Gulfstream drops quinella wager amid manipulation concerns

Gulfstream Park has removed the quinella bet type from its wagering menu after pool manipulation concerns in the first race on Friday.

1/ST Racing and Gaming, which owns Gulfstream as well as a family of other racetracks and account wagering platforms as part of the Stronach Group, said in a Tuesday news release that it took additional steps to close the account that made the wagers and referred the matter to the Thoroughbred Racing Protective Bureau and other agencies. The release also noted that the matter appears to involve offshore betting sites.

"Integrity and safety are the two cornerstones of 1/ST's foundation, and we are continuing to thoroughly review all actions associated with this incident," 1/ST CEO Aidan Butler said in the release. "Ensuring the protection of our stakeholders, including the important constituency who wager on our races, is of paramount importance."

The Thoroughbred Idea Foundation first brought the incident to 1/ST's attention and published a follow-up on its website that details the flow of money throughout the wagering of the race in question.

"TIF seeks to improve the long-term sustainability of racing," said Craig Bernick, TIF founder and CEO of Glen Hill Farm. "That includes evolving our wagering landscape, the technology that drives it and the security fucntions to protect it. We must improve the competitiveness of racing's wagering business and build confidence with existing and new customers. We think the best way for racing to survive ... is to improve our wagering product to the greatest number of customers. Without proper action, all racing (is) at risk."

The quinella requires the bettor to select the top two finishers regardless of order. This is similar to an exacta box in practice but not mechanics because the payout does not change based on the order of finish. The irregularities in the race in question involved long shot No. 5 Miss Grand Slam, who was 43.3-1 in the win pool but took much more money in the quinella pool, which closed with $24,280 in handle. No other quinella pool that day did more than $6,000 in handle.

"TRPB's Wagering Integrity Unit is assisting the investigation into the betting," said Curtis Linnell, executive vice president of the Thoroughbred Racing Protective Bureau. "There is no indication at this time of malfeasance by any participants in the race itself."