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By Wandering Eyes · Posted
A paramedic at Turf Paradise has been suspended 90 days for refusing to take a breathalyzer test after the track's stewards found “reason to believe the licensee had consumed alcohol and/or was intoxicated” on Feb. 14. In addition to the suspension, which runs two weeks beyond the May 2 closing date of the current Turf Paradise meet, the paramedic, Robert Winters, “is ruled off for the duration of the term of his suspension and barred from all grounds under the jurisdiction of the Arizona Department of Gaming Racing Division,” according to the Feb. 21 ruling. In that ruling, the track's three stewards-Jason Hart, Claudia Alvarez and John Adams–had cited “substantial evidence” to find that Winters had violated parts of the Arizona Administrative Code related to horse racing. But the stewards did not detail any specifics of those findings in their ruling against Winters, nor did the stewards write about any paramedic-related irregularities in their daily stewards' report for Feb. 14. TDN attempted to get some context on the safety ramifications of what happened, like whether or not the paramedic's alleged intoxication occurred while he was part of an on-track ambulance crew during morning training or for the afternoon races. But regulators, track officials, and a representative for The Jockeys' Guild did not respond to Monday's queries prior to deadline for this story. Emails sent Feb. 23 to both the deputy director of the Arizona Department of Gaming (Shannon Nelson) and to that agency's deputy director of operations (John Mazza), did not yield replies. Nor did a phone message that a Turf Paradise receptionist on Monday said would be hand-delivered to the three stewards. The same non-responses also followed voicemails left on the cell phones of Tom Ludt, the general manager at Turf Paradise, and for Darrell Haire, the western regional manager for The Jockeys' Guild. The allegations outlined in the ruling represent only one side of the story. TDN could not reach Winters, and it was unknown if he has appealed or plans to appeal the ruling against him. The post Paramedic at Turf Paradise Ruled Off for Alleged Intoxication appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article -
By Wandering Eyes · Posted
On Feb. 23 episode of BloodHorse Monday: Trainer and co-owner John Ennis talks about Great White's victory in the John Battaglia Memorial Stakes, Byron King gives insight to his Derby Dozen rankings, Tod Wojciechowski on new safety measures at OBS.View the full article -
By Wandering Eyes · Posted
This year's Pennsylvania-Bred Stakes Schedule will offer $1,700,000 in purses across 20 stakes races. All three of Pennsylvania's racetracks will host stakes.View the full article -
By Bird Cage Bill · Posted
The only way to stop the sell off is to change the constitution of the Club or it will just continue and we will be stuck in a time warp. So here ya go, let us know how the vote goes? [Your Name] [Your Address] [Your Phone Number] [Your Email] 24 February 2026 Tim Mills Chief Executive Canterbury Jockey Club Inc. PO Box 11137, Sockburn Christchurch 8443 RE: Notice of Remit to Amend the Constitution of the Canterbury Jockey Club Inc. Dear Mr. Mills, I am writing to formally submit a remit for consideration at the next General Meeting of the Canterbury Jockey Club Inc. As a member of the Club, I wish to propose an amendment to the Club’s Constitution to ensure greater transparency and member oversight regarding the disposal of Club assets. Specifically, this remit proposes that any sale or long-term lease of Club land with a market value of $1,000,000 (one million dollars) or more must be subject to the approval of a majority of the Club's members.https://bitofayarn.com Proposed Remit: "That the Constitution of the Canterbury Jockey Club Inc. be amended to include a clause stating that no parcel of land owned or held by the Club shall be sold, transferred, or otherwise disposed of for a consideration exceeding $1,000,000 without first obtaining the support of a majority of members via a vote at an Annual or Special General Meeting." Rationale: The land held by the Canterbury Jockey Club is its most significant long-term asset. Decisions regarding the divestment of such substantial assets have a lasting impact on the Club’s future and its ability to support racing at Riccarton Park. Requiring majority member support for transactions of this scale ensures that the governance of the Club remains aligned with the collective interests of its membership.https://bitofayarn.com Ngāi Tahu Property I request that this remit be included in the notice of business for the upcoming meeting in accordance with the Club’s rules and the Incorporated Societies Act 2022, which requires all societies to update or maintain their constitutions by 5 April 2026. Incorporated Societies Incorporated Societies I look forward to your confirmation of receipt and details regarding when this remit will be put to the members.https://bitofayarn.com Yours sincerely, [Your Signature] [Your Printed Name] Member, Canterbury Jockey Club Inc. -
By Wandering Eyes · Posted
