So You Want To Be A Steward

Have you ever wondered what it takes to be a Steward or be an Ontario Racing Commission judge? Here is a test case for you. There is a mini quiz afterward. Lets see if you have what it takes.

First, here is some evidence:

Below is a screen shot of the start of Indian Apple Is (Not owned by Good To Be King Farms) from August 15th 2010:

Below is the screen shot of the start of Fifty Proof (co-owned by Good To Be King Farms) from July 22 this year

Here is a screen shot from right after the gate opens for the rest of the horses in the Indian Apple Is (not owned by Good To Be King Farms) race:

Here is a screen shot from right after the gate opens for the rest of the horses in the Fifty Proof (co-owned by Good To Be King Farms) race:

Now, there is no need to go through the ORC Rule Book. I've done it for you. Here is the only rule that matters in cases where a horse breaks through the gate before the starter hits the release:

ORC rule 11.16 states that a horse is a starter “when the stall doors of the starting gate open in front of it at the time the starter dispatches the horses in a valid start.”

Now for the quiz. Read the questions and answers carefully.

1) If a horse is not owned by Good To Be King Farms and the horse breaks through the gate before the starter opens the gate for the rest of the horses:

A) The horse is definitely not a starter because the rules state that the gate has to open IN FRONT of the horse by the starter. If a horse is not a starter, it is logical that the horse is a non starter. This is not rocket science.

B) Even though there is nothing about it in the rule books about whether a horse who breaks through the gate has an advantage, the Stewards get to try to determine if it was an unfair advantage. For some Stewards, an unfair advantage might mean a quarter of a length head start, while other Stewards may decide that a horse needs at least a three quarter of a length head start to have an advantage. And some Stewards can even take who owns the horse into account as well.

2) If a horse is owned by Good To Be King Farms and the horse breaks through the gate before the starter opens the gate for the rest of the horses:

A) Even though there is nothing about it in the rule books about whether a horse who breaks through the gate has an advantage, the Stewards get to try to determine if it was an unfair advantage. For some Stewards, an unfair advantage might mean a quarter of a length head start, while other Stewards may decide that a horse needs at least a three quarter of a length head start to have an advantage. And some Stewards can even take who owns the horse into account as well.

B) The horse is definitely not a starter because the rules state that the gate has to open IN FRONT of the horse by the starter. If a horse is not a starter, it is logical that the horse is a non starter. This is not rocket science.

3) The first thing Stewards are supposed to do after a race is check out the start to see if there was any major bumping or gate violations that might necessitate in a declared non starter. If a Steward sees that a horse not owned by Good To Be King Farms pushes the gate open early:

A) The Steward automatically puts up the Inquiry sign and then views the tapes over and over to see if this was indeed the case and if so, declares the horse a non-starter.

B) The Steward does not put up an Inquiry so as to draw attention to the violation, as the public knows exactly what a fair start is and that if a horse opens the gate before the official starter opens the gate, a refund is expected. To put up an Inquiry in such a case and then decide that despite the violation in rules that the horse is declared a starter could result in garbage cans being lit on fire.

4) If a Steward sees that a horse not owned by Good To Be King Farms pushes the gate open early:

A) The Steward does not put up an Inquiry so as to draw attention to the violation, as the public knows exactly what a fair start is and that if a horse opens the gate before the official starter opens the gate, a refund is expected. To put up an Inquiry in such a case and then decide that despite the violation in rules that the horse is declared a starter could result in garbage cans being lit on fire.

B) The Steward automatically puts up the Inquiry sign and then views the tapes over and over to see if this was indeed the case and if so, declares the horse a non-starter.

5) You are a judge at an appeal regarding whether a horse not owned by Good To Be King Farms is a non starter or deemed to be starter. The person in charge of opening the gates states: "the starting gate mechanism had functioned properly and that all horses received a fair start."

A) The starting is made so that it will open upon force, so this little tidbit of information has nothing to do with whether a horse out broke the gates. The wording of "fair start" is very subjective, because the visual evidence runs contrary when it comes to the horse that broke through the gate, unless you want to say that all horses had a fair start, but the horse who broke through the gate had a more fair start than the others.

