The Enquirer and wire reports

River Downs opens its 78th thoroughbred racing meeting today. The 122-day meeting will be conducted daily except Wednesdays, and will include a return to simulcasting from Beulah Park and Thistledown in a 7-and-7 format, except for Tuesdays when RD will conduct live racing on its own.

Special first post today and Sunday is 2 p.m. Most other days it will be 12:55 p.m. Admission is free.

The Cincinnati riverfront track has scheduled 13 stakes races, including the $200,000 Cradle Stakes for 2-year-olds on closing day, Labor Day, Sept. 1, and the $100,000 Bassinet Stakes for 2-year-old fillies on Aug. 30.

Beulah Park announcer Bill Downs and simulcast coordinator Brian DeJong take over from Sean Beirne at River Downs. Beirne left for the same positions at Evangeline Downs in Louisiana. River Downs has also named Beulah racing secretary, Ed Vomacka, to replace its former racing secretary, Gary Wilfert, who left to become a racing official in Indiana.