha makes his 440 debut here, but this 5-year-old Fishers Dash gelding out of a Chicks Beduino mare is bred to handle the trip. Blue Piranha competed in Idaho last summer, where he posted a 105 TrackMaster speed rating in a 350-yard allowance victory at Sandy Downs.

A 3-year-old Country Chicks Man filly out of a First Down Dash mare, What I Want also has the pedigree to handle the 440 distance. What I Want hasn't raced since November 13, 2010, but the filly has made the trifecta in four of her five outs at Turf Paradise, and she sports a 220-yard work over the track in :11.70 on September 23, the fastest of 15 at the distance that day.

Another long-layoff contender, Mr Jess Velvet, makes his debut here for trainer Eloy Mendoza. Mr Jess Velvet is a 6-year-old Feature Mr Jess gelding out of a Heza Fast Man mare, so his pedigree fits this distance, and he's a contender if he's ready to fire after being on the shelf for 12 months.

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Fastest qualifier Featuresonora heads the field in the John Deere Turf Paradise Juvenile Challenge, but our top selection is Bux For Cocktail. A beaten favorite in the second of two trials on October 2, this gray daughter of the Shazoom stallion Zoomin For Bux began her career with four solid victories on the Intermountain circuit, including a three-quarter length victory in the 350-yard, $50,000 Elko Intermountain Futurity on September 5.

Hey Wont Ya Play is coming off of a third-place finish in the first trial, but the Snowbound (TB) gelding figured to need the start. Hey Wont Ya Play scored an impressive one-length victory in his career debut at Les Bois Park on August 6, and he prepped for his trial with a :12.20 220-yard gate work at Los Alamitos on September 13, the second-fastest of 36 at the distance that day.

Featuresonora outran his nearly 20-1 odds to win the second trial with an 86 speed rating. The black gelding by Feature Mr Jess was coming off of a four-month layoff in that race, so he figures to improve off of the out.

Bringin It On ran a good second to Featuresonora in the second trial. A gelding by 2007 AQHA champion sophomore colt FDD Dynasty, Bringin It On competed at Arapahoe Park last summer, where he was a finalist in the 350-yard, $100,000 Rocky Mountain Futurity (G3).

The October 7 edition of the Sequoyah County Times reported that Oklahoma Quarter Horse Racing Association executive director Debbie Schauf recently met with a group of horsemen and local business owners near the shuttered track in Sallisaw.

Schauf told horsemen that reopening the track would be an uphill battle involving money and changing rules through legislation, but she added, “I think it will happen if you get your ducks in a row.”

The group agreed to begin with a 10-day meet, and it will put together a business plan to present to the Cherokee Nation, the owner of Blue Ribbon Downs. The racetrack is currently being leased to an outside party for use as a training facility, and many of the horsemen who attended the recent meeting train their horses there.

Tony Venters, a real estate agent in Sallisaw, told the meeting that the Cherokee Nation would be responsive to reopening the track for live racing. But, he added that Cherokee Nation Industries president David Stewart told him that the nation would first like to see a business plan, and it has no interest itself in conducting a live meet at Blue Ribbon Downs.

Scahuf warned the horsemen that racing by the present rules and under the jurisdiction of the Oklahoma Horse Racing Commission would cost about $56,000 per month, just to meet the rules and regulations.

Schauf urged horsemen to work with their local state legislators – Rep. John Bennett (R-Sallisaw) and Sen. Mark Allen (R-Spiro) – both of whom have supported the reopening of the track. She suggested that the legislators could seek changes to state law, which would allow a 10-day non-pari-mutuel meet at Blue Ribbon Downs.

Schauf invited the horsemen to the next OQHRA board meeting to discuss the possibilities of a short race meet. The meeting will be held on October 18 at Heritage Place in Oklahoma City.

Blue Ribbon Downs opened in the early 1960s, and in 1984 it became the first track in Oklahoma to offer pari-mutuel racing. Several prominent Quarter Horses have raced at Blue Ribbon, including 1969 AQHA world champion Easy Jet, who won his first two starts there. The track held its last live races in November 2009.

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Former Minnesota State Senator Dick Day (R-Owatonna) has stepped down from his position with the group Racino Now, which to date has lobbied unsuccessfully for legislation to allow slot machine-gaming at the state's two racetracks, including Canterbury Park in Shakopee.

Day is forming a lobbying group called Day and Associates, which will be based in Eagan. He served six terms in the senate before he resigned his seat in January 2010 to become president of Racino Now.

"I have been approached by many people asking for my assistance with their issues over at the Capitol," Day said in a news release. "While I enjoyed working with Racino Now and accomplished the goal of raising public awareness for the issue, I feel that it's time to take on new issues and new challenges in St. Paul. I wish Racino Now well in passing their issue next session."

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The parent company of Hoosier Park Racetrack and Casino in Anderson, Indiana, has officially emerged from bankruptcy.

A newly structured company, Indianapolis-based Centaur Holdings LLC, has taken over ownership from parent Centaur Inc. The Indianapolis Business Journal reported last Tuesday that the court approved Centaur's original reorganization plan in February, but several steps had to take place before the plan went into effect.

One of those steps was approval of transferring the gambling license and racing permit from the old to the new Hoosier Park, transfers that have been approved by both the Indiana Gaming Commission and Indiana Horse Racing Commission.