B) This is very important testimony. The gates were functional, and it really doesn't matter that a horse happened to outbreak the gates. Had the horse not outbroke the gate, it would have had the same advantage as the rest of the field. Therefore, the horse should be declared a starter, case closed.

6) You are a judge at an appeal regarding whether a owned by Good To Be King Farms is a non starter or deemed to be starter. The person in charge of opening the gates states: "the starting gate mechanism had functioned properly and that all horses received a fair start."

A) This is very important testimony. The gates were functional, and it really doesn't matter that a horse happened to outbreak the gates. Had the horse not outbroke the gate, it would have had the same advantage as the rest of the field. Therefore, the horse should be declared a starter, case closed.

B) The starting is made so that it will open upon force, so this little tidbit of information has nothing to do with whether a horse out broke the gates. The wording of "fair start" is very subjective, because the visual evidence runs contrary when it comes to the horse that broke through the gate, unless you want to say that all horses had a fair start, but the horse who broke through the gate had a more fair start than the others.


If you answered A to every question above, congratulations, you qualify to be a Steward in Ontario and maybe even an ORC judge. Remember one thing though, INTEGRITY MATTERS most of the time.

Read about the Fifty Proof appeal here.


Through the grapevine, things are improving at Woodbine under Nick Eaves. I'm being told he is more open to suggestion than his predecessor. The people under him aren't scared to make suggestions either. And it appears he is attempting to grow the customer base, while actually listening to the customer.

HPI has a great promo going today:

Get up to $100 Cash Back!

It pays to play on Hawthorne Gold Cup day.

I think Woodbine is starting to get it:

HPI is going to reward you for getting in on great three-year-old racing at the $250,000 Hawthorne Gold Cup on Saturday, October 2nd. The feature race has historically been a stepping stone to the Breeders' Cup and highlights a race card of full fields and larger pools that aren't to be missed.

It's simple, here's how:

Get up to $100 when you bet through your HPI account on any race of the Hawthorne Race Course card on Saturday, October 2nd.

Listed below are the minimum bet amounts required to reach each cash back level:

$100 gets you $10
$200 gets you $25
$300 gets you $45
$400 gets you $75
$500 gets you $100

*Offer valid for open HPI accounts in good standing. Only wagers made on the Hawthorne race card on October 2, 2010 qualify for the Cash Back offer. HPI member must wager a minimum of $100 in order to qualify for the Cash back. Maximum of $100 Cash Back per account. Deposits will be made to qualified HPI accounts by October 6, 2010.

I hope a lot of HPI account holders take advantage of this. It might push Woodbine in the right direction for good. Who knows, maybe they'll do something about their takeout, especially now with many Horseplayers enraged over the takeout hike that is coming in California. I know that in Fort Erie, a lot of people started going to Little Caesar's since it came to town with their $5 pizzas, taking away business from other pizza joints, even causing at least a couple to reduce their prices to compete.

Imagine that, there are businesses actually reduce their price to consumers to compete. The owners of these companies wouldn't last very long as racing execs:)


Quarter horse races start at Fort Erie today for the next few Saturdays. I wish Fort Erie well, but I think if there is a way to lose money on this, Fort Erie will do so. I don't see this generating much interest. But I've been wrong before.

The Inquiry Sign Has NOT Been Placed On The Board

Apparently there are quite a few horsemen and Horseplayers alike talking about what happened in the fourth race at Woodbine last Thursday. I received a few emails on it as well.

It is pretty clear, just by watching the replay of the race that that the heavy favorite and subsequent winner, Fifty Proof, got a head start before the gates were opened for the other horses in the race. He should have been declared a non-starter.

Here is the video of the race:


In case the video wasn't conclusive enough, here is a head on picture of the start:

"Broke through the gate at the break":

It is the opinion of the few I have spoke with on this that there is no way the Stewards missed it (one of the first things they look at is the start of the race). This brings up the obvious question as to why the inquiry sign did not go up?

