Rooneys cleaning house? - Horse Racing Forum - PaceAdvantage.Com

Hanover1 · 07-30-2011, 12:39 PM

Details are fuzzy, and I am awaiting a call or 2, but early word has Yonkers Raceway no longer accepting entries from the #1 trainer, Lou Pena, citing the horses are "non competitive". As a private entity, they reserve the right to do so. He has as many wins to date as the following top 4 combined, and publicly admitted he was told to "tone it down" in a recent publication. After a protracted effort to identify any substance abuse, and coming up negative, this is the next move. It comes on top of YR rewriting conditions to exclude certain horses in his charge, but other horsemen where affected as well, and this appears to be the logical move. Many in the industry applaud this move, and are hoping for an industry ban.
I will point out that, as yet, Pena has produced zero positives during his now 2 year tear up the training ranks to the #1 spot. however, many have witnessed way to many aged claimers improve 5+ seconds off lifetime records (usually within 30 days of claim/purchase), something no HOF horseman could ever accomplish with the kind of regularity shown by Pena.
Will update as I can....

LottaKash · 07-30-2011, 01:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hanover1

Details are fuzzy, and I am awaiting a call or 2, but early word has Yonkers Raceway no longer accepting entries from the #1 trainer, Lou Pena, citing the horses are "non competitive". As a private entity, they reserve the right to do so. He has as many wins to date as the following top 4 combined, and publicly admitted he was told to "tone it down" in a recent publication. After a protracted effort to identify any substance abuse, and coming up negative, this is the next move. It comes on top of YR rewriting conditions to exclude certain horses in his charge, but other horsemen where affected as well, and this appears to be the logical move. Many in the industry applaud this move, and are hoping for an industry ban.
I will point out that, as yet, Pena has produced zero positives during his now 2 year tear up the training ranks to the #1 spot. however, many have witnessed way to many aged claimers improve 5+ seconds off lifetime records (usually within 30 days of claim/purchase), something no HOF horseman could ever accomplish with the kind of regularity shown by Pena.
Will update as I can....

I say Good to that....At first, one might say why punish the guy, he wasn't caught doing anything illegal, as far as testing is concerned at least...

But, Pena, and we've had this discussion before, about how he was caught on many occasions and on many levels, especially on the west coast of racing, cheating the players as well as the other horseman he competed against...

It seems silly to base your handicapping on ONE man alone....Is Pena in or out....

In reality, I truly believe that it is costing the racetracks some coin, when it comes to betting races with Pena in.....And that is why YR & Rooney may be doing this....$$$

I have been doing this too long, and, for the most part, I know who the good trainers are, year in and year out.....Nobody is that good, nobody...

Why doesn't he have any really young lightly raced horses ?....Could it be that the owners wouldn't want their horse's ruined so early in their racing careers ?

I say go away, Lou Pena, you are not good for the game....At least on the players side of things....Imo, that is....

best,

Hanover1 · 07-30-2011, 01:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by LottaKash

I say Good to that....At first, one might say why punish the guy, he wasn't caught doing anything illegal, as far as testing is concerned at least...

But, Pena, and we've had this discussion before, about how he was caught on many occasions and on many levels, especially on the west coast of racing, cheating the players as well as the other horseman he competed against...

It seems silly to base your handicapping on ONE man alone....Is Pena in or out....

In reality, I truly believe that it is costing the racetracks some coin, when it comes to betting races with Pena in.....And that is why YR & Rooney may be doing this....$$$

I have been doing this too long, and, for the most part, I know who the good trainers are, year in and year out.....Nobody is that good, nobody...

Why doesn't he have any really young lightly raced horses ?....Could it be that the owners wouldn't want their horse's ruined so early in their racing careers ?

I say go away, Lou Pena, you are not good for the game....At least on the players side of things....Imo, that is....

best,

Since ROI on Pena charges has been negative, many players have shied away, but Yonkers is not known as a bastion of wagering delights, with or without Pena. Track money is of a fixed rate, regardless of who races? There has been some outcry, and it has been persistent. He is also banned at Tioga, Vernon, and soon to be M1, after Gural takes control. A few other spots as well.....

Not4Love · 07-30-2011, 02:13 PM

I see that the recent entries still include Pena. When he is gone, I'll be back to playing Yonkers. Hope this is true.

