Did Connections LIE about Sweet Catomine?

[swetyejohn]

I started this same topic on another thread. My apologies. This title is more relevant.

Here is a quote from Steve Crist:

The trainer who lied about his first-time starter should have been sanctioned. So, too, should Sweet Catomine's connections, who willfully and repeatedly misrepresented her health, her whereabouts, and even her identity in the week leading up to the Santa Anita Derby April 9. Something well short of the electric chair seems appropriate, given that their actions appear to have been driven entirely by pride and ego rather than larceny, but it is time for racing to send a message that breaking the rules, and showing outright contempt for the people who fund horse racing through their betting dollars, is simply not acceptable.

A governing body of racing should take some action against the connections. As I wrote in the other thread, I lost a major bet. So did others. I don't care about the money. It means very little to me. However, what bothers me is that bettors were deceived.

[ratpack]

Well according to some reports Wygod told a Newsweek reporter that SC had bled during a work and the he was sending her to a equine hospital for treatment on condition that he tell no one because that story would not run until after the SA derby. He then told the daily print reporters that SC was fine and that he had just jogged that morning when if fact that was the morning that he has been taken by van to the hospital.

I don't know did he lie?

[swetyejohn]

I don't know did he lie?

I don't know either. Reports I've read suggest he did. I don't know the truth.

Anyone else?

[ratpack]

Actually I am glad this happened, not that you lost your bet but maybe this will shine some light on the problem.

Then again maybe it will just be "lets do a quick wrist slap" and hope the public forgets and gets back to betting.

Jeff Mullins turned out to be right on some level.

[swetyejohn]

Why tell one reporter something and ask him not to report it until after the race and then tell other reporters something else? Why not just stick to the same story for everyone?

Plus, he must have known that when the Newsweek story came out there'd be questions.

Who knows?

[McSchell_Racing]

What was supposed to be a treatment for the benefit of the filly has turned into a nightmare for this owner and trainer, When this filly bled in the workout and the desision was made to send her for treatment, The "Big" race should have been aborted! Instead of just doing this thing properly,They "snuck" her out at 3am,SAID (Dont know who) she was the stable pony! I can undrstand the team wanting to hide her issues but the issue here was the star was "Hurt" and was exploited for the benefit of their OWN greed.

[ratpack]

Like you quoted in the Crist article it was more about pride and ego. If the horse won he could say, Wow what a horse bled during training and still won. If he lost had a built in excuse.

Who know, We will find out after the hearing.

[kenwoodallpromos]

My guess is they took her out to breed her and the treatment was a cover.
She would bring in much more money as a broodmare than she ever could as a runner especially if she bleeds through lasix.
I predict she will never run again and Wygod will ship her to KY where he is listed as a breeder.
A big payoff is all that would cause the driver to risk his license and cover up for Wygod.

[saratoga guy]

Just for the record: It wasn't a Newsweek reporter, it was Sports Illustrated's Tim Layden.

He gave his take on the subject in a story last week. Here's an excerpt:
---------------------------------
At one point, Wygod asked me: "The things we talk about, you're writing them after the race, correct?''

"Correct," I said
---
I'm not sure what the lesson is here. Based on the information I was given by the owners on Friday -- a filly in season who has lost a little weight and whose owner and trainer disagree about her fitness -- I didn't feel like the public was owed full disclosure.
----------------------------------



http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2005/writers/tim_layden/04/14/derby.contenders/

(go to page 2 of the on-line story)

[cj]

ken,

You cannot be serious! Please tell me you are joking.

[kenwoodallpromos]

Well excuse me! I didnt know bettors were not allowed to guess! Like, connections lied about everything Except when the horse went into heat?
What is the record earnings for a female racer? 1 broodmare just proced a $5.5 million colt!
Are you going to tell me a horse never raced a week pregnant?

[delayjf]

I can understand that horseracing can be a cat and mouse game between trainers who claim from one another, and a cat and mouse game between trainer/owners and the betting public, at least to a certain extent. Handicappers will never have all the information about a horse, for example, the horse threw a shoe, or the horse hit his head on the starting gate etc.

When a shrewd trainer wins a mdn race with a first time starter who shows only three public workouts, at 45-1. Indeed the public won't have inside information on the real condition of the horse who has been training off track. But in those cases, there was never a 100% certaintly that the horse would win. I'm sure there have been a lot of betting coups that didn't pan out for whatever reason. And, if say, a trainer did stiff a horse for several races then win a race at high odds, he'd better be smart enough to keep his mouth shut about how the horse was set up.

It is however, much easier to get a horse to lose. And then to throw dirt into the wound, to tell the racing public that you knew the even money favorite was very questionable all along. Your just begging to get slapped, what are the racing officails supposed to do, laugh it off, throw up your hands, and say "well you really got us this time." What kind of signal does that send to the rest of the trainers.

I know trainer are going to pull tricks, stiff horses, drug horses etc. but if you get caught or are dumb enough to admit it, you pay the price.

[swetyejohn]

From Bloodhorse:

On April 11, the CHRB filed complaints against Wygod and Dean Kerkhoff, a racehorse transport driver. The CHRB alleges the champion filly was falsely identified to the stable gate guard as a "pony" when she left Santa Anita at 3 a.m. April 4 for special medical treatment and again when she returned to the stable area the following night. An administrative hearing in that case will be held April 23 at Hollywood Park.

The article goes on:

They wanted to help her without using drugs and that wasn't wrong. He (Canani) should have notified the association (Los Angeles Turf Club) and the CHRB of what they were doing," he said. "The point here is there was some level of deception going on. This is not a $12,000 claiming horse. It was the favorite for the Santa Anita Derby. They were trying to deceive the association and the CHRB, whatever their reason.

Maybe they were laying odds on SC on the betting exchanges?

Why lie about the horse getting treatments?

[saratoga guy]

Why lie about the horse getting treatments?

From the van driver according to the NY Times last week:

"That was my own doing. I wasn't thinking about the betting public. I didn't want people in the barn area to know about it. If word got out, more horses might have been entered in the race to run against her."

[swetyejohn]

From the van driver according to the NY Times last week:

"That was my own doing. I wasn't thinking about the betting public. I didn't want people in the barn area to know about it. If word got out, more horses might have been entered in the race to run against her."

That sounds like an honest reply. However, they still lied by deceiving the the people at the stable gate.

In my book, lying is not justifiable.

[saratoga guy]

I'm not defending the guy -- I was just answering your question...

[swetyejohn]

I'm not defending the guy -- I was just answering your question...

I understand. What I meant was that it sounded like an honest reply from the van driver. His connections should not have asked him to lie for them.

It sounds like he was put in a difficult spot. Maybe he felt like he would be fired if he didn't lie for his bosses?