Hollywood Park Plan Put on Hold

Lacking the approval of the California Horse Racing Board, Hollywood Park has put on hold its plan to shut off betting before races start.

Hollywood had hoped to initiate the plan today, but must wait until the racing board considers a rule change at its meeting in El Segundo a week from today.

Hollywood Park is owned by Churchill Downs Inc., which announced last week that its tracks would close betting about a minute or a minute and a half before races start. The purpose was to shore up bettor confidence, which has been threatened by the Breeders’ Cup pick-six scandal and a long-standing perception among many bettors that some bets are being made after races start. Churchill Downs, Calder and Hoosier Park, which also are in the Churchill family, are scheduled to start early betting lockups this week.

The New York Racing Assn., which operates Aqueduct, Belmont Park and Saratoga, said Wednesday that beginning Dec. 4 at Aqueduct, betting will be cut off at all simulcast facilities when the first horse is loaded into the gate. Approximately 89% of the New York tracks’ total handle comes from off-track sources.