The TDN's CEO/Publisher Sue Finley will serve as the keynote speaker during the group's Monday evening dinner and awards ceremony, where her remarks will focus on horse racing, the media and integrity.

Central to ORI is the pursuit of integrity and education for its members. Interactions among investigators through networking helps to create lasting relationships between jurisdictions. This year's attendees hail from 18 states, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Canada, Ireland, England, France and South Africa.

The event will feature 16 presenters over the course of Monday and Tuesday, as members soak up the latest information concerning a host of pertinent topics directly related to their day-to-day work policing racetracks in their home states.

A broad range of case studies include unregulated horse racing, stable area access systems and equine safety stewarding, just to name a few. Representatives from various organizations like the British Horseracing Authority, the Comisión de Juegos de Puerto Rico, the Horseracing Integrity & Welfare Unit and the Association of Racing Commissioners International will participate.

“Each year our attendance continues to grow and we would like to thank Parx for rolling out the red carpet for us and all of our sponsors for their assistance,” said ORI Chairman Jason Klouser of the Pennsylvania Horse Racing Commission. “This year's conference will have record attendance of over 120 individuals and has something for everyone. From the rookie investigator to the most seasoned, this is all about the general health of the sport. We are very pleased to welcome Sue as our featured speaker.”

“The question of integrity in horse racing has never been more important than it is right now, and the media has an important role to play in that question,” said Finley. “I look forward to speaking to the investigators and discussing how the roles we each play affect one another.”

Click here for the Parx Conference program.

The post Parx Racing Investigator Conference Starts Sunday appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

The track received unanimous permission to do so during Tuesday's Pennsylvania Horse Racing Commission meeting.

Presque Isle's director of racing, Matthew Ennis, described the track's reasoning for dropping the dates.

“We always take a hard look at our purse funding as we're going throughout our offseason to make sure that we have competitive purses for the upcoming meet,” Ennis said. “We suffered a very poor January as a result of weather, mainly. [And] coming out of January we had discussion with [Pennsylvania Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association executive director Todd Mostoller]. In doing some simple math, it was determined that if we were able to eliminate those days we could stay competitive for our daily purses.”

Ennis said it is possible that Presque Isle will consider carding additional races on certain cards to make up for the relinquished dates.

“We have agreed to look at, as we go through our season, adding races to give them back to the horsemen,” Ennis said. “We're hoping for improved results here with our slots revenue.”

The dates that have been abandoned are Aug. 22 and 29 plus Sept. 5 and 12.

The post Presque Isle Cuts Four Dates from 80-Day Season appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

Director of Enforcement Jason Klouser, who led the investigation, said, “The Racing Commission's investigators observed Danny Hamilton failing to weigh-out the jockeys for race 8, which is a violation of numerous sections of Pennsylvania's rules of racing.”

Klouser added, “At this point, the investigation into Hamilton's activities is ongoing to determine if there were any other violations.”

According to the stewards ruling which is posted on the commission's website, part of the duties of the Clerk of Scales and/or their assistant is to preside over the racing process from when the jockeys assemble before the race to weigh-out, all the way through its conclusion when they come off the course to weigh-in.

Hamilton appeared this past summer on an episode of Horse Racing Today co-hosted by Jamie Martinez in which he discussed his experiences and delved into his duties as a clerk.

On that program, Hamilton said, “We run a very tight ship here at Presque Isle.” When asked what happens if a rider's weight is off when he or she comes off the course, the clerk said with a laugh, “Well then we have real problems! Then the Racing Commission gets involved and stuff gets really real.”

He went on to say, “But we don't have that problem, all the riders come back heavier than what they went out. So, if you go out at 124 [pounds], chances are you're going to come in at 126 [pounds], 127 [pounds], because the saddle towel, the pad, the horse's are sweaty, it soaks up into the pad and saddle towel … it weighs a lot. If they come back lighter than they went out, major problem, if they come back heavier, then you're good to go.”

Growing up around racetracks, including Beulah Park and Delaware Park, Hamilton as recently as 2019 served as an inspector for the Ohio State Racing Commission. Since then, he's had several other stops at locations such as Oaklawn Park, where he was an integrity officer.

Hamilton was hired as the Clerk of Scales by Presque Isle Downs earlier this year after he was the horse identifier at the course during the 2022 season. An attempt was made to contact the track's Director of Racing, Matthew Ennis, but several messages were not returned.

