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‘Home Away From Home’: 60-Year Handicapping Veteran Wins Tampa’s Online Contest

The first time Frank Mazur came to Tampa Bay Downs – 57 or 58 years ago, when the track was called Sunshine Park – he made money. He took numerous vacations to the area over the years to escape the Chicago winters, and developed an enduring affection for everything the Oldsmar oval had to offer.

“It felt like a home away from home. How do you explain something like that. … it was like I belonged there,” he reminisced. “Everybody was real friendly, and I always felt comfortable there.”

Mazur's passion over the decades was duly rewarded on Dec. 24 when he won the track-sponsored “10 Days of Festivus” Online Handicapping Contest, finishing with a final bankroll amount of $113.30. His selection of Whispering Rose proved the difference when the (then)-3-year-old filly won the fourth race on Christmas Eve by a head, paying $8.60, $5.40 and $3.

Before settling on Whispering Rose, he asked two friends for their input, and both told him to choose her.

The victory enabled Mazur, an 81-year-old retiree now living in Henderson, Nev., with his wife Dana and son David, to edge contest runner-up Bob Diver of Niagara on the Lake in Ontario, Canada by $3.50.

Mazur collected $1,000 for the victory and Diver won $500. They topped a field of more than 700 handicappers who competed in the event.

“It's a hard contest to win, and if you're a horse player, it's a great accomplishment,” said Mazur, who never had to use a lifeline since each of his picks finished in the money over the 10 days of the contest.

“The racing at Tampa was very formful during that period, and I think a lot of people got eliminated going for long shots. Obviously there is an element of luck involved, but for whatever reason things fell into place. There were two or three times I had to make a hard decision between horses, and I guessed right,” Mazur said.

Mazur looks at class and speed when handicapping and doesn't pay much attention to the jockeys.

“When the horses start riding the jockeys and trainers, I'll pay more attention to that. The only thing you want from the jockey is not to fall off,” he said.

Mazur, who has entered “eight or 10” handicapping contests at Tampa Bay Downs, said it remains his favorite simulcast signal.

“I'd say 90 percent of the bets I make are on Tampa. I hold my own,” he said. “My losses would be very minor, and the entertainment value would be way ahead.”

And the memories? Those are priceless.

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Vella: Don’t Let Public Perception Guide Lasix Policy

I would like the people who are against the use of Lasix to understand what is really going on in the horse racing industry in North America and throughout the world.

Let's start with the fact that horses in high performance sports suffer from EIPH – exercise-induced pulmonary hemorrhage. That includes all performance sports, in all parts of the world – make no mistake about it.

The question is how do you deal with the problem and what is best for the horses and what is best for the sport in question?

Before I go any further, I want to make a statement that I can't get past. It helps me personally clarify the situation: Lasix is a veterinarian-prescribed medication to treat EIPH in horses. It works well and has minimal side effects.

There is no proof that Lasix makes a horse run faster. Horses on Lasix perform more consistently than those not on Lasix. That is true because they are not bleeding internally.

Think of it this way: People suffer from high blood pressure and live longer when they take their doctor-prescribed medication. It is the same for horses who require medication to remain healthy and stop bleeding.

I'm going to do a little rant here.

As a Thoroughbred trainer in North America I'm getting tired of hearing people tell me that they race in other parts of the world without Lasix, why can't you? Well, here is the question you should be asking: If horses everywhere bleed, how is the rest of the world treating these horses? Are they giving them medication the day before? Are they depriving them of food and water for days in advance?

I personally do not know, as I do not race there, but, believe me, they are doing something to solve the problem and it is not prescribed by a veterinarian. So why are people looking down on trainers who are doing what the doctor has prescribed.

The real truth here is that people want to stop the use of Lasix because it would look good for the industry, but not because it is the best thing for the horse. Just ask our veterinarians!

Let me clarify a few things.

I am against the use of other medications on race horses and I believe that everyone in the industry has to be held more responsible for the health and welfare of these animals that we love and respect. Working in this industry is not a job; it is a way of life. Animal care is seven days a week, 52 weeks a year.

I am against stopping the use of a prescribed medication that solves a serious health problem in horses, just because it looks better for public perception.

