The hearings concluded in bizarre fashion when Joseph Patin Jr., 58, apparently slipped out of the meeting room without telling anyone after first hearing that his younger brother, Billy Patin, 53, wasn't going to be allowed to work as an exercise rider despite Billy previously agreeing to a lifetime ban of his license as a jockey.

LSRC commissioner Eddie Delahoussaye, a retired Hall of Fame jockey, addressed Billy Patin directly prior to the vote on his request. But he then launched into an admonition aimed at all jockeys who cheat and harm the reputation of the sport.

“I want to ask something. Billy, why would you want to be on this racetrack?” Delahoussaye said.

“Just to make a living,” Billy Patin replied in a barely audible voice. “I do kind of landscaping, but…”

“You know, you guys–I rode, and I tried to respect the rules [and] the integrity of this racing industry,” Delahoussaye interjected, frustration evident in his tone.

“And all y'all do is blackball it,” Delahoussaye continued. “My opinion is, why would you want to come back here? The temptation is too much here for you. That's my feeling. You've been caught–I don't know how many times–with a 'machine' trying to fix a race. And I just can't see you coming back, myself. That's up to the commission. I know you're a nice guy and stuff. But the temptation's too great for you.”

The Patins are no strangers to brushes with the law and racing infractions.

After a 30-1 win by the maiden Valhol in the 1999 Arkansas Derby, Billy Patin served a five-year suspension after a video showed him dropping an electrical item that was later recovered on the track at Oaklawn Park.

Joe Patin's riding career was interrupted several times by lengthy suspensions and arrests related to narcotics abuse. In 2013, he was escorted from Evangeline in handcuffs after an altercation with jockey Diego Saenz.

In 2015, the two Patin brothers, plus a third jockey, LeSean Conyers, were arrested by Louisiana State Police and charged with “willful pulling of the reins and cheating and swindling” in relation to a June 19 race. Later, the Patin brothers were additionally charged with “unnatural stimulation of horses” related to separate incidents July 4.

According to evidence read into the record at the Apr. 26 LSRC commission, the race-fixing charges were later dropped by the prosecutor, but the charges related to the shocking device resulted in felony convictions for the Patin brothers (the status of Conyers' case was not a part of Tuesday's proceedings).

“Evidence in two separate races on July 4, 2015, revealed that the [Patins] possessed hand held shocking devices,” a state police press release had stated at the time of the arrests.

Initially, the commission-level adjudication of the Patin brothers' licensure came up at the January 2022 LSRC meeting.

At that time, Billy agreed to a lifetime ban as a jockey. But, having already completed his probation and having received a first-time-offender pardon, he wanted the commission's approval to go back to work as an exercise rider. That request was tabled until April's meeting, as was the entire matter of Joe's jockey license adjudication.

Now fast-forward to Tuesday, when Joe Patin's adjudication first came back up. He at first could not be located, even though LSRC members and staffers had initially seen him enter the meeting room.

So Joe's case got pushed back until after a brief recess while the LSRC attempted to figure out if he was going to speak on his own behalf or be represented by the attorney that Billy had retained.

The commission then moved on to other business and eventually heard Billy's request for exercise rider licensure. After Delahoussaye's terse comments, a motion was quickly made to deny Billy Patin the privilege of going to work exercising horses. It passed via voice vote with one (or possibly two–it was difficult to hear amid crosstalk) commissioners voting “no.”

Joe's case was then called for the second time. He had been located during the timeout and it was affirmed that he would not be sharing a lawyer with his brother. But an attorney speaking on behalf of the LSRC seemed newly flustered in noting that–once again–the older Patin had apparently pulled another disappearing act without notifying anyone on the commission.

Without Joe Patin being in the room to answer to the allegations, the LSRC–on the basis of Joe having been convicted of the same electrical-device crimes as Billy–voted unanimously to give him the same lifetime ban as a jockey.

