Posted: May 14, 2008

Money isn't everything, at least when you're talking about Prairie Meadows' horse racing program.

The racetrack-casino's board of directors is spending much of this week examining why the $19.2 million it pays in purse money doesn't yield better results.

The board will have an all-day retreat Saturday, starting at 9 a.m. at the casino, to look at the program and consider actions. A prelude to that meeting was a three-hour informational session Monday, which included a grilling of the track's racing staff.

Board members are trying to find out why racing loses so much money - $22 million to $29 million per year, according to estimates. Horse betting, including wagering on simulcast races, produces about $4.5 million in revenue per year.

The biggest expense is for purses, the money paid to owners of horses that finish fourth or better in a race. Board members asked Derron Heldt, the director of racing, and Dan Doocy, the racing secretary, some pointed questions on the state of racing Monday.

"If you're doing the recruiting, how do I hold you accountable as to whether you're doing a good job or not?" board member Tom Whitney asked.

The betting is part of a domino effect: Prairie Meadows has trouble filling its 1,350 stalls in the spring thoroughbred meet, and often struggles to get large fields for races. Small fields lead to lower odds and less betting.

"We need to have fuller fields so we can have bigger betting on the exotics (a bet involving two or more horses) or trifectas," board member Jodi Urich said.

Doocy said there are 1,187 horses at Prairie Meadows, about 170 of those 2-year-olds that are still being prepared for racing.

Nationally, the average field size per race was 8.17 horses in 2007, according to the Jockey Club. Prairie Meadows was about half-a-horse per race under that, in part because it averaged 4raceday scratches per day.

"The criticism I've heard is, 'We don't have enough horses,' " Whitney said.

Prairie Meadows isn't alone in struggling for horses. Since Louisiana Downs moved its meet to the spring, there has been a glut of spring meets in the Midwest, with Prairie Meadows, Arlington Park, Canterbury Park, Louisiana Downs and Lone Star Park all recruiting the same group of horses.

Prairie Meadows tried for an edge by gearing its purse structure toward lower-end claiming horses, the blue-collar types than run every couple of weeks and can produce big fields.

Claiming races are events in which a horse can be bought for a preset price. A race for $4,000 claimers pays owners almost twice as much at Prairie Meadows than at Canterbury Park in Minnesota - a $12,000 purse at Prairie Meadows compared to $6,500 at Canterbury Park. And that's more than at Chicago's Arlington Park, where $5,000 claimers run for a $5,000 purse.

But there is more to attracting horses than purse money. Doocy told the board that there are factors that make Prairie Meadows less desirable than other tracks to some trainers. Some of those:

- No turf course. Trainers with horses that like to run on grass instead of dirt can race on either surface at Arlington Park, Canterbury Park, Louisiana Downs or Lone Star Park.

- The shortness of the thoroughbred meet. More than half of the $19 million in purse money is packed into the 47-day thoroughbred meet that runs from April 18 to July 5.

For some trainers, the meet is not long enough to merit the expense of traveling to Iowa, especially when they can spend May to September at Canterbury or Arlington Park. Plus, the July 5 ending leaves many with no place to go until Remington Park in Oklahoma opens in August.

One option would be for Prairie Meadows to abandon its two-meet system - the 47-day thoroughbred meet followed by a 43-day mixed thoroughbred-quarter horse season - and return to having one long mixed meet, as it offered from 1989-96. That move has been supported by thoroughbred and quarter horse groups.

- Lack of balance at the top. The purses for lower-end horses are high, but most trainers also have higher-end allowance-level horses. Many have complained through the years that those horses seldom have a chance to run at Prairie Meadows, because there aren't enough horses in their division, so they take their stables elsewhere.

- Likewise, because there are so many Iowa-breds at Prairie Meadows, open races for horses bred in any state have trouble getting full fields. That makes it hard for Prairie Meadows to attract out-of-state stables.

- Lack of a racing infrastructure. There are more training farms near tracks in Louisiana, Texas and Illinois than in Iowa. That expands the supply of available horses for those tracks.

Date Posted: 5/14/2008 10:34:22 AM Last Updated: 5/14/2008 10:58:40 AM

Two part owners of last year's Preakness Stakes (gr. I) winner went on trial May 13 on charges they defrauded clients out of millions in a case being watched closely by the Thoroughbred industry because the men could lose their share of the horse.

Shirley Cunningham Jr., 52, and William Gallion, 56, are accused of keeping money that prosecutors say should have gone to plaintiffs in a $200-million settlement from the maker of the diet drug fen-phen.

While the horse's ownership isn't a direct issue in the criminal case, it's the reason it has gotten attention. The two attorneys have a 20% ownership share of 2007 Horse of the Year Curlin, who won the Preakness Stakes that year as well.

A judge has ordered that Cunningham and Gallion's $3.5-million ownership share and winnings go into a trust for eventual payment to the more than 400 plaintiffs who won a $43-million settlement in a civil lawsuit against the attorneys.

"That money will go a long way to righting a terrible wrong," said plaintiff W.L. Carter of Lawrenceburg. "He's a great horse, a beautiful horse, and I wish him all the luck in the world."

The horse has been ruled out as an issue in the criminal trial against Cunningham, Gallion, and Melbourne Mills Jr. -- a third co-defendant who didn't have a stake in Curlin.

Few in the horse industry will address the criminal or civil cases and judgment directly. When asked, most decline to talk about the proceedings, instead focusing on what Curlin does on the track.

Jess Jackson, the founder of Kendall-Jackson Winery and owner of Stonestreet Stables, owns the majority 80% interest in Curlin. If the judge's order goes through, Jackson would get first right of refusal to buy Curlin outright.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Laura Voorhies said in opening statements that the three men chose to defraud their clients in the case. Each man could face a maximum of 20 years in prison.

"This case isn't that confusing," Voorhies said. "It's fairly simple."

O. Hale Almand, an attorney for Gallion, told the jury that the lawyers handled their payment from the fen-phen case like any other class-action lawsuit. He argued any mistakes in the distribution of the settlement were not intentional.

Curlin is excelling as a 4-year-old, winning the Dubai World Cup (UAE-I). Cunningham and Gallion didn't see the Dubai win -- the Boone County Jail, where they've been held since August, doesn't offer inmates cable television.

Jackson said he plans to run Curlin in the Stephen Foster Handicap (gr. I) in June at Churchill Downs.

The sport's image was bruised by the tragic injury of Eight Belles in the May 3 Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (gr. I), who broke both her ankles after the race and had to be euthanized on the track. Some observers of the sport have questioned whether breeders focus too much on short-lived speed and not enough on durability.

