Scientific Games claims the lawsuit brought against the gaming company over the recent “quick-picks” wagering situation cannot be judged in the California federal court system, and its settlement with the California Horse Racing Board was an appropriate measure to satisfy damages caused by any “alleged” defect in its betting systems.

In a dismissal motion filed Sept. 15, Scientific Games discounts the allegations raised in a styled class-action suit filed by horse owner Jerry Jamgotchian, including his charges of breach of contract, fraud, negligence, and unjust enrichment.

Jamgotchian in August filed the lawsuit, claiming Scientific Games purposely or otherwise mishandled several aspects of an alleged programming glitch in its BetJets self-wagering terminals. The snafu, which was acknowledged in the July settlement with the CHRB, apparently eliminated the highest-numbered post position from any quick-picks wagers made through BetJets terminals in California and other states.

In asking to have the Jamgotchian lawsuit thrown out, Scientific Games in its dismissal motion in part claims California law doesn’t allow for legal disputes over gambling to be heard in the court system.

“For more than a century, plaintiffs have been barred from bringing claims under California law arising out of a gambling contract or transaction, regardless of the theory under which the claims are brought, and regardless of whether the gambling activity at issue is legal or illegal,” the motion said, citing what it claims is extensive applicable case law.

Instead, Scientific Games calls the lawsuit of Jamgotchian “an ill-fated attempt to recover losing bets he (and a putative nationwide class of bettors) allegedly placed on horse races from the vendor who supplied equipment to the state-regulated racetracks where the bets were placed.”

“These hopelessly speculative claims are nothing more than an attempt to use the legal system as insurance for losing wagers,” the motion said.

A California-based attorney representing Scientific Games called Jamgothian’s complaint a “baffling, misguided lawsuit.”

“It’s hard to understand what is going on with this lawsuit, as we laid out in our motion to dismiss,” said Theodore J. Boutrous Jr. of the Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher law firm in Los Angeles. “California law is absolutely clear that this sort of lawsuit is absolutely prohibited. And when you look at the fact that the CHRB thoroughly investigated this issue, and that the company cooperated fully, there is no reason for this to go forward.”

Jamgotchian, who in interviews has alleged various levels of collusion between Scientific Games and one of his frequent targets, the CHRB, bristled at the premise the courts would throw out his lawsuit.

“According to the … motion, a California bettor does not have any contractual relationship with the racetrack where the bet is made,” he wrote in an e-mail to The Blood-Horse. “Therefore, if the bettor happens to win, (Scientific Games’) position is that the racetrack is not legally obligated to pay the bettor and the bettor has no judicial recourse.

“(Scientific Games) further states that they can’t be liable for any quick-pick damages because (the company) merely ‘supplies equipment to a vendor,’ and since the vendor isn’t liable to the bettor based upon state law, neither are they.

“If that really is the law, why would anyone make a horse racing bet in California?” he concluded.

Jamgotchian estimates damages to the class group are in excess of $5 million. Scientific Games and the CHRB counter that the pool is much smaller, and throwing out the highest-posted horse likewise often increased a bettor’s chance of winning a wager.

Scientific Games has said it will consider reimbursing bettors who made quick-pick wagers through its BetJets terminals while the glitch was present. Details of the refund policy have not been made public. It is believed that just a handful of inquiries on possible refunds have been made to Scientific Games.
(Source: The Blood-Horse)

The Dubai Racing Club has released the programme for the 2009 Dubai International Racing Carnival introducing two new divisions of races to further strengthen its global appeal.

The US$175,000 Listed DRC Gold Cup over 3,200m on the turf rejoins the racing calendar on Thursday, February 26 at Nad Al Sheba while the inaugural US$150,000 Meydan Classic, a turf race for three-year-olds, will be added to the Super Thursday programme on March 6.

Lead-up races have also been written to complement the new events.

In addition to the new races, five races have been upgraded in status and given an increase in prize-money. They are;

• Dubai City of Gold now Group 2 and increased to US$250,000

• Cape Verdi now Group 3 and increased to US$200,000

• Balanchine now Group 3 and increased to US$200,000

• Al Quoz Sprint now Group 3 and increased to US$200,000

• Zabeel Mile now Group 3 and increased to US$200,000

The Listed Al Bastakiya has also had a prize-money increase to US$250,000.

“The core base of the Carnival, the rated handicaps, remain as they have been what the Carnival has built its success on and the new races give us the chance to continue to improve and provide more opportunities to owners and trainers who may have horses that could have been unsuited in the past,” said Martin Talty, Dubai Racing Club’s International Department Manager.

“The strength of the Carnival is in those that come to compete and on that evidence it is clear that the Carnival has been a success. The upgrade of four of races to Group 3 and the rise of the Dubai City of Gold to Group 2 merely emphasizes the quality of horses that now come to Dubai in the first quarter of the year. ”

“2008 was the strongest we have seen, Honour Devil, Jay Peg, Sun Classique and Curlin all had a Carnival campaign before going on to Dubai World Cup success while Archipenko also proved himself at Group 1 level internationally but we have to look to improve on that.”

“The structure of the Carnival has shown itself to work and the new races we have introduced merely add to the growth we have in mind. They give us two new divisions of races and we now have races for all types of horses from three-year-olds and upwards.”

The Dubai International Racing Carnival begins at Nad Al Sheba racecourse on January 15 and culminates with the Dubai World Cup meeting on March 28 with prize-money totalling in excess of US$30,500,000.
(Source: DRC Newswire)

Kempton Park racecourse, 15 miles west of London, England, is to stage the Kentucky Derby Challenge Stakes March 18, 2009, for the first time. The winner of the nine-furlong, $150,000 conditions race, run on fibresand under floodlights, will be eligible for the 2009 Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (gr. I) May 2.

Amy Starkey, managing director of Kempton Park, said: “The establishment of the Kentucky Derby Challenge Stakes represents a fantastic opportunity to increase the international profile of Kempton, as well as promoting the Kentucky Derby to European-based owners and trainers.”

Churchill Downs has scheduled a press conference for later Sept. 16 to “announce plans to encourage international participation in the Kentucky Derby.”
(Source: The Blood-Horse)

Beginning Saturday, horses in California returning from layoffs of at least six months can be entered one time in claiming races in which they will be ineligible to be claimed in an effort to encourage owners to give horses time off.

