You can take this to the bank

It appears that Sen. Joe Bruno is losing his grip on a long-faithful upstate constituency that, unlike the Senate Majority Leader, has its priorities in order and its story straight.

Long-time New York Racing Association trustee Charlie Wait, who happens also to be president of the Adirondack Trust Co. in Saratoga Springs, resigned from the board this week, then blasted the senate majority leader, who he has in the past supported, in the bank’s annual report, correctly identifying Bruno as the obstacle to reaching a long-term agreement on New York’s thoroughbred horse racing franchise.

In the conclusion of his message to stockholders pointed out that Gov. Eliot Spitzer and Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver support a proposed agreement that would give the New York Racing Association an additional 30-year franchise to run the Saratoga track, along with Aqueduct and Belmont Park downstate. That plan, unlike Bruno’s, would spare Belmont Park the ordeal of being defiled by video lottery terminals.

Bruno, Wait said, is jeopardizing the [Saratoga] area’s economy by refusing to compromise. “It is entirely within the power and ability of Senator Bruno to solve this problem immediately and without further delay,” he wrote.

Wait said he resigned this week from the NYRA board, “because I didn’t want the appearance of any conflict of interest.” A longtime Republican and Bruno supporter, he said it was “unprecedented” for him to use the bank report to make a political statement.

Bruno told the Schenectady Gazette that he is sticking up for the long-term interests of racing, state taxpayers and Saratoga. He said Spitzer has been using local issues against him, delaying the issuance of state funds needed for the proposed Advanced Micro Devices computer chip plant in Saratoga County, and holding up the racing deal.

Odd, everyone else sees Bruno as the one holding up the racing franchise settlement and it is entirely possible that NYRA will dig in and force the issue by closing Aqueduct if the issue remains unsettles on Feb. 13, when the current extension expires.

“[Spitzer’s] tactic is to create pressure instead of negotiating,” Bruno told the Gazette. He said he is fine with NYRA running racing at the three tracks, but outside investors need to come in at Aqueduct and Belmont to do development and run video lottery terminals. The composition of the NYRA board also is an unresolved issue, Bruno said, but one that the parties are not far apart on.

According to the report, there is widespread concern in Saratoga, even among longtime Bruno allies such as Chamber of Commerce President Joseph Dalton, that the racing impasse is a threat both to the summer season and the industry’s long-term future, especially if a track is shut down. Horses and trainers will follow the money, Dalton said, to other states where they can race. “It could be the Valentine’s Day massacre.”


Support for total steroid ban

From The Jockey Club:

The Racing Medication and Testing Consortium on Thursday endorsed a deadline for nationwide adoption of model rules regulating the use of anabolic steroids in racehorses. RMTC Chairman Robert Lewis stated, “Our entire board firmly believes that the regulation of anabolic steroids in racehorses is essential to the integrity of horse racing and the welfare of the horse. We are confident that the majority in racing agrees with this position, and this is evidenced by the fact that, while there have been public statements questioning how this should best be achieved, there have been no calls for abandoning the goal of regulation of anabolic steroids.”

The RMTC and Racing Commissioners International model rule calls for the regulation of four androgenic anabolic steroids and bans the use of any other anabolic steroids in racehorses. These four anabolic steroids, stanozolol (Winstrol), boldenone (Equipoise), nandrolone and testosterone, can be regulated through testing in blood and urine. Nandrolone and boldenone are naturally occurring in intact males, and testosterone is naturally occurring in all horses. All four are permitted for use in the horse by the FDA. The current model rule provides screening levels in urine that have been used to successfully regulate these anabolic steroids internationally since 1976, and are based on published research from England, France, Japan and Australia.

According to Kent Stirling, RMTC board member and chairman of the National Horsemen’s Benevolent and Protective Association, “HBPA welcomes the regulation of anabolic steroids based on scientifically established thresholds and published withdrawal time guidelines, and a targeted national implementation date. We have never tried to stall these recommendations and are very pleased with the actions taken by the RMTC.”

In order to provide blood plasma threshold levels for these anabolic steroids and to reduce the anticipated costs and better facilitate the testing, RMTC is funding anabolic steroid research in both plasma and urine at the University of Florida Pharmacokinetics Laboratory. When completed by this August, the research will give horsemen, veterinarians and regulators definitive threshold levels and withdrawal times for anabolic steroids in both plasma and urine.

RMTC co-vice chairman and president of the Thoroughbred Racing Associations, Chris Scherf, affirmed: “We realized that there are testing and logistical issues individual state racing commissions must work through before adopting this anabolic steroid model rule and implementing the penalty phase, but RMTC believes every racing jurisdiction should be strictly enforcing the regulation of anabolic steroids by the end of 2008.”

