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‘An Affront To The Integrity Of Racing’: Gulfstream Held Racing Without Several Vital Camera Angles

“Will this action foster increased participation and confidence from horseplayers and horse owners?”

This should be the question considered by all decision-makers in horse racing.

Strong storms cascaded through the area around Gulfstream Park on Saturday morning. Besides races on grass being shifted to the dirt and that course being downgraded to sloppy, there was another significant change on the day.

The storm knocked-out several camera positions, including head-on views and a remote camera positioned to capture starts deep in the one-mile backstretch chute.

As a result, neither the stewards nor the betting public have any record of the start and first furlong from four races at one mile on the dirt track (click each race link to view the video as it appeared on Saturday Race 1, Race 2, Race 5, Race 10).

The Thoroughbred Idea Foundation (TIF) contacted the Gulfstream Park stewards on Sunday morning regarding this matter. They confirmed that while there was an individual observing the start of the four, one-mile races, the stewards had no video to review in the event of any incident near or soon after the start and do not believe any video was otherwise recorded for their review or public dissemination after the fact.

More than $3.5 million was handled in intra and inter-race bets involving these four races.

“If the basic measures to ensure the integrity of the race are not available to the public or the stewards, the race should not be run. The races should have been cancelled,” said Patrick Cummings, TIF's Executive Director. “Simply put, the public has not gotten a fair run for their money.”

“While a cancellation would be an unfortunate outcome for the dedicated horsepeople who had their horses ready to go on Saturday, we believe it is in the best interests of all racing stakeholders to ensure that the proper integrity infrastructure is in place for all wagering on a horse race.”

The TIF has advocated for an increase in stewards' reporting on matters related to each race, meeting the standard that has been embraced by nearly all foreign jurisdictions.

“This occurrence is akin to an assault on the wagering public perpetrated by an operator of a regulated wagering event. The actual impact, however, is completely unknown, because there is no record of what occurred. Our industry has to be better than this.”

Cummings filed a complaint after Saturday's second race with the Division of Pari-Mutuel Wagering of Florida's Department of Business and Professional Regulation.

“How long would a casino be allowed to get away with just telling customers the results of a dealer's cards in blackjack as opposed to showing them? Basically, that is what happened here.

“Customers of future races will also be impacted, though to what degree is impossible to determine given the actions of the day, as horses from the four, one-mile races on Saturday go forward.”

Chart comments for the four races lacked any remarks regarding the start or opening furlong, in contrast to other races on the card where those could be observed.

No times are available for the one-mile races, either, and hand-timing cannot be conducted due to the lack of video.

Would the actions of Gulfstream Park on Saturday, July 18, 2020 have fostered increased participation and confidence from horseplayers and horse owners?

No.

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Thoroughbred Idea Foundation Forms Wagering And Integrity Issues Steering Committee

The Thoroughbred Idea Foundation (TIF) announced Tuesday the formation of the Wagering and Integrity Issues Steering Committee, which will include members from its current directors and beyond. This panel will guide TIF's approach to advocating for change within North American racing's wagering operations and topics related to improving integrity on behalf of all racing participants, but specifically horseplayers.

The members of the Wagering and Integrity Issues Steering Committee are:

Michael Beychok
Amy Brantley
Marshall Gramm (TIF Board)
Candice Hare
Jonathon Kinchen
Mike Maloney
Paul Matties (TIF Board)
Tom Reynolds (TIF Board)
Nick Tammaro
Maury Wolff

“Issues related to wagering and integrity impact all stakeholders in racing and there has been little evolution on this front in the face of major industry consolidation over the last two decades. We have assembled a tremendous group to help advance our work and I am thankful that they see the value in our vision, the past two years of advocacy, and want to help us spur action on these matters across the industry,” said Patrick Cummings, TIF Executive Director.

TIF also announced the addition of Michael Levy to its Board of Directors. Levy is the founder and president of Muirfield Insurance, a full-service equine insurance agency based in Lexington, Kentucky. Along with wife Meg, they own and operate Bluewater Farm and Bluewater Sales.

Throughout his career, Levy has served on a variety of industry boards, including the American Graded Stakes Committee, Breeders' Cup and Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association.