It was the first leg of the Pick 4, and over $45,000 was bet on it. If Fifty Proof was declared a non-starter, those holding live tickets off him would have been given the new favorite, and their tickets would be dead. This would have caused a lot of unrest amongst some bettors. Fifty Proof's scratch would have also necessitated in a refund of about $75,000. did that have something to do with it?

But the owner of the horse could have something to do with the non call. Kinghaven Farms is a partner on Fifty Proof. Perception is very important in horse racing, and even if this had nothing to do with the non call, it is hard to convince many horseman and Horseplayers, whom are skeptical by nature. Did the Stewards give former Chief Executive Officer David Willmot a going away present?

The race is now under appeal with the Ontario Racing Commission. I can't see the results standing.

UPDATE: Last year, August 15th Race 4, Indian Apple Is broke through the gate and got a head start. She was 1-5, the inquiry was called, and the horse was declared a non-starter.

UPDATE 2 The Stewards and John Leblanc, trainer of the 2nd finisher in the race met on Friday and the protest was denied. It was decided that no unfair advantage was gained by Fifty Proof. Huh? First off, that really shouldn't matter. In the Olympics if a runner starts before the gun goes off, a recall occurs. In other words, if a horse breaks through the gate, the horse should lose its right to compete for the prize and should be refunded.

And of course, what about consistency. How was this different that Indian Apple Is? And I also remember a few incidences when the gate was open even less, and the horse in question finished up the track, and a refund was given because the horse broke through the gate before the gate officially opened.

UPDATE 3: This case will go to the ORC for appeal. With precedence in place, I can't see the results standing. Doesn't help the bettors of the 2nd finisher for their win tickets, exactors, Pick 3's and Pick 4, etc.

Another question, in the short time between the finish of the race and the time the official sign went up, how did the Stewards determine that there was no unfair advantage gained by Fifty Plus without even an Inquiry? And again, the fact that the horse broke out before the rest of the field should be deemed an unfair advantage.....end of story.

UPDATE 4: How can the Stewards argue against the ORC Rulebook?
11.16 A horse is a starter for all purposes of the Rules when the stall doors of the starting gate open in front of it at the time the starter dispatches the horses in a valid start.

Fifty Proof was not a starter by ORC rules.  The gate did not open for Fifty Proof when the starter dispatched the horses, but before. and it didn't open in front of the horse at the time the starter dispatched the horses either.


FORT ERIE RECEIVES DATES FOR QUARTER HORSE RACING

According to a release at the ORC web site, Fort Erie will race quarter horses on three Saturdays in October. Also, a make-up date of Saturday October 23 has been added to the thoroughbred schedule. On that last weekend, post times have been changed from 1:30 PM to 12:30 PM.

The Prince of Wales was a very exciting race. Announcer Peter Kyte's exuberance has triggered a thread on Pace Advantage.

I couldn't have picked the winner, Golden Moka, in a gazillion years. Not the way I handicap. Horses making their first start after a long layoff in a Stake races of over a mile are automatic pitches for me. They don't win very often, and I'm still sticking with my rules the next time a situation like this happens.

Either Golden Moka is special, or the competition was was sub par. I guess we will find out pretty soon which is the case.

On track handle was off about 2% from last year, but handle from other sources was down over 20%. Saratoga starting up early could be part of the blame, and of course racing is down this year collectively too, but it is possible that more and more Horseplayers have become aware of the high takeouts Fort Erie dings the public with.


The Ontario Racing Commission wants public input on proposed rule changes. Click here to view them.


TRACKMASTER HAS IMPROVED THEIR PRODUCT LINE

'Just in time for these premier meets, TrackMaster has made some significant improvements to its Thoroughbred product line. Many of these changes were a result of a meeting we had with the guys from HANA (Horse Players Association of North America), a smart group who has given a voice and influence in the industry for the “player”.

Now available in TrackMaster Plus Pro and our Platinum and regular PP files:

* Listing of prior race scratches, including reason
* A simple one page “In to go” list for jockeys, trainers and horses
* Highest Equibase Speed Figure earned added to the horse’s summary stats
* Direct link to Equibase for late scratches and changes
* Expanded conditional trainer stats
* Added statistics for the prior trainer when there is a trainer change'