When is a Maiden Not a Maiden? It Cost this Owner $5,331 to Find Out

When is a maiden not considered a maiden for entry purposes? Pennsylvania-based owner Albert “Abby” Abdala III lost $5,331 in second-place purse money trying to find out after an “ineligible entry” ruling was imposed upon him and his trainer, Bernard Dunham, on Feb. 2 by the Turfway Park stewards.

Abdala, who has owned Thoroughbreds for 10 years after getting started in horse ownership with Standardbreds, told TDN in a Feb. 8 phone interview that he still doesn't understand why Turfway officials accepted his entry for the 0-for-9 Magnolia Wind (Central Banker) in a $30,000 maiden-claiming race Jan. 4 if the stewards later deemed the 4-year-old filly to be ineligible.

The eligibility issue arose after the Jan. 4 race when Magnolia Wind was going to be entered again, and Turfway stewards Barbara Borden, Ron Herbstreit, and Brooks Becraft III learned that Abdala had an appeal pending with the Maryland Racing Commission over Magnolia Wind's race-interference disqualification from first to second in a $30,000 maiden-claimer at Laurel Park Nov. 9.

In that Laurel race, the 12-1 Magnolia Wind led all the way in a 5 1/2-furlong grass sprint. According to the Equibase chart, she “drifted out near the sixteenth pole, dug in and prevailed.”

“She won the race,” Abdala said. “But the stewards said we were 'herding,' which I thought was ridiculous because both riders were riding to the wire, nobody checked, and we held on. I appealed it, but the hearing wasn't going to be until Feb. 6.”

In the interim, after Magnolia Wind had gone nearly two months without a start, Abdala said he told Dunham, who has been a licensed trainer for 33 years, “She's good right now, we've got to race her.”

Although Magnolia Wind trains at Fair Hill in Maryland, Abdala did not want to run her on the dirt somewhere closer to home, because that's not her best surface, he explained.

“That's why I went out to Turfway, because she needs the Tapeta or the turf,” Abdala said.

Because Magnolia Wind's record on Equibase clearly showed the she had zero lifetime wins, “I assumed that the horse was eligible as a maiden,” Abdala said.

“I told my trainer to put her in, and he put her in. He entered her [electronically via] the computer. And we never said anything to anybody [about the Maryland appeal], because I didn't know we had to. They accepted the entry. Then we drove that filly nine hours to get to Turfway.”

The long journey appeared to pay off. Magnolia Wind ran second at 5-1 odds.

“And now they come after me saying that we knew she wasn't eligible, and that we're unlawful,” Abdala said.

Abdala said that after being notified of the ineligibility, he didn't come away from a conversation with Borden, Herbstreit, and Becraft with a clear understanding of why the Turfway's racing office officials or the stewards didn't bear some responsibility for allowing the entry in the first place.

TDN emailed Borden, the chief state steward, plus Kentucky Horse Racing Commission (KHRC) executive director Jamie Eads, asking for some context behind the ruling and for clarification about why the Jan. 4 entry was approved by Turfway officials.

A different KHRC spokesperson replied with an email that outlined some of the sequence of events on “background only.” Because what was disclosed in that email could not be attributed to a specific KHRC official, the entire explanation has not been provided here. A follow-up request by TDN asking if the KHRC wanted to provide any response for the record did not yield a reply prior to deadline for this story.

The Turfway stewards' report for that date that is signed by all three stewards and posted on the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission website makes no mention of the ineligibility.

But the subsequent Feb. 2 stewards' ruling disqualified Magnolia Wind from second place and ordered her $5,331 in purse earnings redistributed.

“I'm an accountant, a CPA, and I have an accounting firm,” Abdala said. “We have a lot of horse racing people as clients. I've asked everybody, and they all told me, 'Abby, your horse was eligible.'”

Abdala said he is no longer pursuing any appeals in Maryland or Kentucky regarding his twice-DQ'd filly.