The rule, originally proposed by the Thoroughbred Owners of California, states that to be eligible for the non-claiming option, a horse must be entered at a claiming level equal to or greater than the price for which it last started and must be coming off a layoff of at least 180 days.

The California Horse Racing Board conducted a public hearing on the rule and adopted it in May. The rule then passed review by the state’s Office of Administrative Law and will take effect on Saturday.

“We’re trying to find a way to give the owner an incentive to put a horse out for some ‘R&R,’” CHRB Chairman Richard Shapiro said. “The owner’s made an investment in rehabilitating the horse and he doesn’t want to see that first time back he loses the horse and the investment.”

Horses entered for the non-claiming option will be identified in the official program. Equibase also will begin identifying horses running for this condition in their past-performance lines beginning next month.
(Source: Thoroughbred Times)

One of Simon Bazalgette’s ancestors built London’s famous Victorian sewage system, not to mention the Embankment and several bridges. Another won the Victoria Cross. Their descendant’s new job, meanwhile, is to make the Jockey Club seem modern and relevant. The Bazalgettes, it seems, do not shirk a challenge.

The Jockey Club has been in existence for a quarter of a millennium, but Bazalgette, who joined its payroll on September 1, is its very first chief executive. It is a powerful position too, for while the Club no longer regulates the sport, it still owns tracks, including Cheltenham, Epsom, Aintree and Newmarket, as well as the National Stud and thousands of acres of land in Newmarket and Lambourn.

Yet Bazalgette’s new post still seems a long way removed from Music Choice Europe plc, a digital and internet entertainment provider where he was once chief executive, and even from Racing UK, the satellite channel which he joined at its launch in May 2004.

“It might seem like quite a change,” Bazalgette said yesterday, “given most people’s view of the Jockey Club, but you have to dig under the skin. The Jockey Club is a lot more focused and commercial than people realise.

“It owns 50% of Racing UK, and 25% of Turf TV [which has just broken the SIS monopoly in the supply of live racing coverage to betting shops], and has a record of turning around businesses like the National Stud, that were either making losses or not doing as well as they should. It would be nice if people understood that, but then it can have its advantages too if people tend to underestimate you.”

It was the same, he points out, with Racing UK. At its launch, many pundits believed its subscription-based business model was doomed to fail, but four years later, it is thriving. Turf TV, meanwhile, also confounded expectations when it saw off a recent legal challenge by the country’s major bookmakers that could have put it out of business.

“It is often a self-fulfilling prophesy when bookmakers say that they are going to fight something as everyone then backs down,” he says, “but we won this game, set and match.”

Bazalgette now hopes that the proposed Sovereign Series of major Flat races, many of them staged at Jockey Club-owned tracks, will also confound its critics, despite what is rumoured to be a lukewarm reception from the major terrestrial television channels.

“There is a great deal that needs to be done in the whole area of media rights, and the Sovereign Series is an important development in that,” he says. “We need to create a sport that does not just attract the hardened regulars’ interest, but can attract new customers.

“The [negative] reaction was not unexpected, I’ve been in the business a long time and I know how it works. But what’s important is that among key stakeholders, support for the Sovereign Series was almost universally positive, and outside the sport, people are saying that this is what racing needs to be doing.”

When it comes to finding converts to the sport, Bazalgette can draw on personal experience. He took only a casual interest before he arrived at Racing UK, though he is now a part-owner of Bonnie Charlie, a winner at Doncaster last week.

“I was an occasional racegoer rather than a follower,” he says, “as it can be difficult to understand unless you are brought up with it. But now I’m hooked. I dipped my toe in four years ago, and haven’t had my head above water since.”
(Source: Guardian)

Mike Ziegler, most recently vice president and assistant general manager at Hollywood Park, has been named senior vice president of California-based Youbet.com, the company announced Sept. 16.

Prior to his three years at Hollywood Park, Ziegler held senior positions at Bay Meadows, Santa Anita Park, and Golden Gate Fields. Before entering the horseracing industry, he worked in marketing with the Oakland Athletics Baseball Co. and Gatorade.

“I am very pleased to be joining Youbet at this time,” Ziegler said. “Youbet is a pioneer and the absolute best brand in the advance deposit wagering space. The team has done a terrific job over the last couple of quarters turning around the company, and I look forward to bringing my experience to the table to build upon these accomplishments.”

“Hiring an individual of Mike Ziegler’s experience to the Youbet team will add an entirely new dimension to our business,” said Michael Brodsky, president and chief executive officer of Youbet.com. “With his deep relationships in horse racing and unique industry perspective, we are certain that Mike will have a dramatic impact on Youbet’s efforts to further develop and define new and existing relationships with our content partners.

“There are many tough issues facing the racing industry today, and we are deeply committed to our relationships, especially with our independent track partners, the horsemen, and racing fans at large. Mike’s long-standing industry experience, coupled with his ability to comprehend multiple points of view and high regard within the industry, will facilitate Youbet’s success with all of our key constituents.”
(Source: The Blood-Horse)

Officially, Golden Gate Fields begins a 67-day thoroughbred season today, but effectively it’s the start of more than nine straight months of racing at Northern California’s only remaining major facility after the closure of Bay Meadows.

The season that runs through Dec. 21 is on the state’s 2008 calendar, but the 2009 calendar begins Dec. 26, and Golden Gate Fields plans to run from that date through June 28, subject to approval by the California Horse Racing Board.

“All parties are in agreement on extended dates at Golden Gate Fields until Pleasanton (the Alameda County Fair) can put in an artificial surface and make improvements to its grandstand,” general manager Robert Hartman said.

As a result of a CHRB mandate that the state’s major tracks install synthetic surfaces, Golden Gate Fields put in Tapeta Footings in 2007, and Hartman is confident it will hold.

“I have no concern about the Tapeta at all,” he said. “The turf course is another matter. We usually don’t use it in rainy weather, anyway, so we’ll probably use the winter to reseed it. The Tapeta has shown to be amenable to turf horses, so they can run on it in January and February.”

The season begins as the horse-racing industry feels the effects of the downturn in the economy. Saratoga and Del Mar, perhaps the two highest-quality racing venues in the nation, saw significant declines in betting at their recently concluded seasons. Nationally, wagering is down 3.99 percent in 2008.

“Traditionally, gambling has been recession-proof, but this time around, the economy has had more of an effect than it normally would,” Hartman said. “Hopefully, we won’t see that here.”