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The exchange did not yield a definitive answer beyond Boulet's disclosure that the Fair Grounds and its corporate parent, the gaming firm Churchill Downs, Inc. (CDI), would be in favor of participating in discussions among stakeholders that might reduce race dates in Louisiana with the goal of making it easier to fill entries at the state's four Thoroughbred tracks.

The dates statute wasn't on the agenda for the Jan. 18 LSRC meeting. But Calvert brought it up after Boulet reported that so far through the November-through-March meet, the number of starters per Fair Grounds race has dipped from 8.3 to 7.6 in a year-over-year comparison, a decrease Boulet termed “alarming.”

“The struggle for entries is a reality for us,” Boulet said, noting that the Fair Grounds has already had to obtain permission from Louisiana Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association (LHBPA) on three occasions during the current meet to card eight-race programs instead of the required nine.

“The [handle] numbers so far after 34 days–not a good, positive thing so far at 11.9% down year-to year,” Boulet said.

But Boulet also noted that year-to-year comparisons are difficult nationwide because the COVID-19 pandemic has skewed the industry's metrics.

Boulet did manage to make the handle numbers sound rosier by offering a pre-pandemic comparison that stated the Fair Grounds handle is “actually trending up 7%” from the 2019-20 meet.

“Overall handle has been a struggle,” Boulet explained. “That being said, even with that, we've had positive video poker and slots revenues over the year. That's been good for us. And it allowed us to actually do a purse increase for 15%.”

Calvert then wanted to know if Fair Grounds or CDI has legislation either pending or planned to reduce the dates requirement.

“I'm not aware of that, sir,” Boulet answered.

“Wouldn't that be a good thing for you?” Calvert asked.

“I think that, in front of this commission, yeah, I mean, that's always been a very sensitive subject about touching that 80-day minimum statute,” Boulet said. “Again, the Fair Grounds is a proponent of trying to move forward with talking about overlap, and we hope that the conversation is brought forth to this commission. Of course, the HBPA has all the rights to be concerned about moving forward with allowing us to go below the 80 days…”

Calvert then pointed out that last year, the Fair Grounds and CDI advocated for just such a five-date reduction. He noted the provision was included in 2021 racing legislation, “but at the last minute it was pulled out of the bill.”

Boulet then said he has not recently met with the legal counsel or lobbyists the Fair Grounds employs, so he allegedly wasn't sure what might be in the legislative pipeline.

“What I'm saying, I think the commission would be receptive to it,” Calvert said. “We understand that most of the successful models around America have less days than the Fair Grounds has. I just think that you guys can't drag your feet on it. You've got to move it. And sometimes I know it's like swimming against the current, but you've still got to put it out there.”

Boulet said, “I appreciate the way you put it, because I know that in the long run [that] once we are given that door to open, then all the tracks, including Churchill Downs [Inc.], would take advantage and try to move toward these boutique meets and whatever…” Boulet said. “Basically, it comes down to we hope that the commission can consider it case by case, track by track, and the HBPA has to have the final approval…”

LHBPA president Benard Chatters wasn't about to let this back-and-forth between Calvert and Boulet go without getting on the record how his organization's membership felt.

“The horsemen absolutely oppose a reduction in racing dates,” Chatter said. “The Fair Grounds runs 80 days per year. The other three tracks run 84 days, so [Fair Grounds] has a reduction in days that other tracks don't.”

Chatters noted that for some portions of the current meet, the Fair Grounds chose to run five-date race weeks instead of four, compounding race-filling difficulties.

“Everything in the horse world from the [horse] owner's perspective is on the rise,” Chatters said. “Expenses are on the rise. The one thing that's not on the rise is opportunities to race these horses. It is imperative that these owners have as many opportunities to race these horses as they can so that they stay in this business. If you look at the numbers, if you look at all of the positive things that we have coming into racing in the near future [like a cut from online sports betting], you'll be able to see that everything is in place to be able to draw more horses to the state, to bring more horses into the grounds…

“It is very, very critical that you never forget that the owners [of horses] put on this [show] and we're the ones that take all of these [negative financial consequences] by the seat of our own pants,” Chatters said, pointing out that revenues for track operators are “through the roof.”

