The Wicks Groups is selling Daily Racing Form, LLC, aka horse racing’s bible, to Arlington Capital Partners for “just shy” of $200 million, according to TheDeal.com (free link). Wicks started a public search for strategic alternatives, including a sale, last April. No confirmation yet from Wicks and Arlington.

The print Daily Racing Form has been published since 1894 and is the only national daily print publication dedicated to a single sport. Redesigned late last year, DRF.com provides expanded content and data analytics. In December it claimed to average 500,000-plus unique visitors and 17 million page views monthly.  Some online content is available free to registered users, including live odds, tracking systems and a personal home page. DRF.com also offers premium packages and various a la carte options. DRF Plus runs $9.95 per month, $19.95 for three months, $89.95 for one year and is bundled with various DRF subscriptions.

The company has had more owners in the past 19 years than in the first 94: News Corp. picked it up from Walter Annenberg’s Triangle Publications in 1988. K-III bought it in 1991 for a reported $180 million and spent $35 million bringing it up to modern speed; it also merged with the Daily Racing Times. In 1998, K-III turned Primedia sold it for $40 million—yes, you’re reading that right—to Alpine Capital Group and journalist Steve Crist. They, in turn, sold it to Wicks in 2004 for a reported $60-70 million.