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Wests Say They Will Support Saudi Cup Redistribution

Gary and Mary West have released a statement saying that they will support a redistribution of the purse of the $20 million Saudi Cup. The statement was made via the Twitter account of Werk Thoroughbred Consultants, of which the Wests are longtime clients.

Maximum Security won the $20 million Saudi Cup in 2020, just days before Jason Servis was named in a criminal indictment along with 26 others for a “widespread, corrupt scheme by racehorse trainers, veterinarians, PED distributors and others to manufacture, distribute, and receive adulterated and misbranded PEDs and to secretly administer those PEDs to racehorses under scheme participants' control,” by the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York. Servis pleaded guilty to those charges in court Friday, and is expected to serve four years in prison.

“We believe in the justice system and have patiently waited for the legal prosecution to take its course. Now that Jason Servis has entered a guilty plea, we want to make it clear that if the Saudi Cup decides to redistribute the purse, we would support that decision. Hopefully, that action will prevent future conduct of this nature. We believe the decision to take the Saudi Cup purse from Maximum Security and redistribute it is the correct one. There will be no further statements or comments.” The statement was signed `Gary and Mary West.'

WTC's Sid Fernando posted the statement on @sirewatch, the company's Twitter account, Friday night at 11:46 p.m. with a note that said, “WTC clients Gary and Mary West have asked us to release this statement regarding the guilty plea of Jason Servis, who trained the Wests' homebred Maximum Security.”

The payment, or non-payment, of the 2020 Saudi Cup purse has long been a source of contention, with Maximum Security's owners crying foul that they did not receive the purse money after the allegations against Servis. The rest of the field was paid their share of the purse, but Maximum Security's $10 million payment was withheld. “We are sort of in a hold position now waiting for the U.S. authorities to move forward with that case,” said Prince Bandar on behalf of the Jockey Club of Saudi Arabia at the 2021 Saudi Cup.

Midnight Bisou was the runner-up in the race, with Benbatl third, Mucho Gusto fourth, and Tacitus fifth.

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Mike Rogers Pledges One-Day Match Donation to TAA Dec. 10

As part of the Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance (TAA)'s month-long Holiday Giving Campaign, Mike Rogers has pledged to match all donations up to $500 made to the TAA Dec. 10. The campaign commenced Nov. 29 and is scheduled to conclude New Year's Eve.

Those wishing to support the TAA, its 81 accredited organizations, and thousands of retired Thoroughbreds can donate through the TAA's website or text DONATE to 56651. During the Holiday Giving Campaign, TAA is also offering donors the benefit of sending digital holiday cards to colleagues, friends, and loved ones.

“The Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance is doing great work and I'm happy to do my small part in helping their mission,” said 1/ST RACING Executive Vice President and Maryland Jockey Club Acting President and General Manager, Mike Rogers. “Our industry would be nothing without these horses, who all should have the opportunity to live long, happy lives after racing. Thank you, TAA, for providing an industry-united aftercare mechanism devoted to our retired equine athletes.”

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Nine States to McConnell: Hands Off HISA In ‘Lame Duck’ Session

The attorneys general from nine states on Thursday implored United States Senate minority leader Mitch McConnell not to use the end-of-term 'lame-duck' session of Congress to ram through legislation that would tweak non-constitutionality issues with the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act (HISA) by burying the measure within a much larger bill.

“It has come to our attention that you are considering proposing language related to HISA in the Defense Spending Authorization Act or other end-of-year legislation,” the AGs wrote to the senior senator from Kentucky in a Dec. 8 letter. “We urge you not to do so. HISA has already caused enormous upheaval in our States. A lame-duck session is not the time to slip new language into legislation amending HISA in response to [a recent court ruling]. Indeed, language that attempts anything other than repealing this ill-advised legislation will only make a bad situation worse.”

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit on Nov. 18 ruled that the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act (HISA) is unconstitutional because it “delegates unsupervised government power to a private entity” and thus “violates the private non-delegation doctrine.”

On Dec. 7, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit heard arguments in a similar case that also seeks to reverse a lower court's decision to dismiss a constitutional challenge of HISA.

The state of Louisiana's AG spearheaded the effort. Also signing the letter were the AGs from Arkansas, Indiana, Iowa, Mississippi, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina and Texas.

