Month: May 2023

FanDuel Takes Host Rudulph Off The Air Over Social Media Comments

Ken Rudulph, longtime host and analyst on TVG and the rebranded FanDuel TV, has been taken off the air over what the company said in a statement were “disappointing comments” on social media Monday, May 15.

“Horse racing needs to stop pretending and just be what it is,” Rudulph posted on Twitter. “It's a great combo of WWE/reality TV/sports/ with a healthy dose of BS on the side. It's a great game. Cheating is part of it. Death is part of it. Losing is part of it. Winning makes it all worthwhile.”

The following morning, Rudulph apologized on the same platform, saying: “Monday evening I made a mistake and used a very poor choice of words to make what I hoped would be a compelling thought regarding horse racing. I apologize to my colleagues and the industry for my lack of proper forethought. I truly felt  you all would have the open dialogue with me. I will find a better way in the future.”

By then, Rudulph was already absent from his morning shift on FanDuel TV.

On Wednesday afternoon, FanDuel issued the following statement:

“Recently, FanDuel TV host Ken Rudulph made disappointing comments online about the integrity of horse racing, as well as the safety and welfare of its participants. As the market leader in legal sports wagering, FanDuel takes the issues of sports integrity and track safety very seriously, and we disagree in the strongest terms with the sentiments expressed by Mr. Rudulph. FanDuel strongly supports equine safety reforms, including our longstanding support of equine retirement and aftercare programs as well as organizations focused on the health and safety of jockeys. We also work in close partnership with international and North American based sports integrity monitoring agencies to identify any potentially illicit activity occurring within our racing or sportsbook platforms. Pending a full review of this matter, Mr. Rudulph will not be appearing on FanDuel TV.”

Rudulph was the first person to appear on-air for TVG when it launched in 1999 and hosted some of the biggest races broadcast by the network from its Southern California base. He departed in 2011, going back to his home town of Sacramento to host the popular “Good Day Sacramento” on the CBS television affiliate KMAX/KOBR.

Rudulph returned to TVG in August 2019 to host the “Morning Line” program and has been seen in a variety of settings in the ensuing years in studio and at various tracks.

FanDuel said it would not be offering additional comment on the matter.

The post FanDuel Takes Host Rudulph Off The Air Over Social Media Comments appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Ken Rudulph `Will Not Be Appearing on FanDuel’ Pending Review

After reviewing comments made on Twitter by FanDuel TV host Ken Rudulph, his employers have said that “Mr. Rudulph will not be appearing on FanDuel TV” pending a full investigation of the matter.

The news was first reported by the Paulick Report Wednesday night.

Monday, Rudulph Tweeted: “Horse racing needs to stop pretending and just be what it is. It's a great combo of WWE/reality TV/sports with a healthy dose of BS on the side. It's a great game. Cheating is part of it. Death is part of it. Losing is part of it. Winning makes it all worthwhile.”

The outcry over Rudulph's cavalier comments about equine deaths was immediate, and sustained, but Rudulph initially doubled down, at least on Monday.

When someone named Dj Big C Tweeted back, “The fact that people couldn't comprehend what you were saying says a lot about HRT.”

Replied Rudulph, “Oh they absolutely knew what I was saying. They also saw a reason to go “there”, so they went there. It's all part of the process. I expect it and I accept it.”

Tuesday, he deleted the Tweet and tried to walk it back. “Monday evening, I made a mistake and used a very poor choice of words to make what I hoped would be a compelling thought regarding horse racing. I apologize to my colleagues and the industry for my lack of proper forethought. I truly felt you all would have the open dialogue with me. I will find a better way in the future. At NO POINT am I advocating for or supporting horse fatalities. I don't even know how that became part of this. I'm trying to have a conversation about the issues in this industry, and how we deal with them on a daily basis. This confusion reminds me why we can't have these conversations. But I'm not going to stop trying.”

The apology didn't go down well with everyone.

“You didn't make a mistake,” Tweeted Diana Baker. “You told us what you really thought. It's infuriating and despicable. You should be fired and never work in this business again. NO horse death is acceptable. We all have to do better for the horses we rely upon. SHAME ON YOU.”

Writer Jay Hovdey called it “a deeply cynical take from someone who represents a pure gambling point of view.”

FanDuel appeared to agree. Wednesday, they wrote, “Recently, FanDuel TV host Ken Rudulph made disappointing comments online about the integrity of horse racing, as well as the safety and welfare of its participants. As the market leader in legal sports wagering, FanDuel takes the issues of sports integrity and track safety very seriously, and we disagree in the strongest terms with the sentiments expressed by Mr. Rudulph. Fanduel Strongly supports equine safety reforms, including our longstanding support of equine retirement and aftercare programs as well as organizations focused on the heath and safety of jockeys. We also work in close partnership with international and North American-based sports integrity monitoring agencies to identify any potentially illicit activity occurring within our racing or sportsbook platforms. Pending a full review of this matter, Mr. Rudulph will not be appearing on FanDuel TV.”