"It's not about the money," Jackson said. "It's what it would mean to the horse and what it would mean to the industry."

Date Posted: 5/13/2008 8:47:14 PM Last Updated: 5/14/2008 11:06:59 AM

The Indiana Horse Racing Commission voted May 12 to extend the grace period for anabolic steroid positives at Hoosier Park and Indiana Downs to 90 days.

The grace period, which began for Thoroughbreds April 25, was previously set for 45 days. IHRC executive director Joe Gorajec said the change was made to reflect new recommendations from the Association of Racing Commissioners International and Racing Medication and Testing Consortium in late March.

“At the RCI convention in Austin, the RMTC had a directors meeting, coming out with a 90-day grace period,” Gorajec said. “In order to be consistent, we elongated our grace period.”

With the revised grace period, horses currently racing at Indiana Downs will compete through the duration of the 54-day meet without ramifications for a positive test for steroids. Once the grace period expires, horsemen with horses found in violation of Indiana’s steroid policy will be fined and required to forfeit the purse. The change impacts the Indiana Downs meet and the harness meet currently conducted at Hoosier Park.

“We didn’t have an opposition to the change,” Gorajec said. “The Indiana (Horsemen’s Benevolent and Protective Association) was in favor of the new grace period.”

The Indiana Downs meet will conclude July 8; Hoosier Park’s Thoroughbred meet begins Aug. 29. According to Gorajec, the IHRC has received results from the first week of testing during Hoosier Park’s harness meet, which began April 5. No positive tests for steroids were found in the roughly 20 horses--two per race--randomly tested daily.

The IHRC voted unanimously last September to adopt steroid testing, becoming the first jurisdiction to use the RCI model rule.

Date Posted: 5/13/2008 9:39:10 PM Last Updated: 5/14/2008 11:07:27 AM

The California Horse Racing Board has issued an advisory to explain the changing regulatory scheme of anabolic steroids as several regulations move through the administrative process.

According to a release from the CHRB, threshold levels have been established for the four most important anabolic steroids. Those are testosterone, nandrolone, boldenone, and stanozolol. As of May 31, 2008, these drugs will be regulated under the same CHRB rule that regulates clenbuterol and several other drugs with specified threshold levels. The rule has been amended as follows:

--Official urine test samples may contain one of the following drug substances, their metabolites or analogs, in an amount that does not exceed the specified levels:
--Stanozolol; 1 nanograms per milliliter
-- Nandrolone; 1 nanograms per milliliter for geldings, fillies, and mares; 45 nanograms for males other than geldings
-- Boldenone; 15 nanograms per milliliter in males other than geldings
-- Testosterone; 20 nanograms per milliliter in geldings, 55 nanograms per milliliter in fillies or mares. Testosterone at any level in males other than geldings is not a violation.

As a practical matter, horsemen will not see any changes until July 1, 2008, when the Maddy Laboratory begins in-depth testing of routine samples for anabolic steroids.

The CHRB’s anabolic steroid regulations are modified from the Racing Medication and Testing Consortium model rules, which in turn are based on international regulations for anabolic steroids. Testosterone, nandrolone, and boldenone are endogenous anabolic steroids. Endogenous means they occur naturally. The normal levels of these endogenous anabolic steroids have been established in the horses for urine and the regulatory threshold levels for a violation have a wide safety margin. Horses that have not been administered anabolic steroids are not in danger of a positive. However, boldenone is manufactured as Equipoise®; nandrolone is manufactured as Durabolin®; and testosterone is manufactured as generic testosterone.

According to release, the most significant exception between the international and California regulations for anabolic steroids is the 1ng/ml threshold level for stanozolol in urine. Stanozolol is Winstrol®, an exogenous, pharmaceutical anabolic steroid.

The CHRB has long planned a phased-in program for testosterone, nandrolone, boldenone, and stanozolol regulation. That should still be possible but the exact timing is yet to be determined.

According to the release from the CHRB, under the proposed changes to the current regulation awaiting approval at the Office of Administrative Law, testosterone, nandrolone, boldenone and stanozolol will temporarily be Class 4 drugs. All anabolic steroids other than testosterone, nandrolone, boldenone and stanozolol, will be either a Class 2 or a Class 3 under the proposed regulation depending on the drug. Class 2 and Class 3 drugs require purse redistribution. The CHRB will know the status of the proposed regulations before the end of May and their effective dates if approved. An updated advisory will be released and posted at that time.

There are no official withdrawal time recommendations for testosterone, nandrolone, boldenone, and stanozolol. This is no different than any other drug, therapeutic or otherwise. However, horsemen should look at a minimum of 30 days for stanozolol and aqueous testosterone and 45 days for nandrolone, boldenone and non-aqueous testosterone.

California will be able to offer pre-entry screening for anabolic steroids through 2008. The exact details of that program will be communicated later, according to the release. At a minimum, the trainer or veterinarian will be required to submit a record of the drug, date, dose, and route of administration with the urine sample. The treatment information will be required to match that reported by the veterinarian on their Veterinary Confidential reports to the Official Veterinarian. This means, practicing veterinarians must put the drug, date, dose, route of administration for any testosterone, nandrolone, boldenone and stanozolol preparations on their Veterinary Confidential reports for a horse to be eligible for this program. Veterinarians should begin doing this immediately.

There is a national effort to obtain better withdrawal time information for horsemen. Anabolic steroids have a long half-life, certainly longer than most any other drug typically used in racing. The RMTC is funding studies in Florida. Studies are also underway in Texas, Pennsylvania, New York, and California to determine withdrawal times for testosterone, nandrolone, boldenone or stanozolol. Eventually, there will be more withdrawal time information for these drugs than has been available for any other drugs.

Date Posted: 5/14/2008 9:48:25 AM Last Updated: 5/14/2008 11:17:02 AM

Players involved in the fractious negotiations with Churchill Downs over revenue sharing on the evening of May 13 exhorted a gathering of more than 150 horsemen to stay the course in the standoff and support their efforts.

Panelists speaking at the Executive Inn East in Louisville, Ky., updated horsemen on the impasse in negotiations during the three-hour meeting, which included passionate input from attendees such as prominent owner/breeder Ken Ramsey and trainer Kenny McPeek, among others.

Rick Hiles, president of the Kentucky Horsemen’s Benevolent & Protective Association, which organized the affair, painted a picture of the Churchill Downs mindset, saying the track wants to “destroy the horsemen” with actions such as the recently announced 20% purse cut.

“They say, ‘we will cut purses until they bleed to death; they will give up’,” Hiles said. “They are saying that horsemen have no rights. They should take what we give them. Be quiet and be happy.”