Currently, Hamilton is serving as a placing judge at Fair Grounds, which is also owned by Churchill Downs Inc.

Klouser confirmed that, “We have notified the Louisiana Racing Commission of the pending suspension.”

As for the ruling, Hamilton is denied access to all grounds under the jurisdiction of the Pennsylvania State Horse Racing Commission and does have the right to appeal. He was unable to be reached for comment.

The post Clerk Of Scales At Presque Isle Downs Suspended For Failure To Weigh-Out Jockeys appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

“That's the original track rail that's been in there since the track opened,” Chris McErlean, the vice president of racing for PENN Entertainment, said during Tuesday's Pennsylvania Horse Racing Commission meeting. “We are going to a new PVC breakaway type rail that is in use at a couple racetracks right now, and it should be better from a safety standpoint and a maintenance standpoint.”

Penn National started a scheduled break after the Sept. 22 program. Live Racing resumes Oct. 25.

“That should take us a little less than two weeks to get installed,” McErlean said. “We're working around training. We've adjusted training hours slightly to accommodate that. But it should be up and fully installed by the middle of October.”

The post Penn National Replacing 51-Year-Old Track Rail appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

Led by the Pennsylvania State Horse Racing Commission staff, the sweeps took place first in Erie at Presque Isle Downs before spending three days downstate at Parx Racing in Bensalem through Saturday's GI Pennsylvania Derby.

As part of their integrity program, the Commission once again put together a group of investigators–this time from nine states, plus representatives from England–and set them to work policing the barns and stable gates.

“We do this as part of our commitment to the integrity of horse racing in the Commonwealth and for the safety and security of the horses involved,” said Director of Enforcement, Jason Klouser. “The Commission is able to assemble such a large team of investigators through the contacts made from the Organization of Racing Investigators, whose members are the best and brightest when it comes to enforcement at their local tracks.”

The Organization of Racing Investigators, known as ORI, is a membership organization composed of specialists who are employed by state racing commissions and racetracks. The members' tradecraft helps protect the sport and perform a myriad of duties from combating allegations of race fixing, stopping horse doping, and breaking up nefarious activities in the barn areas. Their network fights a host of other offenses which are committed against equine athletes. The Pennsylvania Racing Commission is a regulatory agency, however, ORI members in various other states are commissioned law enforcement agents. No matter their standing, all investigators are essential when it comes to enforcing the rules.

In the lead up to the big day at Parx, the Commission's integrity teams moved across the state in an effort to maintain the integrity of horse racing in the Commonwealth.

Car search at Parx Racing | PSHRC

“The Commission utilizes all industry assets at our disposal to ensure a level playing field for all participants,” Klouser said.

Conducting enforcement operations in the barn area and searching vehicles entering the stable gate at both Presque Isle Downs and Parx yielded results.

Based on updates through the Commission's website, Ruling No. 23096PI was handed down to trainer William Joseph Dowling, when a search found him with two loaded needles and syringes. The 6-year-old dark bay state-bred gelding Saketumi (Maclean's Music) was scratched from the seventh race Sept. 18 and a summary suspension was issued by the board of stewards Sept. 21.

Shifting the search to Parx last Friday and Saturday, Assistant Starter Luis A. Gonzalez Jr. was found in possession of a controlled substance and paraphernalia. Ruling No. 23254PP indicated that Gonzalez was in possession of a methamphetamine pipe containing residue and marijuana. He was summarily suspended by the Parx Board of Stewards Sept. 22.

“The Pennsylvania Horse Racing Commission is incredibly proactive at the state level and will continue to liaise with organizations in order to strengthen the integrity of horse racing and the health and safety of the equine athletes,” said Klouser. “The Racing Integrity Team was a collaborative effort between the Pennsylvania State Horse Racing Commission, Parx Racing, Presque Isle Downs, and the Pennsylvania Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association.”

Click here to access the state's rulings portal.

The post Keystone Integrity Teams Sweep Presque Isle To Parx appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

TDN is attempting to confirm that news with the HISA Authority after hearing the new ADMC start date discussed at the meeting.

Chuckas, the director of Thoroughbred horse racing for the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture, brought up the ADMC's latest delay during his monthly briefing to commissioners about HISA and the Horseracing Integrity and Welfare Unit (HIWU), which is the entity that will operate the ADMC.