To that end, free shuttle-bus service from the North Berkeley BART station has been reinstated, and a serious effort is being made to attract pro football fans. There will be $1 general admission and general parking, plus $1 beers, sodas, hot dogs and racing programs every Sunday, and the track has added the NFL Sunday Ticket to its television network.

“Where the fans are watching races, we’ll have one or two feature games on, but the less populated spots will have every game,” Hartman said. “The individual sets in the Turf Club will have all the games, and we’ll provide schedules and station numbers each week.”

Only nine stakes events are scheduled during the 14-week season, headed by the Grade 3, $200,000 All American Stakes on Sept. 27. Six other stakes have $75,000 purses, and the remaining two offer $50,000. Simulcasts from Santa Anita of the California Cup on Oct. 5 and the Breeders’ Cup on Oct. 24 and 25 will pick up some of the slack.

“We decided to have fewer stakes races but more for $75,000 because they seem to attract more horses from Southern California,” Hartman said. “We’re also hoping to run a lot of $40,000 non-conditioned allowances. They are mini-stakes like the one Tribesman and Vicarino ran in earlier this year.”

Erratic stakes schedules have plagued Northern California for several years.

“This all goes back to years ago when we started going back and forth across the bay four times a year,” trainer Greg Gilchrist said. “Everything got disrupted. In most places, you know what stakes is on the first day and on the last day and every one in between, but we just can’t seem to do that in Northern California. Maybe now that Bay Meadows has gone away they will get some kind of stakes program implemented that would be the same every year.”
(Source: San Francisco Chronicle)

Using the possibility of hosting the 2011 Breeders’ Cup as its sales pitch, Arlington Park won an extra week of early autumn racing when the Illinois Racing Board awarded 2009 dates after daylong hearings on September 15.

“We would like to run a Breeders’ Cup in the near future,” Arlington President Roy Arnold told the board. “We’re looking at 2011. By going to Columbus Day we would be [financially] able to keep the backstretch open [through Breeders’ Cup weekend].”

Arnold said because of a compromise agreement with the Illinois Thoroughbred Horsemen’s Association, Arlington “agreed to achieve Columbus Day incrementally over a three-year period.”

Therefore, Arlington amended its original request to extend the 2009 meeting through October 12 and instead asked to race through September 30.

Hawthorne Race Course lost the week that Arlington gained. Hawthorne President Tim Carey said he supported Arlington’s bid for the Breeders’ Cup, but argued that the rival track did not need to run through Columbus Day to be the host.

“This request [for more fall dates] can be taken as an attempt to put Hawthorne out of business and that would have a devastating effect on Illinois racing,” Carey testified.

Hawthorne suffered an even bigger loss when it was shut out of harness racing dates after conducting a June 24-August 7 meeting this year. The decision came in response to a joint request by the Balmoral Park/Maywood Park ownership combine and the Illinois Harness Horsemen’s Association to significantly reduce the number of Standardbred dates in order to use dark night revenue to bolster the dwindling purse accounts.

Fairmount Park in Collinsville, Illinois, which is not legally permitted to serve as a dark host track and is in a dire financial situation, was awarded a 75-program April 7-September 26 Thoroughbred meeting.

“Fairmount’s situation is quite perilous,” board chairman Joe Sinopoli said. “If this situation continues to deteriorate, I would find it difficult to issue further dates to Fairmount.”

Sinopoli said in awarding Thoroughbred and Standardbred dates the previous two years the board acted on the assumption that legislative relief was forthcoming.

“That has proven to be counterproductive,” he said. “We cannot continue to do so.”

By a 10-0 vote. the board adopted the 2009 Thoroughbred and Standardbred schedules proposed by Sinopoli.

“If ever I would say this is not a model indefinitely into the future this definitely is the year,” the chairman said.

The 2009 Illinois Thoroughbred schedule:

Hawthorne Race Course – 112 live programs
Jan. 1-Jan. 11
March 6-April 30
Oct. 1-Dec. 31

49 dark host simulcast programs

Arlington Park – 98 live programs
*May 1-Sept. 30

106 dark host programs

Fairmount Park – 75 live programs
**April 7-Sept. 26

*Arlington will race four days weekly May 1-June 30 and Aug. 30-Sept. 30; five days weekly July 1-Aug. 29.

** Fairmount will race Tuesday afternoon and Saturday and Sunday evenings.
(Source: Thoroughbred Times)

Magna Entertainment Corp. has bought more time again so it can find money or reorganize to stay alive.

MI Developments Inc., which controls MEC, said yesterday it will extend repayment of $180 million (U.S.) in two loans to the end of October.

MEC also gained a one-month extension to the maturity date on a $40-million revolving credit line with a major bank. That was a condition of getting the other two extensions.

The company, which has major interests in horse racetracks and corresponding gambling and broadcasting assets, is on the brink of collapse unless it can raise cash for operations or restructure.

“MEC requires immediate funding to address its short-term liquidity needs,” the firm said in a statement explaining the extensions.

Under terms of the deals, MEC must pay $527,000 for the extension of one $80-million bridge loan and another $400,000 on the $40-million credit line.

The other loan involves $100 million in financing for MEC’s Gulfstream racetrack expansion.

The extra time will allow MEC to find alternatives to a reorganization proposal that would have led to founder Frank Stronach and an investment group buying out the interests of MI investors in the racetrack firm for about $25 million.

“This short-term extension of the bridge loan allows us to remain focused on attempting to develop a compromise solution that is in the best interests of MID … with the necessary stakeholder support,” Dennis Mills, MI interim chief executive officer, said in a statement.

MI shareholders have called the buyout idea and accompanying proposals “an outrageous payoff” to Stronach. One shareholder calculated the complex deal would leave Stronach, who built his fortune at auto parts powerhouse Magna International, with a package worth $329 million.
(Source: Toronto Star)

Betfair, the internet’s dominant betting exchange, yesterday denied a report that it is preparing to scrap a controversial new charge to be paid by its most consistently successful clients. “Contrary to reports, there was no crisis board meeting today,” Tony Calvin, a Betfair spokesman, said, “nor was one ever planned.”

However, the firm refused to offer any further comment on the charge, or the precise reasons why it has been introduced. A question-and-answer session conducted on the forum section of its website last week remains Betfair’s only public comment on the new charge.

