Club to supply signal to TVG while judge ponders motion

The Maryland Jockey Club said yesterday that it will continue to supply its signal to the TVG Network after a hearing in U.S. District Court in Baltimore ended with no decision being made by Judge William M. Nickerson.

Attorneys for ODS Technologies, which does business as TVG, had planned to call jockey club president Joseph A. De Francis as a witness, but did not do so after the sides stipulated what De Francis was to testify.

Jockey club attorneys on Thursday moved for Judge Nickerson to deny ODS' request for a preliminary injunction that would keep the races on TVG. ODS' attorney, D. Christopher Ohly, told the judge he would have a response to the jockey club's motion by Monday. The sides will be back in court next week.

De Francis said yesterday that Laurel's races will be made available to TVG until Judge Nickerson rules on the preliminary injunction.

In July, the jockey club filed suit against ODS, a subsidiary of Rupert Murdoch-owned Gemstar-TV Guide International Inc., to try to end their exclusive agreement to conduct account wagering on races from Pimlico Race Course and Laurel Park.

Magna Entertainment Corp., which bought a majority interest in the Maryland Jockey Club in November 2002, has its own account wagering service, called XpressBet, and its own TV network, HorseRacing TV.