The 8-year-old brown gelding ran its winning streak to seven races Sunday afternoon at MetraPark’s Yellowstone Downs.

Gifter shot out of the starting gates quickly, accelerated in the turn and breezed to victory in a 660-yard mixed-allowance race at the Billings track.

“I’ll put it this way, I’ve never been around another horse like him,” said trainer Randy Blasdel. “He’s a very special animal.”

With jockey Casey Greene in the saddle, Gifter won by 4 1/2 lengths over Hiway Hemi in the seven-horse field.

“It’s awesome,” Greene told a reporter at the Billings’ Gazette.

“There’s no way to explain it. You just hang on and enjoy the ride. He knows more about (racing) than we do.”

Gifter paid $3.20, $2.80, $2.40 to win and was still receiving cheers and applause as Blasdel led him back to the barn.

“He’s the kindest, gentlest horse,” Blasdel said. “He got a little excited yesterday (Saturday). He even kicked me, but usually he’ll never do something like that.”

That all changed when Wyoming Horse Racing was granted permission by the Wyoming Pari-Mutual Commission to host live horse racing in Rock Springs.

So, on August 20th and 21st as well as September 3rd and 4th Wyoming saw it’s first live horses races.

With the races now over the Natrona County Commission has approved allowing off-track betting in Casper and the surrounding area.

Wyoming Horse racing is the business group that was able to bring live horse racing back into the state.Wyoming Horse Racing won the approval of the commission on Tuesday, September 6th. The business group will no be able to offer simulcast wagering at Sidelines Sports Bar in Casper. Wyoming Horse Racing hopes to have simulcast wagering in Casper operating by the end of September.

My take on this? It’s about damned time.

Why not have horse racing in a state where people race horses on their own? I love Wyoming. I have a friend who owns a dude ranch in Wyoming. He owns horses.

Loves horse racing.

So why not allow him the pleasure of watching and betting on a race if he wants to?

That’s called personal freedom.

I know…a lot of you were on hurricane watch (as was I…I live in Pennsylvania, USA) and it was pretty wild.

But the race was pretty awesome and Stay Thirsty put forth a powerful performance.

Now, he’s probably at the top of the 3 year-old class, don’t you think?

Stay Thirsty took command at the top of the stretch and rolled to a pretty strong 1 ¼-length victory over Rattlesnake Bridge in the 142nd running of the Grade 1, $1 million Travers at Saratoga Race Course.

Leaving from post position 9, Stay Thirsty was on the lead between horses as the field of 10 barreled toward the first turn and through an opening quarter in 23.45 seconds.

Eased back by Javier Castellano into second as Preakness winner Shackleford took over through a half in 47.63 and three-quarters in 1:11.91, Stay Thirsty challenge for the lead on the far turn and spun into the stretch with a lead that was never threatened.

“He gave me a little bit of a hard time for the first part of the race,” said Castellano. “He settled down and I was able to put him outside. I think that was the key to winning the race. I had a lot of horse. At some point, he was going to respond to me. He ran huge today. He showed he’s the best 3-year-old in the country, and I’m so happy with the way he did it.”

Stay Thirsty’s winning time for the 1 ¼ miles was 2:03.03 as he vanquished a field that included not only the Preakness winner, who finished eighth, but Belmont Stakes winner Ruler On Ice, who was fourth.

How about that?

38 U.S. states have para mutuel horse race betting.

Will Georgia, the state where I went to college, be next?

I hope so.

Georgia has the state lottery.

Will more gambling be coming to our state? It’s possible, but probably not for a while.

Here’s why:

Horse racing in Georgia is the topic being explored by a study committee led by Roswell Republican Rep. Harry Geisinger.

The group is holding hearings around the state on pari-mutuel betting on horse racing and will made recommendations to the General Assembly by the end of the year.

But getting the issue on 2012 ballots may be difficult.

The state must have a constitutional amendment on the issue.

That would require a two-thirds vote by state lawmakers to put the matter on the ballot for voters to decide.

Good luck there.

While we think there is support for new revenue sources — such as pari-mutuel betting — to help fund education and other needs, many conservatives will balk at adding more gambling in Georgia.

Some people believe additional gambling opportunities would cut into the state’s lottery revenue.

Others think horse race tracks would soon be followed by casinos.

So far so good, right?

Not for the more conservatives in the legislature.

Advocates of horse racing say it would raise millions in tourism revenue and create new jobs in breeding, training and medical care for horses.

Saratoga’s $500,000, Grade I TVG Alabama Stakes at 1¼ miles today attracted only six entrants, but among them are the 1-2 finishers in the Kentucky Oaks (Plum Pretty, St. John’s River) and a filly who defeated colts in Canada’s $1 million Queen’s Plate (Inglorious).

