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TIF: Wagering Insecurity, Part 6–Proof

This is Part 6 of the Thoroughbred Idea Foundation's (TIF) series “Wagering Insecurity.”

Faced with remarkable competitive pressure from the rise of legal sports betting, horse racing is at a crossroads. Confidence amongst horseplayers and horse owners is essential to the future sustainability of the sport. Efforts to improve the greater North American Thoroughbred industry will fall flat if its stakeholders fail to secure a foundation of integrity. Achieving this is growing increasingly difficult after the sport has neglected its core base–horseplayers–for decades.

“Wagering Insecurity” details some of that neglect, and the need to embrace serious reform. Fortunately, there are examples across the racing world to follow.

One professional horseplayer suspected betting pools at tracks across America were not closing when they should.

After his pleas were ignored for months, he proved “past-posting” was possible. He bet one race approximately 50 seconds after it had started.

“I thought that would be enough for those in charge to realize that there was a real problem with the tote systems and that now it could get fixed.

“Instead, I was called before two Commission meetings to show cause as to why my racing license shouldn't be revoked. It seemed that more than anything, they wanted to intimidate me and interrogate me, almost like I was a criminal for revealing to them their own systems' failings.”

In 2020, officials changed one long-standing rule which left the past-posting horseplayer flummoxed:

“I can't imagine a system where an update of these protocols would bring us to, hypothetically, a less secure operation.”

Vulnerabilities remain.

Saturday's Kentucky Derby will feature the largest betting pools of the year in American racing. That includes the superfecta pool, which in 2019 topped $16.5 million.

The “late scan” protocol which was exploited by Chris Harn and his conspirators in the 2002 Breeders' Cup Fix Six is still in place today when someone places a superfecta bet on a U.S. race. The full bet detail of each superfecta ticket is not secured by the host track, but rather held back by the bet-taker with only the amount of each bet transmitted.

For the complete article, click here.

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Dayoutoftheoffice Back for Eight Belles

Blazing Meadows Farm and Siena Farm's Dayoutoftheoffice (Into Mischief) makes her belated seasonal debut in the GII Eight Belles S. on the GI Kentucky Oaks undercard Friday. A romping winner of the GIII Schuylerville S. at Saratoga last July, the dark bay added a two-length tally in the one-turn-mile GI Frizette S. at Belmont Oct. 10, but she settled for second when Frizette runner-up Vequist (Nyquist) turned the tables on her in the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies. The Tim Hamm pupil recorded a couple breezes at Tampa in January, but there was a gap in her tab after that and she was eventually taken out of consideration for the Oaks. Dayoufotheoffice fired a sharp :58 flat bullet from the gate at Keeneland for this last Friday, however, and is expected to use this as a springboard for the GI Acorn S. June 5.

Bob Baffert seeks a third win in this event with the cutting back Kalypso (Brody's Cause), winner of the GII Santa Ynez S. going this seven-furlong trip at Santa Anita Jan. 3. She was second in the Feb. 6 GIII Las Virgenes S. and third in the Mar. 7 GIII Santa Ysabel S., both at odds-on.

Fellow Hall of Famer Bill Mott also owns two prior victories in this race, which was previously the La Troienne, and has an intriguing two-pronged attack this time around. Juddmonte homebred Obligatory (Curlin) impressed when breaking her maiden going a one-turn mile at Gulfstream Feb. 7, and was most recently fourth in the GII Fair Grounds Oaks–one spot behind 'TDN Rising Star' Souper Sensational (Curlin). Mott's other runner is Godolphin homebred Caramel Swirl (Union Rags), who had been on the board behind some tough foes in her first four outings before breaking through by 10 1/4 lengths at Keeneland Apr. 9, earning an 88 Beyer Speed Figure.

'Rising Star' Slumber Party (Malibu Moon) was second in Keeneland's GIII Beaumont S. after an impressive unveiling at Gulfstream in January. Abrogate (Outwork) and Windmill (Street Sense) traded decisions in the Feb. 28 Dixie Belle S. and Apr. 3 Purple Martin S. at Oaklawn.

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Oaks Winner Back for More Churchill Glory

Shedaresthedevil (Daredevil) looks to return to the scene of her career-best effort in Friday's GI La Troienne S. for two-turn fillies and mares. A debut winner here as a juvenile for prior connections, the bay took last March's GIII Honeybee S. at Oaklawn, but was a well-beaten third in the GIII Fantasy S. behind Swiss Skydiver (Daredevil). She returned to Louisville for a six-length optional claiming romp in June, and was similarly dominant in the GIII Indiana Oaks in July. Let go at 15-1 in last year's GI Kentucky Oaks in September, she pressed and passed heavy favorite and eventual champion female sprinter Gamine (Into Mischief) before fending off Swiss Skydiver to prove best that day. Third as the favorite when testing her elders in the GI Juddmonte Spinster S. at Keeneland Oct. 4, she bypassed the Breeders' Cup, and was a game winner of the GII Azeri S. back in Hot Springs Mar. 13. That effort was flattered when narrow runner-up Letruska (Super Saver) came back to upend Shedaresthedevil's champion stablemate Monomoy Girl (Tapizar) in the GI Apple Blossom H. a couple weeks ago.

While Swiss Skydiver isn't back for a rematch after her disappointing third in the Apple Blossom, Ken McPeek saddles a formidable stand-in in Envoutante (Uncle Mo). The dark bay seemed a cut below the best members of her sophomore class last season, but came on late in the year, annexing the GIII Remington Park Oaks Sept. 27 before airing by six lengths in the GII Falls City S. here Nov. 26, good for a 101 Beyer Speed Figure that matches up with the field's-best number Shedaresthedevil earned in the Oaks. Envoutante flattened to fourth after chasing Shedaresthedevil in the Azeri.

Peter Brant's Dunbar Road (Quality Road) took the 2019 GII Mother Goose S. and GI Alabama S., and added a track-and-trip win in the Shawnee S. last May before scoring in the GII Delaware H. She was third in both the GII Beldame Invitational S. Oct. 4 and GI Breeders' Cup Distaff Nov. 7, and would be the main beneficiary of a quick early pace while making her first start at five.

Lightly raced Paris Lights (Curlin) needs to get faster, but she's won four of five, including the GI Coaching Club American Oaks at Saratoga and the seven-furlong GIII Distaff H. off the bench last time Apr. 2.

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Aunt Pearl Returns in Edgewood

Unbeaten 'TDN Rising Star' Aunt Pearl (Ire) (Lope de Vega {Ire}) makes her sophomore debut at what figures to be a very short price in Churchill's GII Edgewood S. Friday. The 280,000gns Tattersalls October yearling bested her competition by five lengths first out here Sept. 1, and dominated both the GII JPMorgan Jessamine S. Oct. 7 and the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf Nov. 6 at Keeneland on the front end. She was second in the voting for the champion 2-year-old filly Eclipse. The bay's profile looks almost identical to that of Newspaperofrecord (Ire), who came into the 2019 Edgewood off of three wins including a BC Juvenile Fillies Turf romp, but was run down in the Edgewood at 1-5 by future Grade I winner Concrete Rose (Twirling Candy).

There don't appear to be any Concrete Roses waiting in the wings here, but Gift List (GB) (Bated Breath {GB}) is the most likely upsetter. She was second in her Stateside debut for Amerman Racing and Brian Lynch in the Apr. 3 GII Appalachian S. at Keeneland behind speedy 'Rising Star' Jouster (Noble Mission {GB}).

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