Tag: The Biz

Trainer Burton Sipp, a longtime presence on the East Coast claiming circuit, has been temporarily suspended at all Churchill Downs facilities, according to Tonya Abeln, vice president of communications for CDI.

“CDI has elected to temporarily suspend Burton Sipp, and any trainer either directly or indirectly employed by him, from entering horses and occupying stalls at all CDI-owned racetracks, including Presque Isle Downs, until further notice,” said Abeln via email. “The suspension is a result of concerns over the care and treatment of his horses and the decision was made in the best interests of racing to protect the safety and integrity of racing and its participants.”

Sipp had most recently been running horses at CDI-owned Presque Isle Downs in Erie, Penn. He is based at Mountaineer Park in New Cumberland, WVa.

Sipp has been the subject of an online petition seeking a ban at all racetracks in the United States, due to what the petition's organizers say is a long history of Sipp-owned and trained horses ending up advertised on social media for last-ditch purchase from kill pens or bail pens. He also has a lengthy history of trouble with the law, including a 1983 case in which he was indicted for fraud after law enforcement said he had killed horses for insurance money. Sipp maintained his innocence and eventually pleaded guilty to a lesser charge of witness tampering. In 1980, he was caught in a race fixing scheme at Atlantic City Race Course and later turned witness against four jockeys who were indicted on charges related to race fixing in New Jersey. Those charges were later dropped.

The post Churchill Downs Tracks Temporarily Ban Trainer Burton Sipp Due To Welfare, Integrity Concerns appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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The first half of Del Mar's 83rd summer season has been highlighted by world-class safe racing, full fields and sizeable increases in wagering and on-track attendance.

Fueled by record California purses of over $800,000 per day, field size has averaged 9.90 for turf races and 8.83 for main track events. Together they combine for a nation leading 9.30 horses per contest, well above last year's healthy average of 8.45.

“After four weeks we couldn't be more pleased with our results,” said Tom Robbins, Del Mar's Executive Vice President of Racing. “Horsemen and women's participation has been outstanding as we continue to strive to present safe and competitive racing at the highest level. We hope all our stakeholders' efforts have led to greater customer satisfaction and appreciation.”

Through the first 15 days of the summer season, total wagering is $297,044,168 for a daily average of $19,802,945, an increase of 6.7% from 2021. On-track handle of $25,580,826 represents growth of 12.7% from last year's figures. Out-of-state numbers registered at $152,542,303, up 8.2% from 2021.

“DMTC started planning this meet after the conclusion of last year's fall season and the results from the hard work speak for themselves,” said Thoroughbred Owners of California Chairman, Gary Fenton. “This is the best start to a race meet I've seen in years. Bodes very well for the remainder of the year in California.”

Del Mar's loyal fanbase has soaked up the highly competitive racing action and total attendance of 155,917 through 15 days is a substantial increase of 24% from last year over the same time period.

Del Mar will commence the second half of its season Thursday with a first post of 2 p.m.

The post Del Mar At Halfway Point: Strong Gains Across The Board appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Spearheaded by competitive fields on both of its racing surfaces and continued high interest in its Pick 5 wager, Colonial Downs has announced that the average all-sources wagering through the first five weeks of the 27-day Colonial Downs presented by Woodford Reserve race meeting is up 30.7 percent over the same corresponding time period of the 2021 meet.

Now in its fourth year under the management of the Colonial Downs Group and ownership of Peninsula Pacific Entertainment, Colonial Downs has registered a daily all-sources average handle of $2,625,248 through the first 15 days of the meeting, compared to the daily all-sources wagering handle of $2,008,092 through the first 15 days of the 2021 meeting.

Colonial Downs is offering a record of more than $600,000 in daily average purses for the season, attracting horsemen and horsewomen from various parts of the nation to the New Kent facility for the daily Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday afternoon racing programs.

Additionally, horseplayers wagering on the Colonial Downs races have taken a liking to the Pick 5 wager, which last week produced an $82,000 carryover into the Aug. 9 race card leading to $761,000 in new money wagered the following day. The Pick 5 at Colonial Downs, a 50-cent minimum wager, has a take-out rate of 12%, which is one of the lowest take outs offered by any racing facility in the U.S. The wager was altered this year to offer a carryover pool when no one selects all five winners in the sequence which covers the last five races daily.

A total of $1,113,614 was bet into the sixth race on Aug. 9 at Colonial Downs, which is the highest non-Virginia Derby single race pool in the history of the track and contributed to a meet-high daily handle of $4,158,874.