The Kentucky HBPA and Kentucky Thoroughbred Association are directly involved in the negotiations, using the national Thoroughbred Horsemen’s Group as a broker. Horsemen basically want a third of takeout to go to purses from wagers made through advance deposit wagering companies, and Churchill is offering substantially less.

“We are saying, we are not going to recommend to our members that they grant approvals unless you pay us a fair share,” said Bob Reeves, president of the THG, which has 18 horsemen’s groups in its membership.

THG and its affiliates are focusing its ADW signal cutoff to such large players in the industry as Twinspires.com and XpressBet.com, which are owned by Churchill Downs Inc. and Magna Entertainment Corp., respectively, as well as TVG and Youbet.com, among a few others. Signals are not withheld for now from what are called regional ADWs that primarily service customers within their respective states, nor to large-volume offshore rebate shops such as Elite Turf Club and Racing & Gaming Services.

Bill Casner, chairman of the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association, said his group supports the THG, because it brings a “skill-set” to the negotiating table that evens the odds.

“The racetracks … this is their biggest fear, because they have a competitive edge in the negotiating room,” he said. “They would like nothing more than to have than a group that they could intimidate, to threaten to withhold stalls. But when you bring in your our team, it becomes a fair process.

“The one thing I would leave you with is that you are doing the right thing,” he continued. “The future of our purses comes down to how these issues are resolved. I don’t know how long it’s going to take. It’s a war of wills. The resolve I see is demonstrated by the number of people that are here tonight. But at the end of the day, I commend you for holding the line, and I would encourage you to continue to hold the line.”

Speaking from the audience, Ramsey brought a thunderous round of applause when he suggested he and other horse owners could stage a boycott of their own by not entering horses at Churchill.

“We as owners control our own destiny,” said Ramsey. “No one tells me what to do with my horses. We decide when and if we want to race. We hold the trump card. Have Churchill Downs treat us as partners, and not slaves that they can push around.

“We don’t have to enter any horses,” he continued. “If there is no racing at Churchill Downs, their stock (prices) will drop further, and if there stock drops, that’s when they get together and do something about it.”

Panelists cautioned that because of anti-trust laws, horsemen’s groups could not recommend such action, but said they were considering legal tactics of their own.

“I think we have certain options that we are weighing at this point,” said Douglas McSwain, an equine attorney and counsel for the National HBPA. “And some of those could result in having to take legal action.”

Also speaking from the crowd, McPeek offered that a non-profit ADW could be established to benefit horsemen, and that some of those in attendance, such as owner Jack Wolf, who has a background as a hedge fund manager, could help make it happen.

“If we own half the signal, then maybe we need to do something about it,” McPeek said.

Casner said TOBA at one time considered establishing an ADW platform, but said the start-up costs made that prospect prohibitive.

“And it would take a period of time to make that work,” he said. “What you have available (in negotiating) is something more powerful that starting our own ADW. We have said yes, this is the way to make change. The horsemen have the power. This will make it happen a heck of lot quicker that starting our own ADW.”

Hiles said the purse cut by Churchill Downs may end up being a non-event by the end of the meet, because if there is an overage, the track is contractually obligated to back-pay purse winners retroactively.

“They just pulled a number out of the air,” he said of the 20% cut, adding a decrease of less than 10% may instead have been in order. “The purse cut, they can do it now. But by the end of the year, there will be a day of reckoning. They will have to pay us back at the end of the meet.”

The standoff has resulted in the horsemen withholding approval for track signals to go to certain ADWs from several states including Calder Race Course, Lone Star Park, Presque Isle Downs, River Downs, and Thistledown. It is believed that similar action is in the works by horsemen to bar the signal for the Louisiana Downs meet, which is scheduled to start May 17.

Posted 5/13/2008, 3:59 pm

LEXINGTON, Ky. - The great American sire Storm Cat has been pensioned from stud duty, Overbrook Farm announced Tuesday.

The 25-year-old Storm Bird horse had shown declining fertility this year and has three mares in foal, according to Ric Waldman, who managed the stallion for Overbrook. Storm Cat covered more than 30 mares in 2008 at a fee of $300,000, down from his $500,000 fee in 2007.

"We have been monitoring his semen quality throughout the breeding season, and there's been a decline in the quality of his semen," Waldman said.

Storm Cat will remain at Overbrook in Lexington for the remainder of his days.

"He's been a great asset to the farm, and it's been a privilege to be able to be associated with him," Waldman added.

Waldman said that Storm Cat is in good health for his age.

The announcement of Storm Cat's pensioning came one day after another highly influential and fashionable sire, Coolmore's flagship stallion Sadler's Wells, also was retired due to age-related fertility declines.

Storm Cat is the sire of 18 racing-aged crops. He has sired eight champions: 2000 European Horse of the Year Giant's Causeway, now a popular stallion himself; 2002 champion juvenile filly Storm Flag Flying; 2004 champion juvenile filly Sweet Catomine; Canada's 2005 champion turf mare Ambitious Cat; European champion juvenile of 2002 Hold That Tiger; European champion juvenile of 1998 Aljabr; European champion juvenile of 2003 One Cool Cat; and 1995 Canadian champion juvenile filly Silken Cat.

He also is the sire of 1999 Breeders' Cup Classic winner Cat Thief, Preakness and Belmont winner Tabasco Cat, and such Grade 1 or Group 1 winners as Sharp Cat, Storm Beauty, Black Minnaloushe, Denebola, Bluegrass Cat, Raging Fever, High Yield, and numerous other outstanding runners.

Storm Cat's progeny have been enormously popular - and pricey - in the yearling market in the last 15 years or so and frequently were the subjects of intense bidding wars between Sheikh Mohammed al-Maktoum's Darley organization and rival Coolmore Stud. Among his top-priced horses at auction were $9.7 million Jalil in 2005, $8 million Mr. Sekiguchi in 2004, $6.8 million Tasmanian Tiger in 2000, $6.4 million Van Nistelrooy in 2001, and $6.3 million Objectivity in 2005. Another yearling, $4.4 million Moon's Whisper, set a world record price for a yearling filly in 2000 at the Keeneland September yearling sale.

On Tuesday, Storm Cat ranked 38th on the general sire list with progeny earnings of $1,482,884. Three of his sons ranked in the top 10 on the same list, with Giant's Causeway second, Tale of the Cat sixth, and Stormy Atlantic seventh.

Storm cat is a son of Terlingua, who died in late April at Overbrook at age 32.