As part of the bankruptcy settlement, Centaur sold off gambling properties in Colorado and Pennsylvania. The company's holdings now include Hoosier Park and Casino, and off-track wagering sites in Indianapolis, Fort Wayne, and Merrillville.

Hoosier Park is currently in the midst of its Thoroughbred and Quarter Horse meet, which runs through October 23. John Keeler, Centaur's general counsel, said the public likely will not notice a change under the facility's new ownership.

“During bankruptcy, Hoosier Park has continued to put out the same quality product – they haven’t laid off any employees,” Keeler said. “At the end of this bankruptcy process, Centaur is still an Indianapolis-based company, with Indianapolis-based and experienced management.”

Hoosier Park, like Indiana Downs and its Indiana Live Casino in Shelbyville, has struggled under massive debt loads since borrowing to pay $250 million in state licensing fees to add slot machines and other electronic games three years ago. That expense has been labeled as a key contributing factor in Centaur’s bankruptcy.

Indiana Downs and Indiana Live filed for bankruptcy in April and remain in bankruptcy proceedings.

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A state appeals court has upheld a lower court ruling that allows Hialeah Park to build and operate a slot-machine casino.

Barring an appeal to the Supreme Court of Florida by the suit's plaintiffs – Miami Jai-Alai, Magic City Casino (formerly Flagler Greyhound), and Calder Casino and Race Course – the October 6 ruling by Judge Marguerite Davis of the First District Court of Appeal clears the way for Hialeah Park to move forward with its plans to build a $150-million casino.

In her ruling, Judge Davis wrote that the Florida legislature did not violate the Florida Constitution in 2010 when it passed a law that authorized a casino for Hialeah Park, reaffirming a ruling by the Second Judicial Circuit Court in Tallahassee in November 2010.

Hialeah Park opens its third annual Quarter Horse meet on December 10.

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Steve Holt's De Passem Okey is one of five distance specialists entered in Saturday's 870-yard, $55,000 Herman Jefferson Stakes (G3) at Zia Park.

A 5-year-old gelding by Okey Dokey Dale, De Passem Okey is the reigning AQHA distance champion. He has won four of his five races this season, and seven of his last nine outs dating back to September 2010. He is coming off of a three-length victory as the 1-5 favorite in the $25,000 Covered Bridges Stakes at Prairie Meadows on September 24.

De Passem Okey's opponents include Flyin Fish, a 3-year-old Fishers Dash gelding owned by Double Eagle Ranch and Buena Suerte Equine and coming off of a 870-yard non-winners-of-three allowance at Zia Park, and Martin Orona Sr.'s Get Er Done, an 8-year-old gelding by Holland Ease who won the June 18, $50,000 SunRay Park Marathon Handicap.

Saturday's card at Zia Park includes trials for the New Mexico Cup Futurity (RG2). A total of 64 state-bred 2-year-olds are entered in seven 400-yard trials. Osbaldo, a homebred gray colt by Jesse James Jr, drew post two in the fifth heat. Osbaldo has earned $232,006 from seven starts, and he opened his career with a six-race win streak that included two graded stakes.

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Evangeline Downs racing secretary Coleman Lloyd has received 17 nominations for Saturday's 350-yard, $30,000 Billy Montgomery Stakes (RG3) for Louisiana-bred fillies and mares.

Jes A Game, Jess Big Time, and La Mos Chingono, the top three finishers, respectively, in the September 10 Audubon Stakes (R) at Fair Grounds, top the list of nominees. A 5-year-old Game Patriot mare owned by Tony Doughtie and trained by Kenneth Roberts Sr., Jes A Game has won two of her three races this season, including the 400-yard, $70,000 Vals Fortune Stakes (RG3) at Delta Downs on June 11.

Jess Big Time has won or finished second in all nine of her starts for her owner, Terry Bell. The sorrel 3-year-old daughter of Bigtime Favorite has won five races, including the July 3, $60,000 Flashy Hemp Stakes (RG3) for state-bred distaffers at Delta Downs on July 3.

A 4-year-old Heza Fast Dash mare racing for Oscar Rohne, La Mos Chingono finished just a neck behind Jes A Game in the Audubon Stakes. The mare has won four of 10 outs, including last year's $100,000 Who Dat Derby (R) at Fair Grounds, and she has earned $143,700.

Entries for Saturday's Evangeline Downs program will be taken on Wednesday.

Both of these stakes began in 1997, with the Dash For Cash Futurity first attaining Grade 1 status in '98, the year it was won by AQHA champion 2-year-old filly Deelish. Past winners of the Futurity include AQHA champion 2-year-old filly Deelish (1998). Tempting Dash, the sport's champion 2-year-old colt two years ago, holds the stakes record at :19.37.

Sixes Streak, the fastest qualifier by far, is our top choice for this year's Dash For Cash Futurity. A bay gelding by Streakin Sixes, Sixes Streak has won four races and has made the exacta in all of his six outs, and he earned a TrackMaster speed rating of 107 when he won the second of 13 trials by two lengths on September 24.

Third-fastest qualifier Texasindependencegal has been made the early 5-2 favorite by morning-line maker Rick Lee, and for good reason. This bay filly by the Corona Cartel stallion Mr Ottyes boasts a six-race win streak that includes stakes victories at Gillespie and Delta Downs. Texasindependencegal has been favored in her last five outs, and her trainer, Toby Keeton, won this race three years ago with Show Me Your Toole.