“Relaunch was scheduled for May 1,” Chuckas said. “I was contacted [Apr. 21] by HIWU to be advised that based on the Triple Crown, based on multiple tracks opening, that May 1 would not be the launch date. It would be May 22.

“From a commission standpoint, the commission staff, the livestock workers, the vets, and assorted personnel are in place and will continue to do whatever is necessary to maintain Pennsylvania racing,” Chuckas said.

A HISA spokesperson did not respond to email and voicemail requests for an explanation prior to deadline for this story.

Initially, the ADMC program had a Jan. 1, 2023, start date. In mid-December 2002, that date got scrapped when the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) declined to approve the rules that would make the program operational, citing legal issues.

The HISA Authority then ramped up for an expected Mar. 27 start date after receiving FTC clearance. The ADMC went briefly into effect for four days, but on Mar. 31, a federal judge in Texas issued a 30-day injunction that suspended the program. That ruling is part of a long back-and-forth struggle between pro- and anti-HISA forces.

The order out of United States District Court, Northern District of Texas, Lubbock Division, was in response to a motion filed by the National Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association (NHBPA) arguing that the rule violated a provision of the Administrative Procedures Act (APA), which governs the process by which federal agencies develop and issue regulations.

But the court only addressed that 30-day rule required by the APA, and not the NHBPA's larger claims that HISA remains unconstitutional despite recently added clarifying language.

Back when the Mar. 31 order was issued, Lisa Lazarus, the HISA Authority's chief executive officer, said, “Obviously we're disappointed by the decision out of the Lubbock court, but it has to do with the FTC process; it's not strictly related to HISA. As a result, we're going to suspend operations for a few days, and get ready to go again on May 1, and hand it over back to the states to essentially run the programs….

“At this point, it's just 30 days, so we can plan for that, communicate that. So in weighing all the interests, we thought it was best to accept the decision, communicate it, plan for it and use this 30 days to continue to improve our processes. The ruling does make it clear that as of May 1,  we're operational again,” Lazarus said back on Mar. 31.

The post HISA’s Medication Control Program Reportedly Delayed Again appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

“The reduction in days at Penn National was based on a mutual agreement between the horsemen and the racetrack, to try to maintain the current purse structure,” Anthony Salerno, a spokesperson for the PHRC, wrote in an email to TDN.

Penn National in 2022 had been approved for a nearly year-round 150 dates, running three-day weeks over 50 weeks, with week-long breaks in April and September. But in 2023, Penn National has scheduled “dark” periods during the first week of January, for two weeks April, the final week of September, and for three weeks in October, according to a calendar provided by the PHRC.

The Parx slate looks roughly the same compared to the 2022 template. Three-day race weeks will extend over 50 weeks, with a two-week break in August and five Saturdays and Sundays added to the mix. In 2022, when Parx added weekend dates, Wednesdays were usually trimmed from the schedule. But for 2023, those will instead be four-day racing weeks.

Presque Isle will begin its season one week earlier in 2023, on May 1. But the first three weeks of the year will be reduced from four-day weeks to three before Presque Isle rounds out the season with four- and five-day race weeks before closing Oct. 19.

The post Penn National Slices 16 Dates in ’23 to Preserve Purse Structure appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

Yet, on Monday night, Sipp, who has sent out 117 starters so far this year, will have two runners in at Mountaineer Park. This is the person that, in a 1993 story I penned for the New York Daily News, was called the “most deplorable person I have encountered on the backstretch of a racetrack,” by former Pennsylvania Racing Commission commissioner Hart Stotter. That he is still actively training is a beyond embarrassing. Worse yet, it plays right into the hands of racing's many critics who argue that the sport doesn't do nearly enough to keep the horses safe or to rid itself of its worst elements. When it comes to Sipp, how do we defend against that? We can't.

The latest firestorm surrounding Sipp involves allegations that he knowingly funnels his horses into the slaughter pipeline. That could have led to his permanent banishment from Mountaineer, which, in 2010, notified horsemen they will lose stalls and may be excluded from the track if any horses racing at Mountaineer end up at the Sugarcreek auction in Ohio, which is frequented by killer buyers who send horses on to slaughter. Proving such allegations can be tricky, but there's no evidence to suggest that Mountaineer racing officials have so much as launched an investigation. Perhaps they just decided to look the other way.