“I didn't want to cause trouble or anything, and I want the filly to be able to race,” Abdala said. “So I just dropped everything–I dropped the hearing in Maryland, and I dropped the [potential appeal] at Turfway. I just want her to run. It's detrimental to her. After I dropped everything, they said they'll accept our entry now.”

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Beth Bungert Named KHRC Safety Steward

Beth Bungert has been named by the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission to the new position of safety steward. The position was created in June to ensure compliance of both Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority (HISA) and KHRC standards and rules at the state's licensed Thoroughbred racetracks and training centers. As safety steward, Bungert will monitor regulatory and safety compliance and ensure that information is being shared with all parties.

In her 20-year career in racing, Bungert has worked as a groom, exercise rider, veterinary assistant, assistant trainer, racing official and program director at several Kentucky racetracks.

“Safety is the responsibility of everyone involved in racing,”  said Jamie Eads, executive director of the KHRC. “Centralized communication between officials, racing participants and track management is a key aspect of both safety and compliance. We're excited to have Beth join us, because she is someone who understands daily operations and can identify potential improvements in safety protocol. And, importantly, she is a long-time horsewoman who cares about the safety of the sport.”

Bungert added, “This position is the culmination of a career on the racetrack. I have been involved in almost every aspect of racing and look forward to bringing those experiences together for the safety of both horse and rider.”

The safety steward will make recommendations to racetrack management and regulators for the welfare of horses and riders, integrity of racing and compliance with horse racing laws and regulations.

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Waqas Ahmed Named KHRC Deputy Executive Director

Waqas Ahmed has been named deputy executive director of the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission (KHRC). Ahmed takes over from Jamie Eads, who was promoted to executive director.

“I am looking forward to continuing to be a part of the team to maintain the highest standards of safety, health, and welfare for both the horses and the public, while fostering a culture of honesty and integrity in all aspects of horse racing,” he said.

Added Eads, “I'm excited that Waqas will continue in the role of deputy director. The commission benefits greatly from his data driven approach to his work and management.”

Ahmed joined the Commission in 2019 as an analyst and obtained database management and application development training to realize more than $100,000 in implementation cost-savings for the agency.

In 2020, Ahmed was appointed director of Pari-mutuel Wagering and Compliance. He oversaw the licensing of racing associations, advance deposit account wagering, and totalizator providers. While in this position, wagering increased from $1.6 billion to more than $8 billion, resulting in the monitoring of tax receipts of over $100 million per year.

Ahmed earned a Master of Business Administration from the University of Kentucky, and a Bachelor of Science degree in biology from Austin Peay State University. He currently serves as a committee member on various industry boards, including the Wagering Integrity Committee and Association of Racing Commissioners International.

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Jamie Eads Officially Named Executive Director of KHRC

Gov. Andy Beshear has appointed Jamie Eads–who served as interim executive director of the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission (KHRC) for the past six months–the executive director of the KHRC, effective Dec. 1.

After graduating from the University of Kentucky with dual degrees in marketing and management, Eads worked for both the National Thoroughbred Racing Association (NTRA) and the Breeders' Cup LLC. She has been with the KHRC since 2008, when she joined the organization as the director of the Division of Incentives and Development. She then moved into the deputy director position in 2016.

“Jamie has done a wonderful job in leading a talented team at the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission since July of 2022 when she was named interim director,” said Beshear. “Her 15-year tenure at KHRC has prepared her to lead Kentucky horse racing into the future.”

Eads has been responsible for the administration of several popular incentive programs that have boosted the racing industry in Kentucky. She oversaw $16 million in breeder incentive funds and $47 million in state purse development funds and harness racings' Kentucky Proud Series.

“I am honored to serve Gov. Beshear and the Commonwealth, along with the members of the Commission and everyone on the KHRC team as we work together to further cement Kentucky as the world leader of breeding and racing,” said Eads.

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