Another streaking 2-year-old, Get Gone Gol has been a prompt favorite in his last three starts. Earlier this year, this sorrel Gol gelding won two of three races during the deep Sunland Park meet, with his only defeat being a second-place finish to Valiant War Hero in the $253,004 West Texas Futurity (G1). Get Gone Gol's trainer, Leon Bard, has been winning at a 41-percent clip with his 2-year-old starters.

Fifth-fastest qualifier Algorithmic is one of three finalists from the barn of two-time Dash For Cash Futurity-winning trainer John Buchanan. A brown colt by Ivory James, Algorithmic defeated Ruidoso Futurity (G1) winner Sammy James by one length in his Dash For Cash trial, his first 400-yard out.

Executive Miss Dash is a sorrel daughter of the Chicks Beduino stallion Executive Menace who defeated Grade 2 winner JLS Party Wagon by 1 ¼ lengths in her trial. Executive Miss Dash began her career with three consecutive wins before her streak was broken with a close runner-up finish to Pandorum in the 350-yard, $89,000 John Deere Sam Houston Juvenile Challenge (G3) on May 14.

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The Dash For Cash Derby first reached Grade 1 status in 1999, and its past winners include champions Dashing Perfection ('97), Significant Speed ('00), and 2003 AQHA world champion Oak Tree Special. The stakes record of :21.267 was set by Fishin CR last season.

Our top selection, fastest qualifier Zoomandkicken, is coming off of an easy two-length victory in a strong trial that included 2010 champion 2-year-old American Runaway and graded stakes winner Freighttrain B. The sorrel gelding by Azoom has won three of his last four starts, with his only loss during the streaking being a second-place finish to Feature Honor in the July 2, 400-yard AQHA Ruidoso Derby Challenge.

A 12-1 morning-line longshot, Freighttrain B must also be respected, especially by those looking for price plays. This brown colt by PYC Paint Your Wagon was the beaten favorite in his trial, a race which marked his first in four months and his first at the 440 distance. Freighttrain B won four races as the favorite during the tough Remington Park meet, including the 350-yard, $135,000 Oklahoma Derby.

Eyes Blew By You and Texas Icon ran one-two in their Dash For Cash trial. A gray gelding by Mr Eye Opener, Eyes Blew By You has a three-race win streak that includes the 400-yard, $70,000 TQHA Sires' Cup Derby (RG3) at Retama Park, an out in which he earned a TrackMaster speed rating of 105, and in which his defeated opponents included the Grade 2-placed Jakes Charming Jody.

Texas Icon was making his first career start at Lone Star, after he had chased some of the sport's best sophomores at Ruidoso Downs and Remington Park. The bay Corona Cartel colt's stakes resume this season includes a close second-place finish to Capo De Capi in the Grade 2, $286,000 Heritage Place Derby at Remington.

Another longshot worth looking at is third-fastest qualifier Wagon To Hollywood, one of two finalists qualified by two-time Dash For Cash Derby-winning trainer Heath Taylor (Texas Icon is the other). This PYC Paint Your Wagon colt won his trial, which marked his first 440 start, and his defeated opponents included Retama Park Derby winner Fly Corona.

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This Saturday will be a busy day for the Q-Racing Aces, as Denis Blake will be at Fort Erie, John Hernandez will be at Hoosier Park, and Martha Claussen will be at Lone Star Park.

Located in southern Ontario, just across the border from Buffalo, New York, Fort Erie opens its six-day Quarter Horse meet on Saturday. The 10-race program features three stakes, including the $150,000 Ontario Jackpot Futurity and $150,000 Ontario Jackpot Derby.

Hernandez's visit to Hoosier Park will mark the Q-Racing Aces' first-ever trip to that track. Hoosier Park is in the midst of its 52-day Thoroughbred and Quarter Horse meet, but Saturday's 11-race card is all Quarter Horse and includes two $100,000 stakes restricted to Indiana-breds, the 350-yard Sterlie Bertram Memorial for 2-year-olds, and the 400-yard Hoosier Park Classic for 4-year-olds and older.

Claussen's handicapping seminar at Lone Star Park will include an analysis of the Dash For Cash Futurity and Dash For Cash Derby.

One of the two richest races for older Quarter Horses in the state of Texas, the Refrigerator is named in honor of the sport's world champion in 1992 and '93. The race has been run at its current location every year since 1997, and it first achieved Grade 1 status in '03. The current stakes record of :21.117 was set two years ago by Juan Esquivel's Streakin Cherry.

This year's Refrigerator has drawn a field of six, including Louisiana Senator. The 4-5 morning-line favorite and our top selection, Louisiana Senator is coming off a second-place finish against a tougher field in the 440-yard, $250,000 Remington Park Invitational Championship (G1) back in May. This 5-year-old stallion by Jess Louisiana Blue won two graded stakes at the Remington meet, including the March 6, $50,000 Eastex Handicap (G2) off of a 10-month layoff, so he should be able to handle this four-month break.

Six Toast is an 8-1 morning-line longshot, but this 4-year-old Toast To Dash stallion most recently won the November 19, 400-yard Wrangler Stakes on the Bank of America Challenge Championship undercard at Fair Grounds Racecourse – in that race, he defeated next-out Evangeline Derby winner Shake Em Special Pop by an easy 1 3/4-lengths. According to TrackMaster stats, Six Toast's trainer Toby Keeton has won with four of his last nine starters coming off of a layoff of six months or more.

