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IL HBPA Withholds Consent for TwinSpires to be in State

Edited Press Release

The organization representing owners and trainers at FanDuel Sportsbook and Horse Racing (formerly known as Fairmount Park) is withholding consent for the TwinSpires betting platform to accept wagers from Illinois residents.

The board of the Illinois Horsemen's Benevolent & Protective Association cites the closure of suburban Chicago's industry icon Arlington Park by Churchill Downs Inc., TwinSpires' parent corporation, as a prime motivation for withholding consent. With CDI not owning a functioning racetrack in Illinois in 2022, TwinSpires must under state law have a contract with another duly licensed track to conduct business in the state starting Jan. 1. The only remaining Prairie State horse tracks are FanDuel and Chicagoland's Hawthorne Race Course, with CDI seeking approval through the FanDuel track.

Illinois law also gives horsemen consent rights before an advance-deposit wagering (ADW) platform can enter into a relationship with an Illinois track to conduct business in the state.

Illinois HBPA president Jim Watkins said his organization's board believes the issue is of the magnitude that it should go before the Illinois Racing Board. The IRB has scheduled a hearing Dec. 16 at 10 a.m. Central via WebEx. The racing regulators have the power to overrule the horsemen's veto if they believe the horsemen's action was unreasonable, he said.

“That's where we're at now,” Watkins said. “We just felt this was an issue the racing board should be able to weigh in on, whether TwinSpires continues to be allowed to operate in Illinois. That's a big reason we withheld our consent.”

Watkins said the horsemen are upset not just that CDI shut down Arlington Park but then would not sell to ownership wishing to maintain racing at the 94-year-old track. CDI is the majority owner of Rivers Casino Des Plaines, located 10 miles from Arlington Park. The company has an agreement to sell the Arlington Park property to pro football's Chicago Bears for a reported $197 million.

“CDI wants their cake and to eat it, too: 'We're not willing to be involved in the racing, but we want to still utilize our ADW powers in Illinois,'” Watkins said.

Watkins said the Illinois HBPA also “wants to bring light to a flawed system” under which online betting platforms operate. Watkins said that the ADWs make the lion's share of the net proceeds at the expense of horsemen's purse accounts and brick-and-mortar tracks and simulcasting facilities, even as the online technology siphons off the majority of bettors.

“This is where the system is really flawed,” he said. “It's an agreement between three parties. In Illinois, the track and the ADW provider negotiate the contract, and the third–the horsemen–is just the consenter. There are so many questions left unanswered. Obviously with the increased numbers of people using ADWs, the horsemen and the tracks get so much less of that it could spell doom for us. The framers of these ADWs intended for it to basically be a third to the provider, a third to the track and a third to the horsemen. But they take out fees up front, and those fees are unspecified in purpose and amount. What is an ADW fee? What does that mean? The racetracks don't ask the ADW to pay their security payroll and the electric bill. And the horsemen don't ask the ADW company to pay the feed bill and hay bill and straw bill.”

The Illinois HBPA signed a one-year contract with TVG to operate in Illinois, Watkins said. FanDuel, part of the corporate enterprise that operates the TVG racing channel and betting platform, is the southern Illinois track's equity partner to operate the sports book. While the company is not a partner in the racetrack, it received branding and naming rights as part of a contract that includes the long-term sponsorship of the St. Louis Derby, worth $250,000 in 2021.

Click here for previous TDN story on CDI's request for IRB approval.

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Kentucky Downs Turf Pick of the Day for Sept. 12

Steve Sherack and Brian DiDonato give their best bet for each day of racing during the FanDuel Meet at Kentucky Downs. $100 Win/Place format; highest bankroll at the end wins.

Steve Sherack: Saturday's Results – Bombard set the pace as expected and just got nipped on the wire for second to finish third. Bankroll: $550.

Race 7 – In a race absolutely loaded with speed, Lady Danae is the clear cut one to beat, bad post and all, off an ultra-impressive, come-from-behind debut win at Saratoga over a razor-sharp, next-out winner. With all that being said, I'm going to take a swing on Cavalier Cupid at a nice price. She's drawn well on the inside, is handy enough to sit within striking distance, and really flew home impressively (:11.71 and :11.44) in her last two wins going five furlongs at Colonial. The added distance is the big question here, but her likely double-digit odds will make it worth finding out. Selection: #5 Cavalier Cupid (15-1).

Brian DiDonato: Saturday's Results – Annex could only manage eighth from the back of the pack. One last chance to catch Sherack. Bankroll: $0.