To achieve a national approach, the RMTC encourages states to be uniform in adopting the model rule, and not to adopt stricter standards and establish more severe penalties than what the RMTC recommends. While RMTC must wait for the completion of the Florida research study before definitive withdrawal times can be recommended, the range is anticipated to fall between 30 and 45 days.

Concerning penalties, the RMTC and RCI recommend a $500 fine and disqualification of the horse for the first violation; a $1,000 fine, disqualification and a 15-day trainer suspension for the second violation in a 365-day period; and a $2,500 fine, disqualification and 30-day trainer suspension for the third violation in a 365-day period. These recommended penalties could be reduced or increased if warranted by extenuating circumstances. In addition, the RMTC strongly encourages state racing commissions to give the horsemen sufficient forewarning before starting the penalty phase of the anabolic steroids model rule after final adoption.

Alan Foreman, CEO of the Thoroughbred Horsemen’s Association and RMTC’s co-vice chairman, stated, “This is a very emotional issue on all sides. It needs to be handled carefully, responsibly and uniformly. The next 11 months will give the entire industry sufficient time to address the testing and regulatory issues that need to be resolved and allow for the necessary adjustments. A national regulation and control of steroid use in racehorses, effective January 1, 2009, would be a monumental achievement for the racing industry and we should work in cooperation to realize this goal.”

RMTC realizes that successfully achieving proper and effective uniform regulation of anabolic steroids in racehorses will be an ongoing process and will require patience and inevitable modifications along the way. However, Alex Waldrop, president of the National Thoroughbred Racing Association and an RMTC board member, added, “Given the scrutiny of anabolic steroids by the media and Congress, and the consequential negative perception of these drugs by the public, the horse racing industry must take initiative on its own volition to properly and uniformly regulate the use of anabolic steroids in racehorses this year.”


Surprise: Thoughtful legislation on Internet gambling

The prohibition of gambling over the Internet is an example of the erosion of personal liberty in the United States and has benefitted no one. Like any prohibition, it has not served its intended purpose but opening and regulating this market would stimulate competition and afford horseplayers the luxury of shopping their business in search of the most attractive rebates.

Below, a report on legislation that demand the support of every horseplayer in America.

From PRNewswire-USNewswire

Washington

A new tax revenue analysis announced by Representative Jim McDermott (D-WA) estimates that regulating Internet gambling would generate between $8.7 billion to $42.8 billion in federal revenues over its first ten years. The findings of the analysis, prepared by Pricewaterhouse Coopers, were provided to all Members of Congress by McDermott earlier this week.

"Before us is a tremendous opportunity to protect consumers and recoup billions of dollars that should be collected by the Internal Revenue Service," said Representative McDermott. "These are revenues that are desperately needed, given that we are at war and face difficulty financing the nation's priorities."

Representative McDermott introduced the Internet Gambling Regulation and Tax Enforcement Act (H.R. 2607), which would tax regulated Internet gambling."To be clear, these are not mostly new taxes -- the bulk of the revenues generated would come from taxes required under existing law," said McDermott. "This is simply a framework to collect taxes on existing activity that is currently unregulated, unsupervised, and underground."

The current approach, prohibiting Internet gambling through the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA), has proved to be a failure. Notwithstanding the UIGEA prohibition, millions of Americans are still able to gamble online. In addition, proposed rules by the Treasury Department to implement the current prohibitions have been severely criticized by many parties, including the American Bankers Association, Credit Union National Association,
Financial Services Roundtable, and other leading financial services companies and groups. "Instead of this ineffective attempt to prevent adults from gambling over the Internet, we need a more sensible approach to protect consumers and ensure that revenues that now flow offshore stay here in the U.S. and are therefore subject to taxation," added McDermott. "A new, safer, more sensible approach is needed to regulate Internet gambling and protect consumers."

McDermott's legislation functions as a companion bill to the Internet Gambling Regulation and Enforcement Act (H.R. 2046), legislation introduced by Representative Barney Frank (D-MA) which would establish a licensing and enforcement framework for regulated Internet gambling in the U.S. The legislation would allow States to retain full control over the regulation of Internet gambling within their borders, applying additional taxes, protections and limitations as determined necessary and appropriate.

"By prohibiting a popular, recreational activity that many millions enjoy in the comfort of their own homes, the U.S. is forfeiting billions of dollars in revenue needed for critical government programs," said Jeffrey Sandman, spokesman for the Safe and Secure Internet Gambling Initiative. "It is time for Congress to regulate and tax Internet gambling to ensure security controls are in place to protect consumers and capture billions in revenue."


