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Gary Barber Joins WHOA: ‘We Need To Be United In Our Quest For Uniformity’

Hollywood mogul Gary Barber, a leading international Thoroughbred owner for the last three decades, is the latest major player in Thoroughbred racing to become a supporter of the Water Hay Oats Alliance (WHOA).

International equine stars to carry Barber's distinctive pink silks include Canadian Champions Wonder Gadot and Lexi Lou, 2019 Preakness hero War of Will, 2019 Breeders' Cup Turf winning mare Belvoir Bay, 2016 Breeders' Cup Mile winner Tourist, 2015 Breeders Cup Juvenille Fillies Turf winner Catch a Glimpse, GR1 Fourstardave Handicap winner Got Stormy, GR1 Santa Anita Derby winner The Deputy, and GR1 Woodbine Mile hero Becrux.

Gary Barber and other members of WHOA back efforts for clean sport in U.S. racing. Since its founding in 2012, the grassroots organization has continued to grow support for federal legislation to bring uniformity in drug and medication rules across state lines and in sync with international standards. The Horseracing Integrity Act (HR1754/S1820) is now moving forward in the 116th Congress.

In a statement to WHOA, Barber commented: “This is a critical time in our industry where we need to be united in our quest for uniformity and ensure a level playing field for all. I stand in solidarity with the Water Hay Oats Alliance in leading the charge for the passage of the Horseracing Integrity Act. It is vitally important for the health and safety of the horses and jockeys that we vocally show our collective support toward this urgent effort.”

Barber is the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Spyglass Media Group, LLC (“Spyglass,”), an independent premium content company focused on developing and producing motion pictures and television series across all platforms for worldwide audiences. Spyglass owns and controls a library of more than 250 Academy Award winning films, box office hits and television series including The King's Speech, The Artist, The Upside, Silver Linings Playbook, Paddington, Inglourious Basterds, Django Unchained, The Hateful Eight, Hellraiser, Scream and Project Runway.

Barber is renowned in the entertainment industry for taking the reins of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Inc. in 2010 as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer and leading its impressive transformational turn-around out of bankruptcy and into successive years of profitability. Previously, Barber co-founded Spyglass Entertainment and served as the Vice Chairman and Chief Operating Officer of Morgan Creek Productions.

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‘An Affront To The Integrity Of Racing’: Gulfstream Held Racing Without Several Vital Camera Angles

“Will this action foster increased participation and confidence from horseplayers and horse owners?”

This should be the question considered by all decision-makers in horse racing.

Strong storms cascaded through the area around Gulfstream Park on Saturday morning. Besides races on grass being shifted to the dirt and that course being downgraded to sloppy, there was another significant change on the day.

The storm knocked-out several camera positions, including head-on views and a remote camera positioned to capture starts deep in the one-mile backstretch chute.

As a result, neither the stewards nor the betting public have any record of the start and first furlong from four races at one mile on the dirt track (click each race link to view the video as it appeared on Saturday Race 1, Race 2, Race 5, Race 10).

The Thoroughbred Idea Foundation (TIF) contacted the Gulfstream Park stewards on Sunday morning regarding this matter. They confirmed that while there was an individual observing the start of the four, one-mile races, the stewards had no video to review in the event of any incident near or soon after the start and do not believe any video was otherwise recorded for their review or public dissemination after the fact.

More than $3.5 million was handled in intra and inter-race bets involving these four races.

“If the basic measures to ensure the integrity of the race are not available to the public or the stewards, the race should not be run. The races should have been cancelled,” said Patrick Cummings, TIF's Executive Director. “Simply put, the public has not gotten a fair run for their money.”

“While a cancellation would be an unfortunate outcome for the dedicated horsepeople who had their horses ready to go on Saturday, we believe it is in the best interests of all racing stakeholders to ensure that the proper integrity infrastructure is in place for all wagering on a horse race.”

The TIF has advocated for an increase in stewards' reporting on matters related to each race, meeting the standard that has been embraced by nearly all foreign jurisdictions.

“This occurrence is akin to an assault on the wagering public perpetrated by an operator of a regulated wagering event. The actual impact, however, is completely unknown, because there is no record of what occurred. Our industry has to be better than this.”

Cummings filed a complaint after Saturday's second race with the Division of Pari-Mutuel Wagering of Florida's Department of Business and Professional Regulation.

“How long would a casino be allowed to get away with just telling customers the results of a dealer's cards in blackjack as opposed to showing them? Basically, that is what happened here.

“Customers of future races will also be impacted, though to what degree is impossible to determine given the actions of the day, as horses from the four, one-mile races on Saturday go forward.”

Chart comments for the four races lacked any remarks regarding the start or opening furlong, in contrast to other races on the card where those could be observed.

No times are available for the one-mile races, either, and hand-timing cannot be conducted due to the lack of video.

Would the actions of Gulfstream Park on Saturday, July 18, 2020 have fostered increased participation and confidence from horseplayers and horse owners?

No.

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Where to Watch/Listen: Horse Racing Coverage for July 22-26

The horse racing world like all other areas of society continues to make changes in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and public health crisis. Most racetracks currently operating are doing so without spectators, and have instituted strict safety screening protocols for essential employees who are already on the grounds to provide daily care for horses.

Frank Conversation Shuttling To Chile For Southern Hemisphere Season

Frank Conversation, a multiple graded stakes-winning son of Quality Road (out of Rushen Heat by Unusual Heat), will shuttle to Haras Santa Sara in Santiago, Chile for the 2020 Southern Hemisphere breeding season.

Frank Conversation just completed his second year at stud at Rockridge Stud in Hudson, N.Y.

“We're thrilled with the quality of his first crop of foals, and would love to see international success for the horse,” says Rockridge Stud's Lere Visagie. “An opportunity to shuttle just seemed like a no-brainer.”

The deal was brokered by Bowling Bloodstock and Sullivan Bloodstock.

“We've had great success in the past with Santa Sara, most recently having sent Goldencents there,” says Matt Bowling of Bowling Bloodstock. “They take very good care of the horses and we think Frank will be well-received there.”

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