The premium charge, which will be levied for the first time later this month, will target clients who are winning significant sums annually while paying relatively little commission to the exchange. Betfair insists this will be an average of 600 clients per week, while about 2,000 can expect to pay the charge at some point each year.

In particular, this will affect clients who “trade” positions - that is, both backing and laying to guarantee a profit in a particular market - but could also snare some backers who have an exceptionally good strike-rate with their bets.

While suggestions of a “crisis meeting” appear to be wide of the mark, the announcement of the premium charge has been widely seen as a PR debacle for the exchange, not least because it has made so little attempt to explain its reasoning.

Betfair’s competitors, including traditional bookies and its much smaller rivals in the exchange market, have also been quick to take advantage, with promises that they will not levy any unexpected taxes on winnings. The new charge has fuelled speculation that the business is being fattened up for a float, which would allow Betfair’s founders to cash in shares worth many millions.

Another possibility, though, is that Betfair is concerned that a small number of its customers are making so much money from the exchange that the situation is unsustainable and they will, at some stage, effectively run out of losers.

On this basis, the premium charge can be seen as the price that consistent winners must pay for an ongoing supply of losers, though if this is the case, a clear statement of the fact is unlikely to do much to attract new business.

Zarkava, the 7-4 favourite for the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe following her impressive last-to-first victory in Sunday’s Prix Vermeille at Longchamp, is now officially joint top-rated by Timeform in their ratings for next month’s race.

Simon Walker, Timeform’s editorial manager, said yesterday that Zarkava is rated 141p - suggesting further improvement is likely - while Duke Of Marmalade, a doubtful runner, is rated 141, with New Approach and Papal Bull both on 140.

“Zarkava has obviously still got untapped talent,” Walker said. “She was visually very impressive, but the [strong] gallop undoubtedly aided her in coming from behind, while her tendency to start slowly would be something of a concern with the Arc in mind.”
(Source: Guardian)

A new national racetrack injury database will have problems achieving widespread compliance without a large measure of anonymity and confidentiality, a Kentucky racetrack veterinarian said Sept. 15.

“I think there is going to be a ton of resistance” to reporting injuries as long as the horse’s name is included on the report, Dr. Foster Northrup said during a meeting of the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission’s health and safety committee.

Northrup, a member of the KHRC and the health and safety committee, made the comments after the committee heard a plea from Dr. Mary Scollay, the Kentucky equine medical director who is directing the database effort along with The Jockey Club, that the commission should take stronger action to urge compliance.

While reports of injuries and fatalities during the race programs are easily documented, injuries resulting from morning workouts and at other times are often not included in reports maintained by racetracks or racing commissions. Documenting and tracking such information is one of the main goals of the national database.

“It is time for us to start being more direct in our approach in tracking non-racing related injuries,” Scollay said. “I would like the committee to recommend to the commission that licensed veterinarians be required to participate in the database.”

While racetrack practitioners would not welcome the additional paperwork required to comply with such a request, Northrup said trainers would likely provide the stiffest opposition to the database reporting. “Your biggest resistance will come from trainers, not vets,” Northrup said.

While the effectiveness of the database requires that the horse’s name be included on the report, Scollay said there would be a high level of confidentiality involved with the program. Others on the health and safety committee opined that it would also be difficult to achieve compliance for the reporting system from those involved with horses being trained at non-track training centers and farms.

Scollay reported that 64 racetracks, representing 75% of all flat racing, have agreed to participate in the reporting system. She said 17 are providing the reports during their current meets and that 29 tracks will be reporting the statistics during their upcoming meets.

The committee did not take any action on Scollay’s request. Dan Fick, executive director of The Jockey Club, said he and Scollay would schedule meetings with trainers and racetrack vets to educate them on the database and reporting mechanism and report those results at a later meeting.

The injury reporting database was one of a number of wide-ranging health and safety issues covered during the lengthy committee meeting.

The committee also discussed, and will continue to work on, revising rules to mandate safer and more humane riding crops (formerly known as whips) in Thoroughbred racing. Included in the effort will be the review of shorter crops and with more humane “poppers” (padded portion of the crop).

During the upcoming Keeneland fall meet, in two races per day jockeys will be equipped with crops that vary in length from 26 to 30 inches and in weights ranging from 6 ounces to 8 ounces. Rogers Beasley, director of racing at Keeneland, said the track will purchase 30 to 40 crops to be used during the experiment. He said the jockeys riding in the same two races each day would use the crops and that they would not be used during stakes races. Beasley said data from the experiment would be reported to the committee.

The effort toward new riding crops has the support of jockeys, said Jockeys’ Guild national manager Terry Meyocks.

Northrup told committee members that there is a growing problem with shock wave therapy being administered to horses without following the commission’s regulations. Under Kentucky rules, shock wave treatments are to be administered by veterinarians and reported to the commission vet. A horse is not permitted to run within 10 days of receiving a treatment, which Northrup said has a legitimate therapeutic benefit to horses but can also be used to mask pain.

“If you are doing it (conducting shock wave therapy) two days before a race, you are doing it for only one reason,” said Northrup. He said said administration of the therapy could also be abused on horses not stabled at racetracks and shipped in for races.

In official action, the committee recommended to the racing commission that it approve a rule banning one-handed whipping in Standardbred racing. Under the proposed rule, a Standardbred driver would be required to hold a rein in each hand and keep both hands in from of the body throughout a race. Previously, a driver could use one hand to hold both reins while using the other hand to whip the horse. The regulation also prohibits the use of a whip with a snapper, described as strands of material on the end of a whip.

Bill Napier, executive secretary of the Kentucky Harness Horsemen’s Association, said he saw a driver hit a horse 25 times from the head of the stretch to the wire during the recent Red Mile meet. “It’ll make you cringe,” Napier said.

Drivers could be suspended for 10 to 30 days and fined $100 to $13,000 for a first offense under the proposed whip ban.

Also discussed were the use of unbreakable safety reins.
(Source: The Blood-Horse)

The winds of economic contraction are not causing shivers at the Jockey Club, with officials predicting today’s Chief Executive’s Cup meeting at Sha Tin to set the standard for the first four months of the new season.
Jockey Club executive director of racing Bill Nader believes racing will weather any economic chill with barely a sniffle.

“I would say that provided the economic downswing is fairly short term, I doubt we’ll really feel much impact,” Nader said last night.

