1. #1
    killawookie
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    Horse doping at Penn National Race Course

    My local track.. it's already considered a "c" track.. what a penetrating shame.

    http://www.pennlive.com/midstate/index.ssf/2013/11/3_horse_trainers_and_1_track_e.html#inca rt_m-rpt-1#comments


    The United States Attorney’s Office has charged three thoroughbred horse trainers and an employee of Penn National Racetrack in Grantville with fraud in connection with horse races at the track.
    According to United States Attorney Peter J. Smith: David Wells, 39, of Grantville; Sam Webb, 63, of Jonestown; Patricia Anne Rogers, 43, of Hummelstown; and Danny Robertson, 63, of Hershey, were charged individually in four separate indictments.
    Indictments were returned by a federal grand jury in Harrisburg on Wednesday and were unsealed following arrests of four individuals earlier today.
    According to a press release from the U.S. Attorney's Office, Wells, Webb and Rogers, all horse trainers, were charged with allegedly devising a scheme to defraud those betting on thoroughbred races at Penn National Racetrack by attempting to administer and administering substances prohibited from being introduced into a horse within 24 hours of when the horse is scheduled to race.
    The indictment also alleges that it is also a violation of state law to rig or attempt to rig a publicly exhibited contest such as a thoroughbred horse race.

    Races at Penn National Racetrack are simulcast to approximately 116 sites across the United States and in other countries by wire and television to allow bettors to wager on the Penn National races without being in attendance at that track.
    This is the second time in recent years that criminal charges have been filed in a horse doping case at Penn National.
    According to the press release from the U.S. Attorney's Office:
    The indictment says the trainers, like the owners, stand to profit financially from the purse offered for that race if the horse that is entered finishes in first, second or third place.

    The indictment charging Webb alleges that Webb was detected by track security personnel on May 2, 2013, in a stall at the racetrack in possession of hypodermic syringes, needles and bottles of medications preparing to inject the horse “Papaleo” that Webb trained and which was scheduled to run in the sixth race that day. The horse was scratched from the race by racing officials.

    The indictment charging Rogers alleges that Rogers was caught by track security personnel on August 21, 2013, at a stall at the racetrack in possession of hypodermic syringes and needles and bottles of medications and was observed injecting or attempting to inject a substance into a horse named “Strong Resolve” that she trained and that was scheduled to run in the second race that day.

    The horse was scratched from the race by racing officials. Rogers was also charged with conspiring with a person known to the grand jury to attempt to commit wire fraud.

    The indictment charging Wells alleges that Wells, both a trainer and horse owner, for several years up to and including February 2012, would routinely inject prohibited substances into horses he trained and other horses he both trained and owned, by use of hypodermic syringes and needles and otherwise. It is also alleged that Wells was routinely in possession of those prohibited items at the racetrack in violation of state rules, regulations and laws.

    According to the indictment, Robertson was employed by the track as the clocker to provide racing officials and others with the official workout times for horses at Penn National, information relied upon by the betting public.

    The indictment charging Robertson alleges that Robertson was an employee of the racetrack, working in the capacity of clocker whose duties included being present when horses would have their official workout. Robertson was to verify that the horse being timed was the actual horse the trainer represented it to be, to accurately record the distance each horse ran, and the time it ran that distance in and then to provide that information to racing officials for inclusion in the official public daily racing program.

    Robertson also allegedly sent the workout time information interstate by wire via computer to Equibase, a Kentucky based company that provides information on a racehorse’s past performance and workout times to media outlets and publications as well as on its own website. The workout time information is allegedly relied upon by the betting public in deciding which horses to wager on in any given race.

    The Robertson indictment alleges that Robertson, in exchange for cash given to him by trainers known and unknown to the grand jury, would provide false workout times to racing officials and to Equibase.

    The times Robertson turned in allegedly, at times, included completely fabricated time for horses that did not workout at all at the track. The indictment alleges Robertson profited personally from the scheme, the betting public was defrauded and Robertson’s employer, Hollywood Casino and Racetrack, was denied of its right to Robertson’s honest services.