Another morning-line longshot worth a look is the 5-year-old Corona For Me gelding Nocona Mafia, who comes out of a strong 440-yard allowance race at Will Rogers Downs. Back in May, the gelding won the 400-yard Boyd Morris Memorial Stakes (R) at Remington Park, and although that race was restricted to state-breds, his defeated opponents included next-out stakes winner Fast Flung Floyd and Looks Royal, an open 350 allowance win during the Remington meet.

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Saturday's Quarter Horse stakes schedule also features the 350-yard, $500,000 PCQHRA Breeders' Futurity (G2) at Los Alamitos, a race that began at the Los Angeles County Fair in Pomona in 1982. Its past winners include AQHA champions Indigo Illusion (1983) and Hawkish ('03). Marcelo Jorge's The Goodbye Kisser holds the stakes record of :17.212, which she set last year.

Long Gone is one of four finalist from the barn of high-percentage trainer Adan Farias, and this TR Dashers colt is our top selection. The fastest qualifier and 7-5 morning-line favorite, Long Gone is coming off of a 1 3/4-length victory as the odds-on favorite in the third of 11 trials, and his defeated opponents included Whata Corona Runner, a Corona Cartel colt who ran a close third behind eventual qualifiers Lethal Volt and Mr Ease 123 in an All American Futurity (G1) trial on August 18.

Also, Long Gone has earned TrackMaster speed ratings of 100 in his last two outs, both at this 350 distance, but he was disqualified from first and placed ninth in one of those races, the July 30, $466,000 Governor's Cup Futurity (RG1).

Second-fastest qualifier Kindly Fellow, another son of TR Dasher, won the second trial by a half of a length with a 99 speed rating. The gelding ran second, a neck behind $605,000-earner Separate Fire, in the 350-yard Ed Burke Million Futurity (G1) back in June.

Value players might want to take a look at seventh-fastest qualifier and 20-1 morning-line longshot Natalie Dash. This sorrel daughter of all-time leading sire First Down Dash and Grade 2 finalist A Tempting Dash won the 11th trial by a half of a length while defeating a field that included Governor's Cup Futurity (RG1) runner-up This Partys Fire and last-out maiden winner Dollar Or More. Natalie Dash will also benefit from her post draw, which puts her right between our top two selections.

Ima Chickie Two, has won three of her last four outs. The third-fastest qualifier, this gray daughter of the late Chicks Beduino was the fastest qualifier to the Governor's Cup, but she took the brunt of the trouble when Long Gone lugged out about 100 yards from the wire, and she placed eighth in the final.

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Prairie Meadows ends its summer Quarter Horse meet on Saturday, and Q-Racing Aces Jen Perkins and John Hernandez will be there. On Saturday, the Aces will be co-hosting a free handicapping seminar, beginning at 5:30 p.m. They will also be handing out free tip sheets and $2 wagering vouchers, courtesy of AQHA, on both Friday and Saturday.

Prairie Meadows' nine-race closing-night card features six stakes.

Lone Star Park at Grand Prairie will hold a 53-day Thoroughbred meet from April 12-July 8, followed by a 26-day Quarter Horse meet from September 14-November 10.

Retama Park near San Antonio will open its 2012 live racing calendar with a 20-day Quarter Horse meet from June 8-August 12, and that will be followed by a 26-day Thoroughbred season from October 5-December 29.

Sam Houston Race Park will host a 31-day Thoroughbred meet from January 20-March 12, followed immediately by a 27-day Quarter Horse stand from March 22-May 19.

The Gillespie County Fair Association will hold its annual eight-day mixed meet in Fredericksburg on alternate weekends in July and August. The track will conduct live racing on July 7-8 and 21-22 and August 11-12 and 25-26.

Also on the calendar are dates for licensed tracks that have not yet been built. Laredo Race Park is scheduled to conduct an eight-day mixed meet from August 3-25, Longhorn Downs in Austin is slated for an 18-day mixed meet from July 20-August 26, and Valle de los Tesoros in McAllen has dates for a six-day Quarter Horse meet in late August.

In total, the 223 dates granted by the Texas Racing Commission consist of 110 days of Thoroughbred racing, 79 days of Quarter Horse racing, and 34 days of mixed-meet racing. This represents a 3-percent decrease in the number of dates (231) scheduled to be run this year.

The 2013 dates granted by the commission include an eight-day mixed meet in July and August for the Gillespie County Fair Association, and a six-day Quarter Horse season at Valle de los Tesoros.

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Also in Texas, the Gillespie County Fair's 2011 meet concluded on August 28, and it registered an increase in handle despite a decrease in attendance.

A total of $1,246,006 was wagered on Gillespie's live races, which was nearly 3 percent more than the handle recorded the previous year. Total attendance reached 14,083, down 1 percent from 2010.

The meet's richest race, the 350-yard, $132,850 Gillespie County Fair Futurity (G3) on closing day, was won by Mr Sonic Boom, a homebred Easy Winning Jet gelding owned and trained by Lance Moore. Last weekend, Mr Sonic Boom won the $276,833 LQHBA Sale Futurity (RG1) at Fair Grounds Racecourse in New Orleans.

Eliazar Vera was the Gillespie meet's leading rider with six winners from 20 starts. Edelmiro Carrizales led all trainers with four winners from 11 starters.