“At last year’s Chief Executive’s Cup meeting, the turnover was HK$825 million and I’m pretty confident we’ll eclipse that. My guess for tomorrow’s [today] turnover would be around HK$865 million, and we’d be pretty happy with that.

“The strength of betting at the last two meetings before the break was really very solid, and I think we can continue in that vein. I think this opening meeting will be a benchmark, if you like, that sets the mood for the run-up to the international races over the next few months.

“I will say, however, that if the economic downturn was to continue beyond the short term or get worse, then we would be reviewing our position on projected growth in another three months.” Nader believes that racing can benefit from a dicey stock market, with some players preferring horses in uncertain times.

The timing of Chief Executive Donald Tsang Yam-kuen’s visit to the opening meeting is ideal for Jockey Club chairman John Chan Cho-chak and chief executive Winfried Engelbecht-Bresges, who have sent warning shots over the government’s bows over the past 10 days.

At the heart of the issue is tax, which takes 72.5 per cent of Jockey Club profits, and a rigid regulatory framework which is making it hard to manage the racing business and embarrassing the club internationally.

Engelbrecht-Bresges, chairman of the Asian Racing Federation, was forced last week to tell Japan Racing Association leaders that Hong Kong would not bet on the Group One Sprinters’ Stakes on October 5. In May, the club could not bet on the Singapore Airlines International Cup, because of Hong Kong’s archaic gambling restrictions.

And that was acutely embarrassing because the Singapore Turf Club bets on Hong Kong racing every week, making a valuable contribution to the internationalisation of the product, and in return all they asked was that Hong Kong offer bets on their two biggest races. Hong Kong could not agree.

It’s crazy that such tiny management decisions are not left to the Club, rather than being bounced around the political arena.

While there cannot be confidence in the political leadership calling change on these counter productive policies, there is at least hope that common sense will soon prevail.

The theme at Sha Tin today is once again a top-class racing programme and quality entertainment.

The Trainers’ Ride for Charity has again received blanket coverage in the media and popular trainer Derek Cruz is a short-priced favourite to win the race for the second year on speed performer Bobo Win.

The Ride for Charity will raise HK$400,000 for the causes or organisations nominated by the three trainers participating - Cruz, Paul O’Sullivan and Me Tsui Yu-sak.

The feature event of the day, the HK$1.75 million Chief Executive’s Cup, is scheduled for 2.30pm and Tsang will present the trophies to the winning owner.
(Source: SCMP)

The forthcoming Western Cape Sizzling Summer Season feature race programme is notable for substantial stakes increases and the strategic reshuffling of certain key races in the interests of maximizing overall quality and opportunity.

In announcing the revised fixture list, Gold Circle’s Racing Director, Graeme Hawkins said that he was confident that both trainers and owners of promising horses, and three year olds, in particular, would find the timing of certain races to be more practical and beneficial in the planning of a meaningful programme.

A further notable feature of the Sizzling Summer programme is the fact that Gold Circle have taken the step of bringing the stakes of all Graded and Listed races in line with the minimum stakes recommended by the Graded Races Standing Committee.

The highlight of the season, the J&B Met, to be run at Kenilworth on 31 January 2009, sees a stakes increase of R500 000 to R2,5 million and rightfully retains it’s place as the Cape’s richest race and one of South Africa’s most prestigious racing and social events. One of the spectacles of the 2009 running of the event will no doubt be the attempt by the reigning South African Horse of The Year, Pocket Power, to score a heroic and mind boggling historic hat-trick of victories. The J&B Met will also herald the brilliant son of Jet Master’s home-ground rematch with his Vodacom Durban July dead-heating adversary, the grey flying filly Dancer’s Daughter, in what will doubtless be yet another titanic and closely-fought duel between two of the greatest horses to grace the turf in recent years. The R600 000 Investec Cape Derby and the R500 000 Fancourt Majorca Stakes complete a dazzling Grade 1 triple feature bill on J&B Met day.

South Africa’s most prestigious weight-for-age mile, the Grade 1 L’Ormarins Queen’s Plate, has enjoyed a stake increase from R600 000 to R1 million, coupled with the pleasing news that its high profile sponsors, L’Ormarins, have committed to a further three year sponsorship. Last year’s Queen’s Plate day proved to be a winner in every sense, with a large crowd of holidaymakers and racing enthusiasts warming to the sponsors theme of pale blue and white, with an antique car display and a live band adding to the festive atmosphere. The 2009 running of this great mile contest has moved from an end December slot to 10 January 2009, when we will hope to witness current SA Horse of The Year Pocket Power attempt to rewrite the history books and go for his third consecutive victory. The Queen’s Plate is thus run three weeks prior to the J&B Met and three weeks after the Bloodstock South Africa Guineas’ new date of 20 December.

The Bloodstock South Africa Guineas takes pride of place on a feature race double-header, which it shares with the WPOTA Diadem Stakes. This also provides a much-needed major raceday at the height of the Cape Summer holiday and Christmas season and will provide Gold Circle with a wonderful opportunity to entertain holidaymakers and tourists by showcasing the excitement and thrill of high quality horseracing. Importantly, the timing of the Bloodstock South Africa Guineas and the L’Ormarins Queen’s Plate also gives the connections of exceptional three year olds the opportunity of having a tilt at both features.

A brand new feature event to be run over 1800m and scheduled for 10 January 2009, the Politician Stakes for a stake of R125 000, will give connections of other three year olds an alternative to the Classic programme.

The fillies feature programme is characterized by a move of the R1 million Thoroughbred Breeders Association Paddock Stakes to 10 January 2009, sharing the feature bill with the Grade 1 L‘Ormarins Queen’s Plate and three weeks prior to the J&B Met, thus providing a platform into the Fancourt Majorca Stakes on the same day. The time-frame of the three Grade 1 fillies features is characterized by optimum breaks between them, with the R500 000 Avontuur Estate Cape Fillies Guineas being run on 6 December 2008, the R1 million Thoroughbred Breeders Association Paddock Stakes as stated on 10 January 2009 and the Fancourt Majorca Stakes, which enjoys a stake increase from R400 000 to R500 000, on J&B Met day.

For trainers looking for alternative routes, three additional Listed fillies and mares features have been scheduled. On 17 January 2009 the Jamaica Handicap will be run for a stake of R125 000 over 1800m while on the same afternoon the Sun Classique Handicap will be run for the same stake purse over 2400m. On 24 January 2009, the sprinting fillies and mares will be given an opportunity to line up in the Laisserfaire Stakes for a stake of R125 000 over 1100m at Kenilworth.