Date Posted: 5/13/2008 2:10:49 PM Last Updated: 5/13/2008 2:34:30 PM

Thoroughbred Charities of America, (“TCA”), has announced the formation of the Eight Belles Memorial Fund. Donations made in Eight Belles honor will go specifically toward retraining of Thoroughbreds for secondary careers and research into catastrophic breakdowns.

Following Eight Belles breakdown, donations began to pour into TCA with requests the funds go toward charities to “help Thoroughbreds like Eight Belles”.

Thoroughbred retraining and research are 2 of the 5 sectors of TCA grant-giving, with the other three being Education, Backstretch, and Therapeutic Riding.

TCA is purely a fund raising organization which raises money primarily through their industry-supported Stallion Season and Art Auction, slated for Dec. 5, 2008.

Annually accredited non-profits within the TCA mission are given grants for their charity work for the Thoroughbred industry. TCA operates on a lean budget, allowing over 96 cents of every dollar raised to go directly to the charities.

Liz Harris, executive director of TCA acknowledges, “Many of the donations that have come in, were actually cashed winning tickets that people didn’t want to spend on themselves”.

To donate to the Eight Belles Memorial Fund, please call 859-312-5531. For more information please visit www.ThoroughbredCharities.org

Date Posted: 5/13/2008 1:35:44 PM Last Updated: 5/13/2008 1:35:44 PM

Advance deposit wagering through the Oregon hub system grew nearly 3% in the first quarter of 2008 despite an overall decline in national betting numbers in North America.

Eight ADWs processing wagers through the state handled $351,789,868 in wagers in the first three months of the year, a 2.97% increase over last year’s same period, according to data compiled by the Oregon Racing Commission. The increase bettered the 3.11% decline realized in North America as reported by the National Thoroughbred Racing Association in its quarterly "Thoroughbred Racing Economic Indicators."

The Oregon total wagered by online and telephone bettors represents 10.2% of the entire North American handle reported by the NTRA.

The increase in Oregon was realized without the help of International Racing Group, which was hampered by a federal investigation into some of its operations that led to its eventual closing by parent company Youbet.com in mid-February. IRG accounted for nearly $87.4 million in handle through Oregon in the first quarter of 2007, but was only credited with only a little more than $400,000 in the first quarter of 2008.

Leading the way was TVG, which posted a quarterly-record of $108,175,332. TVG’s handle was up 33.1% over the first quarter of 2007, when it still had access to content now controlled by TrackNet Media Group, the joint venture of Churchill Downs Inc. and Magna Entertainment Corp.

Youbet.com had the second highest total with $95,466,423, but the company also processed wagers through a California hub in the first quarter of 2007, thus diluting its reporting in Oregon. Youbet.com said in recent financial filings that its first quarter handle was down $18.7 million year-over-year, or 16%, blaming the loss of TrackNet content, as well as legislative changes that forced the company to stop accepting wagers from residents in Arizona, Kansas and Washington D.C.

XpressBet.com, which is owned by MEC, posted a record Oregon total of $57,337,571, which was an increase of 2.1% year-over-year. MEC’s Santa Anita Park suffered an overall 7% decline in all-sources handle, but reported a 41% increase in ADW wagering that was bolstered by a California “experiment” that temporarily opened up the state’s entire racing to multiple companies, including TVG and Youbet.

CDI’s Twinspires.com, which includes platforms formerly operated under the AmericaTab entity it acquired last summer, posted an Oregon total of $61,621,626. Twinspires.com didn’t launch until late April of 2007, while AmericaTab separately handled $64,415,389 during the first quarter of last year.

Other ADW handle totals processed through Oregon in the first quarter of 2008 include: Bet Pad, $6,170,459; Oneclickbetting.com, $15,195,058; and Paydog.com, $7,415,456.

Gordon Tallman, ORC’s supervisor of account wagering hubs, said he expects another AmWest Entertainment to join the Oregon ADW hub ranks in the coming weeks, but doesn’t have an anticipated launch date for Racing 2 Day.

Oregon’s second-quarter numbers should reflect impact from signals shut off to ADWs because of the national dispute between racetracks and horsemen affiliated with the Thoroughbred Horsemen’s Group. The fallout from the stalled negotiations started in mid-April with the shut down of the Lone Star Park signal to ADWs, and has mushroomed to include Calder Race Course, Churchill Downs, Presque Isle Downs, River Downs, and Thistledown.

Date Posted: 5/12/2008 4:35:28 PM Last Updated: 5/13/2008 10:58:45 AM

Presque Isle Downs is the latest track to get caught up in the battle over revenue sharing of online and telephone wagering companies, as signals to many advance deposit wagering companies were cut off May 11 due to lack of agreements with the Pennsylvania Horsemen’s Benevolent and Protective Association.

Handle on the May 11 card, not including separate pool wagering, dropped to $194,954 after an opening day handle of $729,219 May 9, according to statistics compiled by The Jockey Club Information Systems. Average daily handle during last September’s inaugural 25-day meet at the Erie-area track was more than $585,000.

Joe Santanna, who is president of the Pennsylvania HBPA, said the horsemen didn’t withhold consent for the ADW signals, but said the group only would grant approval for entities that sign licensing agreements based on the revenue sharing plan being promoted by the Thoroughbred Horsemen’s Group.

“I am unaware that any have done so,” said Santanna, who is also treasurer of the THG, which includes 18 horsemen’s groups across the nation.

Horsemen using THG as a collective negotiating agent had previously shut down signals to various ADWs for Churchill Downs and Calder Race Course, which are owned by Churchill Downs Inc.; Lone Star Park and Thistledown, which are owned by Magna Entertainment Corp.; and River Downs, which is independently-owned.

The development at Presque Isle Downs was not mentioned during owner MTR Gaming Group’s May 12 conference call discussing first-quarter financial results. The Blood-Horse was electronically cued for a question during the question-and-answer period with analysts, but was not recognized. A later query to MTR Gaming’s corporate office about Presque Isle Downs was referred to director of racing Rose Mary Williams, who did not immediately return the call.

During the conference call, MTR Gaming president and chief executive officer Ted Arneault answered several questions from analysts about Presque Isle Downs and claimed the export handle was doing very well.

“We had a tremendous, tremendous (off-track) wager Friday night,” he said. “And I can tell you from being there, the place was absolutely jammed. Presque Isle is really, really looking good.

“I know that won’t last if we don’t get bigger fields,” he continued, noting small field sizes that averaged 6.5, 6.3 and 5.9 on the May 9-11 cards. “So that’s our primary emphasis. We are just in competition with other tracks that are at their peak right now.”

Companies such as TVG, Youbet, and Premier Turf Club were informed of the signal situation just a couple days prior to May 11 cut-off.