    The investigation which is continuing is being conducted by the Harrisburg office of the FBI, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture’s Horse Racing Commission, the Pennsylvania State Police, the Dauphin County District Attorney’s Office, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

    Each defendant faces up to 20 years imprisonment and a $250,000.00 fine if convicted of wire fraud or attempted wire fraud.

    Each defendant faces an additional 5 years imprisonment and a $250,000.00 fine if convicted of using and attempting to use the intestate wire mechanism provided by the simulcasting of races to defraud or for attempting to defraud the public through the rigging of a publicly exhibited contest in violation of state law.

    Rogers faces an additional potential 20 year term of imprisonment and a $250,000.00 fine if convicted of the charge of conspiring to commit wire fraud.

    Prosecution has been assigned to Assistant U.S. Attorney William A. Behe.

    The case has been assigned to Senior U.S. District Court Judge William W. Caldwell.

    Indictments and Criminal Informations are only allegations. All persons charged are presumed to be innocent unless and until found guilty in court.

  2. #2
    ukbro00
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    Perhaps the start of cleaning up the sport

  3. #3
    killawookie
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    Or the closing down of shady tracks.. regardless of prior reputation and history. I remember going here as a kid. The rumor around the track is that this was the tip of the iceberg.. there are more dopers there than what was listed. I was actually surprised to not see some other possible trainers names than these guys.. they were Penn National top 5's.

  4. #4
    robmpink
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    There has always been shady shit going on there, like most tracks. I forget what happened years ago but some jockeys got in trouble. I can't remember if it was all related, but one was found dead in a field. Maybe suicide. I'll have to look.


    This is just a random question. With the clocker incident, are they open to legal issues by bettors since he was a track employee? Are there disclaimers in the programs protecting them for misprints and or fraud?

  5. #5
    str
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    Quote Originally Posted by robmpink View Post
    There has always been shady shit going on there, like most tracks. I forget what happened years ago but some jockeys got in trouble. I can't remember if it was all related, but one was found dead in a field. Maybe suicide. I'll have to look.


    This is just a random question. With the clocker incident, are they open to legal issues by bettors since he was a track employee? Are there disclaimers in the programs protecting them for misprints and or fraud?
    Rob,
    I am pretty sure that the disclaimers in the program are for errors in the printing not disclaimers for actions of employees. I do think that they have covered their bases against being held responsible for detrimental actions by others as track owners as long as they did their due diligence prior to hiring the guy and he was relieved of his duties upon finding out about the allegations. Unless they had prior knowledge of wrongdoing, it would be hard to prove that the track was in on anything, I would assume. However I am not a lawyer although I did stay in a Holiday Inn Express last night ! Not really.

    As for the shady crap that goes on at lesser tracks, I spoke to that in my thread way back but will keep it short in here. Until purses were raised, and for many years Penn. Nat. was a 2,400 to the winner or less type track, the fact that the winning trainer or jock made 240.00 dollars and the losers much less, if any, was a breeding ground for larceny. Jocks had to pay 10% of that to their agent, 5% of that to their valet so they made 200.00 bucks for winning a race. Trainers had to stake the groom 40- 50 bucks so there's not much left and those were the winners !
    By no means is that any excuse to cheat, there is NO excuse to cheat, but it is a reasonable understanding why some desperate people might be tempted too. I don't remember the dead jock in the infield but if you remember, post it and if I can help with it, I will.
    Other posters above spoke to trainers that doped quite a bit in his and many others opinion. I would tend to agree but I also remember having a 42% win ratio at Laurel one year and people were rumbling about me. Not many, as my reputation was as clean and solid as it could have been, but... rumblings did occur. A damn shame but very understandable due to the nature of the business as well as the scumbags that do cheat, and Penn Nat. had more than their share IMO. As a follow up I crashed and burned at the next meet as my horses were all out of conditions and went like 0-40 before finally winning a race. Jerry Robb started a pool as to who would win first, the Orioles who started that year off like 0-16 or me. Lol. The O's won the pool by the way.

