It was a late-November morning in Northern California, and track announcer Matt Dinerman was preparing to head to Golden Gate Fields to call the races, which he has done for the past six years. But that day hit differently, as it was his last in the announcer booth of the San Francisco Bay Area track before heading to Arkansas to assume his new role of race-calling duties at Oaklawn Park, which opens Dec.
Month: December 2023
Baffert Wants One Defendant in Defamation Suit Ruled in Default for Not Answering Complaint
The federal lawsuit initiated by trainer Bob Baffert that alleges civil extortion and defamation by two social media posters has been ordered to proceed to an “early neutral evaluation” (ENE) conference Jan. 10 that is designed to save time and money as a form of alternate dispute resolution before the case can proceed any further.
However, subsequent to that Nov. 29 ENE order, Baffert's attorney, Clark Brewster, asked the United States District Court (Southern District of California) on Dec. 4 to enter a default judgment against one of the defendants for failing to file an answer to the complaint in a timely manner.
Back on Sept. 27, Baffert filed a suit that asked for compensatory damages in excess of $75,000, plus an award of punitive damages “to deter similar conduct by Defendants and others” after purportedly suffering “mental anguish, anxiety, and duress Defendants have caused by virtue of their repeated threats to Baffert's business and family by means of their unlawful statements.”
As Baffert's complaint put it, “This lawsuit is the response to a series of escalating threats and criminal conduct by Defendants Justin Wunderler and Daniel DiCorcia against Plaintiffs Bob Baffert and his family. Over the past several months, Defendants have urged others to engage in violent behavior toward Baffert and his family, baselessly accused Baffert of criminal conduct, and attempted to extort Baffert and his family under threats to his business, reputation, and occupational license.”
Baffert's complaint stated that Wunderler “resides in Waretown, New Jersey, and is a part-time pari-mutuel Thoroughbred racing bettor. Mr. Wunderler has a substantial social media presence and following under the pseudonym 'Swifthitter.'”
The complaint also stated that DiCorcia “resides in Point Pleasant, New Jersey, is a part-time pari-mutuel Thoroughbred racing bettor, and operates an apparel store called 'BarShoeLife' that sells racing-related apparel. Mr. DiCorcia also has a substantial social media presence and following under various pseudonyms related to that “Bar Shoe” handle.
Baffert's complaint alleged that “[T]his escalating pattern of outrageous behavior is specifically intended to accrue more followers and personal monetary gain. Before the [GI] Belmont S. in New York, Mr. Wunderler specifically asked his followers to bring dangerous objects to hurl at Baffert and his family. Shortly thereafter, Mr. Wunderler posted a picture of Baffert's house in California and claimed that he 'slaughters horses on National TV.'”
The complaint further alleged that, “Mr. Wunderler and Mr. DiCorcia engaged in a conspiracy to extort money from Baffert, sent a text message demanding a certain sum of money, with specific payment instructions for wiring money, in exchange for a promise not to release information Defendants allege is so damaging that it will end Baffert's career.”
DiCorcia, according to the court's docket, filed a timely, one-page response Nov. 28 that denied Baffert's allegations and asked for the claims to be dismissed.
Wunderler, however, did not file any response after being served, according to the motion filed Monday by Brewster on behalf of Baffert.
That motion cited Rule 55(a) of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, which states that a party can be found in default if they fail to plead or otherwise defend themselves from a party seeking relief via lawsuit.
The motion stated that Baffert “respectfully request[s] the Clerk to enter the default of Defendant Justin Wunderler for failure to plead or otherwise defend this action within the permitted time to respond.”
The motion attached an affidavit of service and stated Baffert's legal team made “several attempts” to serve Wunderler personally with the complaint at his residence.
“The individual served was Mr. Wunderler's mother, who confirmed that Mr. Wunderler lived at the residence,” Baffert's motion for default stated. “Plaintiffs also mailed copies of the Complaint and Summons through regular and certified mail to Mr. Wunderler. Through his various posts and discussions on the social media platform 'X,' formerly known as Twitter, Mr. Wunderler has confirmed that he is aware of the Complaint and has reviewed its contents.”
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Northern Farm Buys 1000 Guineas Winner Cachet For 2.2m Gns At Tattersalls
The first G1 1000 Guineas heroine to sell at public auction since 1988, Cachet (Ire) (Aclaim {Ire}) did not disappoint, bringing 2.2 million gns from Northern Farm at Tattersalls. Also, a winner of the G3 Nell Gwyn S., the Highclere Stud-consigned lot 1799 was a 60,000gns graduate of the Tattersalls Craven Breeze-Up Sale. Part of the Hyde Park Stud breeding programme, the Classic winner is related to GIII San Francisco Mile S. winner Whisper Not (GB) (Poet's Voice {GB}).
CACHET, the first Guineas winner since 1988 to be sold at auction, sells for 2.2million gns at the #TattsDecember Sceptre Sessions.
This daughter of Aclaim was consigned by Highclere Stud and is off to Japan after being bought by Northern Farm. pic.twitter.com/PhB8JRPiR6
— TDN (@theTDN) December 5, 2023
The post Northern Farm Buys 1000 Guineas Winner Cachet For 2.2m Gns At Tattersalls appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.
HISA and Palantir Develop AI-Enabled Tool to Help Identify At-Risk Horses
The Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority (HISA) has partnered with Palantir Technologies, a leading provider of artificial intelligence systems, to create a data-enabled tool to assist industry stakeholders in identifying horses at risk for injury before they race, according to a press release Tuesday morning from HISA. The tool will generate a daily report for each racetrack, flagging any horses entered in that day's races who may present potential risk factors for injury. This enables identification of at-risk horses with increased efficiency and accuracy and will inform the hands-on pre-race inspections of each runner.
The new tool HISA and Palantir have developed reviews health information and historical entry data to determine whether each horse entered in a race is at increased risk for injury based on various factors. The tool accounts for such risk factors as the length of a horse's previous layoff (if any), term with current trainer, history on the vet's list and other indicators of previous injury or poor performance. The process for evaluating these records for each horse entered in a race had previously taken veterinarians an average of five hours per race. This same review can now be accomplished in a matter of minutes.
“HISA continues to work with leading partners like Palantir to utilize data and technology in its mission to reduce equine injuries and fatalities,” said HISA CEO Lisa Lazarus. “Our hope is that this revolutionary technology is used to more efficiently and accurately identify horses at risk of injury as part of the screening process for determining if they're fit to race. This powerful, AI-enabled tool will streamline and automate a process that had previously taken significant time away from veterinarians' hands-on care of horses. We're excited to be working with the experts at Palantir on this and future initiatives.”
“Palantir is proud to support HISA in its embrace of technology to reduce equine injuries and fatalities,” said Palantir's Head of Global Commercial Ted Mabrey. “HISA came to a Bootcamp for Palantir's Artificial Intelligence Platform (AIP) this fall and has rapidly scaled its implementation independently. HISA is proving that real world outcomes, in this case equine safety, can be achieved in weeks with the acceleration that AIP and boot camps provide.”
“By leveraging Palantir's technology, HISA is helping to significantly reduce the time it takes to identify horses potentially at risk,” said Steve Keech, Director of Data Usage and Technology Innovation for HISA. “We look forward to rolling this tool out to all racetracks under HISA's jurisdiction. This collaboration with Palantir puts us at the forefront of sports technology, and I have no doubt this partnership will be a game-changer for the safety of equine athletes.”
HISA said they expected to begin using this tool in early 2024. It will send daily reports to racetracks and regulatory veterinarians around the country that will provide them with data and resources .
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