TVG general counsel John Hindman said the company will be communicating its position directly to the Pennsylvania HBPA.

“We view it as problematic for several reasons,” he said without elaborating. “It appears that the horsemen are acting against their own interests, as well as against the interests of the race fan.”

Joe Riddell, a partner in Premier Turf Club, which operates a cash-rewards outlet in North Dakota, agreed the betting customer is being left out of the equation.

“We are sitting here fighting amongst the horsemen and the bricks and mortars while ignoring our customers,” he said. “Why don’t they have an equal say at this table? While we are trying to fight this battle, let’s try to figure out how we do all of that to satisfy the three entities that have to have a stable platform. This platform has to be built on three legs and not on two.”

As is the case with other tracks, the signal exclusion at Presque Isle Downs is not extended to high-volume offshore rebate shops such as Elite Turf Club and Racing & Gaming Services.

“We are attempting to look at this in a segmented fashion,” Santanna said. “This is a substantial undertaking. It has to start somewhere. And it has to end somewhere.”

THG-affiliated groups are pitching a revenue model that asks for a one-third share of takeout realized from ADW wagers. TrackNet Media Group has repeatedly said the proposal is economically infeasible, and Riddell said he in many ways agrees with that assessment.

“I agree with Scott Daruty’s statement that the (THG model) does not fully address the issues, and it needs to be worked out,” he said, noting comments previously made by TrackNet’s president. “I want to see the horsemen succeed. I want to see the racetracks succeed. And I also want to see our customers to be invited back into the process and kept in.”

Santanna said the current revenue model in regards to ADWs needs to be fixed, and that horsemen are willing to be “temporarily inconvenienced for permanent improvement.”

“I still don’t understand how the person selling the product is losing money,” he said, speaking of horsemens' return on investment in breeding, buying, training and owning horses. “(Horsemens’) revenues don’t equal their costs. And the product is at economic peril. If we can narrow the gap between purses earned and the operating expenses involved in owning a horse, we will continue to have folks interested in buying horses and putting on the show.”

The Pennsylvania HBPA, which has about 2,500 members, also negotiates signal agreements with Penn National. Santanna said Penn National already has an agreement in place with horsemen that won’t expire until 2011.

Date Posted: 5/12/2008 3:56:16 PM Last Updated: 5/12/2008 4:04:42 PM

Officials with Magna Entertainment Corp. and the Thoroughbred Horsemen’s Group have met twice recently to discuss the ongoing conflict over revenue splits for advance deposit wagering, though the sides aren’t close to striking a deal.

The THG, which represents about 20 horsemen’s associations in negotiations with racetracks and ADW companies, hopes to get more revenue from account wagering. It advocates a formula whereby tracks, horsemen, and ADW providers would each get one-third of the blended pari-mutuel takeout rate, which averages about 21%, or 21 cents on the dollar.

The first action was taken in late April when the Texas Horsemen’s Partnership said the THG was negotiating on its behalf for the signal from MEC-owned Lone Star Park. The track and horsemen failed to agree, and Lone Star cut purses 10%.

Since then, other tracks have followed with purse cuts, including Calder Race Course, Churchill Downs, and River Downs. The conflict has impacted tracks in Delaware, Maryland, and Pennsylvania as well.

THG president Bob Reeves, a member of the Ohio Horsemen’s Benevolent and Protective Association board of directors, said the THG was formed to “work with companies with multiple racetracks,” namely Churchill Downs Inc. and MEC. The companies own and operate the ADW providers TwinSpires.com and XpressBet.com, respectively.

“(MEC) management comes across to me as wanting to work with the THG,” Reeves said May 12. “We actually met with Frank Stronach (May 2), and had another meeting (May 8). We had a very productive meeting, and I think we are on the same page. We will continue to work together.”

The rumor mill, which has been churning with regularity since the first contact dispute involving the THG, paints the talks between MEC and THG as hardly productive. MEC vice president of racing Scott Borgemenke said the assessment depends on the perspective.

“Everybody has their own definition of productive,” Borgemenke said May 12. “We all need to be talking together. Is anybody close to a deal? No. But we hope to bring more people to the table. We’re making progress.”

Reeves said the two parties made a “to-do list.” Borgemenke said there were few specifics discussed at the meetings, but lots of “listening” took place.

CDI has a lawsuit pending against the THG in connection with its action in Florida and Kentucky. CDI alleges antitrust violations.

Doug McSwain, an equine attorney and counsel for the National HBPA, recently said the CDI suit could be the “final outcome call” on antitrust law as it relates to the pari-mutuel industry. McSwain said previous cases involving the Interstate Horseracing Act have shown “there is no free market in gambling,” meaning the Sherman Antitrust Act doesn’t apply.

Racetracks use consortiums—called cooperatives—that negotiate signal fees. The most prominent are the Mid-Atlantic Cooperative and the Southern Racing Cooperative.

Date Posted: 5/12/2008 2:21:54 PM Last Updated: 5/12/2008 2:37:03 PM

Calder Race Course and all other Florida tracks are facing the prospect of not receiving the signal for the May 17 Preakness Stakes (gr. I) and its Pimlico Race Course undercard.

The possible Florida blackout of the Preakness comes as Calder is dealing with a 73% drop in total handle, according to the Jockey Club Information Systems. That decline stems from Calder not sending its simulcast signal outside Florida. Meanwhile, Calder is not receiving signals from Churchill Downs, Pimlico, and tracks in Delaware and Ohio.

The import signals, including the May 3 Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum Brands (gr. I), and Calder’s non-Florida export have been shut off by horsemen’s groups amid a multi-state dispute between horsemen and track owners on contracts for advance deposit wagering revenue.

The drop in handle has led parent Churchill Downs Inc. to cut purses for overnights and for several major stakes at the Miami Gardens, Fla., track. The purse cuts are causing some owners to ship horses out of Calder, said Eddie Plesa Jr., one of the track’s leading trainers.

One major issue, even for casual fans, is that as of May 11, Calder was still not receiving Pimlico’s signal.

The Maryland Thoroughbred Horsemen’s Association has not allowed the track to send its signal to Calder since it opened its season April 21. Thus, Gulfstream Park and other tracks that take signals from Calder are not receiving Pimlico simulcasts.

Last year, combined betting on the Preakness card at Calder and other Florida tracks was $4.6 million, according to Calder. That included $925,000 at Calder. Assuming a 21% blended takeout rate, Pimlico, Florida tracks, and the Maryland horsemen divvied up about $970,000 from Florida bets.

