Harness product losing credibility with bettors

[clevfan]

Harness product losing credibility with bettors

By ROB LONGLEY, SUN MEDIA
TORONTO SUN
MARCH 2

Until race programs include a medication report in their past performance information, what shot does a bettor have at cashing a ticket?

That is the opinion of one disgruntled horseplayer who was fed up with the mess in Ontario racing long before the recent rash of positive tests were revealed.

Woodbine officials admit wagering on its harness product has been in a free fall for the past 18 months and much of that is attributed to credibility issues.

"What shot do you have when you don't know who is juicing and who isn't?," said the self-described "former big player" at Woodbine, who has dramatically scaled down his wagers.

"The inconsistency defied any logic and any handicapping fundamentals. Some of the performances were too good to be believed and impossible to justify and quantify."

The bettor, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, says he once routinely bet $100,000 or more a week on Woodbine/Mohawk races and that he profited doing so.

"Now, if I bet a couple hundred a night, that's a lot," the bettor said. "I may as well play on-line poker. At least I have an idea of what I am up against."

Woodbine CEO David Willmot admitted this past week that the plummeting handle is a major concern for the company.

"We talk to our bettors, (drug cheating) is a big issue," Willmot said. "We've seen double digit declines the last 18 months and it's not just because people wanted to stop betting. Something happened to make them stop, especially the big bettors. They are voting with their wallets."

Race fans have been vocal in their support of the recent crackdown. Seven Southern Ontario horsemen are being probed by the Ontario Racing Commission after horses they trained tested positive for the amphetamine, Aminorex.

The ORC also is investigating another 20 positive tests for Demedex, a less serious but still illegal diuretic.

"This is way overdue, getting rid of the cheaters," another bettor told Sun Media in an e-mail. "The issue of drugs is one that the average bettor needs to know about.

"Maybe if this gets cleaned up, guys who used to bet their $2 on the races will leave the slot parlour for a few minutes."

The other racing constituency to take its lumps over the doping issue is owners, who have become frustrated with an inability to compete.

One owner, who shared his story with Sun Media, tells of a horse he claimed recently from a trainer currently under scrutiny by Woodbine officials.

On the night of the claim, the pacer started from an outside post, made multiple moves during the race then drew off to win in one minute and 51 seconds.

Once he changed barns, the horse has been five seconds slower and unable to compete.

"We do a tremendous amount of vet work with all our horses and he is the only one that generally needs nothing," the owner said in an e-mail. "So here we have a perfectly sound horse with perfect blood work and he can't beat 1:57. Yet, he went in 1:51 (with another trainer.)"

[Mr Memory]

"Losing?"

Lost.

Next.

[Minnow]

But hey, it's legal!

[Don Eagleston]

This stuff should show up on the toteboard. Perhaps easier to hide at a decent size track like Woodbine is/was. I always knew when the late trainer John "King" Lare was playing funny business at Rosecroft in the 80s. The horse would drop from like 5-1 to 8-5/2-1 immediately before post, rocket for the lead from any post position, and then easily wire the field.