A US navy salvage team was preparing yesterday to launch a remotely operated submersible to confirm that wreckage discovered near the Bahamas was that of the cargo ship El Faro, lost in a hurricane last month along with its 33 crew members.

Well after a glorious week, it finally came. Rain and in biblical proportions.

The Henry de Bromhead-trained Sizing Platinum made a successful chasing debut and denied Barry Geraghty a win on his first day back after injury and as retained rider for J McManus when landing the Book Online At Limerickraces.ie Beginners Chase in Limerick yesterday.

Listowel racecourse has won HRI approval for a €600,000 cash boost towards a major redevelopment of facilities at the North Kerry track.

Tote Ireland is to continue its sponsorship of the Galway Plate for a further three years until 2017.

Derby final night last Saturday at Shelbourne would have to be deemed a great success. The stadium was packed, the action was brisk, the atmosphere was good, and the final itself produced a winner, Laughil Blake, who, in leading around despite a modest break, showed he possessed a touch of brilliance befitting a champion.

Well into the second year of a five-year plan for the greyhound industry, Investigative Correspondent Conor Ryan studies the latest forecasts

The good old days might not be quite back, but if the Galway Races is anything to go by, we might not have long to wait.

Willie Mullins’ Balnaslow is a hopeful choice in the Tote sponsored Galway Plate at Ballybrit this afternoon.

Here’s one who is a big fan of Battle Of Marengo and, right now, would not want to be on any other horse for the Epsom Derby.

Dot Love, originally from Denmark and who trains in Co Westmeath, saddled Liberty Counsel to land a massive 50-1 surprise in the Ladbrokes’ Irish Grand National at Fairyhouse yesterday.

Betfred has extended its backing of the Cheltenham Gold Cup for a further three years.

A report into the horse racing industry has advised major reforms are needed at Horse Racing Ireland (HRI) to ensure proper oversight of public money.

Champion trainer Willie Mullins is anticipating a strong challenge on the feature races at Galway this week.

Having drawn a blank on the fourth day of Royal Ascot in the afternoon, Aidan O’Brien gave punters plenty to enjoy when recording a treble with Kingston Jamaica, Battle Of Saratoga and Demurely in Limerick last night.

A new sponsor for the Punchestown Gold Cup has been announced with Tote Ireland backing the Grade One event.

Carrigeen Lechuga, successful at the track two weeks earlier, followed up with a fine display in the Irish Stallion Farms’ EBF Mares’ Novice Chase at Thurles yesterday.

FOR the first time since 2007 Horse Racing Ireland has posted positive financial figures, a sign the Irish industry’s repeated losses might have bottomed out according to HRI CEO Brian Kavanagh.

YOU’RE going to have to pardon my ignorance here, but I thought I knew all I needed to know about betting.

Betfred are to sponsor the Ebor at York on August 20 for the first time following their successful purchase of the Tote.

THE Tony McCoy-ridden Captain Cee Bee bagged the Kevin McManus Bookmakers Grimes Hurdle spoils at Tipperary yesterday, holding the tenderly-handled The Real Article by the minimum margin as both horses proved their well-being ahead of next week’s Galway Festival.

DONALD McCAIN’S Overturn will have to defy a stone extra if the versatile performer is to repeat last year’s emphatic victory in the Guinness Galway Handicap Hurdle, the richest National Hunt race in Ireland this year, at Ballybrit on Thursday fortnight.

BRITAIN’S fourth-biggest bookmaker Betfred has won an auction to buy state-owned betting group, the Tote, for £265 million (€302.5m), disappointing the influential horseracing lobby.

Bookmakers Betfred won the auction to buy the Tote today after the Government backed a takeover deal worth around £265m (€298m).

JOHN QUEALLY’S Memories Of Milan justified strong market support, under Tim Carroll, in the Powerstown Maiden Hurdle at Clonmel last evening.

NEWBURY’S abandoned meeting on Saturday is poised to be rescheduled for this Friday.

The Tote are to sponsor the Midlands Grand National at Uttoxeter on March 19.

THE totesport Cheltenham Gold Cup will be worth £500,000 for the first time when it is run on March 18, next year.

PADDY Power has distanced itself from fresh speculation that it is in the running to acquire the Tote betting network in Britain, which the government there is looking to sell in the coming months.

Wigan: It seems that the Tote in Britain will not come under Irish ownership, once it becomes privatised.

A spending watchdog was today urged to probe the accounts of Horse Racing Ireland over claims spending is out of control.

ASTONISHING seems the most appropriate word to describe the success of the Galway Festival this week.

BARRY Geraghty was seen at his strongest when powering Beau Michael to a neck victory over Armaramak in the St James’ Gate Novice Chase at Galway yesterday, writes Pat Keane.

CARRYING the colours of Mrs Anne Coughlan, best known for the exploits of champion filly Ridgewood Pearl back in 1995, the Dermot Weld trained Treasure The Cross made all to land the opening Irish Stallion Farms Fillies Maiden at Wexford last night.

RIGOUR Back Bob, a promising fourth at Cork on his debut over flights, strolled to victory in the Adare Maiden Hurdle at Limerick yesterday.

I thought Listowel last week was a quite phenomenal success story.

CANNOT understand why there should be any sense of despondency regarding the figures returned by Galway last week.

A massive gamble on Deutschland, in the Arthur Guinness Galway Hurdle at Ballybrit yesterday, went astray when he proved no match for the Pat Flynn-trained 20-1 shot Bahrain Storm.

British Horseracing Authority chief executive Nic Coward is one of number of racing-related figures to be appointed to a British government panel on sports betting integrity.

THE Pick 7 Jackpot has the country going wild!

The state-owned gambling system at Irish race courses is today linking up with the world’s biggest online betting exchange.

The State-owned gambling system at Irish race courses is today linking up with the world’s biggest online betting exchange.

ARE you aware that, despite an apparent policy of discouraging the involvement of children from the addictive gambling habit — prohibiting entry to casinos and certain arcades — the Government-sponsored Tote, if not actively promoting the practice among youngsters at venues such as the Punchestown festival and probably elsewhere, does nothing at all to prevent them from laying bets?