The Biz | Horse Racing Free Tips

Idaho Senate Passes Bill To Fund State Racing Commission, But Passing House May Be More Difficult

The Idaho Senate passed a bill on Wednesday last week which redistributes wagering revenue in the state, a measure necessary to correct a budget deficit of approximately $141,000 in the Idaho State Racing Commission, according to the Idaho State Journal.

Horse racing in the Idaho is funded by wagering revenue, which is split between the commission, racetracks, breeders and public schools. The East Idaho Horsemen's Association (EIHA) drafted multiple revisions of a revenue redistribution bill, but Rep. Brent Crane, R-Nampa — chairman of the State House Affairs Committee — refused to have the bill heard.

Instead, Sen. Jim Guthrie, R-Inkom, sponsored the bill in the Senate, where it passed. Now, the bill will head back to the house, but Crane remains against it.

“At some point, the horsemen have got to realize that they are in an industry that is dying — live horse racing in the state of Idaho is dying,” Crane told the Idaho State Journal. “I'm not responsible for that, no one in the Legislature is responsible for that. If they can't put people in the stands that want to come watch their races, that is their problem, not my problem.”

Mark Hanson, Vice President of the EIHA, explained that putting people in the stands isn't the problem. The issue stems from current distribution methods of advanced deposit wagering dollars.

“We still had 15 race days that occurred in 2020 and of those, multiple were conducted spectator-free because of COVID-19 protocols,” Hanson said. “So no, we are not asking Crane to put people in the stands at races. We're asking to capitalize on revenue gleaned from other, more modern methods of wagering on horse racing in the state of Idaho.”

Ramseys Hit With Two Civil Suits Seeking Nearly $2 Million In Unpaid Training Bills

Multiple Eclipse Award-winning owner/breeders Ken and Sarah Ramsey have been hit with a second lawsuit from one of their trainers while in the process of settling a separate suit filed last week by another. Wesley Ward filed suit against the Ramseys in Jessamine County Circuit Court March 19, while Mike Maker filed suit in Fayette Circuit Court a week earlier. Each case centers around just under $1 million in delinquent training bills.

Ward alleges that the Ramseys owe $974,790.40 in unpaid training bills, trainer's portion of winning purses, and interest. Invoices attached to Ward's suit show balances stretching back to June 2020. Although Ward concedes Ramsey has made payments in the months since, with one $50,000 payment days before the lawsuit was filed, the balance has remained in the high six figures throughout that period as training bills continue to mount.

Maker's suit alleges the Ramseys have been delinquent on training bills in his case for “almost four years” and their current balance owed to him is $905,357.29 – down from the $1.25 million they owed last summer. Maker's suit stated the couple promised to pay him in full by the end of 2020, but that did not happen. According to the complaint, Maker said $543,597.26 is more than 90 days past due.

When reached by phone last week, Ramsey said he was surprised to learn Maker had filed suit against him and was eager to work out a deal to pay Maker in full in exchange for the suit being withdrawn. As of press time, Maker's suit remained open per digital court records.

“I thought we had things worked out and I thought I had a schedule to get things worked out on,” said Ramsey, citing his long-standing relationship with the trainer. “I'm shocked. I didn't think he'd file a lawsuit because my assets well exceed what I owe him, by far.

“It's not that I'm not paying, it's just that I guess I'm not paying fast enough. I have never beaten anybody out of a dime.”

Ward and Maker both filed UCC-1 financing statements with the Kentucky Secretary of State to create liens against the horses which had racked up the unpaid invoices. Maker placed liens on 27 horses, while Ward placed liens on a separate group of 44 horses. Both trainers have had some of those horses leave their possession through retirement or claiming, with Maker down to just three still in his barn: Artie's Rose, Risk Manager, and Telephone Talker. Ward's suit seeks a court order to sell the horses named in his lien, with proceeds being applied to the unpaid balance, as well as any ongoing expenses from his day rate of $110.

