Thanks Joe

- There's snow in the North Country as voters trudge to the polls in the 48th District for today's crucial State Senate election. And it seems as if the NY Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association may have sent a little thank you note to Senator Bruno for his efforts in getting them a better deal on the VLT splits. A list of contributions on the state's Board of Elections Website shows that the NYTHA contributed $2,000 on Feb 19 to the NYS Senate Republican Campaign Committee. [Hat tip to Elizabeth Benjamin's Daily Politics blog for the website link.]

- Despite personal appeals by representatives of major farms including Lane's End, Winstar, and Coolmore, a constitutional amendment which would permit voters to decide on casino gambling in Kentucky failed to make it out of committee. The proposal would have guaranteed five racinos to racetracks in the state. Earlier, a second proposal which would have provded for nine casinos, but would not have assured a racino for any track, was not adopted. Three members of the committee passed on the issue, which allows them to bring up the issue at a later date. [Bloodhorse]