U.S. Trotting News was the first media outlet to publish the letter.

The letter continued: “As enacted, HISA disrespects [the] system of dual sovereignty. HISA's very purpose is to take away a regulatory power individual States have exercised since the Founding–to oversee and regulate horse racing within their borders–and give that power exclusively to a private agency.”

The HISA Authority “is exercising federal regulatory powers without any meaningful restraint, oversight, or adequate time for notice and comment, rushed rules that displaced existing State laws governing horse racing and exposed jockeys and horses to unsafe conditions,” the letter stated.

“Adding insult to injury, the Authority required all participants in the horse racing industry to pay assessments to cover the cost of enforcing HISA's dangerous and poorly thought-out private rules. As a final blow, the Authority attempted to cannibalize existing State personnel to implement and enforce the rules it enacted,” the letter stated.

At a later point, the four-page plea continued: “If you seek a resolution that settles controversy in the industry, then you should organize discussions between all industry participants that would identify and address everyone's concerns with HISA instead of making a surprise amendment to HISA now. Several of our states are engaged in litigation regarding problems with HISA beyond the private nondelegation issue, and amendments cannot avoid continuing, costly litigation unless they are carefully tailored to resolve all concerns.”

Two years ago this month, when McConnell was the Senate majority leader, he was instrumental in making sure HISA got passed by tucking it into a massive, year-end government funding bill that included a $900-billion COVID-19 relief package.

“Enacting HISA in 2020 in vital national legislation that had nothing to do with horse racing is part of why it failed so miserably,” the Dec. 8 letter stated. “Amending HISA in the Defense Spending Authorization Act with no notice to industry participants or States will merely repeat the same flawed approach.”

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Speightster’s Count de Monet Upsets Tyler’s Tribe In Advent S.

Two-for-two at Horseshoe Indianapolis earlier this summer, Count de Monet didn't receive a lot of respect at the tote board, going off for his stakes debut at Oaklawn at 15-1. Despite wanting a similar front-running position as Tyler's Tribe, Count de Monet was outrun to the lead by that rival and boxed in against the fence by Too Much Info (Maclean's Music). Still covered up around the turn as Tyler's Tribe paced the field through opening fractions of :22.33 and :46.11, Count de Monet began to make up ground when angled out for the stretch drive. As the pacesetter grew weary with a furlong to run, he overtook the lead with an outside move and drove clear for the comfortable score in Oaklawn's opening day feature. The winner has a weanling half-sister by Exaggerator named Ravenex and his dam was bred back to Echo Town for a 2023 foal. Click for the Equibase.com chart or VIDEO, sponsored by TVG.

ADVENT S., $150,000, Oaklawn, 12-9, 2yo, 5 1/2f, 1:05.06, my.
1–COUNT DE MONET, 117, c, 2, by Speightster
                1st Dam: Ravenesque (SP, $121,476), by Dance With Ravens
                2nd Dam: Gold Scammer, by Gold Tribute
                3rd Dam: Capital Coverup, by Deputy Minister
($37,000 RNA Wlg '20 KEENOV; $8,000 Ylg '21 EASOCT;
$85,000 2yo '22 OBSAPR). 1ST BLACK TYPE WIN. O-Charles
Galli; B-Copper Penny Stables (KY); T-Thomas H. Swearingen;
J-Santo Sanjur. $90,188. Lifetime Record: 3-3-0-0, $132,188.
2–Alto Road, 118, c, 2, Army Mule–Field of Flowers, by City Zip.
($12,000 2yo '22 OBSAPR). 1ST BLACK TYPE. O-Champion
Racing Stable; B-Machmer Hall (KY); T-Ronnie E. Cravens, III.
$27,750.
3–Tyler's Tribe, 124, g, 2, Sharp Azteca–Impazible Woman, by
Mission Impazible. ($34,000 Ylg '21 IOWOCT). O-Timothy E.
Martin & Thomas D. Lepic; B-Clifton Farm & Derek Merkler
(IA); T-Timothy E. Martin. $13,875.
Margins: 3, HF, NO. Odds: 15.60, 44.50, 0.80.
Also Ran: Frosted Departure, How Did He Do That, Happy Is a Choice, Wild Mule, C. J's Storm, Too Much Info.

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