The Ramseys have won the Eclipse Award for Outstanding Owner four times (2004, 2011, 2013, and 2014) and the award for Outstanding Breeder twice (2013 and 2014). Since 2000, Equibase reports the couple has won 2,217 races from 9,790 starts for total earnings of more than $97 million. Their annual earnings have fallen from their peak in 2013 of over $12 million, and last year the stable brought in $2.3 million from 274 starts. Their Ramsey Farm in Nicholasville, Ky., was the longtime base for the operation's homebred and centerpiece stallion, Kitten's Joy, who relocated to Hill 'n' Dale in 2018.

Last year, Maker was also one in a long line of horsemen who were carrying outstanding balances by Zayat Stables. Ahmed Zayat filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy protection in September 2020, listing an outstanding balance of $120,921.88 to Mike Maker among other creditors.

Maker trained a number of the Ramseys' graded stakes winners, including Vicar's In Trouble, International Star, Oscar Nominated, Admiral Kitten, Al's Gal, Kitten's Dumplings, Furthest Land, and Shining Copper.

Ward has trained graded stakes winners Artie's Princess, Emotional Kitten, Holiday for Kitten, and Pleasant Prince for the Ramseys. Ward was also tasked with accomplishing Ramsey's goal of getting a winner at Royal Ascot, which Ramsey has yet to attain.

The post Ramseys Hit With Two Civil Suits Seeking Nearly $2 Million In Unpaid Training Bills appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

Report: Churchill Rebuffs Interest In Purchasing Arlington For Racing Purposes

Mike Campbell, president of the Illinois Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association, told the Thoroughbred Daily News on Friday that he knows of several parties interested in purchasing Arlington Park for racing purposes. However, Campbell also said that Churchill Downs, Inc., current owner of Arlington, is only interested in selling the track for redevelopment.

“We reached out to them as a group of horsemen to see if they would allow us to pursue buying the track for pari-mutuel racing only and were told that Churchill had no interest in talking to us,” an anonymous source told the TDN.

CDI announced the sale of Arlington on Feb. 23, 2021, indicating that it would host live racing at the Illinois track through the 2021 season, which is scheduled to end on Sept. 25.

“It would do (CDI) no harm and it would not put them at a competitive disadvantage if there continued to be racing at Arlington Park beyond 2021,” Campbell told the TDN. “There would be no competition for their casino (in Des Plaines, Illinois). Gamblers who gamble on slot machines and table games, they are a different breed from horseplayers. The frustrating part for those of us who want to save this historical, iconic racetrack is the fact that everything you can glean from this speaks to Churchill wanting to not allow even racing there. That's baffling to me.”

Read more at the Thoroughbred Daily News.

The post Report: Churchill Rebuffs Interest In Purchasing Arlington For Racing Purposes appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

Ruidoso Downs Kicks Off 2021 Season Memorial Day Weekend

Ruidoso Downs Race Track in New Mexico kicks off its summer racing season over Memorial Day Weekend when live racing begins on Friday, May 28. The 2021 season spans 15 weeks for a total of 47 days of live Quarter Horse and Thoroughbred racing. Race days are Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, and include Monday, May 31 and Monday, Sept. 6.

The $8 million Triple Crown program at Ruidoso Downs will once again be the focal point of the summer racing program. Those signature events include the $1,000,000 Ruidoso Futurity and the $750,000 Ruidoso Derby on June 12-13; the $1,000,000 Rainbow Futurity, the $500,000 Rainbow Derby and the $350,000 Rainbow Oaks on July 24-25; and the famous $3,000,000 All American Futurity, the $700,000 All American Derby and the $350,000 All American Oaks on September 5-6.

The stakes schedule for Quarter Horses continues to grow in 2021 with the addition of the $150,000 Mountain Top Derby for 3-year-olds and the $25,000 Jess Burner Stakes for 4-year-olds-and-up. The Thoroughbred racing program continues to offer rich opportunities with the Mountain Top Futurities and a strong schedule of Zia Festival races for New Mexico-breds in late July. The $50,000 First Lady Stakes for fillies and mares will run on July 4th Weekend.

“Running the 2020 season with 10% occupancy was a challenge, and we are eager to welcome fans back to Ruidoso Downs this summer,” said Jeff True, President and General Manager of Ruidoso Downs Race Track and Casino. “It has been a rough year for everyone, and we are excited to have our horsemen, horses and fans back on the mountain.”