 

The post Ken Rudulph `Will Not Be Appearing on FanDuel’ Pending Review appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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Preakness 148 Contender Updates

It's been a quiet week on the Triple Crown front as all eight contenders continue to prepare for Saturday's $1.65 million GI Preakness S. at Pimlico. Following is a brief update on each as of Wednesday morning:

  • GI Kentucky Derby winner and 8-5 Preakness favorite Mage (Good Magic) galloped 1 1/2 miles over the Pimlico surface and playfully reared as he exited the track. “He was showing off. He was showing off a little bit,” said Gustavo Delgado, Jr., the assistant and son of trainer Gustavo Delgado. “He was just feeling good.” He continued: “It was the same routine since we got here. He looked better, had more energy. He wanted to do more. His exercise rider–J.J. Delgado–said he's doing good.”
  • 'TDN Rising Star' and GIII Lexington S. winner First Mission (Street Sense) had an easy gallop. “We had a great morning,” said trainer Brad Cox. “He galloped a little further today than yesterday but was every bit as good as yesterday.” The colt is tabbed at 5-2 on the morning line.
  • National Treasure (Quality Road) had a “routine gallop,” per Jimmy Barnes, assistant to trainer Bob Baffert.
  • 'TDN Rising Star' and GISW Blazing Sevens (Good Magic) galloped about 1 1/4 miles under exercise rider Peter Levia. “I think he is sitting on a big race,” said Jose Hernandez, assistant to Chad Brown. “I've got the same feeling with this one that I did with the others [winners Cloud Computing, 2017, and Early Voting, 2022]. This is a pretty nice horse to work with.”
  • Red Route One (Gun Runner) arrived Tuesday afternoon. “He settled in nice, jogged a mile this morning on the track, and seemed to do everything right,” said Darren Fleming, assistant to Steve Asmussen. “Relaxing now.” He will paddock school Thursday.
  • Perform (Good Magic) visited the Pimlico surface for the first time Wednesday morning. Just after he entered, a loose horse running the wrong direction passed close by. “It didn't really bother him, but he got buzzed pretty good,” said Anthony Hamilton, Shug McGaughey's assistant. “It was right as we got on the track. Obviously, it's not what you want, but [exercise rider] Noemi [Pauquet] did a great job. The horse was as professional as a horse could be in that situation. He is a feel-good horse and that woke him up a little bit. Then he went out and galloped a mile just like we wanted him to.” Perform was supplemented to the Preakness for a fee of $150,000.
  • Chase the Chaos (Astern {Aus}) arrived from Northern California late Tuesday. “He traveled about 16 hours, but it looks like he handled it good,” said trainer Ed Moger, Jr. “He cleaned up his food and he was pretty happy this morning.”
  • Local horse Coffeewithchris (Ride On Curlin) vanned to Pimlico from Laurel Park. “He's settled in. He's doing fine,” trainer John Salzman, Jr. said. “He's doing good. He's training perfectly. He's done everything I've asked of him. He's galloping, playing, and kicking, so at this point he's doing as good as he can do. If he goes forward a little bit I'm looking forward to him running a big race.”

The post Preakness 148 Contender Updates appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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Trainer Raul Vega Suspended Five Years After Veterinary Scratch Of Filly At Sunland

Officials in New Mexico have suspended trainer Raul Velarde Vega for a minimum of five years and fined him $10,000 over concerns about the condition of a horse he entered in a race this spring, according to a ruling dated May 12.

Vega had been summarily suspended earlier this year after his trainee Cause For Love Too was scratched from a race at Sunland Park on March 21. According to New Mexico Racing Commission executive director Izzy Trejo, racing officials became concerned when the filly arrived at the paddock.

Photographs of the filly show that she had significant protrusion of ribs and large wounds with areas of raw skin on her hindquarters, on either side of her tail.

Trejo said that after her scratch in the paddock, Cause For Love Too was sent to the test barn, where staff took photographs to document her condition. Due to an ongoing shortage of regulatory veterinarians at Sunland, the filly had not had a pre-race inspection done the morning of the race, so her appearance in the paddock was the first time officials had seen her that day.

The May 12 ruling indicated that Vega will be eligible to reapply for a trainer's license on or after March 24, 2028. If he does apply at that time, he will be required to go before the commission to get approval for reinstatement, and will be required to retake and pass the New Mexico Racing Commission's trainer's test before reinstatement.

Vega has until May 22 to appeal the decision.

Vega has trained 91 Quarter Horse and Thoroughbred winners from 847 starters in a career that stared in 2013. Last year was his most prolific season, with 205 Quarter Horse starts and 70 Thoroughbred starts. He is a stakes-winning trainer of Thoroughbreds and a multiple graded stakes-placed trainer with Quarter Horses. Last year, Vega ranked 35th in the nation by earnings for Quarter Horse racing.

The post Trainer Raul Vega Suspended Five Years After Veterinary Scratch Of Filly At Sunland appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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