California racing board approves restrictive whip rule

Testament, who has won three of 20 career starts, collapsed near the winner’s circle at Saratoga Race Course on Sunday after apparently suffering from heat exhaustion. The 4-year-old gelding, trained by Daniel Conway, Jr., finished fifth in a field of seven in the first race. Testament returned to the area in front of the clubhouse, and had been unsaddled when he fell.

A prize-winning racehorse dubbed the “Blonde Bombshell” and a thoroughbred colt were stolen from their stables in Italy on Tuesday, in a blow for an industry reeling from years of crisis. The abduction of the chestnut mare, called Unicka, and the colt, named Vampire Dany, was discovered by the horses’ trainer at the Wave stables near Pisa, northern Italy, when he went to feed them on Tuesday morning, the stables said in a statement. “This make us think the heist was carefully planned by experts in the equine world.” Italian media have speculated that the thieves plan to demand a ransom, as the animals are registered, making it harder to sell them on the black market.

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Hal Handel, a longtime racing executive in New Jersey and Pennsylvania, was appointed executive vice president and chief operating officer of the New York Racing Association on Thursday. Handel, 60, has been the chief executive officer at Greenwood Racing since 1998. He oversaw the renovation of Philadelphia Park’s grandstand and the development of New Jersey’s first off-track wagering facility.