Hanover1 · 07-30-2011, 02:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Not4Love

I see that the recent entries still include Pena. When he is gone, I'll be back to playing Yonkers. Hope this is true.

Reported that Friday entries (3 day box?) would be last....So Friday would be for Wed-Thursday? Getting some info from others close to the situation, and YR trying to keep it quiet, and hope Pena just goes away without a ton of negative publicity to all. This is not the first track, so I too hope this is true. He's been killin the little guys who provide the daily action for all, card after card. Look up his numbers.....something like 43% win rate off of thousands of starts? Unheard of, no matter exactly how they stack up.

Not4Love · 07-30-2011, 03:05 PM

Yeah, they post the overnights on the the Yonkers website. He is not running anything Thursday night. I will be back to following this track.

Botster!! What'ya think??????

LottaKash · 07-30-2011, 03:11 PM

New "1-time only" Angle.....Last time Pena....hurrah !...

best,

Ray2000 · 07-30-2011, 03:19 PM

He has 3 in at Pocono, Tuesday 8/3

GregReinhart · 07-30-2011, 03:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Not4Love

He is not running anything Thursday night.

Race 12 #3

LottaKash · 07-30-2011, 04:53 PM

Holy Crap Batman, I just thought of this....If they do kick Pena out of YR and M1, and NOT Chester, he just might bring ALL of his stock to race in Philly....

Wow, his win% could shoot up to 85%....Go LOUIE !!!!..

best,

Hanover1 · 07-30-2011, 06:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GregReinhart

Race 12 #3

Entries for Friday are entered Monday...will see then. If all is true, then it was his last entry, made before he was informed of the dismissal. My understanding is that he was informed just before post on Friday, so entry was already accepted for the Thursday card.
Sadly, I know his network of "beard" trainers in various spots is already set up and running. Gonna be tough to crack this organized activity, but it is rampant, and folks are hot on his heels.

Hanover1 · 07-30-2011, 06:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by LottaKash

Holy Crap Batman, I just thought of this....If they do kick Pena out of YR and M1, and NOT Chester, he just might bring ALL of his stock to race in Philly....

Wow, his win% could shoot up to 85%....Go LOUIE !!!!..

best,

He starts running up numbers as we have seen in the past, and he will be out of business soon, or at least relegated to swept under the rug status. Those hard working folks in PA won't cotton to this stuff for very long. The doors are slowly closing all around him in lieu of hard evidence, or shall I say, lack of sophisticated testing procedures for substances such as ITPP. Cal-Expo, here we come......

pandy · 07-31-2011, 07:20 AM

I'm surprised he hasn't been caught. I would think that if someone hired a private investigator that they would be able to track him and his associates and find out where he gets the stuff. That's how they caught Ledford, his horses never tested positive, the NJ state police investigated and found the stuff. Obviously Pena doesn't keep it around the barn but it has to be administered somewhere.

I know everyone wants better testing but I'm not sure that is the way to go. The handle keeps going down and no one wants to spend the money, plus there's no guarantee that better testing will catch everything. In my opinion the penalties for using illegal substances have to be much stricter and the owners have to be held libel too, not just the trainers. This way they can't use beard trainers and get away with it. The Lightning Lane Stable move their horses from one cheating trainer to another and have been doing it for years.

beaucap · 07-31-2011, 11:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pandy

I'm surprised he hasn't been caught. I would think that if someone hired a private investigator that they would be able to track him and his associates and find out where he gets the stuff. That's how they caught Ledford, his horses never tested positive, the NJ state police investigated and found the stuff. Obviously Pena doesn't keep it around the barn but it has to be administered somewhere.

I know everyone wants better testing but I'm not sure that is the way to go. The handle keeps going down and no one wants to spend the money, plus there's no guarantee that better testing will catch everything. In my opinion the penalties for using illegal substances have to be much stricter and the owners have to be held libel too, not just the trainers. This way they can't use beard trainers and get away with it. The Lightning Lane Stable move their horses from one cheating trainer to another and have been doing it for years.

How about a drug test on him....Monkey see Monkey do....or how about the race tracks incorperating a random....Lie detector test...If they deny the test ...the rest of the meet...they gone.

Just a thought

Not4Love · 07-31-2011, 07:55 PM

I guess it's a done deal. Yonkers gave Pena his "marching orders" according to Harnesslink. This is great news.