Betfair Establishes Fund for Injured Trainer
Betfair has implemented a new site feature that enables users to deposit money into a trust fund for Chris Kinane, an assistant trainer who was badly hurt when kicked by a horse at Wolverhampton on April 2. A spokesman for the betting exchange said the program was set up after numerous customers had inquired about how they can help. "We have received a number of requests to facilitate contributions to this fund from Betfair customers," the company stated, "and have put a process in place to allow for this."
Arena Leisure Gets 66 New Fixtures
Arena Leisure has acquired 66 new fixtures (28 national and 38 regioal) for the 2006 racing season through a recent auction conducted by the British Horseracing Board. The company returned 68 fixtures to the board, comprising seven national and 61 regional events. Its focus at the auction was to auction was to acquire more national meetings. The average cost of each fixture was approximately £6,300.
EC Investigates Tote Sale
Members of both houses of British Parliament are expressing grave concerns about the European Commission's decision to investigate the sale of the Tote to British racing on possible "state aid" grounds. A price hasn't yet been set, but the Tote's estimated value is between £350 million and £500 million, of which the Racing Trust would be expected to pay half. Jeff Ennis and John Greenway, joint chairmen of the All Party Racing and Bloodstock Committee, sent a letter to Neelie Kroes, the European Commissioner for Competition Policy, saying the sale should be allowed to go through and that British racing should be a model for other E.U. country's to follow.
William Hill Sells 28 Shops to Tote
William Hill last week announced the sale of 28 ex-Stanleybet outlets to the Tote for a reported £15 million. The bookmaker recently acquired 624 Stanley Leisure betting shops for £504 million. Last week's sale to the Tote, which is expected to be completed before the end of the month, came with looming action by the Office of Fair Trading, which is looking into the original Stanley deal to determine how it will affect local competition.
ESPN Head to Speak at Racing Conference
Mark Shapiro, the executive vice president who oversees programming and production for ESPN networks and ABC Sports, will deliver the keynote address at the Jockey Club's 53rd annual Round Table Conference in Saratoga Springs Aug. 21. In the address he will discuss the changing landscape of sports television and the networks' extensive coverage and promotion of thoroughbred racing.
ESPN and the National Thoroughbred Racing Association in April announced an eight-year agreement for ESPN to televise the Breeders' Cup World Thoroughbred Championships beginning in 2006.
Handle, Purses Down in North America
Pari-mutuel handle on Thoroughbred racing in the United States and Canada was down 3.8 percent in the second quarter of 2005, though purses dipped less than 1 percent for the quarter, according to the latest "Thoroughbred Racing Economic Indicators." Total thoroughbred handle for the second quarter was $3,997,856,307, down from $4,155,858,973 for the second quarter of 2004. Total purses came in at $293,271,705, down 0.48 percent from $294,672,945 a year earlier. The second-quarter purse total for this year was about 7 percent of total handle. The National Thoroughbred Racing Association, which (along with Equibase) releases the quarterly findings, said not having a Triple Crown on the line this year contributed to the decline.
Scientific Games Rolls Out New Bet
Scientific Games Racing and Cantor Index have introduced the "Choose Six," a new bet that debuted last week with a $50,000 guaranteed pool at Delaware Park. The wager is like the standard pick six (requiring bettors to pick the winners of six races), except the bettor gets to choose each race. As long as there are still six races remaining on the day's card, bettors can initiate the wager at any time. All the wagers feed into the same pool regardless of which six races are played. The minimum bet is $1. The Choose Six is only available at Delaware Park, but there are plans to expand it to simulcast bettors later in the year.
Aussie Officials Studying Security Breech
Queensland Racing stewards are awaiting the outcome of a police investigation before they take their own action against a man who ran wildly onto the track at the Sunshine Coast Turf Club in Caloundra on July 2 and attempted to spook horses as a race was in progress. Possible action includes a worldwide ban of the individual, and Chief Steward John Hackett will lobby for the amendment of a Queensland law penalizing the invaders of sports fields and cricket pitches to include racecourses. The invasion, during the under card of the Caloundra City Cup meeting, was caught by television cameras and seen live nationwide. As race goers watched in horror, the man jumped the inside running rail and sprinted toward the horses in the stretch, waving his arms and jumping around in an apparent effort to spook the runners. Hackett said he will seek the maximum possible action against the man.