March, 2021 | Horse Racing Free Tips

Canadian Sports Betting Bill Amended To Exempt Horse Racing From Fixed Odds Wagers

With a unanimous vote, the Standing Committee on Justice and Human Rights on Thursday amended Private Member's Bill C-218 to offer protection to the horse racing industry in Canada. Under the new proposed legislation, fixed odds wagering on horse racing would not be permitted.

“This is great news for the horse racing industry and the tens of thousands of jobs it supports across Canada,” said Jim Lawson, CEO, Woodbine Entertainment. “On behalf of the industry, thank you to the Standing Committee for listening to our perspective and recognizing the need to protect horse racing from unintended consequences caused by the legalization of sports betting.”

PMB C-218 was introduced by MP Kevin Waugh to legalize Single-Event Sports Betting in Canada. The horse racing industry supports the principle of the Bill but led a significant cross-party advocacy effort to ensure Committee members understood the unintended consequences to the industry if protections were not included. As part of those efforts, horse racing hall of fame jockey Sandy Hawley and representatives from the Central Ontario Standardbred Association, Horsemen's Benevolent Protective Association of Ontario, Racetracks of Canada, Quebec Jockey Club and Woodbine Entertainment appeared as witnesses over the past several weeks as the Standing Committee studied the proposed Bill.

The Bill will now proceed to Third Reading in the House and, if passed, head to the Senate for review.

“As the legislation process continues, our industry will remain active to ensure the protections remain in the Bill through the Senate process,” Lawson added. “We also recognize that with this potential emergence of sports betting in the near future, our industry will face increased competition in the legal wagering market and must pursue additional sources of revenue to further protect our industry.”

As an established leader and trusted Canadian organization in regulated single-event sports betting in Canada, Woodbine Entertainment will continue to advocate for an opportunity to participate in sports betting in a meaningful way.

“We look forward to continuing to engage with government and other stakeholders to offer our expertise in regulated sports wagering as Canada prepares for this new and emerging sector,” Lawson said. ““The opportunity for us to offer our leadership in this sector has the potential for sports betting to be a very positive development for the horse racing industry across the country.”

In addition to its efforts in sports betting, Woodbine Entertainment will continue to advocate for the legalization of Historical Horse Racing on behalf of the industry.

The post Canadian Sports Betting Bill Amended To Exempt Horse Racing From Fixed Odds Wagers appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

Borels Chasing First Stakes Win As A Team At Oaklawn

Less than a week after teaming for their first Oaklawn victory, Hall of Fame jockey Calvin Borel and his wife, trainer Renay Borel, seek their first in a stake in Saturday's $150,000 Nodouble Breeders' for Arkansas-bred colts and geldings, 3 years old and up, at six furlongs.

Renay Borel is scheduled to send out two horses, including defending champion K J's Nobility in the Nodouble, which honors the 1968 Arkansas Derby winner, the country's two-time champion older horse (1969 and 1970) and leading Arkansas-bred money winner in history ($846,749).

Last Sunday, Calvin Borel recorded his first victory of the meeting, and first for his wife in Hot Springs, aboard Jack Van Berg. Renay Borel, a former exercise rider for Hall of Fame trainer D. Wayne Lukas, inherited a small string of horses after Calvin Borel's older brother, Cecil, retired – again – from training following a runner-up finish by K J's Nobility in the $165,000 Arkansas Breeders' Championship Stakes last May at Oaklawn. Renay Borel had been Cecil Borel's assistant. Jack Van Berg was her second victory of the meeting and fourth overall.

“Everything's going good,” Renay Borel, 33, said Wednesday morning. “Take it one day at a time.”

Owned by Carson McCord of Hot Springs, K J's Nobility will break from the rail Saturday in search of his first victory since last year's Nodouble. The 7-year-old gelding exits a flat fifth-place finish as the favorite in a March 12 state-bred allowance sprint under Calvin Borel, his regular rider.

