Railbird 2004–2019

Stewards

Wilbur Suspended

It took several months, but the CHRB finally issued a ruling against horse owner Bill Wilbur on January 7 for an incident at Cal Expo last summer in which he switched his customary silks for a set resembling the Confederate flag. The colors were worn by jockey Michael Martinez, riding a 2-year-old colt unflatteringly named after TVG host Ken Rudulph. Per the ruling (PDF), Wilbur will pay a fine of $1500, has had his license suspended through February 28, and has agreed not to apply for a new license before July 1 of this year.

1/21/10 Addendum: After reading Larry Stewart’s Thoroughbred Times report on Wilbur’s suspension, I became curious about what had happened to the silks in question. If the switch was, as the owner’s lawyer contended, due to a change in Wilbur’s personal circumstances, had the owner’s horses, including Mute Rudulph, continued to run in the new colors or did the owner return to using his registered purple-and-black silks? I asked Stewart, who was kind enough to look into the question. He replied that, according to Pat McCarthy, Wilbur’s lawyer, the silks worn by Martinez on July 15 had been turned over to the CHRB for evidence, and that in each of Mute Rudulph’s subsequent four races, the colt has run in trainer Bill McLean’s colors. McCarthy also clarified, said Stewart, “that contrary to some media reports, Wilbur has never said using silks resembling a Confederate flag was meant as a joke.”

Posted in Racing on January 20, 2011 / Tagged Cal Expo, California, CHRB, Mute Rudulph, Rulings, Stewards

Sorry, Bettors

If you bet Life at Ten, officially eased in the 2010 Breeders’ Cup Ladies’ Classic at Churchill after jockey John Velazquez told ESPN that his mount wasn’t warming up right, Kentucky steward John Veitch would like you to know:

… it was unfortunate but “there’s nothing we can do for [you].”

And forget learning in future televised races that you’ve been ripped off:

… under discussion is whether television interviews with jockeys when they are on their mount before a race should be allowed.

Tweeted Nick Kling: “Breeders’ Cup bettors hosed. ‘Stewards plan to take no action‘ in Life At Ten debacle. Is it time for horseplayers to quit the game?”

Not yet (at least for this one), but it would be good to get reassurances something similar won’t happen next year. An independent review, conducted by the Breeders’ Cup, as Ray Paulick suggests, seems reasonable, as does the BC and KHRC formulating a plan for dealing with such situations that doesn’t include shutting up jockeys who might utter unwelcome words publicly. What Velazquez said wasn’t the problem. The communications breakdown among the rider, vets, and stewards in the minutes leading to the race was.

Posted in Racing on November 11, 2010 / Tagged Breeders' Cup, Churchill Downs, ESPN, Kentucky, KHRC, Life At Ten, Stewards

You’re Not Welcome in Racing

That’s what the stewards should say to all involved on August 7, when a hearing is held regarding this incident:

A Sacramento horse owner and the silks custodian at Cal Expo are in trouble with the California Horse Racing Board for allowing a horse to improperly race in the colors of the Confederate battle flag during the state fair meet July 15.

The horse, Mute Rudulph, won the fourth race that day in his racing debut for owners Bill Wilbur, Chris Carpenter, and Bill McLean, who also trains the horse. The 2-year-old bay colt is named after Ken Rudulph, a host for the horse racing network TVG. Rudulph, who is African-American, is coincidentally from Sacramento.

The CHRB alleges that track colors man Tony Baze “received financial consideration and conspired to aid and abet” with Wilbur to substitute the “Southern Cross” for the horse’s designated colors.

Via @o_crunk and @superterrific.

8/7/10 Update: The CHRB hearing scheduled for today has been postponed until August 26, due to Baze appearing without legal representation.

Posted in Racing on July 29, 2010 / Tagged Cal Expo, California, CHRB, Mute Rudulph, Stewards, Wrongdoing

NY Stewards Go Public

Hooray! Or should I say, about time!

NYRA announces stewards’ decisions will be made public:

Directly following any decision they make having to do with the official order of finish, including inquiries and objections, the stewards … will provide an explanation of what happened and the reason for their decision. That information will then be communicated via the NYRA television feed and will be posted on the new Stewards’ Corner section on NYRA.com …

“This new policy is a big step forward in providing transparency of the stewards’ decision making,” NYRA President and CEO Charles Hayward said. “Millions of dollars are bet every day at NYRA tracks and customers should know why decisions are made in the stewards’ stand.”

Why, yes, bettors should. This is the page to bookmark.

Posted in Racing on July 23, 2010 / Tagged Fantasy Made Reality, More Information Please, NYRA, Stewards, Things Fans Want, Transparency