Tingle Creek Chase: Edwardstone beats defending champion Greaneteen at Sandown
Alan King's Edwardstone marks himself as a contender for next year's Queen Mother Champion Chase by winning the Tingle Creek Chase at Sandown.
Month: December 2022
Baltas Suspended One Year, Fined $10,000 In California
Trainer Richard Baltas has been suspended 365 days and fined $10,000 by California Horse Racing Board stewards for “conduct detrimental to racing” and violating medication rules over a 24-day period at Santa Anita Park last spring.
Baltas, who has won 722 races including seven Grade 1 stakes since taking out his trainer's license in 1991, is alleged to have had prohibited race-day administrations given to his horses on 21 occasions from April 15 through May 8, 2022. The treatments, said to be captured on Santa Anita's surveillance cameras, allegedly involved “X-Treme Air Boost,” and “other substances,” according to the ruling.
A complaint filed by the CHRB against Baltas last June 21 included an investigation report outlining actions of an assistant trainer who allegedly was seen on video surveillance administering an oral dose of an unknown substance to the horse Noble Reflection on May 8. A search of the barn uncovered an empty tube of X-Treme Air Boost that allegedly had the horse's name written on it.
According to the report, Martin Valenzuela, an assistant trainer to Baltas, originally told investigators he did not administer anything to the horse but when informed there was video admitted that he had. Valenzuela told investigators he had been told by Baltas to administer the substance – thought to help control bleeding – between 24 and 48 hours before a race but had forgotten to do so with Noble Reflection and instead gave it on race day.
Video surveillance allegedly showed similar race-day activity occurred with over 20 Baltas horses over the period in question.
Officials with 1/ST Racing told Baltas he was not welcome to race or breeze horses at any of their facilities, including Santa Anita and San Luis Rey training center where he kept a large part of his stable. Baltas has run a handful of starters in Kentucky and Texas since the ejection, his last runner coming at Lone Star Park in Texas on July 16.
In August, Baltas sued the CHRB after he was denied entries at Los Alamitos in California, saying the regulatory agency deprived him of his due process rights.
The suspension runs from Dec. 9, 2022, through Dec. 8, 2023.
The post Baltas Suspended One Year, Fined $10,000 In California appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.
The Ranking Of Poker Hands
Poker is becoming increasingly popular with more and more people not only playing the game but also watching television programs like the world series of poker. In this article, I describe the order in which poker hands are ranked, starting with the highest and also the probability that players have of being dealt that particular hand.
A straight flush
This is the best hand you can obtain and is the dream cards for any poker player. That is not to say that you always win a lot of chips with this hand and most players will tend to slow play this type of hand in an attempt to trap their opponent.
A straight flush is five cards of the same suit in a sequence. The higher the top card, the higher the ranking of that hand. Therefore ten, jack, queen, king, ace, which is often known as a royal flush is the best hand in poker.
The probability of this hand is around one in sixty five thousand.
Four of a kind
This is where you have four cards of the same rank or number which are the same. As with the above the higher the rank of the four cards, the higher the value. Therefore four aces are the highest rank of all of the possible four of a kinds.
The probability of this hand is around one in four thousand, one hundred and sixty five.
Full house
A full house is where you have three cards of one rank or number and two cards of another rank. As with the above, the higher the rank of these two sets, the higher the value. Therefore if you have three aces and two kings you will have the highest rank of flush. To explain it in even more simpler terms, the one with the highest ranking set of three cards, wins.
The probability of this hand is around one in six hundred and ninety four.
Flush
This is where you have five cards of the same suit but not in a sequence. A flush which includes an ace has the highest value. If there are two hands on the table which both have a flush with an ace, it then goes to the second highest card to see who wins etc.
The probability of this hand is around one in five hundred and nine.
Straight
This is where you have five cards in sequence which are in different suites. The highest straight is again the one which has the highest card at the top.
The probability of this hand is around one in two hundred and fifty five.
Three of a kind
This is the same as the four of the kind explanation apart from the fact that this is where you have three cards of the same rank or number.
The probability of this hand is around one in forty seven.
Two pairs
This is where you have two cards of one rank and two cards of another. There is also an odd card which can sometimes come into play.
If there are two players on the table with two pairs the highest ranking pair wins. If both players have the same highest ranking pair, the highest second ranking pair wins. If both players have the same set of two pairs, it is the one with the highest odd card that wins.
The probability of this hand is around one in 21.
One pair
This is where you only have two cards of the same rank. When two players on the table have the same pair, the other three cards come into play, with the highest card winning etc.
The probability of this hand is around one in 2.4.
High card
This is where you basically have nothing but a high card. When two players on the same table have just a high card, the one with the highest card wins etc.
The probability of this hand is around one in two.
I hope this has explained the rankings of the different poker hands to you and made it a bit more easier to understand.
Poker is a great game to play, be careful however only to bet what you can afford to lose.
I personally prefer to play on the internet rather than in the casino. I basically play for fun, and merely hope to make some extra money for myself.
I am quite a patient player who is willing to wait for a good hand to come. I think this is an important skill to have in poker and it has helped me to do quite well over the last twelve months.
One small tip is to avoid playing poker when you are drunk. Maybe it is just me but I always seem to play with a lot more aggression and less patience, when I am quite drunk. This may work for some people but always seems to end up with me losing quite a lot of money.
Court Filing Shows Servis May Enter Plea Agreement In 2020 Federal Doping Case
A document filed late Dec. 2 indicates former trainer Jason Servis may be preparing to enter a guilty plea in the federal drug adulteration and misbranding case against him.
On Dec. 1, co-defendant Dr. Alexander Chan entered a request for a change of plea hearing, which is set to take place on Dec. 5. Chan had been set to go to trial alongside Servis. His likely change to a guilty plea would have meant that Servis would have faced a jury alone.
“The Government and counsel for defendant Jason Servis are currently in discussions regarding a potential pre-trial disposition, which may obviate the need for trial,” read the document in part.
The document was a request from Servis' attorney for U.S. District Judge Mary Kay Vyskocil to grant a one-week adjournment for an upcoming motions deadline. That request for the deadline adjournment has been granted. The trial is currently scheduled to start on Jan. 9.
Servis is facing charges of conspiracy to commit drug adulteration and misbranding, conspiracy to defraud the United States, and and attempt and conspiracy to commit wire fraud.
He is accused of having racehorses in his care, including multiple Grade 1 winner Maximum Security, injected with SGF-1000 and clenbuterol for the purpose of performance enhancement, and to direct that veterinary records be edited to conceal those administrations.
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