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Northern California horse racing suffers final blow as Golden Gate Fields is sold
The fleeting hopes by Northern California horsemen that as long as Golden Gate Fields was still standing, racing, even if only as a simulcast or gaming facility, could one day return to Northern California, were dashed on Monday when The Stronach Group (TSG) entered into a deal to sell the 141-acre facility to a nonprofit, which plans to ...Read more
After major prep races, which horses are set to run in 2026 Kentucky Derby?
LEXINGTON, Ky. — Less than 35 days remain until the 2026 running of the $5 million Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Ky.
With the race set for May 2, the projected 20-horse field for the 152nd edition of the Derby is becoming clear.
This past weekend featured four major prep races on the road to Derby 152. Both domestically ...Read more
CHRB dashes hopes of Northern California horse racing
LOS ANGELES — The hopes of Northern California racing and breeding interests were once again dashed when the California Horse Racing Board refused to license short racing dates to the Tehama District Fair and the Humboldt County Fair on Thursday.
Rather than a discussion about how to grow the sport, the 2-hour, 45-minute meeting was mostly ...Read more
John Shirreffs, trainer of Zenyatta and Giacomo, dies at 80
LOS ANGELES — John Shirreffs, the soft-spoken giant who trained Zenyatta, perhaps the best mare of all time, died in Southern California on Thursday. He was 80. No cause of death was announced.
Shirreffs was one of the top trainers in Southern California with 3,589 starts, 596 of them wins resulting in $58.5 million in purses.
He was a ...Read more
Trade unions back Santa Anita Park's use of betting machines
LOS ANGELES — The dispute between California and Santa Anita Park over the use of a new betting machine was ratcheted up Wednesday when four major trade unions sent a letter to Rob Bonta, the California attorney general, urging the state to return the terminals it confiscated on Saturday. Santa Anita filed suit against the state on Tuesday ...Read more
Santa Anita Park sues California DOJ over seizure of betting machines
LOS ANGELES — The fight over whether Santa Anita Park can legally have Racing on Demand machines at its facility moved to its next step on Monday when the track filed a writ of mandate seeking relief from the California Department of Justice.
The 52-page complaint, filed in Los Angeles Superior Court, offered new details on the confiscation ...Read more
Santa Anita HHR-like machines removed by California Department of Justice
LOS ANGELES — Santa Anita's experiment of placing a similar version of Historical Horse Racing at the race track on Thursday came to an abrupt halt on Saturday afternoon when law enforcement officials physically removed the machines after racing ended.
Two officials at Santa Anita confirmed that representatives of the state Department of ...Read more
Santa Anita horse track installs slot-machine-like terminals sure to spark fight
The fight over horse racing tracks' right to legally install slot-machine-like terminals in their facilities to allow betting on past races hit the boiling point on Thursday when Santa Anita installed 26 Racing on Demand machines at the track on the ground floor of the grandstand. They will be in operation after 11 a.m. on live racing days.
At ...Read more
Popular Stories
- Northern California horse racing suffers final blow as Golden Gate Fields is sold
- After major prep races, which horses are set to run in 2026 Kentucky Derby?
- CHRB dashes hopes of Northern California horse racing
- Santa Anita HHR-like machines removed by California Department of Justice
- John Shirreffs, trainer of Zenyatta and Giacomo, dies at 80
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