Saturday, May 29, 2010

“Senator calls for horse racing inquiry” plus 2 more

“Senator calls for horse racing inquiry” plus 2 more

Senator calls for horse racing inquiry

Posted: 27 May 2010 02:55 PM PDT

Message from Five Filters: If you can, please donate to the full-text RSS service so we can continue developing it.

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) - I-Team 8 has discovered a state senator's call for a state investigation into Indiana's Horse Racing Industry.

That request comes after what the senator calls persistent rumors of illegal activities.

I-Team 8 obtained a copy of a letter Senator Luke Kenley wrote to the Sarah McNaught, the chairman of the Indiana Horse Racing Commission. The IHRC is the government body that oversees the state's racing industry and all the money wagered on it.

The letter follows an April meeting Senator Luke Kenley had with McNaught and a group of concerned horsemen. In letter, Kenley requested the commission examine several requests. A State Board of Accounts audit on all the money horse tracks get as a subsidy from Indiana's casinos, a review of the purse structure for next year, and for Indiana State Police to investigate "persistent rumors of illegal activities."

Here's how the paragraph reads:

"Integrity through the industry is critical. This is a primary function of the Commission. Without confidence that we are squeaky clean, we could jeopardize everything with the public and the legislature. As I informed you, I have asked the Superintendent of the State Police to investigate persistent rumors of illegal activities. We need to put this behind us."

But whether a state police investigation on horse racing has left the starting gate or already crossed the finish line is unknown.

Indiana State Police spokesperson First Sgt. Dave Bursten would only provide a single five word statement.

"There is no ongoing investigation," said First Sgt. Bursten. When I-Team 8 asked to confirm Senator Kenley requested an investigation, Bursten repeated, "The only information I have is that there is no ongoing investigation."

Senator Kenley clarified what he wanted investigated.

"(In) some element of racing, particularly standardbred racing, there was a question as to whether there was a fix involved in some racing that was going on," said Senator Kenley.

I-Team sources inside the horse racing industry say the rumors of illegal activity go beyond race fixing, in which a number of people conspire to influence outcomes. The allegations also include ghost ownership of horses by commission officials and improper wagering by commission officials at both of Indiana's tracks.

Sen. Kenley says it's critical to find out what's actually happening.

"It's very important because this is a state subsidized industry and we've tried to build it up as an agribusiness, and it's very important that it be maintained as a clean legitimate business and that was my concern," he said.

We requested an interview with Joe Gorajec, the Executive Director of the Horse Racing Commission and told him what we'd been hearing. He said he'd call back. He didn't.

I-Team 8 will continue to follow up on any new information in this investigation. The original intent of the meeting Kenley had with the Commission chair and the horsemen was to exchange ideas on how the commission could help make horse racing in Indiana, a bigger player in the national picture by encouraging bigger payouts and more breed development in the state.
 

Five Filters featured article: Into the Abyss. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction.

Horse racing Hall of Fame class includes Randy Romero and Point Given

Posted: 28 May 2010 03:26 PM PDT

Message from Five Filters: If you can, please donate to the full-text RSS service so we can continue developing it.

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. -- Jockey Randy Romero, who won more than 4,000 races in a 26-year career, and former Horse of the Year Point Given were elected to the horse racing Hall of Fame on Friday.

Romero, Point Given, Azeri and Best Pal were elected in the contemporary category by the 182 members of the National Museum of Racing's Hall of Fame voting panel. The Hall's Historic Review Committee will announce its selections on Wednesday, June9, completing the 2010 inductees.

Romero was the regular rider of Go for Wand and the undefeated Personal Ensign. He won Breeders' Cup races on both. The 52-year-old won 4,294 races, including 122 graded stakes, during a career that went from 1973-1999. Winning riding titles at 10 tracks, Romero's mounts earned purses totaling more than $75million. In one day at Keeneland, he was first to the wire in five straight races and captured six on the day.

Point Given dominated 2001, winning Horse of the Year and champion 3-year-old. After finishing fifth in the '01 Kentucky Derby, he rallied to win the final two legs of the Triple Crown, the Preakness and Belmont. He went on to capture the Haskell and Travers, becoming the first horse to win four straight races with $1million purses.

