Month: November 2021

View From The Eighth Pole: Petrillo Deserves Chutzpah Award For Gaslighting Of Illinois Racing Board

We may have to dust off the old Paulick Report Chutzpah Award in the wake of Arlington Park executive Tony Petrillo's gaslighting of the Illinois Racing Board.

Appearing via video before the regulatory agency during a regularly scheduled meeting on Thursday, Nov. 18. Petrillo lobbied to keep Arlington Park's diminishing number of OTBs operating in 2022 despite the decision by the suburban Chicago racetrack's parent company, Churchill Downs Inc., to end racing there and sell the property to the NFL's Chicago Bears for construction of a new football stadium.

Arlington Park ran its final race on Sept. 25 after deciding earlier not to seek racing dates in 2022, saying the property was being put up for sale. Four days after the 2021 meet ended, Churchill Downs announced a deal to sell Arlington Park to the Bears for $197.2 million. The company rejected a bid from a group led by former Arlington Park president Roy Arnold to purchase the property, continue racing and develop a portion of the land.

There were two agenda items related to Arlington and CDI continuing to profit off Thoroughbred racing through the continued operation of its Trackside OTB in a separate building on the south end of the Arlington Park property and five other OTBs in the state. CDI also wants its advance deposit wagering brand, TwinSpires, to keep operating in Illinois, though it must have a contract with both a racetrack and horsemen's organization and currently does not have an agreement with horsemen, either at Hawthorne and the Illinois Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association or FanDuel Fairmount Park and the Illinois Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association.

Attorneys for Hawthorne racetrack and the Illinois Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association argued that Arlington should not be eligible for what the racing law refers ti as “inter-track” wagering because Arlington is no longer an operating racetrack and is not licensed for 2022. Commissioner Alan Henry said the question comes down to legislative intent, the best long-term interests of the racing industry and common sense. Henry said Churchill wanting to profit off OTBs is like the farm that sells its prized Holstein to someone and then wants the profits from the milk it produces.

Counsel for the Illinois Racing Board advised the commissioners that, in his opinion, Arlington Park could be awarded the license under the law.

Hawthorne said it was willing to take over operations in some of the regions where Arlington currently has OTBs, though it is restricted to 16 OTB locations and already has 15 open.

The gaslighting began when Petrillo said Churchill Downs Inc. is committed to live racing in Illinois – less than two months after selling the state's signature racetrack for development. (In his next breath, Petrillo said racetracks can not be profitable on their own.)

“We maintain an interest in racing and pursuing other opportunities to continue live racing within the state,” Petrillo said. “At this time, we don't have any location that we could identify but we continually pursue this each day for another location.”

Petrillo started shedding what looked on my computer screen like crocodile tears.

“These (OTBs) are very important because they provide jobs, they're going to provide a number of jobs across each of these geographical areas to people to support their families. Especially in these economic times it's very important for these jobs to be maintained.”

Commissioner Beth Doria called Petrillo out for the audacious comment.

“Mr. Petrillo, I heard you reference the loss of jobs several times,” Doria said. “But I'm just wondering where that concern was when you actually closed the racetrack itself.”

Another commissioner asked Petrillo if he felt the closing of Arlington caused “dramatic damage” for the Illinois racing industry.

“Any business closing in any part of the industry has an impact that could be construed as negative,” Petrillo said in a comment that can only be construed as tone deaf by the thousands of lives affected by the closing of Arlington Park.

The Illinois Racing Board voted to delay a decision on Arlington Park's request until the Dec. 16 meeting. Let's hope the board does the right thing and denies the OTB licenses next month and allows Hawthorne to take them over. If CDI and Arlington opt to get back in racing with the construction of a new track, OTBs should be part of their operation. Until such time, they are no longer in the racing business in Illinois.

That's my view from the eighth pole.

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Francine Villeneuve Seeks Second Frost King Crown, This Time As Trainer

Classy Whisper chases his second straight score when he takes on six rivals in the $100,000 Frost King Stakes, Sunday at Woodbine.

The son of Silent Name (JPN) heads into the 6 ½-furlong main track event for Ontario-sired 2-year-olds off two strong performances to start his career, including a mettlesome head victory at one mile and 70 yards over the Tapeta on Oct. 31, in a race originally slated for the turf.

“He's been really exciting,” said trainer and former jockey Francine Villeneuve, who rode Copper Trail to victory in the 2003 edition of the Frost King. “He's been precocious right from the beginning. He was a little difficult at first, but he's just taken everything in stride.”

The win came three weeks after Classy Whisper, owned by T and T Racing Team, debuted at the Toronto oval.

