Keeneland didn't just offer customers free programs and past performances over their recently concluded five-day summer meet, they made a highly unusual announcement on Saturday morning.
After customer complaints on Friday afternoon, Keeneland explained a late odds change from the previous day's races, assuring the public the bets were appropriately time-stamped before betting was closed.
It's a tiny, first step for an industry which has too often left the majority of its customers behind, promoting the access of a few massive wagering syndicates above the experiences of the general public.
The field for Keeneland's sixth race on Friday jumped from the stalls and #3 Early Mischief was 10-1. While it doesn't happen often, the odds for the race were still on the screen as the field broke away. The next time the odds appeared on the screen, after the race was finished and Keeneland was showing a head-on replay of the start of the race, Early Mischief was listed at 5-1.
Those who bet the race, bet racing in general or simply observed the incident, commented negatively on the situation via social media in its aftermath. Incidents such as these occur with regularity across the sport, often leading to substantial frustration from customers and, in general, silence from racetracks and bet-takers.
Needless to say, concerned customers could have a variety of questions.
Was the bet entered after the race started and Early Mischief ended up on the lead?
Why does it take the tote system so long to update?
Is there anything nefarious involved here?
These are all fair questions. Customers ask these questions because incidents like the one at Keeneland occur with regularity across North American racing. Day in and day out.
Much to their credit, Keeneland did publish a statement on Saturday morning following the Early Mischief odds shift:
“In Keeneland's 6th race on Friday, there was a significant late odds shift on the winner, Early Mischief (3). Upon request from Keeneland, the Thoroughbred Racing Protective Bureau analyzed the wagering records. During the last cycle, 26 percent of the win pool was received ($61,000). Of this amount, $16,000 was wagered on the 3 horse, dropping his odds from 10-1 to 5-1.
“Upon examination, several large win wagers were placed on the 3 horse just prior to post and those were reflected as horses left the gate. Keeneland refreshes win odds every 10 seconds to give the customer as accurate a picture as possible.
“All wagers were time stamped properly and were placed prior to the start of the race.”
CLICK HERE to read more on Keeneland's announcement…
The post TIF Lauds Keeneland For Proactively Addressing Late Odds Shift appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.