Point Given was retired following the Travers because of an injury and finished his career with nine wins in 13 starts and $3.9million in earnings.

Azeri was Horse of the Year in 2002 and champion older female in 2002-04. She won 17of24 races, including 11 Grade I stakes. As a 4-year-old, Azeri won 8of9 starts, including Grade I victories in the Breeders' Cup Distaff, Santa Margarita Invitational Handicap, Apple Blossom Handicap, Milady Breeders' Cup Handicap and Vanity Handicap.

Azeri retired as the leader in earnings among females -- since broken by Zenyatta -- with $4,079,820.

Best Pal won 18of47 career starts, earning more than $5.6million during his six-year career. As a 2-year-old, Best Pal won five stakes, including Grade I victories in the Norfolk and Hollywood Futurity. In 1991, he was second in the Kentucky Derby before returning west to win the Swaps Stakes and defeat older stars Twilight Agenda and Unbridled in the Pacific Classic. As a 4-year-old, Best Pal won the San Fernando, Charles H.Strub Stakes, Santa Anita Handicap and Oaklawn Handicap in succession.

The four candidates received the most votes from 182 voters in the United States and Canada. The ceremony is August 13 in Saratoga Springs.

Five Filters featured article: Into the Abyss. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction.

HORSE RACING / Dressed for success here, in Southland

Posted: 29 May 2010 05:41 AM PDT

Message from Five Filters: If you can, please donate to the full-text RSS service so we can continue developing it.

(05-28) 22:40 PDT -- Trainer Jerry Hollendorfer will be wearing a suit and tie today at Hollywood Park when he puts the saddle on 5-year-old mare Tuscan Evening for the ninth race - fitting attire for the Grade 1 Gamely Stakes.

His wife, Janet, will be wearing jeans and a casual top 45 minutes earlier at Golden Gate Fields when she puts the saddle on 8-year-old gelding Time to Honor for the eighth race - fitting attire for the allowance/optional claiming event.

Tuscan Evening and Time to Honor perform at vastly different class levels - and she in Southern California and he in the Bay Area - but their recent race records are amazingly similar.

Since coming from her native Ireland in late 2008 to the southern division of Hollendorfer's stable overseen by assistant Dan Ward, Tuscan Evening has won 10 of 14 starts and been worse than third only once.

Since being claimed by Hollendorfer for $8,000 on April 16, 2009, at Golden Gate Fields, Time to Honor has won eight of 13 starts and been worse than second only once.

All of Tuscan Evening's races have been on grass, and most of them were sprints and miles until she won the 1 1/8 -mile Santa Ana Handicap and the 1 1/4-mile Santa Barbara Handicap in her past two starts.

"Our thinking was that she was limited to a mile, but we took a chance going longer and she's done it," Hollendorfer said. "She's very comfortable whether she's on the lead or off the lead. She rates very kindly."

Tuscan Evening seeks her first Grade 1 victory in today's 1 1/8 -mile, $250,000 race - a win also will put her over $1 million in earnings - after collecting five Grade 2s and a Grade 3. Quite a turnaround for a horse that was winless in 11 starts in Ireland and England before William DeBurgh bought her.

"She's gotten better and better, and a Grade 1 win would improve her pedigree value immensely," Hollendorfer said.

Obviously, Time to Honor has no breeding value, but that doesn't mean he's not appreciated as a racehorse.

"Not all horses can run at the top echelon," said Hollendorfer, who also owns Time to Honor. "But you have to love horses like him that are so consistent. He's definitely one of the stars of the stable."

Time to Honor had won 10 of 31 starts when Hollendorfer claimed him, and his style had been to rally from far behind. Now he not only has moved up the claiming ladder to $50,000 and earned $135,210 for Hollendorfer, but he also has transformed himself into a front-runner.

"Sometimes we never see what a horse can do because they don't run past a certain age," Hollendorfer said. "Horses learn to race how they want to if they have confidence."

This article appeared on page B - 11 of the San Francisco Chronicle

Five Filters featured article: Into the Abyss. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction.
Posted by at

0 comments:

Post a Comment

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)