- (
) Lottery trots out 'horse' game
The Massachusetts State Lottery made a big bet on virtual horse racing yesterday, unveiling plans for 1,500 video racing terminals at a time when interest in live racing has waned.The Lottery will begin to install Daily Racing Game machines within the next few weeks at "family restaurants," bars and other venues, spokesman Dan Rosenfeld said.
Lottery officials are looking to a similar race game launched successfully in Maryland and betting on a big payoff, with projections of $160 million a year once the terminals are in place by spring, Rosenfeld said.
. More>> - (
) Has horse racing run its course?
Families used to pack the parking lot of Portland Meadows, dressed up and eager to watch thoroughbreds race, Gary Brown recalls. Children played while gamblers inspected the horses before placing their bets."I used to know a lot of the people, but it's a different crowd than it used to be," says Brown, 69, a retired bricklayer who has been coming to the North Portland racetrack since 1964, when betting on horses was the only legal game in town.
"Now, you never see young kids out here."
As horse racing opens its 61st season Sunday, Oregon's only commercial track is up for sale, its future clouded by an aging fan base and the rise of easy-to-play video machines that have changed the face of gambling.
It's no surprise this season could be the last. More>>
- (
) Gates Foundation tackles a giant that preys on Africa's children
On vaccination days, pharmacist Abel Mdemu unsnaps the padlock on the old Bagamoyo Hospital morgue after lunch.The squat structure was built from coral and stone in the late 1800s, the waning years of a slave trade that funneled more than half a million Africans through this port town on Tanzania's coast. But when Mdemu swings back the weathered doors, he could be stepping into a research lab on Seattle's South Lake Union.
Four high-tech refrigerators hum where corpses once lay. Their digital displays read 5 degrees C.
Their contents: Tiny glass vials that hold the first promising vaccine for malaria, an ancient scourge that helped nudge the Roman Empire into a tailspin and still kills more than a million people a year. Most victims are African children, their bodies ravaged by the mosquito-borne parasites. More>>
- (
) RIVER RUNS INTO GUINEAS RECKONING
River Proud, whose reputation took a knock in the Champagne Stakes, confirmed himself as a 2000 Guineas candidate with a game success in Newmarket's Somerville Tattersall Stakes.Paul Cole's handsome colt was never going in the Doncaster race after getting upset in the stalls and banging his head.
But he travelled well at Headquarters and picked up impressively for Richard Quinn before resisting chief rival Iguazu Falls to land odds of 11-4 by a neck.
The son of Proud Citizen, who is closely related to dual Breeders' Cup Mile winner Da Hoss, was cut to 33-1 from 50s by Guineas sponsors Stan James and is the same price with VC Bet.
Cole said: "River Proud is a big horse who'll be better next year and already wants a mile. The important thing about today is that he's got his reputation back. More>>
- (
) Juveniles get their chance to shine
Editor's Note: This is the first of a three-part series in which we will feature thumbnail sketches for the upcoming Breeders Cup races later this month. Racing fans will be able to watch and wager on the Breeders' Cup programs at SunRay Park and Casino.The 23rd rendition of the Breeders' Cup World Thoroughbred Championships will feature a few new wrinkles.
For the first time in the history of the event, Monmouth Park, in Oceanport, N.J. will host the event. A storied facility located just a few miles from the Atlantic Ocean, Monmouth is host to several key races each year including the Grade 1 Haskell Invitational.
Also new to this year's renewal, the Breeders' Cup is adding three new races and will be held over a two-day timeframe, with the new races, each with a purse of $1 million, being held on Fri., Oct. More>>
- (
) Celebrations under way as Perth gallops towards 100-year barrier
IT'S true what they say, some things never change.When racing took place at Perth in the18th century, local innkeepers were advised "to have a little good brandy and gin plus a stock of malt liquors," on hand to quench the thirst of those attending the meeting. Traditionalists will be delighted to hear that still remains sound advice for all publicans in the vicinity of the Fair City.
. More>>