Carrizales was also co-leading owner with Paul and Marianne Phillips.

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The Montana Board of Horse Racing will be hosting a meeting and strategic planning session in Helena on Thursday, October 6. The meeting will be held at the Montana Lottery Building, beginning at 9 a.m.

Montana's 2011 racing season ended on September 18, as attendance reached 5,318 for closing day of the Yellowstone Downs meet in Billings.

Yellowstone Downs' daily averages of 3,957 for attendance and $87,034 for handle were up over last year. According to the Billings Gazette, the track's average handle increased around $12,000, despite a tough local economy.

Horse racing in Montana has fallen on tough times recently, as the tracks at Great Falls and Missoula failed to host live racing this year. Still, Montana Board of Horse Racing executive secretary Ryan Sherman and chairman C.A. “Al” Carruthers are optimistic about the future.

“It's a positive sign,” Sherman said of the successful Yellowstone Downs meet. “If we have the funding available next year, it would be nice to see those (other racing) communities come back.

“We're hearing a lot out of Great Falls and Missoula that groups are forming to bring racing back,” he added.

“We're going to work really hard on Missoula and Great Falls,” Carruthers said. “The meeting in Helena (on October 6) is going to be all about next year's racing in Montana.”

For more information on the meeting and strategic planning session, contact the Montana Board of Horse Racing at (406) 444-4287.

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In Arizona, the trustee overseeing the federal bankruptcy case of Yavapai Downs Racetrack has filed a civil suit against the track's board of directors and two of its former top employees.

The suit, which accuses the board and former employees of breach of fiduciary duty and negligence, was filed by trustee Brian Mullen on September 9 against former track general manager Gary Spiker, former track finance director Sharon Fischer, Yavapai County Farm & Agriculture Association board members Jeff Wasowicz, Rod Cordes, and Kevin Keighron; and former board members Laurie Boaz, Phil Bybee, and Charles Krause.

According to the Prescott Daily Courier, the suit accuses the board of “failing to properly oversee day-to-day operations of debtor” (the Farm & Ag Association), and “failing to implement reasonable and necessary financial controls,” among other things.

The suit accuses Fischer of misrepresenting the association's finance and accounting practices, and it accuses Spiker of breaching his supervisory obligations.

Wasowicz, who chairs the Farm & Ag Association, told the newspaper that he had not been served with the suit as of September 16.

“I completely disagree with everything in there,” he said after hearing a description of the allegations against the board.

The Farm & Ag Association canceled this summer's Yavapai Downs race meet in May, just a few days before it was scheduled to begin. The fair board under the association also canceled this year's Yavapai County Fair because of the bankruptcy.

Wasowicz has told the Daily Courier that at least one group of investors is interested in taking over the racetrack.

The Farm & Ag Association's largest creditor is the U.S. Government, which granted a $14.5-million loan for the construction of the racetrack and grandstands. According to the association's bankruptcy filings, its debt exceeds $500,000 to other creditors, including Coconino County, which was forced to cancel its county fair race meet in July because the association didn't pay Coconino its share of revenues from last year's races.

Fair Grounds' closing-day card includes four stakes, topped by the 350-yard, $276,833 Louisiana Quarter Horse Breeders' Association Sale Futurity (RG1) for state-bred 2-year-olds. The other stakes scheduled for Saturday are the 350-yard, $48,852 LQHBA Sale Invitational Stakes (R) for state-bred 2-year-olds; the 350-yard, $30,000 Fair Grounds Bonus Challenge Stakes for 3-year-olds and older; and the 330-yard, $30,000 De Saix Stakes for 2-year-olds.

The history of the LQHBA Sale Futurity dates back to 1984, when the race was known as the Louisiana Breeders' Sale Futurity and was contested at 400 yards at Evangeline Downs. The stakes first attained graded status six years later. Teddy Abrams Jr.'s Vals Fortune holds the 350-yard stakes record of :17.31, which the gelding set during his AQHA champion 2-year-old campaign of 2003.

This year's LQHBA Sale Futurity features an evenly matched field of 10, including fastest qualifier The Real Game. However, our top selection is fourth-fastest qualifier Mr Sonic Boom. A sorrel gelding by the Runaway Winner stallion Easy Winning Jet, Mr Sonic Boom has won three consecutive races by an average margin of nearly two lengths. Also worth noting is that in August Mr Sonic Boom competed against open company in Texas, where he earned a TrackMaster speed rating of 101 in his 1 3/4-length victory in the 350-yard, $133,000 Gillespie County Fair Futurity (G3).

The Real Game must also be respected, as this Game Patriot gelding has failed to make the trifecta in only one of his six starts. The Real Game won the 10th of 12 LQHBA Sale Futurity trials with a 91 speed rating on September 9, and his stakes resume includes a second-place finish to Little Bit Trashy in the 350-yard, $458,000 Lee Berwick Memorial Louisiana Bred Futurity (RG1) at Delta Downs.

Second-fastest qualifier Toast To Patriot ran second as the favorite in The Real Game's trial, but the Game Patriot gelding was coming off of a four-month layoff, so he might have needed the out. Toast To Patriot won the March 8 Mardi Gras Futurity (RG2) at Louisiana Downs in just his second start.