The speed merchants have plenty to race for with the Grade 1 Cape Flying Championship, at weight-for-age over 1000m, run on 24 January 2009 and welcoming a new sponsor in Betting World. The stake of this great test of speed has been increased from R400 000 to R500 000. The Grade 2 Betting World Merchants will be contested on 15 November 2008 over 1200m for an increased stake of R300 000, while the stake of the Grade 2 WPOTA Diadem Stakes run on Bloodstock South Africa Guineas day, 20 December, also increases to R300 000.

Stayers will also benefit from increased stakes in all of the five feature events run from distances of 2400m to 3200m, as well as a ‘triple crown‘ incentive run on the Durbanville Cup, the Western Cape Bookmaker’s Association Summer Stayer’s Handicap and culminating in the J&B Reserve Stayers , run traditionally as the curtain call on J&B Met day. A cash incentive of R250 000 is being offered to the connections of a horse that wins all three of the aforementioned races in the coming season and is kindly sponsored by the Western Cape Bookmakers Association. As a consolation, a points based scheme will be run over the mentioned three races with fantastic betting voucher prizes payable to the winning owner, trainer and jockey. A press release setting out the terms of the competition will be issued shortly.

Gold Circle’s Racing Director Graeme Hawkins concluded by saying that much thought and effort had gone into the changes: “Thanks to the wholesale co-operation of our world-class sponsors, we have been able to bring about changes which we believe will optimize opportunities and benefits for all our horses and stakeholders. The J&B Met is an integral part of the horseracing and social fabric of the Cape and the stake increase to R2,5 million will ensure that the race keeps pace with its ongoing growth in stature as one of the world’s truly great horseracing events. In rescheduling the Queen’s Plate and Guineas dates as an example, both L’Ormarins and Bloodstock South Africa have embraced the changes in the interests of top-class horseracing and to the overall benefit of all involved.

The scheduling of the additional Listed feature races also adds a new dimension and alternative potential race paths for the astute trainer, while the Western Cape Bookmakers Association sponsorship of the stayers ‘triple crown’ as we would like to call it, will ensure that the long distance horses who provide great entertainment and are true crowd pleasers, will receive their due acknowledgement.

The 2008/2009 Sizzling Summer Season promises to be the Cape’s best season of racing yet and we look forward to welcoming the very best horses from all over South Africa,’’ he said.

The full Western Cape Racing Season is listed hereunder:

(Source: SA Horseracing)

For a man who had just won a Group Two race and is currently enjoying the season of his life, Johnny Murtagh cut a moody figure after the Doncaster Cup here yesterday. Aidan O’Brien’s stable jockey all but refused to talk to Channel 4 and the rest of the racing media after an easy win on Honolulu in the feature event, prompting speculation that there is real anger in the Ballydoyle operation about O’Brien’s summons to a British Horseracing Authority inquiry into alleged team tactics, expected to be held later this month.

Murtagh’s thoughtful comments on the performances of O’Brien’s runners have been a welcome feature of a season that has already brought 18 Group One victories. There was no hint of any willingness to help yesterday, though, as he brushed aside questions from Lesley Graham, conducting a live interview on Channel 4. Murtagh then walked briskly to the weighing room past reporters, effectively refusing to answer any questions.

Murtagh has not been charged by the BHA following his victory on Duke Of Marmalade in the International Stakes, but both O’Brien and Colm O’Donoghue, who rode Duke Of Marmalade’s pacemaker, will be questioned over a possible breach of Rule which covers team tactics.

However, the inquiry appears to have been prompted, at least in part, by quotes attributed to Murtagh in the Sunday Times the day after the International.

“I was always going to follow Colm,” Murtagh was quoted as saying. “I didn’t want to start worrying about other horses. I just wanted to worry about myself and Colm and I said to him, ‘When you get to the four marker, just ease off and give me the passage through’. It’s what Ballydoyle’s all about.”

O’Brien was not at Doncaster yesterday, but he will be a focus of attention on Town Moor today, when he will saddle five of the 14 runners in the St Leger. At least one of the five, Hindu Kush, has already performed pace-making duties this season.

Victory would give O’Brien either his 19th or 20th Group One of the season, depending on the performance of his runners in the Sprint Cup earlier on the card, while he is widely expected to complete a clean sweep of the Irish Classics in the Irish St Leger later in the afternoon.

Murtagh had to be patient on Honolulu yesterday, as he is a horse who takes plenty of time to find his stride, and for a brief moment in the home straight, it seemed that Royal And Regal had slipped the field. Once Murtagh located top gear, though, Honolulu picked up the leader with a minimum of fuss, justifying the support of the punters who sent him off favourite at 15-8.

Some bookmakers quoted Honolulu at around 20-1 for the Melbourne Cup afterwards but he is hardly the speedier type of cruise-and-quicken stayer that is suited by Flemington and if O’Brien has a runner in Australia’s biggest race, Septimus, who runs in the Irish Leger today, is a much more likely candidate.

Spacious, the runner-up in the 1,000 Guineas in the spring but not seen on a track since Ascot in June, returned to action with victory in the Frank Whittle Partnership Conditions Stakes, but was forced to work much harder than an odds-on chance should to justify an SP of 8-11.

“She wasn’t happy on the ground, but hopefully this will turn her season around,” James Fanshawe, her trainer, said. “The plan has always been to go to the Sun Chariot Stakes, and she’s the sort who could be stronger next year.”

Madame Trop Vite produced an impressive burst of speed on the stands’ rail to take the Group Two Flying Childers Stakes, and is now likely to run in the Cheveley Park Stakes at Newmarket.
(Source: Guardian)

A volunteer translator for a health clinic at Saratoga Race Course said she lost her job for speaking with The Saratogian about what she felt were abysmal living conditions for the backstretch workers.

“I got fired from a volunteer position,” Teresa Grocki wrote in an e-mail to The Saratogian.

Grocki was a volunteer with the Backstretch Employee Service Team (BEST), a nonprofit organization that provides health and human services to the backstretch workers, and is responsible for the creation of the medical and dental clinics.

She said that shortly after the Aug. 31 article appeared in which she talked about poor conditions for backstretch workers, she was called into a meeting with Cate Dolan, the BEST president, who had her turn over her credentials.

