March, 2021 | Horse Racing Free Tips

Mario Gussago Appointed to Arqana Bloodstock Team

Mario Gussago has joined Arqana's bloodstock team, the sales company announced on Wednesday. Among his duties will be to support the inspection teams in France, England and Italy. Prior to starting his role at Arqana, Gussago, 31, spent five seasons as a travelling head lad to Marco Botti in England. After his stint for Botti, he gained additional experience as an assistant to trainer Roger Varian.

Said Arqana Bloodstock Director Ludovic Cornuel, “We are delighted to welcome Mario to the Arqana bloodstock team. His solid experience in racing and with trainers across Europe are important assets to continue to strengthen our team. With this recruitment and the forthcoming arrival of Pierre Le Courtois in charge of Management Information Systems, Arqana has once again shown its wish to keep improving the quality of its service.”

“My experience with trainers in England have given me a solid knowledge of racing and the industry in general,” said Gussago. “I am delighted to be able to join the Arqana team, which is one of the largest auction houses in Europe, where I will now be able to experience the sales from behind the scenes. I would like to thank Eric Hoyeau, Freddy Powell and Ludovic Cornuel for giving me this opportunity and trusting in me to take up this new challenge.”

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Simulcast Fee Dispute: Churchill Withdraws Complaint Against Thoroughbred Owners Of California

On Feb. 2, 2021, Churchill Downs Technology Initiatives Company (CDTIC), a subsidiary of Churchill Downs, Inc. that operates advance deposit wagering companies TwinSpires and BetAmerica, filed a lawsuit against the Thoroughbred Owners of California for invoking state statute in an effort to bring a dispute over simulcast hub fees into binding arbitration.

According to the Thoroughbred Daily News, that lawsuit has been dropped. A “notice of voluntary dismissal” was filed Monday in the United States District Court (Central District, California, Western Division), which indicated that the parties reached an agreement on March 5.

The notice did not indicate specifics about that agreement, and neither TOC's Greg Avioli nor Scott Edelman, the CDTIC's attorney, responded to queries from the TDN.

The dispute centered around a hub agreement reached on Dec. 22, 2020, between Santa Anita Park and CDI's two online wagering companies, TwinSpires and BetAmerica. The agreement specified the percentage the ADW companies would receive on each dollar wagered by California residents using their platforms. By California statute, the maximum an ADW company may receive to facilitate a wager is 6.5%. The agreed-upon percentage in the agreement between the ADW companies and Santa Anita is redacted in the court filings. According to the lawsuit, TOC asked that the hub fee be reduced to 4.1%, which the complaint said “would cost Churchill Downs Technology millions of dollars and upset almost a decade of an established course of dealing between the contracting parties.”

Two months earlier, on Oct. 28, the suit alleged, TOC president and CEO Greg Avioli asked Churchill Downs Inc. executive Mike Ziegler to “voluntarily return the equivalent of 1% of the total” wagered on the company's ADW platforms in 2020. “TOC threatened that if Churchill Downs Technology did not comply with its 'voluntary' request, it would demand arbitration pursuant to section 19604,” the complaint alleges, calling the effort a to retain additional revenue a “shakedown.”

Read more at the Thoroughbred Daily News.

The post Simulcast Fee Dispute: Churchill Withdraws Complaint Against Thoroughbred Owners Of California appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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GSW Prime Attraction to Stand in Ontario

Prime Attraction (Unbridled's Song–Strawberry Sense, by A.P. Indy), winner of the 2017 GIII Native Diver S., has been retired and will stand at Horsepower Racing Stable near Shelburne, Ontario. In addition to his Native Diver win, Prime Attraction placed in an additional five graded stakes, including the 2018 GI Pacific Classic S. and two graded turf events. Out of a half-sister to 2002 juvenile champion Vindication (Seattle Slew), Prime Attraction retires with a record of 23-4-4-2 and earnings of $557,795.

“Prime Attraction is big, attractive, and well bred,” said Horsepower's Tim Orlando. “He had a stellar career. He has no inbreeding in his first five generations and is free of Northern Dancer. We are thrilled to have the opportunity to stand such a remarkable horse in Ontario.”

The introductory fee for Prime Attraction is C$2,500.

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2021 Derby Trail: Three Heating Up, Three Cooling Down for March 10

This feature provides a capsule look at three horses who are heating up on the Triple Crown trail and three horses whose chances for the Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve are not quite as strong as they were a week or two ago. In this edition, the focus is the previous week of prep races. With the action on the Derby trail heating up, this column will now appear regularly to analyze the biggest movers approaching the first leg of the Triple Crown.