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Balzac Racetrack Entertainment Centre Update

Alberta racing fans have been eagerly awaiting news on the development of the Balzac Racetrack Entertainment Centre. Recently, United Horsemen of Alberta (UHA) president Darcy Marler provided an encouraging update to the industry. At the Alberta Standardbred Horse Association’s annual general meeting in March, Marler announced that funding for the project has now been secured. […]
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British Horseracing Authority Investigates Another Trainer

The British Horseracing Authority (BHA) has confirmed that Newmarket-based trainer Gerard Butler is under investigation following positive tests for a banned substance in February. Butler told the Independent that, in what he described as an “unpardonable misjudgement”, four of his horses had been treated with Sungate, a joint treatment which contains a banned substance, on […]
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British Horseracing Authority Explains Al Zarooni Verdict

Suspended trainer Mahmood Al Zarooni was guilty of a “widespread systematic misuse of illegal substances”, according to the British Horseracing Authority. Newmarket-based Al Zarooni was banned for eight years last Thursday after he admitted administering anabolic steroids to 15 horses in his care. The BHA confirmed the 37-year-old trainer, who was at the helm of […]
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2013 Thoroughbred Improvement Program Details Released

As the 2013 racing season gets underway, the details of the 2013 Thoroughbred Improvement Program (TIP) have been released by the Program Administrator of the Horse Improvement Program. Cooperatively developed with input from the Thoroughbred industry, the 2013 Program provides incentives to breed and own horses in Ontario, though represents a 25% decline from 2012. […]
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A Hat Trick for Essence Hit Man in Jacques Cartier

Essence Hit Man won the $169,200 Jacques Cartier Stakes for the third year in a row with a powerful front-running performance on Saturday, at Woodbine. Trained by Sylvain Pion and ridden by Jesse Campbell for owners A&G Racing Stable, Essence Hit Man, racing without his customary blinkers, was relaxed out of the gate notching a […]
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Godolphin Trainer Banned from Racing for Eight Years

Godolphin trainer Mahmood Al Zarooni has been banned from racing for eight years by the disciplinary panel of the British Horseracing Authority, after 11 horses in his care tested positive for two banned anabolic steroids. Reports indicate that Al Zarooni instructed an unknowing veterinary assistant to administer ethylestranol to seven horses and stanozolol to four […]
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Thoroughbred Racing Begins Saturday at Woodbine

The 2013 live Thoroughbred racing season begins Saturday at Woodbine, the first of 133 programs slated for the year. A total of 87 horses were entered Wednesday for the Opening Day 10-race card, which begins at 1:00 p.m., highlighted by the featured $150,000 Star Shoot Stakes, at six furlongs for three-year-old fillies at 4:36 pm. […]
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Horse Racing Industry to Rally at Toronto’s City Hall April 15th

After a month of delays, City manager Joe Pennachetti’s long-awaited report on the pros and cons of a Toronto casino were released Monday. While much of the report focuses on the downtown integrated casino resort in Gaming Zone C1, the report does support an expansion at Woodbine Racetrack as part of Gaming Zone C2 with […]