“We are delighted with the response thus far from fans from around the country who are enthusiastically wagering on our high-quality racing product, featuring horses from some of racing's most familiar trainers and competition among top jockeys,” said Jill Byrne, Colonial Downs Vice President of Racing Operations. “Our Pick 5 has been wildly successful since we reduced takeout to 12% on the bet this year. We look forward to continued success for the second half of the meet resuming on August 15.”

Colonial has also been participating in the Monday Mid-Atlantic Pick 4 in conjunction with Monmouth Park. The 50-cent wager includes two races each from Colonial and Monmouth Park.

Colonial continues to be one of the nation's most horsemen-friendly racetracks, proven by its innovative meet-long horsemen incentives branded as “Every Race, Every Day.” As a bonus, all owners are guaranteed $1,000 per start or their share of the purse money, and all trainers will receive $300 per start as recognition for loyal participation every race, every day. In recognition of horse welfare, Colonial Downs will contribute $15 from each starter in every race to the Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance, which is matched by another $15 per horse contribution by the Virginia HBPA.

At the halfway point, jockey Jareth Loveberry and trainer Larry Rivelli – each competing at Colonial for the first time – lead their respective standings. Sarah and Reid Nagle's Big Lick Farm is leading owner through the first five weeks of racing.

The second half of the meet gets off to a tremendous start with four MATCH Series stakes races headlining a solid Tuesday, Aug. 16, card while the $300,000 New Kent County Virginia Derby (G3) for 3-year-olds and the $200,000 Virginia Oaks for 3-year-fillies are both scheduled for Sept. 6.

The post Colonial Downs’ Average Daily Wagering Up 30 Percent In 2022 appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Trainer Alison Escobar has been suspended by Delaware stewards for 60 days after they say he kept a horse in training on a tendon injury for months.

A ruling signed by the stewards on Aug. 12 details the recent history of a horse in Escobar's care named Ashiham.

Ashiham, a son of Tapit, was an $800,000 yearling at the Keeneland September Yearling Sale in 2018, where he was purchased by Shadwell. Shadwell campaigned the chestnut for the first seven starts of his career, racing him at Gulfstream and Churchill before he broke his maiden in August 2020 at Saratoga. Ashiham did not register another race for nearly a year, when he returned to finish eighth in an allowance at Saratoga for Todd Pletcher and Shadwell in August 2021. He then left the track again, not resurfacing until March 2022, when he was trained by Escobar for Tres Portillos Ranch Inc. He ran seventh in an allowance optional claiming contest on March 11.

It is after this the stewards' ruling picks up the narrative. Ashiham was entered in a race on April 21 at Tampa Bay Downs but was scratched after a veterinarian detected heat and swelling in the left front flexor tendon. Escobar told Delaware stewards “the horse was sore but he did not want the horse scratched because he was the morning line favorite.”

On June 9, Delaware stewards write that Ashiham was intercepted by a state veterinarian at Palm Meadows, where he was observed to be lame on his left front on the track surface. The state veterinarian corresponded with Escobar's private veterinarian, who said that “in his medical opinion that Ashiham's injury was career ending.” The horse was then placed on Gulfstream Park's track veterinarian's list with the requirement that he be ultrasounded before he could be allowed to work out.

Delaware stewards write that no such ultrasound was ever conducted.

Instead, Ashiham arrived at Delaware Park on July 12 and was spotted on the track surface at Delaware on Aug. 3 by the safety steward, who requested the state veterinarian examine the horse. Delaware's state veterinarian looked at the horse the same day and concluded his lameness was a four on a scale of one through five. The same left front tendon was warm to the touch and sore on palpation with a visible bow. Escobar was told to have an ultrasound done immediately and ordered to keep the horse on stall rest until it was complete.

In testimony before the stewards, Escobar stated the horse had never been seen by a veterinarian in Delaware – and as of the stewards' hearing on Aug. 11, more than a week after being ordered to seek an ultrasound, the horse had still not been seen by a private vet.

Stewards also imposed a $2,500 fine against Escobar and required that he pass Delaware's trainer's test before his license may be reinstated.

According to Equibase, Escobar has been training since 2005 and has multiple graded stakes win, mostly in his native Puerto Rico. He began training in the mainland United States in 2019. He has saddled runners in 5,067 starts with 779 wins and earnings of over $6.9 million. So far in 2022, he has saddled more runners than any other year since he left Puerto Rico, with 145 starts.

The post Trainer Suspended 60 Days In Delaware, Stewards Cite Him For Cruelty To Horse appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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