Sportsbook & Gambling Information

NYRA pulls 'net plug

Drops betting sites in wake of shake

By SHERRY ROSS
DAILY NEWS SPORTS WRITER

In the wake of the recent race-fixing scandal involving one of its member tracks, the New York Racing Association yesterday announced it is terminating simulcast agreements with four betting sites. NYRA is also developing postrace testing for sodium bicarbonate in hopes of preventing the illegal performance-enhancing practice known as "milkshaking."
Both of those issues were dragged into the spotlight last week with the indictment of trainer Gregory Martin. Martin is suspected of treating a horse named A One Rocket with a milkshake, which resulted in a form reversal that produced a 10-length, $5.60 win in a Dec. 18, 2003 race at Aqueduct. The betting coup was allegedly made via off-shore betting sites, also known as rebate shops, which are not regulated by the thoroughbred racing industry. Indictments were handed down to 17 individuals. Martin and the others, including harness driver Rene Poulin, pleaded not guilty yesterday to the charges in U.S. District Court.

The Meadowlands and Monmouth Park severed their ties with the shops several days ago, and NYRA joins prominent racetracks Churchill Downs, Hollywood Park, Arlington Park, Calder Race Course, Oaklawn Park, Woodbine, Tampa Bay Downs and Fair Grounds in cutting off or reviewing its relationships with the betting shops. The NYRA's betting pool is commingled with these Internet groups.

"In addition to this immediate action, NYRA is undertaking an aggressive and expedited review of a number of selected secondary parimutuel organizations," said NYRA president and CEO Charles Hayward. "We will take decisive action in an ongoing effort to ensure that access to our parimutuel pools passes the strictest test of transparency and integrity. We fully understand that the economic impact of this decision will be damaging to our bottom line, but the integrity of NYRA's parimutuel pools leaves no room for compromise."

The four active sites are Euro Off-Track, located on the Isle of Man in the United Kingdom, International Racing Group, Inc. and Elite Turf Club, both located on Curacao in the Netherlands Antilles, and Tonkawa Indian Reservation in Oklahoma. All four sites were named in the indictment handed down last week by the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York. The termination goes into effect Monday.

Postrace testing for milkshaking will be developed in conjunction with the New York State Racing and Wagering Board and Dr. George Maylin of Cornell University, who is known as one of the world's leading experts in equine drug testing and pharmacology. The program is scheduled to begin in early February. While technically not a drug, the sodium bicarbonate mixture is believed to be able to improve a horse's oxygen use during a race and is illegal. California and Florida have recently instituted testing for milkshakes.

NYRA's franchise expires on Dec. 31, 2007, and its embattled status makes it unlikely to earn a renewal to run Aqueduct, Belmont Park and Saratoga racetracks. In his budget outline yesterday, Gov. George Pataki proposed that the next holder of the franchise would pay a one-time $250 million fee up front.

Other plans included the formation of a Non-Profit Racing Association Oversight Board and a new state gaming commission. Bidding on the franchise renewal could begin later this year.