Racing at Delta Downs last summer, Little Bit Trashy assembled a three-race win streak that included the Lee Berwick Futurity. This Game Patriot gelding has earned $249,464 to top all Sale Futurity finalists.

Coors Select has an excellent race record that includes a one-length win in the 350-yard, $60,000 Louisiana Juvenile Stakes (R) at Delta Downs. The sorrel gelding by 2003 world champion Oak Tree Special also ran second, a half of a length behind winner Rakin In Romeo, in the $233,000 Louisiana Breeders' Laddie Futurity (RG2) back in May.

Stolen Identity gets his first class test here, but this bay colt by Identity Theft came off of a three-month layoff to win the 11th trial by a half of a length as the 9-10 favorite. Stolen Identity is undefeated in three outs, with one of his victories coming in a June 11 open allowance at Delta Downs – in that 250-yard sprint, his defeated opponents included recent Fair Grounds allowance winner Sstrickortreat.

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The Q-Racing Aces are on the road again this weekend. Martha Claussen will be at Fair Grounds on Saturday, where she will offer her analysis of all 13 races, including the LQHBA Sale Futurity. Also at Fair Grounds on Saturday will be the inaugural “Street Fare Derby,” which features food trucks from throughout New Orleans and live music.

Q-Racing Ace Pete Aiello will be at Will Rogers Downs in Claremore, Oklahoma, on Saturday, where he will co-host a handicapping seminar with track announcer Jesse Ullery beginning at 10:30 a.m. Will Rogers Downs' 12-race card gets underway at 12 noon (CDT).

Lone Star will offer 17 stakes for Quarter Horses, Paints and Appaloosas, and Arabians. The Quarter Horse schedule includes four Grade 1 stakes – the 400-yard, $100,000 Refrigerator Handicap on October 1; the 400-yard, $500,000-est. Dash For Cash Futurity on October 8; and the 440-yard, $400,000-est. Texas Classic Derby and 400-yard, $1 million-est. Texas Classic Futurity on closing night, November 12.

Lone Star Park will present live racing on a Thursday-Saturday schedule. First post time each night will be 6:35 p.m. For more information, including a complete stakes schedule, visit the track's website at www.lonestarpark.com.

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The Arizona Quarter Racing Association has canceled its 2011 Fall Mixed Sale, which was scheduled for the Pima County Fairgrounds in Tucson on October 15.

A letter signed by AQRA president Ralph Fales cited a 50-percent decrease in consignments from 2010 as the reason for the cancellation.

“Our concern is that, without a strong catalog, we could not attract enough buyers for your horses to bring fair market value,” the letter stated.

To accommodate those breeders wanting to get their yearlings eligible for the 2012 Desert Classic Futurity (RGX) at Turf Paradise, the AQRA is offering the following options: The progeny of any stallion on the Desert Classic Futurity list from 2008-12 is eligible for next year's Futurity; any Quarter Horse yearling that pays a one-time fee of $2,500 on or before November 1, 2011, plus all payments; and any Quarter Horse yearling that pays a one-time fee of $10,000 after November 1, up until entry time, plus all payments.

For more information, visit the AQRA website at www.azqra.org, or contact executive director Loretta Brasher at (602) 625-0468.

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A total of 14 distance specialists have been nominated to this Saturday's 870-yard, $25,000 Covered Bridges Stakes at Prairie Meadows.

The list is topped by Steve A. Holt's De Passem Okey, a 5-year-old gelding by Okey Dokey Dale and the reigning AQHA champion distance horse. The winner of last year's $125,000 AQHA Distance Challenge Championship (G1) at Fair Grounds Racecourse, De Passem Okey has won three of four races this season, including the $77,400 Remington Distance Handicap (G3) on May 28, and the $26,370 Red Cell Prairie Meadows Distance Challenge on September 2.

Other accomplished Covered Bridges nominees include recent Prairie Meadows 870 allowance winners Ice On The Lake and Ice Coal, and Prairie Meadows Distance Challenge runner-up LFR Simply The Best.

Entries for the Covered Bridges will be drawn on Tuesday.

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Also, Will Rogers Downs racing secretary Kelly Cathey has received 15 nominations for the second running of the 400-yard, $20,000 Charlie Claborn Memorial Stakes for distaffers on Sunday.

Nominee Dalts Money Maker, a 3-year-old daughter of First Smart Money racing for Hipolito Pina, has won two consecutive races, including the 400-yard, $71,700 Oklahoma Bred Derby (R) on September 10.

Charles and Cynthia Warren's Pica Wild Rose, a homebred sophomore filly by the Bolger (TB) stallion Thingamajig (TB), won 300- and 400-yard allowance races last spring at Remington Park. Nominee The Dashing Attitude, a 5-year-old mare by Streak And Dash owned by Alona James, won the April 23, $27,500 Easy Date Handicap (R) for Oklahoma-breds at Remington.

Entries for the Charlie Claborn will be drawn Thursday.

The James Isaac Hobbs was first contested in 2005, and the stakes first achieved its Grade 2 status two years later. Rosa M. Guevara's Strike It Quick holds the stakes record of :17.157, which he set last season.

Strike It Quick is back for this year's running, and the 5-year-old Royal Quick Dash gelding is our top selection. Strike It Quick hasn't raced since March 26, when he ran seventh against a tougher field in the $100,000 Leo Handicap (G1) at Remington Park. The gelding won this race last year off of a 2 1/2-month layoff, so the time off shouldn't be a problem on Saturday.

