Horse Racing

Bettors Are Biggest Losers After Mistake at Breeders’ Cup


By Ed McNamara

Trendy Video games wasn’t harm, however the veterinarians standing close by didn’t notice that. Whereas his stablemate, Albahr, was flipping over within the stall subsequent to him, an assistant starter properly opened the entrance door to Trendy Video games’ stall to stop Albahr from injuring him. Jockey William Buick jogged Trendy Video games out for 40 yards or so, then stopped. The colt was superb.

Albahr was scratched from the $1 million Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf, and thankfully he and jockey Frankie Dettori had been all proper. Then it bought bizarre and infuriating as darkness fell Friday at Del Mar on Day 1 of the thirty eighth Breeders’ Cup.

Trendy Video games at Del Mar racecourse – Photograph Courtesy of Edward Whitaker

Two veterinarians behind the beginning gate assumed Trendy Video games had damaged by on his personal. Chuck Jenkins and Dana Stead ought to have checked with the gate crew about that, however they didn’t. This is called a sin of omission.

Modern Games was scratched before a veterinary exam discovered no injuries, which led to his being allowed to run, but for purse money only. He rallied to win, but all bets on the horse who would have been the 2-1 favorite had to be refunded, making runner-up Tiz the Bomb the winner and enraging everybody who had bet on Modern Games.

“The horse was taken out of the wagering pools when it was racing sound,” California Horse Racing Board executive director Scott Chaney said. “The [message] was radioed up to the stewards, who took the horse out.”

And once the scratch was made, there was no going back. The rules are clear: Even if a horse is inadvertently scratched, that’s it, and instantly a series of bet-processing protocols automatically refund all wagers on it.

Curtis Lindell is vice president of wagering analysis and operations for the Thoroughbred Racing Protective Bureau. “Once a horse is scratched, it’s impossible to undo that,” he told drf.com Saturday morning. “That’s why everybody has to be very careful to not scratch a horse on a mistake.”

Being very careful is always the way to go, especially when millions of dollars are on the line. Yet with the racing world watching, carelessness and cluelessness reigned supreme. It was the ultimate unforced error, and it didn’t have to happen. It was a disgrace to horse racing if there can be such a thing.

My friend Pete was alive for a $3,300 pick 6 payoff if Modern Games won, and he ended up with nothing. It was ultimate heartbreak for a horseplayer, to get it all right and have everything go wrong. Even when you win, you lose. I had $20 on Modern Games, but compared to Pete’s pain, mine was nothing. If that had happened to me, the spike in blood pressure might have made my head explode.

Even after Modern Games was removed from the pari-mutuel equation, Pete still had a chance to hit the pick 6. He also had Dubawi Legend on his ticket, and whenever there’s a late scratch, those wagers are switched to the favorite. Thanks to the debacle, Pete ended up with Dakota Gold, but he cringed as that horse and Dubawi Legend plodded home fifth and 10th, respectively, and Modern Games came surging wide to score by 1 1/2 lengths.

I salute Pete for not snapping and hurling a shoe at our mutual friend Joel’s big-screen TV. He didn’t even say any bad words. I felt terrible for him because he had endured another historically horrific beat. He had a significant wager in the 2019 Kentucky Derby on Maximum Security, the race’s only first-place finisher ever disqualified for an on-track violation.

“That really hurt, but at least the stewards made the right call,” Pete said. “But this …”

As a disgusted Pete got ready to leave, he said, “After this, I’m never going to bet on another horse race.”

Joel played the straight man, and with a smile said, “Until tomorrow, right?”

Pete grimaced and said, “Yeah.”

No matter what, horseplayers never quit.



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