Council decision sounds Hollywood death knell

USA: The death knell may have been sounded for one of the most famous racetracks in America after local officials approved proposals for a $2 billion development that would put an end to racing at Hollywood Park, which hosted the inaugural Breeders' Cup in 1984.

The city council in Inglewood, the Los Angeles suburb in which the track is located, has given the green light to a 238-acre project called Hollywood Park Tomorrow.

The Hollywood Park site was bought in 2005 by developers Wilson Meany Sullivan, who plan to build a retail and residential complex with a casino and cinema.

The development has been opposed by the racing industry and some local residents - but their objections now seem to have failed, signalling an end after 71 years to racing at Hollywood, currently in the middle of its summer meeting.