Race 8 – I know I've been taking a lot of cutbacks, but I do think they have a bit of an advantage here. Toby's Heart looked like a potential monster at two, and she did win a stake this April, but has gone winless in her last three. She was a close fifth in the GIII Soaring Softly S. over a one-turn seven furlongs at Belmont that probably plays somewhat like this configuration, but the chart comments don't really accurately reflect that trip–she was left with too much to do and found traffic trouble that slowed her momentum. She split re-opposing Navratilova and New Boss two back going a mile, but those two were up on a slow pace and she came from way out of it. The 'TDN Rising Star' stuck to the mile last time in Saratoga's GIII Lake George S., and was a decent third against what was probably a tougher bunch. Winner Technical Analysis came back to take the GII Lake Placid in pretty dominant fashion. Now Toby's Heart gets a rider upgrade to scorching hot Joel Rosario, who has the perfect style for a horse like this. Selection: #6 Toby's Heart (3-1).

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TVG ‘Friends Month’ Promo Raises Over $44,700 For Old Friends Retirees

As hundreds of horseplayers will try to renew their racing luck wagering through TVG for the first time, the retired racehorses at Old Friends in Georgetown, Ky., are already winners.

Marketing experts at TVG have long found success with their 'refer a friend' program, which delivers existing users a personalized sign-up link and then gives them a bonus if a friend uses their link to open a new account. This summer, FanDuel Vice President of Racing Andrew Moore believed the program could use a new twist.

“As people have been getting to see friends again, we were ideating on how to give the program an extra push for August and the outcome was Friends Month,” said Moore. “Bringing Old Friends Farm in was a natural fit, so not only would we give a referral bonus to you when the friend you referred signed up to TVG, but we would also give to Old Friends. This is a great cause and it was a fun way for racing fans not only to give to their friends, but also to raise money for their retired racing friends they have so much affection for.”

Moore and the TVG team hoped for 400 referrals in the month of August, which would have raised $20,000 for Old Friends. They were surprised when the program brought in 894 referrals for a total of $44,700 in donations.

“Credit must go to our marketing team and the talent on the TVG network who really got behind the promotion but of course the biggest thanks goes to all the fans who supported it,” said Moore.

If TVG was pleasantly surprised by the results, Old Friends founder and president Michael Blowen was ecstatic.

“It was amazing, and it was all their idea,” said Blowen. “TVG has been great to us, I have to say. Most of the broadcasters on TVG have been to the farm. When a horse is running in a race and is named after one of our horses, they'll talk about the Old Friends connection and show pictures of the farm.

“You put away the tin cup and good things happen.”

The tie-in was all the more poetic for Blowen, given his entry to racing as a horseplayer himself.

“I got into this because I love handicapping,” he said. “I love watching TVG, so it was perfect.”

Blowen said he already has plans for the windfall — the farm will use the money to construct a new paddock, which will be named after TVG and dedicated to “hard-knocking geldings” like the ones favored by TVG commentators. As always, Blowen says he has a waiting list of horses preparing to retire to Old Friends, and as always, he's as excited as a kid on Christmas Eve about every one of them — particularly Zulu Alpha, whose retirement was announced officially on Friday.

“I'm hoping when everybody's here for Keeneland, we can get some of the men and women over here for a special presentation with a sign and the check,” said Blowen. “Couldn't come at a better time, either. I've got this one spot picked out that's really nice.”

Old Friends is a Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance-accredited facility founded in 2003 and remains one of few retirement organizations equipped to house intact stallions whose breeding careers are finished. The organization now encompasses a 236-acre main campus and over 200 retirees.

The many Old Friends fans at TVG all have a favorite retiree somewhere on the property. For Moore, it's Soi Phet.

“What a fun horse!” he said.

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Kentucky Downs Turf Pick of the Day for Sept. 11

Steve Sherack and Brian DiDonato give their best bet for each day of racing during the FanDuel Meet at Kentucky Downs. $100 Win/Place format; highest bankroll at the end wins.

Steve Sherack: Thursday's Results – Couple of late gate scratches completely killed my price (went from 6-1 to 5-2), but still great to finally get on the board with Red Danger after a steady diet of no-shows with logical horses to start this thing off. Bankroll: $550.

Race 8 – A full field of turf sprinters are signed on for this seven-figure payday and the lightly raced 8yo gelding Bombard may find himself all alone on the lead if the AE doesn't draw in. He came within a neck of pulling off a 19-1, front-running upset over soft ground in this race last year and he appears to be in even better form this time around off a win in Santa Anita's GIII Daytona S. in late May. Selection: #3 Bombard (10-1).

Brian DiDonato: Thursday's Results – Jungle Juice (Ire) finished sixth. Bankroll: $0.

Race 10 – What. A. Card. My head was admittedly spinning trying to decide who to play, and I ultimately landed on Annex in the GII Franklin-Simpson S. The 'TDN Rising Star' showed an impressive turn of foot to take his first three starts, but has been a bit disappointing since then, albeit with some excuses along the way (though he was flattered by Public Sector last Saturday). I'm thinking the cut back to 6 1/2 furlongs and one turn might wake him up. His quick burst should be aided by this configuration, and the make-up of the field is not such that I'm too worried about him getting run off his feet early. Selection: #7 Annex (9-2).

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