August 10, 2011

U.S. Supreme Court Justice Elena Kagan paved the way for a $141 million windfall to Illinois race tracks and horse owners when she denied the request of the state’s casino companies to continue holding the funds in escrow. The funds, earmarked for the racing industry pursuant to a 2006 law, had been collecting in the escrow account for nearly five years. The law required the four biggest casinos to divert three percent of their earnings to the race tracks to bolster that industry, which was suffering as a result of competition from the casinos. The racing industry will use the cash to boost purses to winning owners in an attempt at reviving the horse racing business in Illinois. The money was released at midnight on Monday, August 8. The casinos have a separate lawsuit pending in federal court. Read more details in Kurt Erickson’s article in the Southern Springfield Bureau. Posted August 10, 2011

As the result of recent storms through Georgia, fifty percent of all the trails in the Belle Meade hunting country are blocked, according to Epp Wilson, MFH. Hounds and coyote are able to get through, but not horses. “There are more large trees down across our trails than I have seen in forty-five years of hunting this territory,” said Wilson. “The country is virtually unhuntable.” The Belle Meade Masters have called out their membership and friends to come and help. They need tractors with mowers and front-end-loaders and people to operate chain saws and four-wheelers. The Saturdays of August 13 and August 20 have been designated as official workdays. Posted August 10, 2011