    As for the clocker. That has happened over the years too many times. Because of that, as well as the realities of how workouts are performed, especially at lesser venues, I have always said to pay NO ATTENTION WHATSOEVER to workouts. They are misleading anywhere except marquee tracks such as Saratoga, etc. Even then, as I have written before, a bettor can not possibly know if one horse went 5/8s in a minute flat but went the 1/2 in 45 and the final 1/8th in 15 or if another horse went 5/8s in 101 but was restrained the 1st 3/8s in 40 went the next 1/8th in 12 and the final 1/8th in 11 flat. They both work the same day, who would you rather have your money on? I will take the 101 horse and probably win darn near every time. Also, one works at 6 am when the track is fresh and the other works at 950am when the track is all cut up. Now what do we do? So for those reasons and a host of others, don't pay any attention to them.
    The lone exception is watching the horse racing channel for all 3 triple crown races as well as the breeders cup. Richard Migliore does a tremendous job identifying the difference between a good work and a poor one, too me, it is a MUST WATCH for players that really want to know how workouts really work.
    Lastly, as for the clocker, he needs jail time IMO. Not a ton of time but it needs to be enough so as to deter others from engaging in the same stuff, and again, not at Saratoga, etc. but at lesser tracks, it does indeed happen unfortunately, and as of 12 years ago when I was still in the game, that is not an opinion, it's a fact.

    As for the trainers, if they were caught on the track grounds with a bottle and syringe in hand, they should be ruled off for at least 10 years and maybe longer. Some of that would be exactly what was being administered. But make no mistake, if what was in the bottle was totally legal, at least 10 years IMO and then go from there. If it was a banned substance, depending on what it was, the time would lengthen.
    Some banned substances are indeed necessary at times but only in the hands of a vet. NEVER A TRAINER, PERIOD. The only exception to that would be if they were on a farm where a vet might not be able to get there and it was a life threatening thing for the horse, but that was clearly not the case here as these horses were entered that night and on the grounds.
    As a former trainer, I find it disgraceful that these people would do this. Players should as well . The sad reality is that with limited info, players will lump many situations in this category into the same reaction. That is a mistake but again, with limited info, and a passion for the sport or they would not give a damn, I can understand why they would.

    Hope this helps. If more comes available I will comment further if anyone wants me too.

    Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

  6. #6
    daoilman
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    There are many ways to cheat in horse racing, not only can a horses be "tuned up", but they also can be "tuned down", and obviously those who do tune down are not interested in purse monies, also there is less likelihood of being scrutinized when tuning down as opposed to tuning up.

    Suppose a trainer knows that his charge can't possibly beat the favorite, but the trainer also knows that no others have much of a chance of beating his charge for the second place money, what's a trainer to do?

    Should the trainer punch the short exacta line up ticket that returns 3-1 or 4-1 or such?

    Should he punch the triple, that being the short exacta with (all) on the end?

    Or should he train down knowing that his charge will run out with the hope of long shots filling the super?

    As can be easily seen, all of this is purely subjective, and although situations are often similar, decisions of trainers often are not, some will, most won't.

  7. #7
    robmpink
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    Quote Originally Posted by str View Post
    Rob,
    I am pretty sure that the disclaimers in the program are for errors in the printing not disclaimers for actions of employees. I do think that they have covered their bases against being held responsible for detrimental actions by others as track owners as long as they did their due diligence prior to hiring the guy and he was relieved of his duties upon finding out about the allegations. Unless they had prior knowledge of wrongdoing, it would be hard to prove that the track was in on anything, I would assume. However I am not a lawyer although I did stay in a Holiday Inn Express last night ! Not really.

