INVESTIGATIONS

[Doug]

Watching Fox News last night and on the news ticker mentioned that there was some type of investigation of corruption going on at the New York race tracks. Anyone know anything about this?

Doug

[so.cal.fan]

http://news.bloodhorse.com/viewstory.asp?id=11209

[highnote]

Corruption at a New York racetrack. Impossible!

[Jaguar]

20 years ago the guy cashed the $300,000 pick six ticket at Aqueduct. The cashier filled the man's suitcase and shoved it out the door. The guy never showed an ID. The regulars said that the guy was a stranger and that he left in a cab. The cashier told the IRS that he was just about to ask for ID.

Thereafter the IRS re-wrote the rule. ID must be presented first.

The Pinkerton's report seeing trainers throwing away hypodermics in the shedrow, shortly before post time.

3 years ago a big-time trainer was quietly denied barn space for the winter meet at Aqueduct. It seems too many of his horses were showing dramatic performance improvements, and the bettors were complaining.

5 years ago, America's premier horse racing magazine printed an article stating that underground drugs like Amicar were destroying racing.

Now they're having an investigation?

All the best,

Jaguar

[highnote]

I reread my post about corruption in NY being impossible. I hope everyone knows that I was being sarcastic. There is probably some corruption. When I bet seriously, I only bet the top level horses. Seems like those races are less prone to manipulation. It's one thing to cheat with a 20,000 claimer. It's quite another to cheat in the Belmont Stakes.

I remember seeing a race in which I could have sworn that the horse entered was a ringer. It was a cheap race. But there was this one horse - a shipper from Delaware Park. He had raced at Aqueduct 11 races ago - so that race wasn't in DRF or the program.

I had spent every weekend for a year for nearly every race in NY watching horses in the paddock. This horse was deep black with the most beautful shiny coat and conformation that made him look like a stakes horse. He just didn't fit. He had been running for cheap money in Delaware, too, and losing. But that day at Aqueduct my friend and I agree he looked awesome. We were surprised that he went off at 3-1; he should have been at least 4/5. But he won with ease. Never saw him again after that - or maybe I did, but didn't realize it because it was probably in a stakes race.

[PaceAdvantage]

Jaguar, did you lose a few bets on NYRA races???? ;)



==PA

[Larry Hamilton]

Accusing someone of cheating is serious business. Do you suppose we can have some detail?

The entire post from Jaguar lacks fact and is filled with generalities, with which he comes to a specific conclusion--NY racing is full of cheats and should be investigated. This is even a latin word for this kind of anti-logic but I have forgotten what it is. The gist is this--You CANNOT logically conclude the specific from the general.

As an example: Most vegetables are green or yellow. This thing is a vegetable, therefore it must be green or yellow.

It is logical to say ALL vegetables are green or yellow. This thing is a vegetable, therefore it is green or yellow. (specific to specific)

It is also logical to say Most vegetables are green or yellow. This thing is a vegetable, therefore it is probably green or yellow. (General to general)

[Tom]

I am on vacation this week, so it would be a good time to do some house cleaning. Today, the refridgerator. That green/yellow thing will come in handy. Anyone have some insights into brown/purple?
<G>

[GR1@HTR]

Tom,

I try to be a little proactive in my house cleaning. Especially proactive when it comes the the Fridge... I don't buy anthing that will Rot (aside from Cow Juice). My fridge consist of milk, water, ketchup, mustard, and beer. Anything else could lead to unplesant odors or unwanted growths...

[freeneasy]

well cabbage is purple and potatoes are brown, put them together and you get a capato
eggplant and patato, you get plantato
eggplant, cabage and patato, you get cole slaw

[andicap]

Jeez everyone!
the story isn't remotely about cheating on the track. It's about the CFO and NYRA losing money. Did anyone actually READ this story?

Before we start accusing the CFO of anything nefarious, I suggest we wait until there is some evidence. he could just be incompetent. Remember Richard Ricci and Steven Hatfill have NOT been charged with anything yet.
Last I looked, this was still America.

[so.cal.fan]

You're right Andicap.
We all are just a bit suspicious these days, with the CEO scandals and all.
I don't think we ever even determined that this WAS the story behind the FOX report???

[Jaguar]

Larry,

perhaps if you had gone through the Oscar Barrera years at Aqueduct, along with many of us, you would have a different perspective on new York racing.

20 years ago criminals typically stole from the bettors in cheap claiming races, paying the jockey on the best mount to pull the horse. So, if a horse player stayed with the better quality races, he didn't have a problem- beyond the normal imponderables of handicapping.

But, into this Garden of Eden- the racing game we love- came the serpent: chemical stimulants. Beginning in the early 1990's, first a stream- now a river- .

The racing game changed forever, making a horse's connections of paramount concern to the handicapper, whereas form and speed had always ruled in earlier years.

Trainers- even owners on rare occasions- were set down at an amazing rate. Classy trainers like Klesaris suddenly put over astonishing performances from lesser racing animals, raising alarm flags among bettors and track management as well.

Due to the disorganized structure of horse racing in America, national entities, such as NTRA, were late to appear on the scene - and lacked clout when they did make minimal steps toward introducing strict standards for horsemen and race tracks.

Further abetting the decline in integrity in the racing universe, is the widely noted fact that there is no national oversight of horse racing.

State oversight is very limited and standards vary from State to State. In Kentucky, horsemen can enter animals so juiced up that the race horse feels like a high school senior at Spring break in Daytona.

While in other States, Lasix and Bute are the only officially sanctioned drugs.

Moreover, in many venues, the after-race testing has been subject to speculation concerning its accuracy- and even its honesty. After all, the guy doing the spectrographic analysis is only human.

So, we have seen racing decline in the past 25 years. This doesn't mean that we don't love the game as much as we used to. But, it does mean that we are more careful in selecting our horses.

If we don't get national oversight- with some sharp teeth- racing will continue along its present path.

Adding slots is a terrific shot in the arm for any racetrack, just look at Delaware Park. But, down the road, what happens when track management decides that the racing oval takes up too much real estate and that the track needs that space for slot patrons parking?

In the end, we can only preserve racing if we clean it up and get it on TV- before the Casinos gobble up the ovals.

All the best,

Jaguar