The 2026 Thoroughbred meet at Hawthorne is supposed to start in just over a month. The ominous wall of silence and uncertainty hanging over the track's future, however, is leaving the horsemen and women relying on the meet's go-ahead “extremely worried and concerned,” said Illinois Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association (ITHA) president Chris Block on Monday. “We've implored the [Illinois Racing Board] executive director and the chairman [Daniel Beiser] that they get Hawthorne to the table. I'm hopeful that'll happen,” said Block, who estimated that there are currently around 175 Thoroughbreds stabled at the track, under the watch of about ten different trainers. Both Block and ITHA executive director Dave McCaffrey, however, voiced frustration they've been unable to elicit any concrete details about whether the financing will be in place for the Thoroughbred meet to go ahead, and whether track operators have managed to nail down an agreement with investors to operate a casino. “I don't know the details of where things stand on that, their pursuit to get their financing in place and the mess that they're in cleaned up,” he added. In 2019, the state granted Hawthorne the go-ahead to convert its old grandstand into a casino. Since then, nothing concrete has materialized on that possibility despite repeated promises to the contrary by track operators. At last month's racing board meeting, John Walsh, Hawthorne's assistant general manager, suggested once more that a deal was imminent. “We're working with a new partner, someone nearby, someone interested in Illinois and Illinois racing, who really wants all of this to succeed and move quickly,” said Walsh, who stood in last minute for absent Hawthorne president and general manager, Tim Carey. “Whatever's going to happen is going to happen in the next two or three weeks,” Walas added, at the time. Nearly a month later, “no one has ever called Dave McCaffrey or Chris Block over here and said, 'Hey, here's where things stand,' which is really infuriating and frustrating to say the least,” said Block. “Unfortunately as of today we have no additional information we can share, however, perhaps later in the week you are welcome to call for possible updates,” wrote Illinois Racing Board executive director Domenic CiCera in an email Monday, responding to a request for a status update. The racing board did not respond to follow-up questions. Over the weekend and into Monday, the TDN also made repeated attempts to contact Tim Carey, the track's CEO of Gaming Kevin Kline, director of racing Jim Miller, as well as Walsh. None of them responded. If it goes ahead, Hawthorne's Thoroughbred meet is set to begin March 29. That's a big if, however. At last month's racing board meeting, the extent of Hawthorne's financial troubles, and with it the enormous ramifications for industry stakeholders in the state, were made glaringly clear. The track's standardbred stakeholders have been the hardest hit. The meeting followed the action of the state racing board to suspend the operating license of Suburban Downs, Inc., which manages Hawthorne's harness meet, for “failure to provide documentation demonstrating its financial integrity, and proof that they can meet the minimum standards” as outlined in state law. Hawthorne is responsible for more than $580,000 in bounced checks between some 66 individuals in recent months, according to an Illinois Harness Horsemen's Association representative. The ITHA is apparently owned around $600,000 from Hawthorne for payments dating back seven months. Some horsemen and women have also been unable to access monies in their horseman's bookkeeper accounts at the track. This includes earnings as well as funds put into the account in advance of the meet. According to McCaffrey, the organization has retained an attorney to help free up those funds. “There are a bunch of Thoroughbred people whose accounts are inaccessible,” said McCaffrey. “We've retained an attorney to protect the rights of our owners and trainers and jockeys and whoever has money over there.” As for preparations to prepare the track for Thoroughbreds with the end of the Standardbred meet, Block explained that while the rail has been switched, the annual reconditioning of the track surface is moving along in slow-motion fashion. “They normally contract that out to a company that brings in some heavy equipment-semi-trucks and tractor trailers-that they can use to expedite the process of putting the surface down,” said Block. That hasn't happened. Instead, the usual track maintenance crew are using existing equipment, which is wholly inadequate for doing a quick job, said Block. “That'll take forever to put that down with the little bit of equipment they have there,” said Block. Last week, the ITHA issued an email to its constituents with the headline: “Past Time for Tim Carey to Address ITHA Members About Hawthorne's Financial Condition and Plans; Commit to Racing at Hawthorne at Your Own Risk.” When asked what will happen to the horsemen and women and the horses currently stabled at Hawthorne if the meet doesn't go ahead, Block predicted some will likely move their shingle to Fairmount Park, in Southwest Illinois. However, “there'll be some that will probably just step away. I don't think they're equipped to go anywhere else on the financial side of it,” said Block. “I feel extremely sorry for these people. I mean, they're hardworking horsemen that have been in Chicago for their whole lives. Their homes are here. Their families are here. I think there's quite a bit of anxiety and concern,” said Block. “I hear it daily. They want an update and I feel really bad that I can't give them any positive news right now. It's getting old to be honest with you, to tell them the same story week after week,” said Block, who suggested that some concrete answers about the upcoming meet need to be delivered by the end of February. “That's why I implored the racing board that we need some more clarity than just what we're hearing here, and by the end of this week, so these horsemen can make some hard decisions,” he said. The post Hawthorne Update: Illinois Stakeholders ‘Extremely Worried and Concerned’ Over Status Silence appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article
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