Calder officials said they are hopeful of a resolution that would permit Calder to take Pimlico’s signal, at least for Preakness day. Kent Stirling, executive director of the Florida Horsemen’s Benevolent and Protective Association, declined to comment.

Florida HBPA legal counsel asked the organization and its officers to not discuss Calder simulcast issues because they are defendants in a civil suit CDI filed April 24 in U.S. District Court for the Western District of Kentucky. The national Thoroughbred Horsemen’s Group, of which the Florida HBPA is a member, also is a defendant in the suit. CDI is seeking an injunction to prevent defendants from attempting to negotiate uniform terms for sales of signals.

The THG is conducting ADW negotiations and seeking higher splits for horsemen in several states, including Florida and Kentucky. Using authority under the Interstate Horseracing Act, the Florida HBPA is not permitting Calder to send its signal to tracks and other simulcast facilities outside Florida. It is permitting Calder to take ADW bets only from New York City Off-Track Betting Corp.

The Florida HBPA can take those actions because it has not signed 2008 contracts with Calder. The Florida horsemen do not want to sign a purse contract without contracts on this year’s ADW revenues and future revenue from slot machines at Calder.

Citing lower simulcast handle, Calder reduced average daily overnight purses 30% beginning April 27. On May 9, Calder announced purse reductions for eight stakes, including six on its July 12 Summit of Speed program.

Calder’s announcement of overnight cuts led several owners to reduce their purchases of horses at a sale in Ocala, Fla., said Plesa, who is a Florida HPBA member but not an officer. Some owners have delayed plans for sending 2-year olds to Calder, while others “are sending vans to New York and other sites,” he said. “Once horses go, they will not come back this year.”

Plesa’s base is at Calder, and he has a large stable at Monmouth Park in Oceanport, N.J. Some of his owners are sending horses from Calder to tracks other than Monmouth, he said.

“Absolutely, it is having an impact on me and all of us,” Plesa said. “People are depressed at Calder.”

If purses remain low, Plesa said he’s concerned about a spillover in income for “grooms, exercise riders, and employees who own homes in this area.” Trainers “have not talked about not running or a work stoppage,” he said.

Calder officials are meeting with trainers and owners individually, to help them understand the track’s position, said spokeswoman Michele Blanco. She also said Calder officials are returning fans’ calls about the simulcast situation; complaints peaked when Kentucky horsemen prevented Calder from carrying the Kentucky Derby, the May 2 Kentucky Oaks (gr. 1), and other Churchill Downs races that weekend.

The Kentucky Horsemen’s Benevolent and Protective Association and the Kentucky Thoroughbred Association are preventing Churchill from sending its signal to Calder.

“I am not optimistic of a settlement anytime soon,” Plesa said. “If they did not fix this for the Derby and Oaks, I see no pressure now.”

Jockey Club statistics show Calder’s total handle for the first nine days of its 2008 meet was $8,919,190. The daily average was $991,000. For Calder’s first nine days in 2007, its total handle was $33,570,525 for a daily average of $3.7 million. The numbers do not include separate-pool wagering.

Calder’s all-sources handle May 3 was $1.1 million, down 80% from $5.3 million May 5, 2007. Calder’s May 10 handle was $1.2 million, or 71% lower than $4.3 million on the comparable 2007 Saturday.

Posted on Fri, May. 09, 2008

As a scientist who studies why horses break their legs, Dr. Wayne McIlwraith is glad to see industry groups meeting to study what can be done to improve racehorse safety.

The National Thoroughbred Racing Association's board of directors will meet Friday, and The Jockey Club's newly formed Thoroughbred Safety Committee will meet Wednesday.

But, if horse racing is going to talk a better game, in McIlwraith's view the industry needs to walk the walk.

"I just feel like, some areas of the industry, they're not living it," said McIlwraith, a professor and director of the Orthopedic Research Center at Colorado State University.

On Thursday, McIlwraith became the second internationally known equine orthopedic surgeon to comment on racehorse safety.

Dr. Larry Bramlage of Lexington told the Wall Street Journal: "We are at a crisis state. ... Pretty soon we won't have the animals that can go in more than one race."

"I just sent him an e-mail," McIlwraith said Thursday, telling how he congratulated Bramlage on his bold stand.

"We've got to get bold," McIlwraith added.

McIlwraith has seen a good number of broken horse bones in his veterinary career. He travels to California every other week to perform orthopedic surgery on racehorses. He also participates with an engineer from the University of Maine, Mick Peterson, in studies on the safety of racing surfaces.

Like other scientists who study fractures and racehorse safety, McIlwraith contends the industry has come far in the two years since Kentucky Derby winner Barbaro broke a hind leg in the 2006 Preakness.

He said it is his hope that the body of knowledge scientists have been accumulating will help Thoroughbred racing make great strides forward in safety in the next few years.

Regardless of the scientific knowledge becoming available, people still need to select racehorses for durability and not so much for speed, according to McIlwraith.

"People are buying the fastest horse and we're at the critical stage of effectiveness of racing versus makeup of the body," he said. "We may have gone too far evolving to the fastest, lightest animal."

McIlwraith's research with Peterson looks at the way track surfaces perform and how they hold up under ambient conditions, including moisture content.

Their research method employs a robotic hoof tester to measure the vertical stiffness of both dirt and synthetic racetracks. Vertical stiffness of a track has been linked to the likelihood of fractures, according to The Blood-Horse magazine.

The robotic tester also measures horizontal shear strength, which has been linked to the likelihood of soft-tissue injuries such as ligament and tendon ruptures.

Peterson said they are also measuring moisture content, which has been most helpful on dirt tracks. For this, they use a GPS system.

"Eventually, I see this going into the data base (begun last year by The Jockey Club) to see what it is we need to control," Peterson said.

On synthetic tracks, they measure the wax content to try to determine when and when not to add wax to the fibers that form the surface material.

Peterson cited numbers produced in a database being compiled from 60 tracks by a veterinarian in Florida, Dr. Mary Scollay, for the Grayson-Jockey Club Research Foundation in Lexington.

"We're seeing a 25 percent reduction" of catastrophic fractures on synthetic tracks, Peterson said.

Those figures, frequently cited recently in the wake of Eight Belles' breakdown after the Derby, show 1.47 deaths per 1,000 starts on synthetics and 2.07 deaths per 1,000 races on dirt tracks. The Derby is run on a dirt track.

"But it's not all the track," said Peterson, speaking in generalities about track surfaces. Researchers have found a number of other factors contributing to fractured horse bones.

McIlwraith agreed.

"Surfaces are obviously an issue," he said. "Synthetics were initially pushed as a panacea but people have to learn how to maintain them. Properly maintained, they lower the injury rate."

