Churchill Downs feud imposes diet on Nevada horseplayers Nevada

I anticipation you each got your feast connected for Thanksgiving, arsenic you’re astir to spell connected a forced fare erstwhile it comes to racing offerings acknowledgment to the ongoing simulcast awesome quality betwixt Churchill Downs Inc. and Nevada’s racebooks.

The standoff betwixt CDI and the Nevada Pari-Mutuel Association, which passed its two-year people connected Oct. 27, prevents Nevadans and immoderate horseplaying visitors who aren’t prepared to end-run the blackout from betting connected Churchill Downs races.

That includes immoderate fantabulous racing this agelong vacation weekend, including the $750,000 Clark Handicap (Grade 1), featuring a tract of 8 apical older horses, connected Friday and the $400,000 Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes (Grade 2), an aboriginal prep for the 2022 Kentucky Derby, connected Saturday.

It besides means nary wagering connected 2 of the astir appetizing feeds of the precocious autumn and wintertime — the Fair Grounds, which opened its 150th play connected Thanksgiving Day, and Oaklawn Park, which launches an earlier-than-usual wintertime conscionable connected Dec. 3.

The quality boils down to the information that Churchill wants to complaint much for its awesome and Nevada’s racebooks, which are thin-profit operations, don’t privation to wage the other freight. Doing so, they told maine past year, would endanger their quality to connection escaped drinks and subsidized Daily Racing Forms to their customers.

It’s depressing that we’re present much than 2 years into this and determination are nary indications that immoderate advancement has been made toward a solution. In the meantime, galore Nevada players are nary uncertainty making their wagers connected Churchill Downs-controlled tracks via offshore wagering sites, which typically wage thing astatine each to the big track.

If you privation to look astatine this lose-lose-lose script successful a affirmative light, it offers an accidental to tune into lesser-known tracks similar Tampa Bay Downs, which opened for concern connected Wednesday. While not known for showcasing the finest equine talent, it offers full, competitory fields connected some ungraded and turf.

We besides volition beryllium capable to sneak a fewer snacks from the fridge earlier Santa Anita reopens connected Dec. 26.

Del Mar concludes its autumn conscionable this play with a flurry of stakes action, including the Hollywood Turf Cup (Grade 2) connected Friday, the Hollywood Derby (Grade 1), Seabiscuit Handicap (Grade 2) and the Jimmy Durante Stakes (Grade 3) connected Saturday and the Matriarch Stakes (Grade 1) and Cecille B. DeMille Stakes (Grade 3) connected Sunday.

Aqueduct has an fantabulous paper acceptable for Dec. 4, with 4 stakes topped by the Cigar Mile (Grade 1) and the Remsen Stakes (Grade 2). The Claiming Crown races astatine Gulfstream Park the aforesaid time besides are ever fun.

The Los Alamitos Futurity (Grade 2) connected Dec. 11 offers different accidental to get a look astatine immoderate of the apical juveniles connected the West Coast.

And Gulfstream Park volition assistance get america to the Christmas holiday, with 5 stakes races connected its Dec. 18 card, topped by the Fort Lauderdale Stakes (Grade 2).

Art Sherman retiring

Southern California trainer Art Sherman has announced he’s retiring astatine the extremity of the year.

Sherman, 84, has had an astonishing vocation successful racing, including moving arsenic an workout rider for the large Swaps successful the mid-1950s, riding for 23 years arsenic a jockey and spending decades arsenic a trainer, a stint that culminated with California Chrome, whom helium guided to victories successful the 2014 Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes and the 2016 Dubai World Cup, among different large races.

Sad to accidental goodbye to an fantabulous horseman and 1 of the nicest guys you’ll ever meet, but we privation him the precise champion successful his aureate years.

Mike Brunker’s equine racing file appears Fridays. He tin beryllium reached astatine mbrunker@reviewjournal.com oregon 702-383-4656. Follow @mike_brunker connected Twitter.