More corruption at Penn National

[Bill S]

http://www.bloodhorse.com/horse-raci...jects-trainers

I don't even know why I play this track anymore. Every time you turn around they are catching trainers cheating over there. This time it wasn't only trainers, but three veterinarians, a track official, and a clocker. A year or so ago a trainer at Penn was doping his horses so bad with pain killers they we're braking down left an right on the track. Nothing was done until the jockeys refused to ride this guys horses anymore for fear of their own lives.

[Jeebs]

If Penn is as bad as they have been exposed to be, I can't imagine how bad other like tracks (CT, MNR for starters) are.

[Bill S]

I don't know about those two tracks, but I live in Bensalem PA less than a mile from the Parx track. I frequent a local tavern that is also frequented by people who work at the track like grooms, hot walkers, etc. They say that kind of stuff goes on at Parx too.

My neighbor was a jockey's agent over there for years before he retired. He calls Parx "the electric company" because of the illegal use of buzzers over there. He said watch a horses tail when it comes down the stretch. Normally the tail moves in a circular motion when the horse runs, but if you see it shoot straight up in the air, that tells you a jockey just buzzed the horse.

A few years ago a lady named Jayne Vader was a top trainer over there. She got caught 16 times drugging her horses on race day and nothing was done. When she got caught the 17th time the state banished her from training in Pennsylvania for life.

[Lt1]

Why is anyone shocked it goes on everywhere including the major tracks. All we can do is deal with the things we can control or top playing the game.
Tim

[mick]

Back in the bad ol' days of Kentucky racing, one of our favorite angles was to play incoming shippers who had shown just a little something at out-of-state tracks. Sometimes we didn't even need that because we knew those horses would be juiced to the eyeballs and run their lungs out after they got to the bluegrass. The flip side was to make sure you didn't play them when they shipped out, especially to a NY track where they have always been strict about race-day meds.

True story. About fifteen years ago, I was at Kentucky Downs with two friends, Lee and Buzz. (Buzz was an RDSS user but now has returned to playing poker.) There was a Maiden Claiming race on simulcast from Churchill.

One of my first tosses was a 5YO, New Jersey bred, FTS that had a couple of slow works at a Southern California training track. Buzz tossed him too and the horse went off at more than 50-1.

We watched in amazement as that 5YO, New Jersey bred, FTS pulled away from the field and won easily. What was even more astonishing was that our friend Lee was on his feet and cheering.

Buzz and I turned and said in unison, "You bet that horse?"

Lee just shrugged and said, "There's a reason they shipped him here, fellas. After all, they run Maiden Claiming races in Southern California."

Lee had $20 to win on him, plus the exacta, trifecta and superfecta. He didn't have enough pockets for the money.

It's not that bad anymore. Kentucky has gotten serious about race-day meds but I remember those days and as result, I seldom play the local tracks, with the exception of Keeneland which is about as spotless as a track can be.

Tim's right. It's happening. I saw a race at Finger Lakes recently that defied all explanation. And puzzling performances at Parx are rather commonplace. But what can you do? I don't want to give up the game. I like it too much. I just hope I catch enough of those suspect winners to make up for my losses.

[Bill S]

The worse thing about the current Penn National incident is that three veterinarians were involved in it and administered the drugs. They are supposed to be professionals and are there to protect the well being of the horses.

All three were found guilty and are awaiting sentencing. I hope the state revokes their licenses to practice veterinary medicine in Pennsylvania.

[mick]

"Headless Horsemen: A Tale of Chemical Colts, Subprime Sales Agents, and the Last Kentucky Derby on Steriods" by Jim Squires

This is a fine book if you're interested in the bad ol' days of Kentucky racing. I went uninvited to Jim Squires' farm in Versailles KY and persuaded him to autograph my copy. He is the consummate curmudgeon but heavens, can he write! He was the editor of the Chicago Tribune and after they fired him, breeder of Monarchos. That's quite a resume.

[mick]

Another story from the bad ol' days of Kentucky racing ...

About fifteen years ago, I was in the dining room at Kentucky Downs watching the simulcast cards and making the occasional bet. Robert Reed and his wife were at the table next to mine and we were talking back and forth. Mr. Reed bred and raced thoroughbreds primarily in Kentucky and Ohio. He has since passed away but he was a fine gentleman.

Halfway through the Churchill card, a group came into the dining room and made their way to a large round table in the back corner. They ordered iced tea and talked quietly among themselves. None had a program or a racing form.

Mr. Reed and his wife exchanged glances and seeing my curious expression, he gestured me over. He turned a page or two in his racing form and pointed. "They're here to bet this horse," he told me in a whisper.

The horse looked lousy on paper. "How do you know?"

"Wait and see if I'm right."

And he was right. At the call to post, the group got up, walked single file through the other tables to the betting windows and began pushing money through to the tellers. There were 5 or 6 of them and from what I could see, they were betting heavy.

"Watch the toteboard," Mr. Reed said, and the odds on that horse ticked down from 12-1 to 9-1. At Churchill, the pools are often large so I assume they bet a significant sum.

The group returned to their table, sipped their iced tea, and we all watched as the horse won in a romp. Nobody in the group cheered but they smiled among themselves, got up, and returned to the pari-mutuel windows. They cashed out and left, although one of them came back to the table and left a $20 tip for the 5-6 glasses of iced tea.

Mr. Reed pointed to the trainer's name. "He used to train for me and those people are his family and friends. I recognized several of them. He doped that horse and he's afraid it won't pass the post-race urine test. If the horse doesn't pass, the owner won't get any of the purse. But the trainer won't be left empty handed. I know what he's doing because he did the same thing to me."

I didn't use the trainer's name because he's still in the business. Today, the Kentucky Racing Commission would probably give him a suspension. Back then, nothing, Except the owner wouldn't get his 60% of the purse.

[Bill S]

That's an interesting story Mick.

That's one of the problems....everyone knows what's going on but does nothing. They ignore it until something happens that forces them to act. I think in this case it was the fact that the FBI was involved in it for some reason.

In the current Penn National case a track official was involved in it and got six months in jail. I wonder how many other track officials throughout the country are involved in this kind of behavior? I doubt he's the only one.

[papajohn3times]

Hi all!
Can't wait for Saratoga!
Being from the Detroit area,I imagined and many times my feeling's were confirmed about race fixing at the infamous Hazel Park. I was once told be a friend that Las Vegas would not accept any wager's from this track because of the corruption there.
In my younger days,I witnessed many things that just looked really strange to say the least
I remember a friend told me to go stand by the 100.00 window at watch what happens. They ran out of the chute for 6 furlongs as it is a 5/8 bullring. There was what I will say as a "wise guy" standing right next to the teller. For some strange reason,no one else stood near that teller to bet. I watched in amazement as the teller stood ready,another guy hade binoculars(HUGE ONE'S!) stationed where he could see the gates pop open. He would hold up his fingers just as the bell had already soundedmand would bet the 1st horse out of the gate. Well, not real unusual until I watched the wise guy and the teller. He would put down a bunch of 100.00 bills and the teller would start punching the tickets BUT! this was at least 10 seconds after the horses were already running! Hazel was a very speed and inside speed track and this guy had such a EDGE as you could imagine. I watched this for several weeks.
Now the wg never was there for any route races but sprints,especially 4 furlongs,he was glued to that teller!
I watched as the odds changed from say 3-1 to less than even money on several occasions!
One day a few months later I walked by the window and 1. no machine. 2. the teller was nowhere at any machine as I looked for him often and 3. our wg was nowhere to be found!
quite a betting edge,eh?
Papa John