Treason returns to his best distance after a fourth-place finish in a 440-yard All American Derby (G1) trial on August 19. Back in June, this 3-year-old gelding by Hawkinson scored a half-length victory in a strong 350-yard allowance sprint, a race in which his defeated opponents included 2010 Texas Classic Futurity (G1) winner Bodacious Dash.

Smokey Stone is winless in three starts at this distance, but he scored a nice 1 3/4-length allowance-optional claiming victory going 400 at Ruidoso back in July. He earned a 103 TrackMaster speed rating in that race, and his defeated opponents included last-out Los Alamitos allowance winner Run Naked.

Morning-line favorite Separate Bet is back at his best distance after he placed fifth as the 6-5 choice in the August 6, 400-yard Mr Jet Moore Handicap (G3) at Ruidoso. He ran third, three-quarters of a length behind two-time AQHA champion Noconi, in the 350-yard Higheasterjet Handicap (G3) on July 3.

In his rejection of the proposal, Assistant Secretary of the Interior for Indian Affairs Larry Echo Hawk cited concerns about the Jemez Pueblo's oversight of a gaming facility so far away. The Pueblo had wanted acquire the land in Anthony in trust, then partner with Santa Fe art dealer Gerald Peters to build a $55-million casino and hotel on the site.

“With the Pueblo of Jemez, we had significant concern about the tribe's ability to effectively exercise jurisdiction over a parcel of land nearly 300 miles from its existing reservation,” Echo Hawk said.

The plan was also rejected three years ago by the George W. Bush administration, which said it was too far from the Jemez Pueblo to generate jobs for the tribe.

The Jemez plan was opposed by Sunland Park Racetrack and Casino, which is located about 20 miles south of Anthony, as well as by the Mescalero Apache tribe, which operates the Inn of the Mountain Gods resort and casino near Ruidoso.

Mescalero Apache president Mark Chino told Associated Press that his tribe has stronger historical ties than the Jemez tribe to the land near Anthony. He also was concerned that competition from a new casino more than 100 miles away and close to the populous El Paso-Las Cruces market would adversely affect his tribe's enterprises in the Ruidoso area.

The Las Cruces and Dona Ana Chambers of Commerce, and the Hispano Chamber of Commerce de Las Cruces, endorsed the Jemez proposal, saying it would have brought hundreds of jobs and millions of dollars to the area.

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Turf Paradise Racetrack in Phoenix opens its 2011-12 season on October 1, and the track recently announced a 10-percent increase in overnight purses and a 26-percent hike in stakes purses for its 157-day meet, which runs through May 6, 2012.

When Yavapai Downs in Prescott Valley was unable to operate its summer meet, Turf Paradise took over Arizona's off-track wagering system, and that enabled the track to increase its purses.

Turf Paradise's first condition book, which covers October 1-18, includes 31 Quarter Horse races worth $207,000 in purses. There are three official AQHA stakes in the first book, all of which will be run on October 16 – the 350-yard, $20,000 John Deere Turf Paradise Juvenile Challenge, the 440-yard, $60,000-added Bank of America Turf Paradise Challenge Championship (G3), and the 870-yard, $17,000-added Red Cell Turf Paradise Distance Challenge.

For more information on the meet, visit the track's website at www.turfparadise.com, and click on the “Owners/Horsemen” link at the top of the page.

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A ruling that ordered the New Mexico Racing Commission to stop accepting applications for the state's sixth racing license was issued by Raton District Judge John Paternoster last Friday.

Paternoster granted an injunction to La Mesa Horse Racing LLC, the original license holder, which ordered that the commission stop taking applications until La Mesa's appeals can be heard.

The judge's ruling means that the pending application of Coronado Partners LLC to build a racino in Tucumcari will be placed on hold until the injunction is either resolved or set aside.

“We respect what the court has said, though we do not agree with it,” Quay County Gaming Authority executive director Warren Frost told the Quay County Sun. “Coronado Partners will explore their legal options in the next week to 10 days.”

La Mesa has filed two appeals in the Court of Appeals regarding the revocation of their gaming license by the New Mexico Gaming Control Board in May 2010. The board cited La Mesa's alleged failure to build a temporary casino or prove they had adequate financial resources to do so. La Mesa has also filed an appeal of a more recent decision by the racing commission that the company's racing license had expired.

"What the injunction means is the racing commission can not and will not accept any more applications for the state's sixth racing license," said commission deputy director India Hatch, who added that the commission is on hold until the appeal cases are heard.

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Will Rogers Downs in Claremore, Oklahoma, opened its 28-day mixed-breed meet with a 12-race program on Friday. The track will present live racing on a Friday-Sunday schedule, with a daily first post time of 12 p.m. (CDT).

Friday's opening day card included the 350-yard, $20,000 Don Steele Memorial Stakes for 3-year-old Quarter Horses, won by MT Rob This Corona, a daughter of The Corona racing for Makynzie Brown and Robbin Caldwell.

Will Rogers' opening weekend also featured 2-year-old state-bred Quarter Horses in the $123,400 Oklahoma Bred Futurity (RG3). The 350-yard stakes was won by Henry G. Gerken's Youvebeenhenried, a homebred gelding by Make It Anywhere.

Will Rogers Downs' meet runs through November 12. The track's stakes schedule is highlighted by the 400-yard, $286,625 Black Gold Futurity Championship (RG3) on closing day.