    As for the shady crap that goes on at lesser tracks, I spoke to that in my thread way back but will keep it short in here. Until purses were raised, and for many years Penn. Nat. was a 2,400 to the winner or less type track, the fact that the winning trainer or jock made 240.00 dollars and the losers much less, if any, was a breeding ground for larceny. Jocks had to pay 10% of that to their agent, 5% of that to their valet so they made 200.00 bucks for winning a race. Trainers had to stake the groom 40- 50 bucks so there's not much left and those were the winners !
    By no means is that any excuse to cheat, there is NO excuse to cheat, but it is a reasonable understanding why some desperate people might be tempted too. I don't remember the dead jock in the infield but if you remember, post it and if I can help with it, I will.
    Other posters above spoke to trainers that doped quite a bit in his and many others opinion. I would tend to agree but I also remember having a 42% win ratio at Laurel one year and people were rumbling about me. Not many, as my reputation was as clean and solid as it could have been, but... rumblings did occur. A damn shame but very understandable due to the nature of the business as well as the scumbags that do cheat, and Penn Nat. had more than their share IMO. As a follow up I crashed and burned at the next meet as my horses were all out of conditions and went like 0-40 before finally winning a race. Jerry Robb started a pool as to who would win first, the Orioles who started that year off like 0-16 or me. Lol. The O's won the pool by the way.

    As for the clocker. That has happened over the years too many times. Because of that, as well as the realities of how workouts are performed, especially at lesser venues, I have always said to pay NO ATTENTION WHATSOEVER to workouts. They are misleading anywhere except marquee tracks such as Saratoga, etc. Even then, as I have written before, a bettor can not possibly know if one horse went 5/8s in a minute flat but went the 1/2 in 45 and the final 1/8th in 15 or if another horse went 5/8s in 101 but was restrained the 1st 3/8s in 40 went the next 1/8th in 12 and the final 1/8th in 11 flat. They both work the same day, who would you rather have your money on? I will take the 101 horse and probably win darn near every time. Also, one works at 6 am when the track is fresh and the other works at 950am when the track is all cut up. Now what do we do? So for those reasons and a host of others, don't pay any attention to them.
    The lone exception is watching the horse racing channel for all 3 triple crown races as well as the breeders cup. Richard Migliore does a tremendous job identifying the difference between a good work and a poor one, too me, it is a MUST WATCH for players that really want to know how workouts really work.
    Lastly, as for the clocker, he needs jail time IMO. Not a ton of time but it needs to be enough so as to deter others from engaging in the same stuff, and again, not at Saratoga, etc. but at lesser tracks, it does indeed happen unfortunately, and as of 12 years ago when I was still in the game, that is not an opinion, it's a fact.

    As for the trainers, if they were caught on the track grounds with a bottle and syringe in hand, they should be ruled off for at least 10 years and maybe longer. Some of that would be exactly what was being administered. But make no mistake, if what was in the bottle was totally legal, at least 10 years IMO and then go from there. If it was a banned substance, depending on what it was, the time would lengthen.
    Some banned substances are indeed necessary at times but only in the hands of a vet. NEVER A TRAINER, PERIOD. The only exception to that would be if they were on a farm where a vet might not be able to get there and it was a life threatening thing for the horse, but that was clearly not the case here as these horses were entered that night and on the grounds.
    As a former trainer, I find it disgraceful that these people would do this. Players should as well . The sad reality is that with limited info, players will lump many situations in this category into the same reaction. That is a mistake but again, with limited info, and a passion for the sport or they would not give a damn, I can understand why they would.

    Hope this helps. If more comes available I will comment further if anyone wants me too.

    Happy Thanksgiving everyone!
    I appreciate the time you took to respond. I've read many replies in your thread, but haven't read 3/4 of it because it is a lot. I've been meaning to print out each page at work and treat it like a book to read.

    Personally I enjoy your responses and hope all is well.

  8. #8
    jennywilsonhrs
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    Every time I read something like this I get disappointed; however, I thoroughly enjoy the sport of horse racing, and I know there are ethical trainers in the majority. I just need to remind myself of it when I read something to the contrary. I hardly ever get a chance to bet on races at Penn National, but this makes it difficult to have the confidence to do it again.

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