Delaware Park opens today with more horses on the grounds and a revamped condition book it hopes will generate more competitive — and betable — races.
The just-completed Delaware Park meet was like an old spaghetti western, says Doug McCoy: the good, the bad, and the ugly. Minus Clint Eastwood, of course.
Frustrated by the slow pace of testing and spurred by horsemen’s consistency concerns, the Delaware Racing Commission voted to change its drug testing lab.
Higher level races will see a purse reduction at Delaware Park as the track adjusts for reduced funding from its under-pressure casino.
Recent positive drug tests against widely respected trainers have Delaware horsemen worried about new medication policies and the state’s new testing lab.
Delaware’s horsemen are increasingly frustrated by hold-ups in finalizing drug tests and releasing purse moneys, with some purses held up almost two months.
Delaware’s racing community — the track, horsemen’s association, and jockeys association — will raise money for the Permanently Disabled Jockeys Fund.
Delaware Park and the Delaware Thoroughbred Horsemen’s Association will extend their contract, which means 81 days of live racing annually through 2016.
The Delaware Thoroughbred Horsemen’s Association will hold its second annual stallion season auction starting January 5.