Calif. regulators mull wagering solutions to Breeders' Cup gaffe

The California Horse Racing Board on Thursday was presented with possible remedies to better satisfy bettors in the event a horse is erroneously scratched from a race and then allowed to run for purse money only, as was the case in the high-profile incident involving Modern Games at last year’s Breeders’ Cup.

Also at the CHRB’s regularly scheduled monthly meeting, executive director Scott Chaney raised concerns over two rules proposed by the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority, which are set to take effect on July 1. He called HISA’s approval of the overhand use of the riding crop, which is not allowed in California, and 24-hour ban on medication prior to a race “non starters.” California has a stricter 48-hour stand-down period for race-day medication.

“While most of these (HISA) regulations closely mirror what we are doing in California, and were in fact modeled on our program, there are a few that are stricter than our current rules. For that I applaud the Authority and look forward to complying on July 1,” Chaney said. “Having said that, there are a few areas where their (regulations) fall short of what we already have in place here in California. … I am in frequent communication with the authority and their new CEO, working on solutions to these two issues, which are frankly non-starters for California.”

A series of proposals on how to better handle when a horse is erroneously scratched, which emerged from Wednesday’s meeting of the CHRB’s pari-mutuel wagering committee, was presented to the full board by commissioner Dennis Alfieri.

In his remarks, Alfieri noted the Modern Games situation in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf – which ended with a chorus of boos from the on-track crowd – “caused a great deal of confusion and in some cases, anger, among those in the public who felt they had been treated unfairly.”

In last year’s Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf, Modern Games was inadvertently scratched when it was thought he had broken through the starting gate during the loading process. It turned out Modern Games had not done so and that an assistant starter had simply opened the front door to let Modern Games out when Albaugh started to thrash in a stall to his outside.

Modern Games subsequently was deemed fit to run, put back in the race and allowed to compete for purse money only. This left bettors who had used Modern Game in multi-race wagers with post-time favorite Dakota Gold as a replacement, following California rules. Dakota Gold was never a factor and finished off the board.

Alfieri outlined five potential solutions that were discussed by the pari-mutuel committee, but he indicated the focus would be on two of those: adding the ability to make alternate selections through advanced-deposit wagering platforms in Pick 4, Pick 5 and Pick 6 wagers, as is currently available on track; and/or making the race an “all” for wagering purposes when a is horse running for purse money only. This would be similar to the current rule for when a race changes surfaces after a multi-race wager already has begun.

A representative for the ADW platform Xpressbet said on Wednesday during the committee meeting that it had begun offering alternate selections in multi-race wagers in February. CHRB chairman Gregory Ferraro on Thursday suggested that going forward, the board should ensure ADWs provide for alternate selections as part of their licensing process in the state.

“Commissioner (Damscus) Castellanos and I will be asking for more detail, more information, more research on all these proposals and thoughts,” Alfieri said. “We hope this discussion prompts others to contact us with their thoughts. We understand there were 360 individuals listening to our meeting yesterday through the webcast link. So we know they are out there. It is hoped we hear from more and more people on this item and make positive changes.”