The Derby trail, Eastern approach


By Eric Donovan/NYRA

Two years ago, Maryland-based trainer Mike Trombetta sent a three-year-old gelding up to New York a couple of times to see where he fit among some of the nation’s best sophomores. It turned out that Sweetnorthernsaint would become the Kentucky Derby favorite after running third in the Gotham and winning the Illinois Derby.


Sweetnorthernsaint settled for seventh in the 2006 Derby behind Barbaro, and after sitting it out in 2007, Trombetta is eager to see if Harry Meyerhoff’s Cave’s Valley is on the right track to the 2008 Kentucky Derby.


Cave’s Valley will make his first start of 2008 in Saturday’s 29th running of the $100,000-added Whirlaway for three-year-olds at a mile and a sixteenth, looking to put his last start of 2007, a seventh-place finish in the Delta Jackpot, behind him.


A son of Stephen Got Even, Cave’s Valley began his career with tons of promise. After romping in his career debut at Saratoga by 7 ½ lengths, the colt knocked out two listed stakes wins at Delaware Park, taking the Whirling Ash from slightly off the pace and the Dover all the way on the lead.


Closing out his juvenile campaign in the Grade 3, $1 million Delta Jackpot, Cave’s Valley tired to seventh after racing close early on. The race was won by Z Humor and Turf War in a dead heat.


“I don’t think he had a fondness for the track down there,” Trombetta said. “It’s very heavy in sand and it just didn’t seem like he handled it well.”


Following his trip to Louisiana, Cave’s Valley was given a little down time by Trombetta to prepare him for a grueling three-year-old season.


“We gave him a little break and now it’s time to find something for him,” Trombetta said. “If he does well Saturday, we’ll see where he takes us.”


Another shipper primed for the Whirlaway is Puglisi Stables’ Roman Emperor. The son of 2003 Wood Memorial and Belmont Stakes winner Empire Maker got a taste of the inner track on last month when he was third behind Giant Moon and Spanky Fischbein in the Count Fleet. Prior to that, he had won a pair of races at Philadelphia Park.
“The track seemed conducive to speed in the Count Fleet and he broke sluggish and was wide behind a slow pace,” trainer Steve Klesaris said. “He just had too much to do against a couple of legit horses.”


Klesaris is hoping that with a cleaner break and trip, Roman Emperor can be closer to Spanky Fischbein than the 3 ¼-length margin in the Count Fleet.


“He keeps maturing with each race,” Klesaris said, adding that it’s coming down to crunch time for the three-year-olds to prove they’re Kentucky Derby worthy. “We’re getting to the point where you separate the ones that are real from the ones that are not real and the ones that are not real are going to fall off the path.”


With Giant Moon skipping the Whirlaway, Spanky Fischbein’s chances of visiting the winner’s circle may greatly improve. Giant Moon beat him in the Damon Runyon prior to the Count Fleet.


Spanky Fischbein, owned by Gold Square, was extremely game in the Count Fleet, not wanting to allow Giant Moon to pass. The consistent ridgling has never been worse than second in seven career starts.


“He’s obviously put in some game efforts and you know when you lead him over there he’s going to try his best,” said Seth Benzel, assistant to trainer Todd Pletcher. “Without the presence of Giant Moon. We’re happy and feel like we’re in a good spot. We don’t feel he needs to have the lead. He’s the kind of horse where you can play things off the break and see how it develops.”


Benzel will also saddle another Pletcher starter, Texas Wildcatter, a son of 2001 Kentucky Derby winner Monarchos. He comes in off a 10 ½-length allowance win at Philadelphia Park on December 28.


Barrier Reef will try to improve upon his fourth-place finish in the Count Fleet when he was beaten eight lengths. Visually impressive in his maiden win here on December 8th, the son of Mizzen Mast will be making just his fourth career start Saturday.


Apple Special comes into the Whirlaway off a pair of wins at Laurel Park, including the $50,000 Maryland Juvenile Championship.



More Cushion Track blues

A racetrack in Queensland, Australia, with a newly installed Cushion Track surface is experiencing drainage problems similar to those that have plagued Santa Anita Park. American horseplayers, meanwhile, appear to be growing weary of the repeated cancellations at Santa Anita, where the Southern California winter has been particularly rainy.


A Bloodstock Research poll that appears on its Handicappers Edge daily newsletter reveals that 53 percent of respondents believe that Santa Anita should reinstall a dirt track, 11 percent are not sure and only 36 percent believe the troublesome Cushion Track should remain in place.



Aqueduct: Feb 2

Race 5: Smoke’n Review
Race 7: Wisp