Dolan has confirmed that Grocki’s badge was revoked, but declined to comment further.

Grocki said her initial interest in speaking about her experience came after the state Department of Labor announced that it interviewed 110 of the 1,200 backstretch workers employed by trainers and found that 80 percent had been underpaid and many “expressed concerns about the conditions of their housing.”

In the Aug. 31 article, Grocki said that one worker told her he was not allowed to go the bathroom when he needed to, and suffered pain from a kidney stone as a result. She also said workers live in confined rooms and work long days for low pay, conditions that often lead to depression, she said.

Asked to comment on the Grocki situation, New York Racing Association President Charles Hayward said in a telephone interview on Tuesday that NYRA, which provides housing for the backstretch workers, is eager to build improved condominium-style dormitories for them. Hayward said NYRA is waiting for revenue from video lottery terminals set to be installed at Aqueduct Racetrack for the improvements to occur.

“The earliest that will happen is 2010,” Hayward said.
Grocki told The Saratogian that BEST’s Dolan told her that her work was excellent but that talking to the press was “uncalled for.”

“I told her I did nothing wrong, and was only trying to tell the Hispanics’ side of their story,” Grocki wrote. “She pretty much let me know too that I would not have a position next year.”

Grocki said she had spent four hours per day volunteering three times per week during the racing season, and hoped to continue working into October, as horses train in Saratoga Springs in the fall and spring, before and after the racing season. Her badge was due for renewal in December.

“All I want to do is translate for these people,” Grocki said in one of several telephone interviews. “I really love the racetrack, I loved what I was doing, and I feel very saddened I won’t be allowed to get a badge there again.”
She doesn’t blame NYRA or BEST for the conditions she criticized.

“BEST, as it says, is the best thing that’s ever happened to the backstretch,” Grocki said. “I truly believe this in spite of the problem I had with Cate over the article.”
(Source: The Saratogian)

The New York Racing Association’s long-awaited 25-year franchise agreement finally became official at noon EDT on Friday.

The development occurred simultaneously with NYRA’s emergence from bankruptcy and withdrawal of its outstanding lawsuit against the state, which charged various officials with deliberately causing NYRA’s financial problems.

Under the new contract, ownership of Saratoga Race Course, Belmont Park and Aqueduct transfers from NYRA to the state. NYRA retains the franchise to run racing and will lease tracks back from the state for $1 per year.

Also, the state immediately will advance $105-million to NYRA—$75-million to pay off debt such as back real estate taxes and pension fund obligations and $30-million for ongoing operations. The state also writes off $137.2-million in past NYRA debt.

“This is a great end to an incredible process,” NYRA Chairman C. Steven Duncker said. “This is going to enormously enhance Thoroughbred racing in our state … and internationally. We’ve got a clean run at racing.”

Finally free of huge financial obligations and never-ending legal distractions, NYRA can focus its attention on serious racing issues. President Charles Hayward said he already has told state officials that NYRA wants a steroids testing program in place by next spring.

This summer, the state took over New York City Off-Track Betting Inc., which accounts for half of all OTB wagering. Moving forward, officials hope that NYRA and OTB can work not just more cooperatively, but perhaps in conjunction with one another.

“That is front and center,” Hayward said. “I know that’s a big priority for the governor.”

The new franchise calls for a new NYRA board that goes from 28 to 25 members—14 of NYRA’s choosing and 11 political appointees. Duncker said that NYRA will make its selections known early next week.

Within the next few weeks, the state is expected to name a gaming operator for Aqueduct’s proposed racino. Duncker said he believes NYRA can survive financially until such a facility opens, perhaps late next year.

During bankruptcy, NYRA has trimmed waste, become more efficient, and hired new talented management personnel, all of which have helped improve the organization financially, Duncker said.

“This is a new beginning and hopefully one that will benefit the people of the state of New York a little better than prior arrangements have,” said John Sabini, chairman of the state Racing and Wagering Board, the state’s regulatory body. “We want to see racing succeed for everyone’s sake in New York—people in agribusiness, horse owners, but most importantly the folks who are the stewards of it, the taxpayers.

“Gov. [David] Paterson wants to make sure that the racing franchise is one that benefits the people of the state of New York, not one that we continually have to bail out.”
(Source: Thoroughbred Times)

William S. Farish Jr. was unanimously re-elected as Breeders’ Cup chairman, and R.D. Hubbard selected as vice chairman, during the third-quarter meeting of the Breeders’ Cup board of directors Sept. 5.

In other business, following up on its recently announced policy to ban anabolic steroids from the World Championships, Breeders’ Cup Stakes program, and Breeders’ Cup Challenge races, the board agreed to a three-year renewal to help fund the Equine Drug Research Institute of the Grayson-Jockey Club Research Foundation. The goal of EDRI is to conduct research that creates new drug tests for equine laboratories to improve the quality of drug testing in horse racing.

This year’s two-day World Championships is slated for Oct. 24-25 at Santa Anita Park in California.
(Source: The Blood-Horse)

Singapore horse-racing reached another milestone when the spanking new Polytrack circuit was opened for its first trial gallops on September 12.

Indeed, barely a day after the last truck-loads of the synthetic surface had been laid flat on Track 2 that the first sounds of pounding hooves could already be heard around the track erstwhile known as Fibresand.

Trainer Sam Chua’s Daring Mellifont will go in the history books as the first galloper to step onto the Polytrack proper at 8.30am, and was followed soon after by 37 other horses from various yards.

As the brownish mixture of sand, fibres and chopped rubber requires a little more time to settle down, the first trials were restricted to a light canter around one lap.

“Though it needs time to settle, we wanted to open the track as soon as possible,” said track manager R Jayaraju.

“The horses will only do slow work for now. We’ll have a lot more trotting and cantering on Monday.”

It may have been a soft launch, but the rave reviews have been coming in thick and fast.

“It felt very good. It’s still a little wavy, just like how Track 7 felt when it was just opened, but with more conditioning and traffic in the coming weeks it should level out,” said jockey Noel Callow after his “test drive” aboard Laurie Laxon’s superstar Top Spin.

Kranji’s Track 7 has been a 1,600m-long trial track for the UK-patented surface in the past four months.

Jockey Saimee Jumaat who was astride another one of Laxon’s champions, Why Be, also gave two thumbs-up on his way back.