“Mike brings a lifetime of experience to our board, and with it, a willingness to think outside-the-box. He is keenly aware of the challenges of racing's business model as an owner-breeder and is also an avid horseplayer. We are fortunate to have his support,” said TIF founder and board chairman Craig Bernick.

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Levy Joins TIF Board; Wagering & Integrity Issues Committee Launched

Michael Levy has been added to the Board of Directors of the The Thoroughbred Idea Foundation (TIF). Levy is the founder and president of Muirfield Insurance, a full-service equine insurance agency based in Lexington, Kentucky. Along with wife Meg, they own and operate Bluewater Farm and Bluewater Sales. Throughout his career, Levy has served on a variety of industry boards, including the American Graded Stakes Committee, Breeders’ Cup and Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association.

“Mike brings a lifetime of experience to our board, and with it, a willingness to think outside-the-box. He is keenly aware of the challenges of racing’s business model as an owner and breeder and is also an avid horseplayer. We are fortunate to have his support,” said TIF founder and board chairman Craig Bernick.

TIF also announced the formation of the Wagering and Integrity Issues Steering Committee, which will include members from its current roster of directors. The panel direct TIF’s approach to advocating for change within North American racing’s wagering operations and topics related to improving integrity on behalf of all racing participants, but specifically horseplayers.

The members of the Wagering and Integrity Issues Steering Committee are: Michael Beychok, Amy Brantley, Marshall Gramm (TIF Board), Candice Hare, Jonathon Kinchen, Mike Maloney, Paul Matties (TIF Board), Tom Reynolds (TIF Board), Nick Tammaro, and Maury Wolff.

“Issues related to wagering and integrity impact all stakeholders in racing and there has been little evolution on this front in the face of major industry consolidation over the last two decades,” added Patrick Cummings, TIF Executive Director. “We have assembled a tremendous group to help advance our work and I am thankful that they see the value in our vision, the past two years of advocacy, and want to help us spur action on these matters across the industry.”

The post Levy Joins TIF Board; Wagering & Integrity Issues Committee Launched appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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TIF Lauds Keeneland For Proactively Addressing Late Odds Shift

Keeneland didn't just offer customers free programs and past performances over their recently concluded five-day summer meet, they made a highly unusual announcement on Saturday morning.

After customer complaints on Friday afternoon, Keeneland explained a late odds change from the previous day's races, assuring the public the bets were appropriately time-stamped before betting was closed.

It's a tiny, first step for an industry which has too often left the majority of its customers behind, promoting the access of a few massive wagering syndicates above the experiences of the general public.

The field for Keeneland's sixth race on Friday jumped from the stalls and #3 Early Mischief was 10-1. While it doesn't happen often, the odds for the race were still on the screen as the field broke away. The next time the odds appeared on the screen, after the race was finished and Keeneland was showing a head-on replay of the start of the race, Early Mischief was listed at 5-1.

Those who bet the race, bet racing in general or simply observed the incident, commented negatively on the situation via social media in its aftermath. Incidents such as these occur with regularity across the sport, often leading to substantial frustration from customers and, in general, silence from racetracks and bet-takers.

Needless to say, concerned customers could have a variety of questions.

Was the bet entered after the race started and Early Mischief ended up on the lead?

Why does it take the tote system so long to update?

Is there anything nefarious involved here?

These are all fair questions. Customers ask these questions because incidents like the one at Keeneland occur with regularity across North American racing. Day in and day out.

Much to their credit, Keeneland did publish a statement on Saturday morning following the Early Mischief odds shift:

“In Keeneland's 6th race on Friday, there was a significant late odds shift on the winner, Early Mischief (3). Upon request from Keeneland, the Thoroughbred Racing Protective Bureau analyzed the wagering records. During the last cycle, 26 percent of the win pool was received ($61,000). Of this amount, $16,000 was wagered on the 3 horse, dropping his odds from 10-1 to 5-1.

“Upon examination, several large win wagers were placed on the 3 horse just prior to post and those were reflected as horses left the gate. Keeneland refreshes win odds every 10 seconds to give the customer as accurate a picture as possible.

“All wagers were time stamped properly and were placed prior to the start of the race.”

CLICK HERE to read more on Keeneland's announcement…

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