So it’s shaping up as an excellent field in a good race.

But the 9-5 favorite in the race for 3-year-old fillies is It’s Tricky, who has lost only once in six career starts, demolishing the top-class Turbulent Descent in Belmont’s Acorn and edging Plum Pretty in Saratoga’s Coaching Club American Oaks.

It’s Tricky, trained by Lexington native Kiaran McLaughlin for Godolphin Stable, could become the sixth filly to sweep the Acorn, the CCA Oaks and the Alabama.

The last Philly to sweep was Sky Beauty in 1993.

Plum Pretty, generally based in California with trainer Bob Baffert, has three works over Saratoga’s main track since her narrow CCA Oaks defeat.

“I think it’s kind of hard coming in right off the plane on this track,” said Baffert assistant Jim Barnes. “And she ran huge, she ran a winning race, she ran her eyes out.”

Inglorious is the only horse to have run 1¼ miles, doing so in the Queen’s Place.

One thing to note, though: she is 5 for 5 over Woodbine’s Polytrack, she has one second in two starts on dirt.

Santa Anita hosted the event in 2008-09.

The 2012 World Championships, which is set for Nov. 2-3, will be its sixth time as host site.

The announcement was made in Los Angeles.

Breeders’ Cup officials earlier said the 2012 host site would be selected from a pool of three tracks: Santa Anita, Belmont Park, and Churchill Downs.

Churchill will host the World Championships for the second consecutive year and record eighth time Nov. 4-5, 2011.

I can’t wait for that.

In early July published reports stated Santa Anita’s selection was a done deal even though the New York Racing Association had made a pitch for Belmont to host the 2012 event.

So, like I said, no great surprise that the California site was selected.

It’s a great place to see a race, in case you’ve never been there.

“We are thrilled to bring back the Breeders’ Cup to Southern California, which is always a strong draw for horse racing fans from around the world and where the Breeders’ Cup has always been embraced by the community,” Breeders’ Cup president and chief executive officer Craig Fravel said in a statement. “Santa Anita Park is a world-class racing venue that will once again provide a spectacular setting for two days of the best in international racing.”

“Hosting the Breeders’ Cup is important to the California horse racing industry and it is an honor for Santa Anita to be chosen as host of the Breeders’ Cup for the sixth time,” said Frank Stronach, chairman of The Stronach Group, which owns Santa Anita. “Our team looks forward to the challenge of building on the success of 2008 and 2009 with the 2012 Breeders’ Cup.”

The Breeders’ Cup generated more than $60 million in economic impact in the Los Angeles area in both 2008 and 2009, officials said.

Over the past five years the World Championships has experienced growth, expanding from eight to 15 races, increasing prize money from $14 million to $26 million, and growing total wagering from $140,332,198 to $173,339,131.

I KNOW I’ll be there.

He may arrive last, but his trainers seem to feel he can finish first.

That’s called confidence.

And having a great horse.

Rail Trip, winner of the Grade 1 Hollywood Gold Cup for trainer Ron Ellis two years ago, is coming off a tough head setback at the hands of fellow Whitney contender Friend or Foe in Belmont Park’s Easy Goer overnight stakes on June 5.

It was the first outing this year for Rail Trip and just his second since being sent east to join Dutrow’s barn last summer. Rail Trip finished a disappointing and well-beaten fifth in the Grade 1 Jockey Club Gold Cup Handicap in his only other New York appearance during the fall.

Rail Trip was having some physical problems, his trainers said.

But that should be over now. “You never knew what to expect from day to day,” said Rail Trip’s trainer, ” but I think we’ve got the problem pretty well handled at this time. I loved his last race, and he’s been doing tremendous ever since. He’s in a zone right now, and I’m real excited about this race coming up.”

We’ll see.

I’ll be in Saratoga this weekend for the race. And report back to you on Saturday night.

“She’ll stay at Woodbine, for another week,” said trainer Reade Baker, and then head down to Airdrie Stud. “She’ll be bred to Majesticperfection.”

Biofuel was bred in Kentucky by her owner, Brereton C. Jones, master of the Lexington-area Airdrie Stud.

Biofuel became a stakes winner in her fourth career outing as a 2-year-old in 2009 when she captured Woodbine’s Grade 3 Mazarine over 1 1/16 miles.

Biofuel was just getting her campaign under way this season and was making her second start after finishing a close fourth in the Sweet Briar Too Stakes on July 1.

She retires with a record line of 6-1-2 and earnings of $781,091 from 13 career starts.

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