Mark Casse: “I’m Not Proud Of Our Sport”

Appearing as the Green Group Guest of the Week on this week's TDN Writers' Room podcast presented by Keeneland, Hall of Fame trainer Mark Casse grew emotional when the subject of the rash of fatalities that have plagued the sport this year came up. Believing that the industry has not done all that it can to help alleviate the situation and that tracks must embrace a return to synthetic surfaces, Casse admitted that his outlook on his profession and the sport has changed for the worse.

“This is sad to say, but I'm not as proud to be a horse trainer as I used to be,” he said. “I'm not proud of our sport. That's sad. In my opinion, it's dangerous and I'm going to do whatever I can do to help it. Frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn who I piss off or upset.”

Casse came on to discuss some of the opinions he expressed earlier in the week from a Q & A that ran in the TDN. Because he has stables at Woodbine, where all racing is conducted on either the Tapeta surface or turf, and at U.S. tracks where the predominant surface is dirt, Casse, perhaps more so than any other trainer, is well versed in the differences between the various types of surfaces. He has become an outspoken supporter of synthetic tracks and insists that U.S. racing needs to make the conversion from dirt to synthetic.

“I think it is,” he answered when asked if the time has come for dirt racing to be replaced. “We've got years and years of data that says it's far safer. The path we're going down right now is ugly and we have to do something and we have to do it quickly. It's going to take a drastic measure.”

Some believe that the end of dirt racing would be a huge blow to the breeding industry, where hundreds of millions of dollars have been invested in sires and bloodlines meant to produce top-class dirt horses. Casse argues that the potential problems have been exaggerated.

“It's not as big a worry as they make it out to be,” he said. “From my experience, maybe one out of ten horses don't like synthetic.  Most good horses will run on anything pretty well. And I can tell you, they'll run a lot longer and last a lot longer.”

This isn't the first time that Casse has been outspoken about industry issues. He has also been vocal about what he saw as the widespread and ill-advised use of clenbuterol. He said his only motivation is to try to make this a better, safer sport.

“I'm going to give you everything I have,” he said. “I'll go down fighting. You can only do so much but I will do my best. I'm doing my best. I'm not a good loser.”

Elsewhere on the podcast, which is also sponsored by the Pennsylvania Horse Breeders Association, Kentucky Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders, NYRABets.com, WinStar Farm, XBTV.com, Stonestreet Farms, Lane's End and West Point Thoroughbreds, the team of Zoe Cadman, Bill Finley and Randy Moss also tackled the subject of synthetic surfaces, an issue that drew more attention after a tragic Saturday afternoon at Saratoga, which included the breakdown of New York Thunder (Nyquist) in the GI H. Allen Jerkens Memorial S. All three agreed with Casse that switching to synthetics has become a necessity. There was also a look at the GI Travers. S., won by Arcangelo (Arrogate) and an admission from Moss that he underrated the horse that is now the sport's leading 3-year-old male. The team also took a look back at the remarkable career of Hall of Famer Jonathan Sheppard, who passed away this week at the age of 82.

To watch the Writers' Room, click here. To view the show as a podcast, click here.

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Caesars Entertainment Launches Caesars Racebook in New York

Caesars Entertainment launched its horse racing wagering app Caesars Racebook in New York, the casino-entertainment company said in a release Thursday morning.

Fans in the Empire State can now access pari-mutuel wagering on horse racing content from more than 300 tracks around the world, all tied to Caesars Rewards, the gaming industry's loyalty program.

Caesars Racebook's debut in New York builds on recent launches in sixteen states, including California, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland and Ohio. Powered by NYRA Bets, Caesars Racebook is now available in New York on iOS, Android and desktop.

“This is an important expansion of the partnership between NYRA Bets and Caesars Racebook that will contribute to the success of horse racing in New York State now and in the future,” said Tony Allevato, President of NYRA Bets.

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NYRA to Seed Saturday’s Late Pick 5 with Additional $100K

The New York Racing Association, Inc. (NYRA) will offer a Late Pick 5 pool seeded with $100,000 on Saturday, at Saratoga Race Course.

The additional money offered in Saturday's Late Pick 5 pool is to honor NYRA's commitment to horseplayers following extenuating circumstances on Sunday's card that saw three races taken off-the-turf late in the day which disrupted a number of multi-race wagers.

Featuring a 15% takeout rate and 50 cent minimum, the Late Pick 5 is open to retail customers only and offered on every live race day at NYRA tracks. The popular multi-race wager, which covers the last five races of the card, features a carryover provision of 100% of the net pool into the next day's Late Pick 5 if there are no winning tickets.

The seeded funds do not affect the NYRA Bets $1 million Late Pick 5 bonus, which is available exclusively to NYRA Bets customers on every Saturday and Sunday during the 2023 Saratoga summer meet.

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NYRA Bets $1-Million Late Pick 5 Bonus to Begin Saturday

The NYRA Bets $1-million Late Pick 5 Bonus, which will be available exclusively to NYRA Bets customers every Saturday and Sunday during the 2023 summer meet at Saratoga Race Course, will launch this weekend. In addition to the pari-mutuel payout, should a single winner capture a Saturday or Sunday Late Pick 5, the winner will receive a $1-million bonus. To qualify for the bonus, the wager must be placed through NYRA Bets.

Featuring a low 15% takeout rate and 50-cent minimum, the Late Pick 5 is open to retail customers only and offered on every live race day at NYRA tracks. The popular multi-race wager, which covers the last five races of the card, features a carryover provision of 100% of the net pool into the next day's Late Pick 5 if there are no winning tickets.

For additional information on the Late Pick 5 and eligibility details for the $1 million single-winner bonus, please visit nyrabets.com/million.

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