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Misdeeds & Wrongdoing Archive

More on CHRB, Wygod

Bill Finley sees the case against Sweet Catomine’s connections as unusual in only one respect — the CHRB took action. That nothing was known about her condition before the race is an everyday occurence. A system for disclosure needs to be put into place: “Should a trainer have to report to the public every time a horse has a sniffle? No. But there has to be a better system in place than the one we have now, which is, basically, the public can be damned. At the very least, when a horse undergoes any kind of surgical procedure or is shipped to a veterinary clinic for treatment, which is where Sweet Catomine spent about 40 hours the week of the Santa Anita Derby, that information should be disclosed.” Hear, hear! (ESPN)
The CHRB’s case against Marty Wygod was beyond weak, writes Jay Hovdey, and the board “owes the sport an apology for turning Wygod’s public hearing into a desperate fishing expedition for facts their investigators were unable to provide.” (Daily Racing Form — sub. req.)
The CHRB announced on Monday that it plans to review its investigation procedures in the wake of the Sweet Catomine affair. “I intend to evaluate our investigative procedures from start to finish,” said board director Ingrid Fermin. “In that way, licensees and the public will be reassured that cases have been fully investigated and evaluated before any accusations are filed.” (Daily Racing Form)

Posted in Misdeeds & Wrongdoing on April 26, 2005

Complaint Against Wygod Dismissed

Sweet Catomine owner Marty Wygod was cleared of all charges on Saturday after a three-hour hearing before the Hollywood Park stewards, who determined that the CHRB failed to prove its allegations that Wygod violated racing rules by making false statements and committing “conduct detrimental to racing” in the week leading up to the filly’s run in the Santa Anita Derby. After the ruling, Wygod said:

“My name was dragged through the mud in 20-30 newspapers. Charges were brought against me that were totally unfounded … This has had a terrible impact on my wife and my kids.

“I spent 40 years in this game; I tried to get my kids to want to care about it after me. They don’t want to have anything to do with it anymore because of the charges made against me. I have to make some hard decisions whether I want to continue.

“I think what was done here by the press and by (CHRB Executive Director) Ingrid Fermin was despicable and I’m not finished with this — whether I stay in the game or don’t stay in the game.” (Union-Tribune)

To which I say: Amazing. Are we supposed to think Wygod is the victim here?

Posted in Misdeeds & Wrongdoing on April 25, 2005

Racing’s Credibility Problem

Stan Bergstein warns: “If we don’t do something about transparency, we’re in deep media trouble.” (Daily Racing Form — sub. req.)
And if the industry can’t right itself, the courts may help it along: A man who bet on Sweet Catomine in the Santa Anita Derby has filed a lawsuit, alleging the filly’s connections committed fraud. (USA Today)

Posted in Misdeeds & Wrongdoing on April 20, 2005

Investigating the Wrong Guy

DRF readers have their say on the Sweet Catomine affair. Charlie Garcia writes that the CHRB is wasting its time investigating owner Marty Wygod when there are more deserving targets:

The California racing board will, however, allow racing a horse — Pearls ‘n’ Satin in the ninth race at Santa Anita on April 10 — whose trainer had not won in more than a year, whose jockey had won once out of 43 tries this year, and who had worked no faster than six-furlongs in 1:16 at Fairplex, with several three- to four-week gaps in the works. The board witnessed that horse get bet down from a 30-1 morning line to 12-1 and win like a 3-5 shot, and seemed not to think twice about investigating.

That does sound suspicious….
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The CHRB has slapped (now former) Sweet Catomine trainer Julio Canani with a complaint regarding the matter:

Canani is alleged to have violated Rule 1887 (a) as the absolute insurer of the condition of a horse; Rule 1489 (c) for making material misrepresentations or false statements to the CHRB or its agents; and Rule 1902 for engaging in conduct detrimental to horseracing.

Ahern said that Canani was ultimately responsible, regardless of whether he consented to Wygod’s action.

A hearing is scheduled for May 1. (Blood-Horse)
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Sports Illustrated writer Tim Layden, who reportedly had information regarding Sweet Catomine’s condition the day before the Santa Anita Derby, explains what happened:

On Friday morning I met Marty Wygod, Sweet Catomine’s owner, for a pre-arranged interview at Santa Anita. We talked about the horse, his life, his family… the sort of things that would eventually comprise an SIÂ story on the great filly. At one point, Wygod asked me: “The things we talk about, you’re writing them after the race, correct?”

“Correct,” I said.Â Naturally, SI doesn’t publish until after the race. Obviously, breaking news goes here on SI.com, but I was looking for the back story on a horse, not anticipating breaking news….

Wygod went on to tell me he didn’t think Sweet Catomine was coming to the race in top form, that she had lost weight and was fighting a minor problem that he would not disclose, but that he said had nothing to do with soundness. He also confirmed a rumor I had heard on the Santa Anita backstretch, that Sweet Catomine was in season (heat) for the first time. Oddly, Sweet Catomine’s trainer, Julio Canani, had raved about the filly the previous day. Something didn’t add up.

So, something didn’t add up — Wygod was saying something very different from what Canani was saying about the filly’s readiness — but Layden didn’t press it. There was a rumor on the backside that Sweet Catomine was in heat, but not that she was missing for two days. Something doesn’t add up here, either. (Sports Illustrated)

Posted in Misdeeds & Wrongdoing on April 16, 2005

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