Delaware Thoroughbred Racing Commission

For the second time in the past week, Delaware Park cancelled a live racing card due to the heat and moved the card as drawn to a different day. The latest Delaware Park live racing day to fall victim to excessive heat is the card scheduled for Wednesday, July 10. Acting upon the recommendation of the Delaware Thoroughbred Racing Commission (DTRC) veterinarians and stewards, Delaware has moved the entire card to Thursday, July 11, when the temperature should abate somewhat. The heat index in the area, according to the National...

Gabriel Maldonado, currently North America's winningest apprentice jockey with 86 victories, was suspended effective immediately at Delaware Park June 27 after a random drug test by that state's racing commission came back positive and the 25-year-old rookie allegedly admitted to using a prescribed opioid. Maldonado, 25, had ridden in seven races at Delaware on Wednesday, but was removed from six mounts there Thursday in the wake of the indefinite suspension and a $250 fine being issued that morning by the Delaware Thoroughbred Racing Commission (DTRC). The ruling stated that after...

Acting upon the recommendation of the Delaware Thoroughbred Racing Commission (DTRC) veterinarians in conjunction with the Horse Racing Integrity and Safety Authority's (HISA) air quality guidelines, Delaware Park has cancelled its live racing card scheduled for today, the track said in a release Thursday. Live racing is scheduled to resume tomorrow, Friday, June 30th. Poor air quality also prompted officials at JACK Thistledown and at Charles Town to call off their live racing programs Thursday. Live racing has been cancelled for Thursday, June 29th due to deteriorating air quality. AQI...

The Delaware Park stewards have suspended and fined an owner, trainer and assistant trainer for "improper or inhumane treatment" of a horse diagnosed last spring with a 50% tendon tear. Four related Delaware Thoroughbred Racing Commission (DTRC) rulings in the case involve a gelding named Food and Wine (War Front) who was disqualified from a June win because of a drug overage. After returning sore from that victory because of a bowed tendon that a veterinarian said required eight to 12 months off, Food and Wine was put back into...

Citing lack of financial information outlined in its framework, the Delaware Thoroughbred Racing Commission (DTRC) unanimously voted Oct. 14 to oppose U.S. Senate Bill 4547, the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act. The U.S. House of Representatives passed its version (HR 1754) Sept. 29 by a voice vote. The Delaware Harness Racing Commission (DHRC) has also come out in opposition of the pending legislation, claiming the bill is an "unnecessary burden that could be potentially harmful to the entire horseracing industry." According to a release, the DTHC claims that unknown costs...

John Wayne, the executive director of the Delaware Thoroughbred Racing Commission, passed away Wednesday while attending the Organization of Racing Investigators Conference in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Wayne was 65. His death was confirmed by Duncan Patterson, the chair of the Delaware commission. "John was someone who had done everything in racing," Patterson said. "He was one of the most knowledgeable people you could ever come across. He started out at NYRA, went to the TRPB and then ran Atlantic City Race Course before coming to work for us. He was...

The Delaware Thoroughbred Racing Commission (DTRC) has reversed a ruling issued in November and dropped all penalties that had been levied against trainer Anthony Pecoraro for alleged unauthorized use of a shockwave therapy machine. Pecoraro, who was originally suspended six months and fined $1,000, appealed the ruling and the matter was resolved Tuesday at a commission meeting. The penalties originally accessed to owner David Neilson were reduced with the commission voting to reduce his one-year suspension to 30 days. The case revolved around 5-year-old Glencairn, who suffered a catastrophic injury...