For more information, visit Will Rogers Downs' website at www.cherokeestarrewards.com. For a complete stakes schedule, visit the Oklahoma Quarter Horse Racing Association's website at www.oqhra.com, and click on the “Get Race Info” link at the top of the homepage.

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Hialeah Park on Friday held a ground-breaking ceremony for a $150-million casino the track plans to start building this month.

According to a report on Bloodhorse.com, the track plans call for reconstructing the grandstand on the north side of its current building and connecting it to a new building that would be north of its garden area. The casino would include more than 1,200 Las Vegas-style slot machines, 30 poker tables, and several restaurants.

Hialeah Park owner and chairman John Brunetti Sr. also announced plans for a second phase of development on the property, which will include two hotels, a parking garage, a retail complex, and an office building. Construction on the second phase of development is scheduled to begin in 2014.

Brunetti is proceeding with casino plans for Hialeah even though Calder Racecourse and two other local pari-mutuel facilities are pursuing a lawsuit in state courts, claiming that Hialeah does not have the legal right to operate a casino.

Last month, Hialeah named Steve Calabro to the new position of director of gaming. Calabro previously served as president and general manager of Gulfstream Park in nearby Hallandale. He also was that track's vice president of gaming responsible for its casino and poker room.

Hialeah's third Quarter Horse meet opens December 10 and runs through February 19, 2012, with live racing on a Friday-Sunday schedule. Under its Quarter Horse permit, Hialeah can also run a limited schedule of Thoroughbred races, but Brunetti said the track doesn't plan to offer any such races during its upcoming meet.

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Dr. Scot Waterman has been named to the post of Animal Medical and Welfare Advisor for the Arizona Department of Racing. He will be formally introduced to the Arizona Racing Commission at its regularly scheduled meeting on Wednesday.

For the past nine years, Dr. Waterman served as executive director of the Racing Medication and Testing Consortium, where he assisted in the development and adoption of model medication rules, policies, and best practices. A current resident of Tucson, he is a graduate of the University of Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine and the University of Arizona Race Track Industry Program.

“We’re very excited to have Scot join our team,” said ADOR director Lonny Powell in a release. “His expertise in these complex and critical areas combined with his extensive experience and thorough knowledge of the racing industry makes him a valuable asset to the Arizona industry and ADOR.

“Having worked closely with Scot during my tenure as RCI (Racing Commissioners International) president as well as a founding member, officer and advisor of the RMTC, I had a chance to witness first-hand his knowledge of, dedication to and passion for the racing industry,” he added.

Dr. Waterman’s duties in his new position will include providing assistance to ADOR personnel including state veterinarians, stewards and investigators with special emphasis on the areas of racing animal facilities, adoption, safety and welfare, monitoring test results and laboratory agreements.

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Smokey Stone and Strike It Quick are among the 14 horses nominated to this Saturday's 350-yard, $55,000 James Isaac Hobbs Stakes (G2) at Zia Park.

Smokey Stone races for John May and Doug May, and the 4-year-old gelding by A Regal Choice has earned $337,069 from 17 starts. Last season, Smokey Stone qualified to all three of Ruidoso Downs' Grade 1 derbies, with his best finish being a second to Swingin Daddyo in the $873,441 Rainbow Derby.

A 5-year-old Royal Quick Dash gelding campaigned by Jesse Hernandez Consulting Inc., Strike It Quick won last year's James Isaac Hobbs Stakes a stakes-record :17.157. At Sunland Park last winter, Strike It Quick put together a three-race win streak that included the 350-yard, $50,000 KOFX Radio Handicap (G3) on January 29.

Other prominent nominees include Noel Balderas' XO Kate and Carlos Quevedo's Corona For The Lady. Entries for Saturday's races will be drawn on Wednesday.

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At Los Alamitos, racing secretary Ron Church has received 23 nominations to the September 30, $40,000 Blane Schvaneveldt Handicap (G3). The race honors the memory of the American Quarter Horse Hall of Fame member and 12-time AQHA champion trainer, who died at the age of 76 in July 2010.

Three nominees have been assigned co-top weight of 125 pounds – A Royal Dervish, Corona For You, Go Straight, Sheza Bad Habit, and Vodka Soda No Fruit. A 6-year-old gelding by Royal Miracle Dip racing for Bob Giltner and Scott Giltner, A Royal Dervish is coming off of a third-place finish to Devon Dat Cash in the 440-yard, $60,000 Bank of America Emerald Downs Challenge on September 4.

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And at Lone Star Park, which opens its fall Quarter Horse meet on Friday, a total of 25 Texas-breds have been nominated to the 350-yard, $25,000 Chevrolet Heartbeat of America Handicap (RG3).

Racing secretary Jeannette Hughes has assigned Charal Kid and Jakes Charming Jody the co-top weight of 126 pounds. Charal Kid, a 5-year-old Streakin La Jolla gelding racing for Malinche Cattle Co. Inc., won two stakes during the 2011 Delta Downs meet, including the 400-yard, $50,000 Miss Polly Classic Stakes (G3) on June 19.

Jakes Charming Jody is a homebred sophomore filly owned by Gary Kurz, and she is coming off of a second-place finish to Eyes Blew By You in the August 27, 400-yard TQHA Sires' Cup Derby (RG3) at Retama Park.