Kinchen suspended from National Horseplayers Championship Tour for at least two years

[Andy Asaro]

https://www.drf.com/news/kinchen-sus...east-two-years

Excerpt:

The National Thoroughbred Racing Association, which administers the tour, said that it decided to levy the two-year suspension after the penalty was recommended by the NHC Players’ Committee, a group of tournament players who act as a “sounding board” for policies and rules.


The NTRA added that Kinchen “may request to the NTRA to be reinstated to the NHC Tour” after the 2024 championship.

“Maintaining the integrity of the NHC is of the utmost importance,” said Tom Rooney, the NTRA’s president and chief executive officer.

[Dave Schwartz]

“Maintaining the integrity of the NHC is of the utmost importance,” said Tom Rooney, the NTRA’s president and chief executive officer.

This quote should be sent to all the people of power in racing.

[JustRalph]

They didn’t order him to get a haircut?

[VeryOldMan]

From the article (my emphasis added):

Kinchen, who frequently competes in handicapping tournaments, was disqualified from the National Horseplayers Championship two weekends ago after he violated a rule requiring contestants to be on-site at the location where the competition is held. Kinchen admitted to registering for the tournament in Las Vegas but then flying to Florida, where he communicated his picks to a fellow competitor, who submitted the plays.

The National Thoroughbred Racing Association, which administers the tour, said that it decided to levy the two-year suspension after the penalty was recommended by the NHC Players’ Committee, a group of tournament players who act as a “sounding board” for policies and rules.

I don't play these tournaments so will defer to others as to how serious a violation it was to register and not be onsite.

But the bolded part gave me pause - a 2 year penalty recommended by his competitors? Don't they have a significant conflict of interest?

[Vinnie]

Originally Posted by JustRalph

They didn’t order him to get a haircut?

Very Funny!!

[Brisk Urging]

Originally Posted by Andy Asaro

https://www.drf.com/news/kinchen-sus...east-two-years

Excerpt:

The National Thoroughbred Racing Association, which administers the tour, said that it decided to levy the two-year suspension after the penalty was recommended by the NHC Players’ Committee, a group of tournament players who act as a “sounding board” for policies and rules.


The NTRA added that Kinchen “may request to the NTRA to be reinstated to the NHC Tour” after the 2024 championship.

“Maintaining the integrity of the NHC is of the utmost importance,” said Tom Rooney, the NTRA’s president and chief executive officer.

Who was the runner?

[Andy Asaro]

Originally Posted by Brisk Urging

Who was the runner?

They didn't name him but there is a name floating out there. IMO they should have disclosed everything.

[Andy Asaro]

Twitter

Twitter

[Brisk Urging]

Originally Posted by Andy Asaro

They didn't name him but there is a name floating out there. IMO they should have disclosed everything.

Will Nyra suspend Kinchen or still busy with Linda Rice

[Andy Asaro]

Originally Posted by Brisk Urging

Will Nyra suspend Kinchen or still busy with Linda Rice

https://www.usbets.com/ntra-suspends...inchen-nhc-dq/

Excerpt


“Jonathon Kinchen is an ambassador for horse racing who provides an important perspective on the sport,” Allevato said. “Jonathon remains a valued member of the NYRA television team.”

[Andy Asaro]

Twitter

[classhandicapper]

Now that some people got what they wanted, maybe they should consider moving the tournament into the 21st century. If the country can survive with a huge percentage of its workforce working from home doing complex things, I think a horse tournament can survive without live attendance in an era where making picks remotely is a no brainer and you can communicate with anyone you want at any track in the country for the latest information via text, phone, or e-mail anyway.

[ranchwest]

Is being a runner not a rules violation?

[Parkview_Pirate]

Originally Posted by VeryOldMan

...But the bolded part gave me pause - a 2 year penalty recommended by his competitors? Don't they have a significant conflict of interest?

Good question. I think the idea is that he's "being judged by a group of his peers", somewhat like in a court of law. I don't believe the NHC has any penalties written out, so there's a bit of "shooting from the hip" here. Would Kinchen get a 5 year ban if it turned out he was part of owner of some winners, or was part of a syndicate group playing his selections, or something else that would be considered more serious than using a runner (and being 3000 miles off-site)?

Since Kinchen wasn't in contention for a check anyway, I think the two years is reasonable, though the question remains of how flagrant the violation of the rules was, and how he had to know that. But I don't know enough about closely the players are monitored while on-site, and how that adds to the tournament integrity.

I'd like to see remote access for the NHC, since traveling to Vegas isn't that convenient for me any more and since flying is now a living hell with mask requirements.

[vegasone]

Years ago I knew several “beards” that put in entries for a wide range of players. This was when there were plenty of tournaments around. Casinos depended on the players betting a decent amount of money for them to hold these tournaments. I suppose the casinos would rather have the players betting real money than just sending in their plays.