Ladbroke races satellite network to market.(Ladbroke Racing Corp.)

CECIL TOWNSHIP - As they lobby state lawmakers to push for slot machines at racetracks, Ladbroke Racing Corp. officials are making plans to form a national home satellite horse and dog racing network.

But an 800-pound gorilla named Rupert Murdoch could stand in the way.

Ladbroke, a London-based company with its U.S. headquarters at Southpointe, hopes to use money generated from The Racing Network to help overcome a recent drop in business.

Ladbroke, operators of The Meadows in South Strabane and Golden Gate Fields in San Francisco, laid off about 15 managers last year after business slumped nearly 20 percent, according to company officials.

They blame the downturn on state laws prohibiting slot machines. With West Virginia tracks permitting such betting, Ladbroke managers complain that many local consumers are being lured across the state line.

"The Racing Network, along with other forms of technology, will …