Horse Racing News by Matt Hegarty

The New York legislature goes into special session today under a request by Gov. David Paterson to pass legislation that would enable NYC Off Track Betting Corp. to implement several controversial measures as part of its bankruptcy reorganization.

An adviser to New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie has advised that the state sell Monmouth Park and convert the Meadowlands into an offtrack betting facility.

Ever since the Breeders' Cup went to a two-day format in 2007, officials have hoped that no one would hit the pick six on the first day.

A standing-room only crowd at the Hall of Fame induction ceremony on Friday at the Fasig-Tipton sales pavilion in Saratoga Springs reserved its longest and loudest applause for the last inductee, the rider Randy Romero.

Horsemen at New York Racing Association tracks may begin to benefit from a casino at Aqueduct racetrack by the start of the Belmont meet in late April, NYRA officials said on Thursday.

New Jersey's state- and casino-supported racing industry should no longer receive financial assistance, and the Meadowlands racetrack should be closed or sold for a nominal fee, according to a report released Wednesday.

The Kentucky Horse Racing Commission on Tuesday approved regulations paving the way for the installation of slot-machine-like devices at racetracks while simultaneously agreeing to ask a state judge to issue an opinion on the legality of the machines.

New York City Off-Track Betting Corporation will develop a comprehensive restructuring plan over the next 30 days that will likely include proposed cuts in the amount of money that the state's racing industries receive from the company's betting revenue.

The New York Racing Association announced Wednesday that it has scrapped a 5-year-old policy that required horses to be isolated in a security barn six hours prior to running in any race at a NYRA track.

Breeders' Cup has added three group stakes races in Europe to its "Win and You're In" series that gives winners an automatic berth to one of its 14 year-end races, the organization announced on Tuesday.