Chatters continued: “I want to make sure that you're listening. Profits are up, betting is up, and all of this stuff. And so this 'difficulty' in getting horses is kind of far-fetched, I think…When you go to talk about cutting race days and that kind of thing [it] means that it makes it very, very difficult to not necessarily make a profit in the horse racing business as an owner, but just to keep your nose above water so that you're not drowning. When we run these [smaller outfits] out, we're in trouble.”

Calvert then asked, “How do you respond to the criticism of your position which says you want to have terrible horse racing? [That] you want to have races with four or five horses in [them] so that this low level of horsemanship, this low level of trainership, can pick up money and keep being in the business? I mean, I'm of the proposition that this should be sort Darwinistic and that [outfits that can't survive] should be eliminated from the world of horse racing. What do you think?”

Chatters responded by rattling off a sizable list of people and entities that all benefit from purse money trickling down into the economy, including all the way to farmers who grow hay and vehicle dealers who sell pickup trucks.

“So, the importance of as many people participating in horse racing as possible on the state economy is critical, or crucial,” Chatters said.

“I disagree with you when you say the owners are the bedrock of horse racing,” Calvert said. “I would say the racing fan is the bedrock of horse racing…How do you respond to those fans that say we have to eliminate this low level of horse racing to keep the fans interested? A four-horse field, a five-horse field with $5,000 claimers is not something the fans are going out to the racetrack to see. They're not even betting on those races. How do you respond to that?”

Chatters answered that those $5,000 claimers sometimes outhandle higher-quality races. Calvert didn't buy that idea. He said not with short fields, they don't.

“I have no problems, Mr. Chatters, with a $5,000 claiming race that has 12 horses,” Calvert said. “I do have a problem with four-horse races. And [CDI] has advised that the reason why [Fair Grounds has them] is because they have an 80-day meet. If they had a 75-day meet, they'd have greater purses, which would be a benefit to the horsemen…”

Chatters, in closing, said, “We're simply asking that opportunities to race is not touched [in the legislature]. We are asking this commission to stay the course with where we are with these types of issues.”

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Ironically, after more than three months of debate over alleged shadows and perceived inconsistencies with how the patterns fall on the racing surface, the lighting installer and a consulting firm retained by Delta are now trying to rectify the problem not by increasing candlepower, but by actually turning down the intensity of the lighting from about 90% of full illumination to around 60% on each of the poles around the six-furlong track.

“The jockeys are basically saying that there are lights that are very bright, and then it goes into shadows, which they're afraid that the horses will be spooked [by],” Steve Kuypers, Delta's vice president and general manager, told the Louisiana State Racing Commission (LSRC) during a Tuesday meeting.

“That's what is taking so long, is [because] they have to go pole by pole, light by light,” Kuypers said. “And they do this by flying a drone up so [it gives a picture of] the candle width or the candle light, so they can adjust light by light. So we're hoping in the next couple of weeks they will come with a full report to get the entire track to a candle light that is acceptable, and then we'll invite the jockeys over, let them ride, hopefully they will say it's okay.”

Delta's jockeys did not speak on the issue during the Jan. 18 meeting. But the last time the LSRC took up this issue, on Dec. 13, a lawyer for The Jockeys' Guild told commissioners there were “grave concerns” with the light-emitting diode (LED) system, which was necessitated by the old lights getting wrecked by a hurricane in August 2020.

One month ago, the jockeys' concerns about shadows were offset by an initial report issued by the lighting experts that had proclaimed the new Delta lights to be “tremendously better than the pre-hurricane lighting.”

Tuesday, commissioner Tom Calvert pressed Kuypers on why the fix was taking so long.

“This problem that we're having is difficult, because we were supposed to have Delta running at night and Fair Grounds running during the day,” Calvert said. “And now we have two of our major tracks competing against one another for the daytime patrons, and it's a bad situation. And we would like some expedition on behalf of your experts, and it doesn't seem like it would take a month to figure it out.”