“I’d race on it tonight!” exclaimed the multiple-champion rider.

“For Why Be to feel good over it, it must be really good. It definitely is a kinder track for horses.

“Obviously it’s still a little loose in some parts but I have no doubt it will be 100 per cent once it has settled down.”

Laxon, who was on hand to get the two jockeys’ first impressions, could not wait for the first Polytrack races scheduled for October 4 to come around.

“I have horses like Magician who I’m sure will love this track. For sure this is different to fibresand but I’m sure I have quite a few who should go well on it,” said the New Zealander.

Trainer John Meagher was just as rapt the new alternative track is ready.

“We’re not the pioneers as it’s been a proven surface for a long time,” said Meagher of the surface that has been in use in major racing centres like Wolverhampton, Lingfield Park, Keeneland, etc in the past 20 years.

“I’ve been a fan of Polytrack ever since I stepped on the one at Warren Hill, Newmarket in UK 13 years ago,”

“There will be less attrition among our horses. I had one horse who looked a bit lost around the new track this morning – he’s never felt that good before!

“It’s a sensational track and so much better for the animal. The animal will be so much better for it.”

Meagher’s two-time champion apprentice Adam Fiezan was another one who had been rapidly won over.

“It’s an amazing track. It’s got so much bounce the horses don’t ‘sink’ in it,” said Fiezan.

Steven Burridge’s wife Julie who put World Delight through his first paces around the Polytrack echoed the same sentiments.

“It felt really nice and firm though there was a little bit of water at some spots after the recent rain,” said Burridge, a senior track rider to her husband.

“It’s still a bit undulated but that should even out with more traffic.”

Probably the one who summed up the cushy feel of the track the best was Irish jockey Mark Gallagher, who is always ready for a quip.

“It felt so comfortable I could really sleep on it!”
(Source: Singapore Turf Club)

An ambitious attempt to repackage the Flat racing season as a high-profile televised league is likely to unravel today when initial bids for the rights are opened, with broadcasters set to tell organisers to rethink their plans.

The Sovereign Series was designed to provide a narrative to the season, taking in 10 races including the Epsom Derby, Ascot’s King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes and the Champion Stakes at Newmarket, and bring racing to a younger and more mainstream audience.

It was hoped that the new series, due to begin in 2010 with a £10m prize purse, would prompt a bidding war between rival broadcasters eager to capitalise on its appeal. The series has to be shown on terrestrial TV, partly because the Derby is a protected event and partly to maintain exposure for sponsors and bookmakers.

But Five and ITV are not believed to have submitted bids, leaving only the existing players BBC and Channel 4. And it is believed that both broadcasters were angry at being left out of discussions about the future of the sport on TV, viewing the Sovereign Series as a fait accompli.

Both saw the idea of sparking a bidding war, particularly in the current economic climate with Channel 4 facing an advertising downturn and the BBC dealing with a tough licence fee settlement, as fanciful.

Far from welcoming the plan, as Racing UK and Ascot had hoped they would, the broadcasters remain non-plussed at at the idea. The BBC is committed to the Derby and the Grand National but doesn’t see racing as a huge priority beyond those big audience pullers. While Channel 4 remains committed to the sport for now, in 2005 it came close to ending its long-running association before agreeing an innovative deal that saw sponsors contributing to production costs. Their concerns do not appear to have reached those involved.

Charles Barnett, chief executive of Ascot, said yesterday: “I thought the broadcasters had showed some enthusiasm for it. The feedback we got is that racing has been crying out for a bit of storytelling. This is an attempt to introduce it.” But he added: “I wouldn’t be surprised if there are things that need looking at. This is a staging post. We need to know what the broadcasters are saying.”

Launching the plan in July, Simon Bazalgette, the Racing UK chairman who last week took up his new role as chief executive of the Jockey Club, said the Series would “capture the imagination of a new generation of sports fans who have never been interested in racing”.

He predicted that within five years it would stand alongside Wimbledon and the Open as a key fixture in the sporting calendar. But one TV executive, who is not bidding, said the organisers were “living in cloud cuckoo land” and predicted that the sport was destined to end up with its major races on the BBC and everything else on a dedicated channel.

One solution might be to split the rights to the races between broadcasters, but this would undermine a key stated aim of the Series - to establish a narrative for the sport across the season.

“We want to get the public to follow Seb Sanders in the same way as they follow Frankie Dettori,” said Barnett yesterday. “They will follow the colours or follow the name of the horse [from race to race]. We’ve got to give it a go. I think it stands a very good chance of being successful.”

The scheme is a joint venture between Racing UK, the subscription channel that is co-owned by 30 racecourses, and Ascot, which has bundled its three biggest Flat races into the Sovereign Series. The rights to its other meetings have also been thrown into the pot, for Racing UK to negotiate.

Racing UK, Channel 4 and the BBC all declined to comment.
(Source: Guardian)

Antony Beck, president of Gainesway Farm, and Reynolds Bell Jr., chairman of the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association, have joined the National Thoroughbred Racing Association board of directors.

Beck replaces Robert Clay as one of two Breeders’ Cup Ltd. representatives on the NTRA board. Bell fills the TOBA seat previously occupied by L. William Helligbrodt.

The NTRA board now includes:

Racetrack representatives—Robert Elliston, Turfway Park (executive chairman, NTRA); Robert Evans, Churchill Downs Inc.; William Fasy, Delaware Park; Charles Hayward, New York Racing Association; F. Jack Liebau Sr., Hollywood Park; Jim McAlpine, Magna Entertainment Company; and Nick Nicholson, Keeneland Association.

Owner/breeder/horsemen representatives—Beck, Breeders Cup Ltd.; Bell, TOBA; Alan Foreman, Thoroughbred Horsemen’s Association; G. Watts Humphrey, Breeders’ Cup Ltd.; Alan Marzelli, The Jockey Club; Marsha Naify, Thoroughbred Owners of California; and Joe Santana, Horsemen’s Benevolent and Protective Association.

The board also includes Alex Waldrop, NTRA president and chief executive officer.

During a Thursday meeting in Lexington, the NTRA board also received updates on equine health and safety initiatives, legislative affairs, and NTRA Advantage programs. Television and marketing for the Breeders’ Cup World Championships on October 24-25 at Santa Anita Park was also discussed.
(Source: Thoroughbred Times)