Barns are set to open on April 15, and the track surface will open for training on April 19. Training races for unraced 2-year-olds are currently scheduled to be held May 3-5.

There will be new and familiar faces alike at Ruidoso Downs this summer as 2020 leading Quarter Horse and Thoroughbred trainers are expected to return including Blane Wood, trainer of 2020 All American Futurity winner and AQHA World Champion Whistle Stop Café, Wes Giles, Michael Joiner, Casey Lambert, and Todd Fincher. In addition, there will be some new faces on the backside as 2019 AQHA champion trainer Chris O'Dell moves his stable from Los Alamitos to Ruidoso Downs along with the stable of Dick “Flaco” Cappellucci.

During the off-season, Ruidoso Downs also invested in its on-track technology by signing a long-term tote services agreement with AmTote International; a product of 1/ST Technology and one of horse racing's largest and most innovative racing and gaming technology companies. The agreement will provide new technology to the track and enhance the betting experience for patrons.

The new technology includes the V3000e self-serve terminals which offer users a rich graphic interface, and the F3000e teller and self-serve convertible terminal. In addition, mobile betting through AmTote's MBet platform will also be deployed at Ruidoso. The infield and indoor tote boards will also be upgraded with new LED indication.

1/ST Technology's world-class products – AmTote, Xpressbet, 1/ST BET, XB SELECT, XB NET, PariMAX, and Betmix – are among the most trusted names in gaming, technology, and horse racing. AmTote technology and services host the majority of race track operators in North America and are currently in operation at Santa Anita Park, Gulfstream Park, Saratoga Race Course, Belmont Park, Aqueduct, and Woodbine, among many others, and process more than $15 billion in parimutuel and fixed odds wagering around the world each year.

“AmTote is a company I am very familiar with and have a great deal of confidence in. The new technology will accrue to the benefit of the New Mexico racing industry for years to come,” said Jeff True, President and General Manager of Ruidoso Downs Race Track. “Ruidoso Downs leads the state and the region in live, on-track attendance and handle, so betting technology matters to us.”

According to Keith Johnson of AmTote: “We are proud to be associated with the entire team at Ruidoso Downs and to now be hosting yet another of the world's major racing events with the world's richest quarter horse race, the All American Futurity, for many years to come.”

Ruidoso Downs Race Track also implemented a new online ticketing system that is designed to make ticket purchasing and seat selection easier for customers. Available season ticket tables are on sale at RaceRuidoso.com or by calling the box office at 575-378-4140. Individual race day tickets go on sale April 19 (with the exception of Labor Day Weekend tickets which will go on sale at a later date).

Ruidoso Downs will once again host the Ruidoso Handicapping Challenge, a qualifier to the National Handicapping Championship, on August 14. The winner of that contest will ultimately be awarded a seat in the National Handicapping Championship in Las Vegas. Last year's contest generated a great deal of interest and drew talented handicappers to Ruidoso Downs even during the pandemic.

Ruidoso Downs will offer a series of promotional weekends which will be announced soon on the RaceRuidoso.com website.

The All American Ruidoso Horse Sales continue to be the richest marketplace for American Quarter Horses. In 2021, the Select Yearling Sale will again be conducted on Labor Day Weekend. The New Mexico-Bred Quarter Horse and Thoroughbred Yearling Sale and the Foal-in-Utero Sale will be held August 20-21 during All American Trials weekend. The 2020 Select Yearling Sale was a high point in the history of the sale as 400 yearlings averaged nearly $50,000 each.

Billy the Kid Casino is scheduled to reopen on Monday, March 22 after being closed by state mandate since March 16, 2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The casino, the Sports Bar, and the simulcasting operation will be open daily from 11:00 AM – 9:00 PM.

New Mexico still has a mask mandate in place and Ruidoso Downs Race Track and Billy the Kid Casino will continue to enforce that mandate along with encouraging other COVID-Safe Practices (CSPs) including social distancing and hand sanitizing. Both entities will be required to follow occupancy guidelines based on New Mexico's Red to Green Framework.

For more information about the upcoming 2021 horse racing season at Ruidoso Downs Race Track, visit RaceRuidoso.com.

The post Ruidoso Downs Kicks Off 2021 Season Memorial Day Weekend appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post