Daniel Vella is a two-time Sovereign Award-winning trainer based in Ontario, Canada.

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Jolie Olimpica, Oleksandra Prepare For Rematch In Las Cienegas

Separated by a half length when they last met in May, Brazilian-bred Jolie Olimpica and Australian-bred Oleksandra head a field of seven older fillies and mares going six furlongs on turf in Saturday's Grade 3, $100,000 Las Cienegas Stakes at Santa Anita.

Originally run at about 6 ½ furlongs down the track's Camino Real Hillside Turf Course, the 47th edition of the Las Cienegas will be contested for the first time ever out of Santa Anita's all-new turf chute.

Idle since running a big second in the G1 Jenny Wiley Stakes at Keeneland going a mile and one sixteenth on turf July 11, the Richard Mandella-trained Jolie Olimpica took last year's Las Cienegas at 5 ½ furlongs on turf in her U.S. debut four starts back on Jan. 11, 2020 and is a two-time graded stakes winner over the Santa Anita lawn.

A Group 1 winner in her native Brazil, Jolie Olimpica, in her third start for Mandella, held off a late surge from Oleksandra to prevail by a half length in the G2 Monrovia Stakes going 5 ½ furlongs on turf here May 25. Although Oleksandra had a full head of steam, she never got by Jolie Olimpica on the gallop-out in what was a very impressive win.

Trained by Neil Drysdale, Oleksandra was most recently ninth in the G1 Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint versus males on Nov. 7 and returns to her home turf with the services of regular rider Joel Rosario. A winner of the G1 Jaipur Stakes going six furlongs on the Belmont Park turf two starts back, she rallied from far back to be second, beaten a half length by Jolie Olimpica in the Monrovia.

In what will be her first stakes assignment, veteran trainer Art Sherman's Acting Out will be bidding for her third consecutive win with regular rider Abel Cedillo up. Forwardly placed in all three of her wins to date, this 4-year-old Kentucky-bred filly by Blame seems to relish a fight and has won her last two allowance sprints by a combined 10 ¼ lengths. A maiden 5 ½ furlong turf winner here in her second start, Acting Out has three wins from five starts.

THE GRADE 3 LAS CIENEGAS WITH JOCKEYS & WEIGHTS IN POST POSITION ORDER

Race 9 of 10 Approximate post time 4 p.m. PT

Bohemian Bourbon—Juan Hernandez—120
Charmaine's Mia—Drayden Van Dyke—120
Acting Out—Abel Cedillo—120
Lighthouse—Umberto Rispoli—122
Superstition—Flavien Prat—120
Oleksandra—Joel Rosario—122
Jolie Olimpica—Mike Smith—122

Early first post time for a 10-race card on Saturday is at 12 noon. All of Santa Anita's races are offered free of charge at santaanita.com/live and fans can watch and wager at 1st.com/Bet.

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New York: Cuomo Bets On Mobile Sports Wagering To Help ‘Rebuild From The COVID-19 Crisis’

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo is finally supporting online sports wagering in his state, reports the New York Daily News. Sports wagering is legal in several brick-and-mortar locations around New York, but looking at a multi-billion dollar budget deficit after the COVID-19 pandemic ravaged his state, the revenue potential of legalizing online sports wagering looks too good to pass up.

“New York has the potential to be the largest sports wagering market in the United States, and by legalizing online sports betting we aim to keep millions of dollars in tax revenue here at home, which will only strengthen our ability to rebuild from the COVID-19 crisis,” Cuomo said in a statement.

Nearby New Jersey handled a total of $931.6 million in sports wagers in November of 2020, outpacing Nevada and breaking a previous one-month record.

However, rather than tie the sports wagering companies to existing casino licenses, Cuomo hopes to change up the revenue model by allowing the state lottery to be in charge, according to the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle.

“We want to do sports betting the way the state runs the lottery where the state gets the revenues,” Cuomo said in a briefing at the state capital. “Many states have done sports betting but they basically allow casinos to run their own gambling operations. That makes a lot of money for casinos but it makes minimal money for the state.

“And I'm not here to make casinos a lot of money. I'm here to raise funds for the state. So we have a different model for sports betting.”

Read more at the New York Daily News and the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle.

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