“I think it was because of the freeze,” Renay Borel said, referring to Oaklawn losing 11 days of training (Feb. 12-22) to severe winter weather. “I think the freeze had a lot to do with it. It kind of set us back a little bit. I kind of look at that race more as a little tune-up race, more than anything. So, if everything goes according to plan, I believe he'll be tough, regardless. It doesn't matter what post position he's in.”

Claimed by McCord for $25,000 in July 2018 at Indiana Grand, K J's Nobility has bankrolled $451,354 in a 33-race career.

Renay Borel is also scheduled to send out her first career Oaklawn winner, Bebop Shoes, for McCord in the Nodouble. Bebop Shoes was a sharp March 7 state-bred allowance winner in his last start.

“It's up to the owner whether she wants to run him in the Nodouble or not,” Renay Borel said. “Personally, I believe he fits. He's doing really good; training like a beast. We'll see.”

Renay Borel has never had a stakes starter since saddling her first horse in the fall of 2019. Calvin Borel has 52 career Oaklawn stakes victories and Jack Van Berg marked his 971st victory overall in Hot Springs. He was Oaklawn's leading rider in 1995 and 2001. Pat Day (a record 1,264) and Larry Snyder are the only riders in Oaklawn history with 1,000 career victories.

“We're going to try like hell,” Calvin Borel, 54, said with a laugh when asked about reaching 1,000. “Taking it day by day.”

As for Cecil Borel, the remaining members of Team Borel said he's living on Lake Fork Reservoir, about 70 miles east of Dallas. It's billed the premier trophy largemouth bass lake in Texas.

Cecil Borel, who has a history of heart problems, initially retired from training in August 2014 to care for his ailing wife, Debbie, a former Oaklawn racing official who died Jan. 1, 2015. Borel came out of retirement at the 2019 Oaklawn meeting, recording his first victory in approximately 4 ½ years with K J's Nobility in a state-bred allowance sprint that April. Borel, citing health issues, stepped away from training in the fall of 2019 (Renay Borel recorded her first career victory after inheriting his handful of runners) before returning as the trainer of record for the 2020 Oaklawn meet. Borel was 66 when he saddled K J's Nobility in the Arkansas Breeders' Championship Stakes.

“I don't know if there will be another comeback,” Renay Borel said. “You'll have to get ahold of him and ask him if that's what he wants to do right now. I believe he's having fun fishing.”

Known as an exhaustive caretaker, Cecil Borel authored a sparkling 7-2-3 record from just 17 starters last year at Oaklawn. Renay Borel has six horses at Oaklawn and is off to a solid start in 2021, with two victories and a third from nine starts at the meeting through Sunday.

“I learned everything from him,” Renay Borel said. “I try to keep my schedule the same as what he would do. You don't fix something that's not broke.”

The projected nine-horse Nodouble field from the rail out: K J's Nobility, Calvin Borel to ride, 118 pounds, 7-2 on the morning line; Captain Don, Walter De La Cruz, 118, 5-1; Glacken's Ghost, Alex Canchari, 123, 10-1; Tempt Fate, Joe Talamo, 123, 5-2; Bebop Shoes, Elvin Gonzalez, 123, 6-1; Reef's Destiny, David Cohen, 118, 15-1; J. E.'s Handmedown, Francisco Arrieta, 115, 10-1; Man in the Can, David Cabrera, 118, 9-2; and Bandit Point, Kelsi Harr, 118, 6-1.

Probable post time for the Nodouble Breeders' Stakes, the 10th of 11 races, is 5:52 p.m. (Central). Racing begins Saturday at 1 p.m. Weather permitting, the infield will be open.

The post Borels Chasing First Stakes Win As A Team At Oaklawn appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

Letter to the Editor: Bryan Langlois, DVM

Time for The Industry to “Stand and Deliver” When it Comes to Accountability, Transparency, and Most Importantly, the Horse

“Ganas…all we need is Ganas.” –Jaime Escalante

Pretty simple words to say, but much harder to truly live by, and the racing industry is at the point now where it needs to truly not only say these words, but to live them.