Other factors contributing to breakdowns include the height of the toe grab and the traction mechanism on the front horseshoes. This information has been widely disseminated within the industry.

Researchers have also learned that major leg fractures are the end result of microfractures that could have begun quite some time before the main event.

Dr. Sue Stover at the University of California, Davis, led researchers in making these two major discoveries.

As a result of her work, California has a rule limiting the height of the toe grab to 4 millimeters or less. In many states, there is no such limit.

Stover's work was groundbreaking. More recently, she has begun to demonstrate that horses are returning to racing too soon after injuries or time away from the track, exposing them to greater risk of injury.

In her lab at UC Davis, "we're trying to work synergistically (with other research efforts), taking the material properties of track surfaces and applying them to a computer model of the forelimb, to simulate racing across the track surface," she said.

She said she hopes to test an infinite number of possibilities of track surface composition this way, so that engineers can design a model track.

Ed Bowen, president of the Grayson-Jockey Club Research Foundation, also agreed that research is showing the synthetic tracks to be a step forward -- although the synthetics appear to be only one part of the puzzle researchers have been solving.

When combined with Stover's discovery that many injuries are the result of pre-existing conditions -- and that toe grabs also play a role in breakdowns -- racing has something to work with.

McIlwraith said he and others hope to have a kit available commercially in the next couple of years that veterinarians can use in the field to detect the micro-injuries.

But he says the industry is also going to have to change, and to begin to reward durability more than speed.

Article published May 9, 2008

To ship or not to ship? That appears to be the question for the horsemen who will either stable their racing stock at Presque Isle Downs & Casino or transport the animals to the newest track in North America.

When Presque Isle Downs officially opened for a 25-day meet on Sept. 1, 2007, six months after the life-giving slot machines were turned on to boost the racing industry in Pennsylvania, the plan was to add on to the 500 original stalls on the grounds.

Today, at the start of the track's initial 100-date meet, there are still 500 stalls.

Presque Isle Downs officials say they have a reason for their apparent stall tactics: The barns are about half-filled, even though there were 1,500 applications for stall space.

"If the company (MTR Gaming) runs out of stalls this year, they will build more for next year," said Richard Knight, chief executive of Presque Isle Downs & Casino. "Last September, the average occupancy of 500 stalls was 54 percent and the maximum capacity at one time 62 percent."

With about $180,000 in purse money nightly, horsemen likely will bring more of their better horses to stable at Presque Isle Downs during the summer. But May is prime time for horse racing in North America, with tracks already open or opening everywhere and small fields in some races prominent at several tracks.

"First, there's a scarcity of horses, and owners and trainers don't want to make a commitment to stable too many horses at one place," veteran trainer Wayne McDonnell said. "People will tend to ship their horses when they can, and this is a good area in proximity to Mountaineer Race Track (in Chester, W. Va.), or Thistledown (in Cleveland), or Finger Lakes in New York. People want to run their horses in places they believe they can make money, and the money is very good here. And, like myself, they love the (Tapeta) racing surface, and their horses seem to come out of a race in better shape than at dirt tracks."

McDonnell said that with the horses spread out around the country, tracks are having problems filling race cards.

"Delaware Park is having a tough time with sometimes four or five horses in a race," McDonell said. "Any bettors (on site or watching simulcasts) will turn the page when they see a race like that, since it's difficult to make money with short fields."

With its hefty purses, Presque Isle Downs does not want just any horse. Knight said that many of the 1,500 stall applications were for horses that never won a race.

"We're not going to build stables for horses that have yet to be tested," Knight said. "For all of the good horses that want to race here, we'll build stalls for them. But you're not going to build a barn to sit there empty, or filling up with horses that aren't the quality you want to be racing on your track."

Commitment to keeping horses at one track assures the horseman of being able to place a horse in races at that track throughout the meet.

Trainer Niall M. O'Callaghan has what he calls, "The best of both worlds," since O'Callaghan owns Skylight Training Center in Goshen, Ky., with his own Pro-Ride synthetic racing surface.

"I don't have to keep my horses stabled on any particular track since they can stay here," said O'Callaghan, who has trained 528 winners in 18 years and who expects to ship some horses to Presque Isle Downs. "You have to be careful if you commit to a particular track, since if you ship too often they are sensitive to that, and can block you from entering horses in the races you want to run them."

This season and the response of the horsemen will dictate the need of more stall space. A strong intent to keep their horses here would fulfill the assurance made last year by Rose Mary Williams, the director of racing at Mountaineer Race Track who oversees all racing for MTR Gaming, that there would 1,000 stalls at Presque Isle Downs this year.

The theory is opposite of the Kevin Costner's line in the baseball movie Field of Dreams: "If they come, we will build it."

O'Callaghan's loyalty to Williams points to the new barns becoming a reality.

"Rose Mary treats the horsemen the right way, and she has always done that with me," O'Callaghan said. "People in horseracing respect the right treatment, and with that, they would tend to stable their horses at those tracks."

Posted: May 10, 2008

Representatives of the horse racing industry told a state Senate committee Friday that the $30 million-per-year purse and breeding program subsidy from the Atlantic City casinos still leaves racing with funding shortfalls.

"The $30 million was very much appreciated, but it's so far short of what we need to stay competitive with other states that it's ridiculous," Dennis Drazin, president of a thoroughbred horsemen's group, told the Senate Wagering, Tourism and Historic Preservation Committee during a hearing held at Monmouth Park.

Drazin and a dozen other speakers testified that the sport in New Jersey has suffered as tracks in neighboring states have added other gambling avenues, such as slot machines.

But many blamed the racing industry for self-inflicted problems, such as slow startups of off-track wagering sites. Legislation enacted in 2001 allows for 15 of the so-called OTWs, but the tracks have only opened three of the parlors, the most recent opening in Toms River.

And Karyn Malinowski, director of the Rutgers University Equine Science Center, said the tracks have lagged in promoting horse racing and attracting new customers.

Monmouth Park held its opening card of the 2008 racing season Friday. Track officials have hiked various admission and parking fees despite record-low attendance in the 2007 summer months. The attendance for races Friday, a rainy day, was 3,463, a drop of nearly 10,000 from attendance for opening day of the 2007 meet.

"I think the industry has not done a great job (to attract new fans)," Malinowski said.

"We're dying. We're on life support. There are three solutions. They are slots, slots and slots," said Michael Harrison, head of a thoroughbred breeders group.

Under the subsidy agreement, however, the racetracks are restrained from seeking the addition of slot machines until the pact expires in three years.

But Tom Luchento, president of the state Standardbred Breeders and Owners Association, said slots at the tracks could provide enough revenue to also help the state with some of its own budget woes.