By unanimous voice vote Tuesday, the LSRC extended permission for Delta to continue racing during daylight hours for another 60 days, a period of time that extends beyond the meet's closure in seven weeks.

The commission also mandated that Delta provide any new report authored by its lighting experts within 15 days. Delta can also come back before the LSRC at any time before or after then to request a switch back to night racing if jockeys end up okaying the most recent round of fixes to the lighting system.

Three races into the first night program of the season Oct. 15, a horse fell at the top of the stretch. Fueled by complaints from some jockeys and trainers that areas on the turns were dangerously dark and shadowy, the remainder of that card and the Oct. 16 program were cancelled. Delta, a longtime night-racing fixture, has raced only afternoons since then.

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The new system was necessitated by a hurricane wiping out the old lights in August of 2020. Delta first raced under the new lights at night on Oct. 15, when a horse fell at the top of the stretch in the third race and the rest of the card, as well as the Oct. 16 program, were cancelled. Delta has only raced afternoon cards since then, which management maintains is not ideal for handle.

Since then, new lights have been added to the system, and the original ones have been re-aimed to improve coverage. Training in the mornings has occurred under the updated system since Dec. 2, but jockeys like Ty Kennedy, Gerard Melancon, and Tim Thornton expressed that they still don't feel the lights are safe.

Delta's vice president and general manager Steve Kuypers countered by referencing a report written by lighting specialist John Stewart, brought in on Dec. 1, which states that “the only track in the nation with a better lighting system was Churchill Downs.”

“We can't agree on okaying this if the lighting system's not safe for these riders,” Commissioner Eddie Delahoussaye, a retired Hall-of-Fame jockey, told the other commissioners. “Somebody goes and gets killed–I don't want that on my head.”

The LSRC wound up voting unanimously to extend Delta's afternoon racing schedule for an additional 30 days, unless the two parties can agree on the safety of the lights and desire an expedited re-vote prior to that timeframe.

Read more at the Thoroughbred Daily News.

The post Lighting Safety Concerns Again Delay Return Of Night Racing At Delta Downs appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Mindy Coleman, an attorney representing The Jockeys' Guild, told commissioners on the Dec. 13 Zoom call that while the Delta-based riders recognize and appreciate the efforts track management has made to try to improve the situation, “there are still some grave concerns” with the recently installed light-emitting diode (LED) system, which was necessitated by the old lights getting wrecked by a hurricane in August 2020.

“It's not the amount of lighting per se. It's more inconsistencies with the distribution of the lighting, and the various shadows and the hot spots on the racetrack,” Coleman said.

Steve Kuypers, Delta's vice president and general manager, disagreed. He said that since the  jockeys first aired their concerns before the LSRC Oct. 26, a lighting contractor has added lower support brackets to 36 poles and attached 64 new light fixtures. These additional lights, in conjunction with the ones installed earlier in the process, have since been re-aimed to improve coverage.

And, Kuypers said, Delta also hired a “highly recognized specialist,” John Stewart, the president of a Kentucky-based entertainment venue design firm, who further offered lighting advice that was implemented Dec. 1.

Kuypers said management, horsemen, and jockeys then walked the track with Stewart while the lights were turned on Dec. 2. He said Delta executives came away from that meeting with the belief that all parties felt the problems had been acceptably rectified.

Kuypers referenced a report Stewart had written that proclaimed the new Delta lights to be “tremendously better than the pre-hurricane lighting.” Kuypers said Stewart also noted in his report that the only track in the nation with a better lighting system was Churchill Downs.

Kuypers also added that “Delta Downs has turned on all the lights and the jockeys [have been training in the pre-dawn hours] without complaint or incident.”

But jockey Ty Kennedy said morning training under the lights isn't the same as night racing in a 10-horse field.

“Yes, we do train under these lights every morning. However, breezing a horse by yourself is a lot different than riding in a race with nine other horses,” Kennedy said.

The first version of Delta's new lighting system was only operational for three races on the first night program of the season Oct. 15 before a horse fell at the top of the stretch.

