The third annual Fan Choice Awards return to America’s Best Racing in 2021 with new fan finalist voting, new categories, and four $1,000 Amazon gift card prizes.
Month: July 2021
Insider Tips For Finding A Great Online Poker Room
Even though they look pretty much the same and they’re all selling essentially the same few games, all Online Poker Rooms are NOT created equal! The differences can go far beyond the look and feel of the software. After you’ve played at several different rooms, you’ll start to see the tell-tale signs of a quality room as opposed to the “back alley” type.
Here’s a few things to consider before you plunk down your money.
The Number Of Players
It simply doesn’t matter how great the software is or how many game variations Are Offered. If you’re sitting alone, staring at the virtual walls …What Good Is The Poker Room? The great pokerrooms always have lots of real money players — Playing!
Cash Outs
Don’t let a big bonus or huge game selection be the only criteria you use when selecting a Pokerroom. Make sure you understand how to cash out, where your money will go and how quickly you’ll get paid. Remember, what good is your bankroll if you don’t have access to it?
Customer Service
Before you purchase, know the customer service options. Is there a toll free phone number? Is there Online Chat (my personal favorite)? Or is email your only option? Make sure you can contact a rep when you need one. Here’s A Tip: Before You Purchase, Contact Support and Ask a few questions, Just to see how responsive and knowledgeable the staff is. Great Pokerrooms know how important Customer Service is and will make sure their reps are well trained!
Bonus/Comps
Free Money at sign-up is always nice! But, it’s really not very important. Remember, there are always play through requirements and the more “Free Money” you get the more you’ll have to play before you can actually cash it out.
More important then a sign-up bonus is the ongoing comps that are offered. Poker can be a very exciting game, where you have a pretty good chance of consistently winning. Once you find a poker room that you like, chances are you’ll be playing there frequently. A good comp program can directly add to your bottom line!
Ease of Use
I’m including the entire poker room “experience” in this category. Starting with the first time you visit the site, through the download and sign up process, making a deposit, choosing a table and of course, the actual game-play. The easier it is to get all of this done the better. A clean, simple homepage and intuitive, easily installed software are important factors that shouldn’t be overlooked.
And Finally…
I’ve outlined what I think are the most important factors in any Pokerroom. Of course, you’ll need to consider your own factors also…
For Example:
* Do You Like Frequent Tournaments?
* What Table Limits Are You Comfortable With?
* Are You Interested In Multi-Table Play?
An hour or so of research before you actually make your first deposit can go a long way toward improving your online playing experience.
Eric Gustavson Joins the TDN Writers’ Room
Following the tragic loss of Coolmore's cornerstone stallion Galileo, champion sire Into Mischief has suddenly found himself at center stage as the top stallion in the world in just about every category. On this week's TDN Writers' Room podcast presented by Keeneland, the crew sat down with Eric Gustavson of Spendthrift Farm, a new sponsor of the show, to talk about their rise of success with the son of Harlan's Holiday.
“For us to have Into Mischief is the classic case of how a rising tide lifts all boats,” said Gustavson, who joined in as the Green Group Guest of the Week. “He's our rising tide and he brings so much attention to the farm. He's so powerful and dominant in so many categories as a stallion and it's mind blowing that you could ever have one like this. That he is considered one of the all-time greats, if not the best in the world, is really humbling.”
Gustavson, who serves on the Board of the Directors for Breeders' Cup, also spoke out on racing's urgent need for change.
“The industry is so fractious…with the issues of lack of uniformity in medications and things like that,” he said. “The industry cannot grow unless these things start to change. We need to have innovation. We need to have inclusion. We need to have uniformity to the point where we're not dysfunctional and referring to a weak regulatory system. These are the kinds of things that I would like to help change because we're just stuck. There is a lot of talk about the pros and cons of the government coming in and being involved with control over the drug issues. A lot of people are against it, but my feelings are that we have to do something and if this is the only way to do it, then so be it. Let's have the uniformity and have some kind of oversight that has some teeth.”
Elsewhere on Wednesday's podcast, which welcomed the Minnesota Thoroughbred Association 2021 Yearling Sale in joining additional sponsors West Point Thoroughbreds and Legacy Bloodstock, the writers recapped another great week of racing at Saratoga, discussed the recent controversy with trainer Marcus Vitali and looked forward to this weekend's racing at the Spa and beyond.
Click here to watch the podcast on YouTube.
Click here for the audio-only version.
The post Eric Gustavson Joins the TDN Writers’ Room appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.
Vet Who Allegedly Bragged About Selling PEDs to Change Plea
Kristian Rhein, a veterinarian formerly based at Belmont Park whom federal prosecutors allegedly have on tape bragging that he sold “assloads” of the illegal performance-enhancing drug SGF-1000, has been granted an Aug. 3 change-of-plea hearing at which he is expected to alter his initial “not guilty” plea in the highly publicized racehorse doping scandal.
Rhein was allegedly part of a “widespread, corrupt scheme” dating to at least 2017 that allegedly involved the now-barred trainers Jorge Navarro and Jason Servis, plus a vast network of co-conspirators who allegedly manufactured, mislabeled, rebranded, distributed and administered performance- enhancing drugs to racehorses all across America and in international races.
Rhein's desire to change his plea comes just days after co-defendant Michael Kegley Jr. entered a guilty plea to one count of drug adulteration and misbranding July 23 in United States District Court (Southern District of New York) as part of a plea bargain agreement. Kegley will be sentenced Nov. 22.
Kegley told a federal judge last Friday that, “Beginning in 2016, I was an independent contractor for a company, MediVet Equine. We sold a variety of products, including SGF-1000. I sold these products to veterinarians, horse trainers. When I did that I knew there was no medical prescription for those products. Also at the time, I knew that the product was not manufactured in an FDA approved facility, nor was it approved for sale by the FDA.”
According to the initial March 2020 indictment, Rhein was one of those veterinarians to whom Kegley routinely sold SGF-1000.
SGF-1000, according to the indictment, was allegedly a drug of choice administered to racehorses trained by Servis, including to the disqualified 2019 GI Kentucky Derby winner Maximum Security.
According to the indictment, on June 5, 2019, Maximum Security was subjected to out-of-competition drug testing. This was allegedly a short time after the colt had received a shot of SGF-1000. Servis called Rhein out of concerns the colt might test positive.
“They don't even have a test for it in America,” Rhein allegedly told Servis during a wiretapped conversation, adding that the presence of SGF-1000 could, however, return a false positive for “Dex.”
The indictment stated that later that same day, Servis received a promise from another veterinarian who agreed to falsify records to make it appear that Maximum Security was treated with “Dex” and not the illegal SGF-1000.
On July 16, 2019, on another recorded phone call, Rhein and Kegley allegedly discussed how Servis and his associates are “buying literally as much” SGF-1000 as Rhein was able to source from Kegley's firm.
The indictment stated that “Rhein bragged that he was selling 'assloads' of SGF-1000.”
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