Friday, May 09, 2008

NYRA, MID-ATLANTIC SIGN SIMULCASTING AGREEMENT

New York Racing Association simulcasts will return to 16 East Coast tracks, thanks to an agreement signed today between the NYRA and the Mid-Atlantic Cooperative.

The simulcast agreement will go into effective tomorrow, Friday, May 9, ending an impasse between NYRA and Mid-Atlantic that began with the opening of Belmont Park on April 30.

“NYRA is very pleased to have this agreement in place with such a major simulcast partner, “said Hal Handel, NYRA Executive Vice President and COO. ”We are glad to bring our races back to the fans at Mid-Atlantic tracks and I’m sure the fans will be happy to have NYRA races back, especially as we head into the heart of the New York racing season.”

Numbers up at recently concluded aqueduct meet

Countering national industry trends, the recently concluded 2008 winter and spring Aqueduct seasons saw significant growth in attendance, handle, and purses.

From January 1 to April 27, 2008, average daily attendance rose 5.7 percent, from 2,610, to 2,760. With five more racing dates than in 2007, total attendance rose 12.8 percent, from 195,748 to 220,793.

Daily average on-track handle jumped 4.3 percent, from $602,659, to $628,295, with total handle growing 11.2 percent, from $45,199,421 to $50,263,568.

Thursday, May 08, 2008

Barn Notes: Wednesday, May 07, 2008

PLETCHER-TRAINED ‘PENALTY’ PREPS FOR SATURDAY’S ‘SHECKY’

Sassafras Racing and Gulf Coast Farms’ Meal Penalty, graded stakes-placed as a juvenile on the West Coast last fall, breezed a half in :51.60 Sunday in preparation for Saturday’s $50,000 Shecky Greene Stakes at Arlington Park.

Conditioned by Todd Pletcher, the nation’s defending four-time Eclipse Award-winning trainer, Meal Penalty is coming off a four-length winning effort at Keeneland in his last trip to the post April 12.

In Southern California last November, the gray son of Tale of the Cat finished third in the Grade III Hollywood Prevue and was then eighth under the wire in the Grade I CashCall Futurity one month later.