Fueled by complaints from some jockeys and trainers that areas on the turns were dangerously dark and shadowy, the remainder of that card and the Oct. 16 program were cancelled. Delta, a longtime night-racing fixture, has raced only afternoons since then.

“We haven't seen shadows like these at any other [night] racetrack,” Kennedy said. “These shadows are very inconsistent, and we feel that they can potentially create hazardous situations.”

Jockey Gerard Melancon told commissioners he's walked Delta's track with 20+ riders on several occasions during various stages of the project. He explained that the consensus view among jockeys is that “from the get-go, the lighting wasn't put up high enough…. The lower the lights are, the more it causes shadows.”

Coleman disputed allegations that the jockeys are citing safety concerns because they just don't want to go back to night racing, period. Delta hasn't raced nights since February 2020, when the COVID-19 pandemic first halted racing. Then the hurricane hit six months later, wiping out the old lights.

Delta management has expressed a belief that a blend of two afternoons and two nights per week is the ideal schedule right now to maximize handle, and the hybrid plan for the current meet was supposed to be Wednesday and Thursday cards at 12:55 p.m. (Central) and Friday and Saturday programs under the lights at 5:55 p.m.

Jockey Tim Thornton also disputed that notion.

“We want to make money,” he said. “If the lights were completely fine, we'd run at two o'clock in the morning. I know that the handle is a big issue. [But] we don't feel that our safety should be in jeopardy because of the handle going down.”

Benard Chatters, the president of the Louisiana Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association, has maintained since October that the lights are fine and that his organization wants to go back to night racing.

“I think we have a fabulous lighting system here,” Chatters said.

At a later point, Chatters stated that the Guild's position regarding safety doesn't apply to all Delta-based riders. He offered the analogy that just because some people don't feel safe driving a vehicle at night, that doesn't mean we shut down the entire interstate highway system. The way he sees it, jockeys have a personal choice whether they want to ride or not at night.

“I guarantee there are going to be people who are willing to ride, and that's the reality of this situation,” Chatters said.

Commissioner Tom Calvert wanted to know if any of the jockeys who testified would go on the record as saying the situation was so unsafe that they wouldn't ride at all under the present lights. “Or,” he postulated, “are we in search of optimization, I guess is my question.”

Coleman voiced an opinion that individual riders could answer that question if they wanted to. But she also stated that it could be dangerous for jockeys–either in terms of retaliation or intimidation–if they didn't address the situation by one unified vote as a riding colony.

Kennedy answered the commissioner's question anyway.

“We've had several votes in the room, and it's always been unanimously 'no,'” he said, meaning that riders as a group would not ride at night under the current lighting. Thornton seconded that opinion.

Commissioner Eddie Delahoussaye, a retired Hall-of-Fame jockey, urged fellow commissioners not to vote for allowing Delta to resume night racing until they felt safety was 100% assured.

“We can't agree on okaying this if the lighting system's not safe for these riders,” Delahoussaye said. “Somebody goes and gets killed–I don't want that on my head.”

The LSRC ended up ruling by unanimous voice vote to extend Delta's permission to race days instead of nights for another 30-day period, with the stipulation that both sides can come back to the commission for an expedited re-vote if they reach consensus on the safety of the lighting system before the next commission meeting occurs.

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There will be carryover of $349,763 heading into Louisiana Cup Day. First post is 2:45 pm (Central) for the seven-race card which features six stakes for accredited Louisiana-breds with purses of $50,000 each.

The Pick 5, which is offered daily for a minimum wager of .50 cents, covers the following races:

Race 3 $50,000 Louisiana Cup Distaff

Race 4 $50,000 Louisiana Cup Juvenile

Race 5 $50,000 Louisiana Cup Sprint

Race 6 $50,000 Louisiana Cup Turf Classic

Race 7 $50,000 Louisiana Cup Filly and Mare Sprint

“We approached the racing commission last week when the Pick 5 carryover began to grow,” said David Heitzmann, Louisiana Downs Director of Racing. “Louisiana Cup Day is an exceptional showcase for Louisiana Thoroughbreds and offers black-type purses for the breeders as well as excellent wagering opportunities for our horseplayers. We look forward to a great afternoon!”