Jerry Brown, in a letter to the editor recently published in the Thoroughbred Daily News, stated his belief that horses running in stakes races were not running true to form possibly because of not running on Lasix in those races. He pointed out that these horses may have been scoped post-race, but very often the fans, handicappers, and the public have no idea what the results of these scopes are. This issue is not related to just scoping a horse looking for bleeding, but in all facets of a horses medical care. Racing woefully fails this transparency test, a fact known for years.

One of the arguments (aside from the legal one of owners releasing records which is easily remedied with a change to an owner's license application) against providing full transparency of medical records and fatal injury data has always been that the public will not understand it, and the animal rights crowd will try to twist it to fit their narrative on things. That really is not an acceptable excuse. The industry can no longer rely on the old refrain of “you just don't understand the industry” when presented with any question or argument against racing. Take the time to explain what we all “don't understand,” but also explain it to the ones the industry has the most chance of making understand and converting to fans. It is something I have come to call the “10-80-10” rule. Ten percent of people are always going to think racing is wrong, inhumane, and should be forever banned. They are never going to see it any differently. On the other end of the spectrum, there are 10% of people who think nothing needs to change in the racing industry at all. They will not agree to changing anything even if the data points to a need for it. Both extremes are not the area racing needs to solely focus on (even though both often shout the loudest). The focus should be on the 80% in the middle that are asking to be heard but are also willing to listen. Providing not only transparency but an explanation about that transparency in a manner that people can understand builds the trust needed to bring new blood into the game. It is not hard. It just takes “ganas.”

Finally, a constant refrain I am hearing all the time regarding the sport is, “Without the owners you have no sport,” or “Without the gamblers you have no sport.” This is all true. However, what must be remembered far more importantly is this: “Without the HORSE you have no sport”!!!

Without the HORSE you have no entity for owners to own.

Without the HORSE you have no entity for the gamblers to wager on.

Without the HORSE you have no entity for trainers to train.

Without the HORSE you have no entity for the jockeys to ride.

Without the HORSE you have no entity for vets to treat.

Without the HORSE you have no entity for the fans to root for.

As soon as we take the focus off the horse, we lose sight of what the most important thing in this sport is. The majestic animal we all fall in love with and root on to hold onto that lead or just get up at the wire is what the sport is all about. I am not trying to belittle the contributions of all the other stakeholders of this sport (and I know some will still be offended by my statement). However, NO ONE in this industry is in a position that is superior to the creature that makes it all possible. Keeping this in mind at all times is what will help re-invigorate fans and interest to the sport. Take care of the HORSE first and foremost, and the rest will follow and fall into place.

The time for just talking about change is over. We need meaningful actions to bring about that change. In some places it is happening. In others it is not. One thing remains a constant theme throughout, though. Want to bring this amazing sport to the next level and see it thrive? All it takes is “ganas.”

The post Letter to the Editor: Bryan Langlois, DVM appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

Online Gaming Launches in Oregon

A new online gaming experience powered by historical horse racing has launched in Oregon through luckii.com. Wagers can be as low as 20 cents a spin. The results are determined by a database of actual horse races previously run at hundreds of tracks around the country.

Luckii is licensed by the Oregon Racing Commission as an Advanced Deposit Wagering platform. A portion of proceeds from all Luckii games are provided to the Oregon horse racing industry, delivering much-needed revenues to support local jobs and communities in Oregon.

Luckii's slot-style games follow pari-mutuel rules and players can get handicapping insights before wagering or they can simply spin for the opportunity to win a huge jackpot. Winnings are instant and can be easily withdrawn. The platform features secure payment options, via credit, debit or bank transfer, with industry-leading safety and fraud prevention tools, as well as an Oregon-based customer service team.

The post Online Gaming Launches in Oregon appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post