Ross reached out to James Colvin, the director of racing at Mountaineer, about the recent scrutiny on Sipp and got a non-answer answer. “I have no information for you to discuss on Burton Sipp, the WV Racing Commission has licensed Mr. Sipp and has also investigated him and to my knowledge have found no wrongdoing as to date,” Colvin wrote in an email.

Ross had more questions for Colvin, but he did not respond to subsequent emails.

With the allegations that Sipp sent horses to the auctions frequented with killer buyers gaining more and more traction, Churchill Downs Inc. took action, announcing on Tuesday that it was banning Sipp from its tracks. Sipp has started 25 horses this year at Presque Isle Downs, which is owned by Churchill. The company is to be commended for taking action against the trainer, but it's fair to ask them what took them so long. It's also fair to ask how they could have banned Bob Baffert for two years for nothing worse than medication overages while, until this week, taking no action against Sipp.

Sipp has been training since 1968. He carved out a niche for himself, winning a lot of races on the leaky roof circuit. He won a career best 272 races in 1981, but he would soon become embroiled in a controversy that should have meant the end of his career. In 1984, Sipp was indicted by a grand jury in New Jersey on charges of inflating insurance claims on nine horses who died in his care over a four-year period. Sipp eventually pled guilty to the lesser charges of witness tampering and was fined $7,500 and sentenced to five-years probation. When interviewed in 1993, Gregg Shivers, the assistant Burlington County prosecutor at the time, said that his office could have easily proven the earlier charges, but that the plea bargain was driven in part by the anticipated cost of the trial, expected to be one of the most expensive in Burlington County history.

Insurance fraud is a serious offense and so is witness tampering. Sipp had also been charged around the same time with forging a scratch card on another trainer's horse. Collectively, the industry acted and Sipp did not start any horses between December of 1984 and September of 1993.

“From my experience as Director of Enforcement for the Pennsylvania Racing Commission, I am aware of a number of actions and activities (Sipp) was involved in, all of which are a matter of public record,” Roger Marciano told me in 1993. “I thought and fully expected that he would never race again or be involved in any way with pari-mutuel racing.”

But Sipp never gave up on the idea of making a comeback and in 1993 found a racing commission willing to give him a license. With a license in hand from the Pennsylvania Racing Commission, he was back, entering horses at the track then known as Philadelphia Park. Ken Kirchner, the executive secretary of the Pennsylvania Racing Commission said that Sipp “deserved a second chance.”

After making 136 starts in 1994, Sipp disappeared, and it's not clear why. He did not return to racing until 2004. It appears that he spent some of that time operating Animal Kingdom, a 32-acre zoo and pet store in Burlington, N.J. According to a Philadelphia Inquirer article, Sipp was under investigation by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) for alleged animal welfare violations at the zoo. According to the Inquirer, citations stemmed all the way back to 2002, when five emaciated giraffes reportedly died at the zoo.

Having returned to training, Sipp settled in at Suffolk Downs. When asked by a Boston Globe reporter in 2005 why Sipp had been licensed Suffolk Downs steward Bill Keene said: ”There's nothing in the rule book that keeps him from getting a license because he has a past.” That Keene believed that a person's past transgressions should have no bearing on them getting a license says a lot of about the sport's attitude toward rule-breakers. Of course a person's past matters.

Sipp has been operating ever since resurfacing at Suffolk Downs. But it appears that there are some racetracks that have refused to accept his entries as all of his 2021 and 2022 starts have come at Mountaineer, Presque Isle and Thistledown. In at least one state, he has been permanently banned. Since the mid 1990s, Sipp has been barred from applying for a racing license in New Jersey.

On the surface, Sipp is a nobody. He is 78, competes only at low-level tracks and has won just eight races this year. His stable has earned just $112,861. When he makes headlines it is only for the wrong reasons. Perhaps the tracks that have allowed him to run thought no one would pay attention. But that hasn't been the case. There are plenty of good people who care and plenty of good people who want to see Burton Sipp permanently banned from every racetrack in the country. That that hasn't happened yet is simply inexcusable.