Louisiana Downs track announcer John McGary and regional racing publicist Martha Claussen will conduct a free handicapping seminar at 1:00 pm in the Inside Rail, located on the first floor of the grandstand. They will offer analysis and their selections for each of the races and Pick 5 on the Louisiana Cup Day card.

In addition, contributing handicappers Rachel McLaughlin of Indiana Grand, NHC Hall of Fame champion Trey Stiles and Nick Tammaro, an eight-time NHC qualifier and morning-line oddsmaker, will share their Pick 5 tickets on Twitter.

The post Mandatory Payout Scheduled For Pick 5 Wager On Louisiana Cup Day appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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The stable area opened on April 8 for horsemen who have been allocated stalls for the 2021Thoroughbred season. Ship in hours will be from 11:00 am–5:00 pm and trainers must contact Natalie Moses at (318) 820-8324 prior to shipping. The 2021 Quarter Horse live racing season concluded on April 7 with those conditioners continuing to ship to Delta Downs or other upcoming Quarter Horse meets.

“Our Quarter Horse meet recently wrapped up and we are happy to return to our previous Thoroughbred schedule, which was delayed last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic,” said David Heitzmann, Director of Racing. “We look forward to welcoming our Thoroughbred trainers for a successful racing season.”

The first condition book for May 1-24 is available on Equibase. Further information on the Thoroughbred stakes schedule will be forthcoming, but officials have confirmed that the Grade 3, $300,000 Super Derby will not be contested in 2021.

The 84-day meet will continue through Wednesday, September 22 with live racing to run Saturday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday at 2:45 pm (Central). There will also be one Sunday race card on July 4. For details on simulcasting and special events, visit Louisiana Downs racing.com.

The post Louisiana Downs’ Thoroughbred Season Kicks Off May 1 appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Broberg, ranked first or second in North American wins each year since 2013, was notified by stewards at Delta Downs in late December that Tiz One Fee, a 7-year-old Louisiana-bred mare who was one of four winners he saddled on opening night at the Vinton, La., track on Nov. 24, tested positive for the Class 1 drug oxycodone, Class 2 drug levamisole and Class 2 drug citalopram. The classifications are defined by the Association of Racing Commissioners International, with Class 1 being the most severe drug category in racing.

The Equine Medication Surveillance Laboratory at the Louisiana State University School of Veterinary Medicine reported 0.143 ng/ml of oxycodone in plasma, 0.515 ng/ml of citalopram in plasma and 0.148 ng/ml of levamisole in plasma. Oxycodone is an opioid pain reliever, citalopram is used as an anti-depressant and levamisole is used as a dewormer in livestock and as an immunostimulant.

Notified on Dec. 28, Broberg sent a check for $3,750 on Jan.  12 to the testing laboratory at the Kenneth L. Maddy Equine Analytical Chemistry Laboratory at the University of California at Davis to have the split samples tested for confirmatory purposes.

On Monday, Broberg said, the Louisiana State Racing Commission notified him all three tests from the Maddy Lab came back negative.

“They were false positives,” Broberg said. “That horse was in my barn for a couple of months and I knew there was no way.”

Broberg said stewards did not conduct a barn search before or after stewards told him Tiz One Fee had tested positive for three different drugs at the state's official lab at LSU.

“That's the most ludicrous part of the whole thing,” he said. “If someone is with a Class 1, 2 or 3, they're searching that barn prior to the trainer being notified. That never happened.”

In addition to being out the $3,750 for the split sample, Broberg said the false positives cost him an opportunity to run Tiz One Fee in the $50,000 Premier Lady Starter Stakes at Delta Downs on Feb. 10. “She would have been 2-5 in that spot,” Broberg said. “I haven't been able to run that horse since they said she tested positive. I begged and pleaded and offered to send off hair samples (for testing) on this horse and said, 'You can not be this punitive.'”

Tiz One Fee did run once after the Nov. 24 race but before the original test came back positive.

