1/ST

1/ST and France Galop have partnered with the aim of increasing international participation, the two companies announced on Wednesday. The new partnership will begin with the $100,000 GIII Gallorette S. at Pimlico Race Course on May 18, Preakness Day. Whichever horse wins the Gallorette, will automatically qualify to run in the €250,000 G1 Sumbe Prix Jean Romanet S. at Deauville on Aug. 18. A travel stipend will also be provided. 1/ST has previously partnered with Ascot Racecourse on Gulfstream Park's Royal Palm Series which targets Royal Ascot's juvenile races, as...

The Big 3 Pick 3, a new wager encompassing the GII Wood Memorial, GI Toyota Blue Grass S, and GI Santa Anita Derby, will be available to bettors this Saturday, the New York Racing Association, Keeneland, and 1/ST announced jointly Monday. The Big 3 Pick 3, which will be hosted by Aqueduct, will be offered with a $3 minimum and mandatory payout. The Big 3 Pick 3 will appear as a separate wager/track on wagering machines or online account: Big 3 Pick 3. All three races are contested at nine...

1/ST Racing's $1 Coast-to-Coast Pick 5 wager featuring Santa Anita and Gulfstream Park will be seeded with an additional $100,000 for Saturday, Mar. 30, highlighted by Gulfstream's GI Curlin Florida Derby.  Additionally, the Coast-to-Coast Pick 5, which is offered every Saturday and Sunday with a 15% takeout has been extended through Santa Anita's closing day Sunday, June 16. The only exception is Apr. 13 and Apr. 14 when Santa Anita transitions to its Hollywood Meet. With the Coast to Coast's "no-consolation" provision, if there are no tickets with five correct...

It's still not clear exactly what went wrong Saturday when a tote failure impacted several tracks, including Tampa Bay Downs. The Oldsmar, Florida track took a huge hit when it was forced to run the GIII Lambholm South Tampa Bay Derby as a non-wagering event and to also cancel the last race of the day. Tampa Bay Downs Vice President and General Manager Pete Berube estimates that the track lost as much as $4.5 million in handle because betting wasn't available. There was a massive telecommunications network failure Saturday afternoon...

A new $25-million racing and incentive series connecting Preakness 149, The California Crown, and the 2025 Pegasus World Cup was announced via press release by 1/ST Friday. Featuring more than $12.5-million in elevated purses and $7.5-million in incentives for both dirt and turf runners, there is a $5-million additional bonus on the line to the owner (s) of the horse who wins the 149th GI Preakness S., GI California Crown, and GI Pegasus World Cup Invitational. Turf horses will have a similar series and prize structure, with a $2.5-million bonus...

Aidan Butler, who has served 1/ST RACING AND GAMING as its Chief Executive Officer since September 2022, has been appointed the president of the organization by Belinda Stronach, the Chairwoman and CEO of 1/ST. According to a release, the expansion of Butler's role into president 'reflects and supports Stronach's mandate of continued growth in the company's racing and gaming assets.' Stronach, the daughter of Frank Stronach, has held the position of president in addition to her other roles since the introduction of 1/ST in 2020. Butler's primary focus will be...

The precarious, up-in-the-air future of California racing and whether or not the state can continue to support two geographic year-round circuits was made no clearer after Thursday's California Horse Racing Board (CHRB) meeting. The 3 1/2-hour session was dominated by discussion of competing North-versus-South plans that both tried to carve a sustainable path forward while underscoring the dire circumstances that face the industry with the June 9 closure of Golden Gate Fields looming like an unavoidable asteroid. Although the CHRB concluded the meeting--which featured testimony that was at times emotional,...

The third annual 'Art of Racing', an annual partnership between 1/ST, the Maryland Jockey Club and the Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA) announced the launch of its 2024 program Monday. The 'Art of Racing' commemorates the Preakness S., and beginning Monday and continuing through Mar. 11, artists nationwide may submit their original, two-dimension visual art celebrating the second leg of the Triple Crown. In the past two years, more than 300 entries from 19 states have been received each depicting different elements of Thoroughbred racing as reflected in the...

'The Week in Review', by T.D. Thornton A few items that stand out after sifting through Friday's "Pimlico Plus" report issued by the Maryland Thoroughbred Racetrack Operating Authority (MTROA). The ambitious $400-million plan, which is subject to legislative approval, re-imagines the state's racing consolidated at one publicly funded track in Baltimore, the closure of Laurel Park, the construction of a new training facility in the state, and 1/ST Racing and Gaming ceding control of day-to-day Maryland racing to a non-profit entity. Triple Crown traditionalists who are already in a tizzy...

   This story is a deeper dive into the joint press release issued earlier Jan. 5 by The Stronach Group, the Maryland Jockey Club, and the Maryland Thoroughbred Racetrack Operating Authority. The latest recommendation in a years-long attempt by multiple stakeholders to consolidate Maryland racing at a single, reimagined racetrack now calls for a project dubbed "Pimlico Plus," with racing centered in Baltimore and supported by the construction of a new training facility elsewhere in the state, according to a report issued by the Maryland Thoroughbred Racetrack Operating Authority (MTROA)...

Berkeley City Council could vote on an ordinance that, if passed, would essentially lead to the premature closure of Golden Gate Fields and throw into question the near-term future of the Northern California horse colony, workforce and training colony, the latter already buffeted by 25% cuts to the track's purses. The Bay Area racetrack is scheduled to race from Dec. 26 through June 9, 2024, after which the facility is set to close permanently. The proposed ordinance--which makes the claim that confining a horse to its stall for the majority...

Grammy award-winning producer, DJ and songwriter Calvin Harris will headline festivities at the 2024 Pegasus World Cup Presented by Baccarat. To be held Jan. 27 at Gulfstream Park, the event, held around the $3-million GI Pegasus World Cup Championship Invitational, will create a unique Miami experience curated by Palm Tree Crew and Groot Hospitality. "The Pegasus World Cup continues to redefine the experience of Thoroughbred horse racing by collaborating with partners who exemplify innovation and excellence," said Belinda Stronach, Chairwoman, Chief Executive Officer and President, 1/ST. "Baccarat, Palm Tree Crew...