"There are taxes and tolls, and there is alternative forms of gambling," Luchento said. "I often wonder when the light will go on with the powers that be in Trenton."

Committee member Sen. Jennifer Beck, R-Monmouth, said: "I believe we're on the edge of losing a $1 billion horse industry, not because there's no interest in sustaining it."

Date Posted: 5/9/2008 3:51:15 PM Last Updated: 5/9/2008 4:05:50 PM

The National Thoroughbred Racing Association continues to coordinate equine health and safety initiatives in response to the death of the filly Eight Belles, and on May 9 called for “urgency” and an end to the “status quo.”

The NTRA board of directors, during the special meeting, reviewed current Thoroughbred industry policies and communication programs. According to a release, the board directed NTRA management to continue to coordinate and implement industry-wide communications on current initiatives and urged the industry to move expeditiously to adopt additional measures to ensure the health and safety of its equine athletes.

“We are coordinating with our member organizations on a number of ongoing safety initiatives to reach actionable findings more quickly and to ensure the broadest possible industry implementation of those findings,” NTRA president and chief executive officer Alex Waldrop said in a statement. “It is clear that the status quo is not an option, and we need to bring a renewed sense of urgency to these initiatives. Our fans and industry stakeholders expect nothing less.”

The board was updated on the most recent industry initiative: formation of a Thoroughbred Safety Committee by The Jockey Club. The committee will meet for the first time May 14.

The board also discussed the work of the Welfare and Safety of the Racehorse Summit, the Racing Medication and Testing Consortium, and the American Association of Equine Practitioners.

Eight Belles broke both front ankles in the gallop-out after the May 3 Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (gr. I) at Churchill Downs. She was euthanized shortly after, and results of a necropsy are pending, according to the Kentucky Horse Racing Authority.

The NTRA did not say whether study of health and safety issues by various committees is sufficient in dealing with a catastrophic injury in the sport’s biggest and most-watched race and the resulting negative attention, nor did it issue specific recommendations on action the industry should take.

The Eight Belles story has generated much public interest. Animal rights and welfare groups quickly called for Thoroughbred racing to enact changes; others have questioned whether the industry’s lack of a commissioner’s office hinders its ability to take charge of issues in a united fashion.

The NTRA since the Eight Belles breakdown has been working behind the scenes in the area of media relations and coordination. Though the initial firestorm of attention has subsided, a new round could come the week of May 11 in the lead-up to the May 17 Preakness Stakes (gr. I) at Pimlico Race Course. One animal-rights group has said it plans to demonstrate in Maryland.

Posted: Friday, May 09, 2008 12:26 PM

With horsemen blocking Churchill Downs from importing its simulcast signal to most advance deposit wagering outlets, the Louisville track on Friday announced plans for a 20% purse cut to begin on May 14.

Kentucky horsemen are pursuing an increased share of ADW revenue. Their negotiating representative, the Thoroughbred Horsemen’s Group, asks that 33% of ADW revenue be committed to purses. Churchill Downs Inc. said the plan would make their ADW, TwinSpires.com, unprofitable. Without an agreement with the horsemen, Churchill Downs has not been able to offer its signal to most ADW outlets.

“We have been left with no option but to reduce overnight purses to offset the amount of lost handle because Kentucky horsemen have prevented horse racing fans from wagering through ADW platforms,” said Churchill Downs President Steve Sexton. “We are disappointed because the failure to send the signal will negatively impact the product both on and off the racetrack. While we are still hopeful this impasse can be resolved, we have no choice but to act now.”

Horsemen in Texas and Florida are involved in similar disputes at Lone Star Park and Calder Race Course. Churchill owns Calder Race Course and co-owns TrackNet Media, which handles simulcast signals for Magna Entertainment Corp.’s Lone Star Park.

“What THG and the horsemen’s organizations that formed THG want is a fair distribution of ADW revenues to live racing interests, and certainly to purses—the definitive indicator of viable horseracing,” said THG Manager Wilson Shirley. “The various ADW proposals CDI/TrackNet have offered to Texas, Florida, and Kentucky horsemen do not result in a fair distribution, but instead are weighted heavily to the benefit of ADW operators.”

On April 24, Churchill Downs and some of its companies filed a lawsuit against the THG and several horsemen’s organizations, saying the refusal of Florida horsemen to approve distribution of Calder’s races violates antitrust laws.

Only allowed to offer to ADW customers the Kentucky Derby presented by Yum! Brands (G1), the Woodford Reserve Turf Classic (G1), and the Kentucky Oaks (G1) from its May 2 and May 3 cards, Churchill Downs said off-track wagering was down 2.5% for its biggest weekend of the year. The track said the drop would result in a loss of about $250,000 in purse contributions.

Thursday, May 8, 2008

Open Letter to the Racing Industry

Horse lovers and racing fans alike felt their hearts sink at the sight of Eight Belles breaking down shortly after her heroic run in last Saturday’s Kentucky Derby.

The Board of Directors, Officers, Staff and 35,000 horsemen and horsewomen of the National HBPA all felt the very same heartache and our thoughts and support go out to the connections of Eight Belles – owner Rick Porter and trainer Larry Jones – as well.

The trauma of last Saturday remains fresh on the minds of those of us in the racing industry as well as fans, writers, broadcasters and just about anyone who watched the Derby. And, it will most certainly remain fresh on the mind Eight Belles’ trainer Larry Jones.

For over 60 years, the National HBPA has been committed to its motto of “Horsemen Helping Horsemen” and, in the case of Larry Jones, this applies more than ever.

We have sensed a rush to judgment on how Eight Belles was prepared for the Derby. Theories abound and for a little more than a mile and quarter, Larry Jones had done his work to perfection.

Yet now the sense is that Larry Jones, regardless of what facts may surface, is found guilty in the court of public perception. Unfortunately, we live and work in the age of the sound bite, where careers and reputations can be shredded in an instant. Remember the Jose Santos - Funny Cide - battery debacle of 2003?

Like horses, each person is different. Larry Jones couldn’t be more different than Michael Matz, yet both are veteran horsemen with a long track record of success… and both have faced tragic and very public losses of star horses they’d spent countless hours training and pampering.

And both may be viewed differently as they face the television cameras and microphones.

Over the coming days, weeks and months, our industry will be scrutinized from within as well as from without. As we navigate this difficult time for racing, let’s avoid any unnecessary collateral damage and give Larry Jones – and all horsemen and horsewomen facing similar circumstances - the benefit of the doubt until all facts come to light.

Joe Santanna
President and Chairman
National HBPA