With Rafael Hernandez in the irons, the bay gelding, sent off at 18-1, held a head advantage at the stretch call of the 6 ½-furlong main track race, going on to finish second, a neck back of the winner Hunt Master.

Villeneuve, who enjoyed a successful career in the irons prior to her training career, is buoyed by the pair of gritty efforts ahead of her rookie's first added-money test.

“He's learning and getting better and better all the time. When he ran the first time and showed all that speed and determination, I was pleasantly surprised. I didn't really expect that from him. On the second asking, when we stretched him out, we still didn't know what to expect, thinking that he might be just speed. But apparently, he's the kind of horse you can put where you want. He just has the will to win. That's why we made the decision to go in this race. I don't like to shorten him up again after going long, but I don't think it's going to be a big problem for him.”

Villeneuve, who received the 2004 Avelino Gomez Memorial Award (contributions to the sport on and off the racetrack), is expecting another game showing from her rookie charge.

“Like I said, he looks like a horse that you can kind of put wherever you want. He doesn't need the lead, he doesn't have to be right up there… he's pretty agreeable. And Rafael [jockey, Hernandez] now knows him better as well, so I feel pretty confident in him. There are some tough ones in there, but we'll get an idea of what he's made of. It's been a long year, but he's very encouraging.”

Classy Whisper will be fashioning a similar look from his previous start.

“His first race, we had him closed up, his blinkers, and the second race, I opened them up because maybe if he could see the other horse, it might help him a little bit, and I think it did. So, we're going to keep it that way and let Rafael make a decision, based on the pace, of where he wants to be.”

Villeneuve is hopeful the journey finishes with a return trip to the Frost King winner's circle.

“To win this race with Classy Whisper, 18 years after winning it as a rider, that would be amazing.”

The race is named after Canada's 1982 Horse of the Year, a winner of 21 stakes, who was inducted into the Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame in 1986.

The $100,000 South Ocean Stakes is also on tap for Sunday. Seven two-year-old Ontario-sired fillies will travel 6 ½-panels on the Tapeta.

Trainer Mark Casse is represented by Lois Len and Ya Mar. A chestnut daughter of Hunters Bay, Lois Len is 1-0-1 from five starts and will contest her fifth straight stakes race. A dark bay daughter of Silent Name (JPN), Ya Mar is 1-0-1 from three starts.

Thatsitthatsall, a daughter of Silver Max, was second in both the Muskoka and Victorian Queen. Trained and owned by Debra Rombis, the chestnut is 1-3-0 from four starts.

The Frost King is slated as race nine on Sunday's 11-race card. The South Ocean goes as race three. First post time is 12:55 p.m. Fans can also watch and wager on all the action via HPIbet.com and the Dark Horse Bets app.

FROST KING STAKES

Post – Horse – Jockey – Trainer

1 – Sir for Sure – Luis Contreras – Mark Casse
2 – Where's Neal – Kazushi Kimura – Daniel Vella
3 – J M R Best of Turf – Christopher Husbands – Steven Chircop
4 – Lucys Child (S) – Gary Boulanger – Phil Gracey
5 – Gatling Gun – Patrick Husbands – Barbara Minshall
6 – Silent Runner – David Moran – Michael Doyle
7 – Classy Whisper – Rafael Hernandez – Francine Villeneuve

SOUTH OCEAN STAKES

Post – Horse – Jockey – Trainer
1 – Loaded Vixen – Luis Contreras – Andrew Smith
2 – Allpaidup (S) – Justin Stein – Randy Thompson
3 – Thatsitthatsall – Kirk Johnson – Debra Rombis
4 – Lois Len – Patrick Husbands – Mark Casse
5 – Ya Mar – Kazushi Kimura – Mark Casse
6 – My Girl Sky – Steven Bahen – Katerina Vassilieva
7 – Swinging Mandy – Emma-Jayne Wilson – Dale Desruisseaux

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Which Trace Minerals Are Most Important To Improving Hoof Quality?

Dr. Connie Larson, a retired equine nutritionist and researcher with Zinpro Corp. in Eden Prairie, Minn., tells the American Farriers Journal there are four important trace minerals necessary to improve and maintain hoof quality.

  • Zinc: important for cornification — turning protein into hoof horn
  • Copper: works in concert with zinc to form keratin proteins
  • Manganese: helps create the hard outer hoof capsule
  • Selenium: with either too little or too much of this mineral, the hoof will not be strong and healthy

“All of these important trace minerals must be in proper balance or something suffers,” writes Dr. Larson.

For more hoof health facts, check out the American Farriers Journal.

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