“There's no way they can keep whatever contract they have with that laboratory,” Broberg said. “I know another trainer has a positive for one of the drugs, because he called me saying 'What is this? I heard you're dealing with some craziness.'”

The LSU laboratory is ISO 17025 accredited for technical competence but has never applied for accreditation with the Racing Medication and Testing Consortium. The lab at UC Davis is fully accredited with the RMTC.

Broberg, leading trainer by North American wins from 2014-'19 and with 3,883 career wins from 15,911 starts since 2009, said he has never been suspended for any medication violation. His record at www.thoroughbredrulings.com does show a number of medication violations that resulted in fines, the most recent for the Class 4 drug dextromethorphan in July 2019 in Louisiana. Broberg maintains stables in multiple states and said this case had potentially devastating consequences.

“Two months with no sleep,” he said. “This could have been a career ender. Shit like this needs to be brought to light.”

Broberg said he is considering taking legal action. “A hundred percent. I'd be foolish not to,” he said.

Officials at the Louisiana State Racing Commission could not be reached for comment.

The post Broberg: Possible ‘Career Ender’ Turned Out To Be False Positives From LSU Laboratory appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Fifteen trainers are running for five trainer seats and there are three candidates for Louisiana HBPA president, including current president Bernard Chatters.

Nominations closed Dec. 3 and the Louisiana HBPA's election process runs through March 30, 2021.

 List of nominees for Louisiana HBPA board and presidency.

Alfortish pleaded guilty in 2011 to one felony count of conspiracy to commit mail fraud, wire fraud, identity fraud, and health care fraud and was sentenced the following year to 46 months imprisonment. Alfortish, an attorney, has reportedly been disbarred. Two other Louisiana HBPA employees also pleaded guilty in connection with the election scheme. A subsequent audit of the Louisiana HBPA found hundreds of thousands of dollars had been spent inappropriately for Caribbean vacations, expensive gifts, and personal items.

Following his release from prison, Alfortish sought to regain his owner's license in Louisiana but was originally thwarted. Only after getting licensed in Texas and suing the Louisiana State Racing Commission was he permitted to be relicensed in the state.

Alfortish's name recently surfaced in connection with an insurance fraud investigation involving staged automobile accidents and personal injury claims in Louisiana. The FBI has joined that investigation.

The post Ex-Louisiana HBPA President Jailed For Rigging Election Running Again For Board Position appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Hurricane Laura's path of destruction left Delta Downs, in Vinton, La., in bad shape, and though an evacuation order was in place for the area, as many as 500 Quarter Horses and their caretakers had nowhere else to go. All managed to survive the hurricane, but now many are in temporary stabling locations with nowhere to train.

Evangeline Downs ended its Thoroughbred meet this weekend, and the horses at the Opelousas track would normally shift to Delta Downs for the next Thoroughbred race meet, while Delta's Quarter Horse population would shift to Evangeline. Since Delta is not in any condition to host racing, there simply aren't enough stalls to accommodate both populations at the same time.

The commission's decision would send Evangeline's Thoroughbreds to the Fair Grounds, while the Quarter Horses would be able to take up residence at Evangeline. However, Churchill Downs, Inc., the Fair Grounds' parent company, has said that the New Orleans track is not prepared to take on horses at this time. The track is in the midst of preventative maintenance, New Orleans has been a hotspot for Covid-19, and hurricane season is not yet ended.

“We would love to help,” Fair Grounds attorney David Waguespack said during Thursday's commission meeting, according to crescentcitysports.com. “We're just not able to do what the Commission wants us to do.”

The commission's order included that both Fair Grounds and Louisiana Downs provide: stabling for the horses, “customary accommodations” for their caretakers, training hours, and the necessary security and maintenance staff.

On Friday, Churchill's lawyers lodged a legal challenge asking an Orleans Parish judge to halt the order. A hearing is scheduled for this Friday, Sept. 11.

The post Hurricane Aftermath: Commission Orders Fair Grounds Open To Evacuees, Churchill Goes To Court appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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