The post Op/Ed: That Burton Sipp is Still Racing is Indefensible appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

There perhaps has not been a more public vocal critic of the Racing Commission than myself over the last few years (a look back at my public comments at meetings will show this). However, I must say that the changes being announced, implemented, and backed up with action are extremely pleasing to see. The issues that have plagued the industry (and Pennsylvania has often been called the prime example of these issues by many) are not something that are going to be solved overnight. It is going to take time and effort to do this. What the Pennsylvania Racing Commission has finally done is taken a good, hard look in the mirror and identified specific areas that need to be addressed and changed. That started with the Committee on Equine Welfare and Safety that the Commission created. The Committee came out with 11 “action items” that were going to be implemented in various stages of time (anyone familiar with the process to get regulations passed in Pennsylvania knows of the length of time it takes) with the goal of improving the safety of the horses, the safety of the participants, and the integrity of the sport in the public's eye.

It is one thing to just come out and say you are going to do something. It is quite another to do it, and, so far, the Commission has backed up its words with action. At each monthly meeting Thoroughbred Bureau Director Tom Chuckas gives a detailed a report on where each of the action items sits in the implementation process as well as a review of any enforcement actions taken. It is evident from what is reported at the meetings, such as barn and vehicle searches turning up syringes and medications that should not be there, “jog up” inspections of horses in various barns (leading to a few being flagged for closer inspection and one being placed on the vet's list), and an increasing number of Out of Competition Tests being done each month, that the Commission and its investigative team are taking this task very seriously and letting the public know it.

I know there are those out there that will still say the tracks in Pennsylvania are a cesspool and the Commission has no idea who the real cheaters are and such. Well, for those that claim to have all this inside info on the cheaters and what they are doing, a special “integrity hotline” has been created that allows you to leave this information anonymously. The number for this hotline is (717) 787-1942. You must leave a detailed message, and someone will only contact you back if you specifically request it. Otherwise, the calls will be investigated based on the message left. So far, 20 calls have been placed to the hotline with eight being completely resolved and 12 still being investigated. Yes, we would all like to know all the details of these investigations and who was investigated (myself included), but we also must realize that information does have to remain private for these things to work properly. So as the old saying goes, “If you see something, say something.”

A person who makes poor lifestyle choices for decades of their life is not going to turn everything around and have the effects of those choices disappear after a month at the gym. The same is true of this sport. It has taken decades for this industry to get to where it is, and it is going to take more time than any of us would like to right the ship properly. Some agencies and tracks continue to turn a blind eye to things and hope it will all be OK or offer lip service about change with no evidence to back it up. Pennsylvania is finally taking the right steps to bring integrity and safety back to the sport, and Director Chuckas and the Commission are to be commended for their efforts so far. I look forward to the continuation of these positive developments.

The post Letter to the Editor: Positive Changes Coming Out of Pennsylvania, by Bryan Langlois, DVM appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

J. Michael Hopkins, executive director of the Maryland Racing Commission said he was notified that Sanchez has been suspended 60 days by Pennsylvania stewards on Thursday, Jan. 20, for wagering on horse races.

Pressed for specifics, Hopkins said, “You can't bet against yourself.”

The Pennsylvania Horse Racing Commission has yet to confirm the suspension and no recent rulings against Sanchez are posted on the commission's website.

Hopkins said the Maryland Racing Commission has already begun its own investigation of Sanchez, who has been riding at Parx, Laurel Park, Aqueduct and Gulfstream Park in recent months. His biggest win came at Aqueduct aboard Hopeful Treasure in the Grade 3 Fall Highweight Handicap  on Nov. 28.

Hopkins said Maryland could issue its own suspension of the jockey when the investigation is concluded.

A native of Venezuela where his father, brother and an uncle were jockeys, Sanchez began riding in the U.S. in 2013. He tied for leading jockey at Parx in 2019 and led the standings there in 2020. In 2021 he branched out to ride at Monmouth and elsewhere in the northeast and was a top 10 rider at Monmouth, Laurel Park and Parx Racing meets. Since 2013 he's won 940 races from 6,097 mounts for total earnings of $30.4 million.

Sanchez was named on three mounts Friday at Laurel. Two were scratched and he was removed from the third mount by stewards. He was named on one horse Saturday at Laurel and on multiple mounts Jan. 24-25-26 at Parx.

He last rode at Parx Racing on Jan. 19, winning with three of his six mounts.

The post ‘You Can’t Bet Against Yourself’: Leading Parx Racing Jockey Mychel Sanchez Suspended appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post