Pleasanton

The precarious, up-in-the-air future of California racing and whether or not the state can continue to support two geographic year-round circuits was made no clearer after Thursday's California Horse Racing Board (CHRB) meeting. The 3 1/2-hour session was dominated by discussion of competing North-versus-South plans that both tried to carve a sustainable path forward while underscoring the dire circumstances that face the industry with the June 9 closure of Golden Gate Fields looming like an unavoidable asteroid. Although the CHRB concluded the meeting--which featured testimony that was at times emotional,...

The Doug O'Neill-trained Vegas Magic became the first black-type winner for freshman sire Good Magic (by Curlin) with a late-closing, nail-biting rush to the front in Pleasanton's Everett Nevin S. One of three fillies going up against colts, Vegas Magic bided her time near the back of the field early, content to let others duke it out up front as the fractions clicked by in :22.07 and :45.17. Still well back in sixth at the top of the stretch, Vegas Magic suddenly closed with a vengeance, splitting horses late and...