IN THE LONG RUN

Leading trainer MARK CASSE is going so good...he's winning racesmonths after being disqualified..(see yesterday's post).
Honor the horses tonight at the LONGRUN THOROUGHBRED FOUNDATION'S 3RD ANNUAL GALA, with a Motown theme, bundle up, it might be cool!
PICK 7 is up to $48,000, okay, it takes forever to get this high but us Canadian fans have to take what we get!

TRACK RECORD FOR CASSE 2YO

80 Beyer for filly by Vindication

DAWN RAID smashed the track record for 5 ½ furlongs when she won the 2^nd race yesterday at Woodbine over a fast Polytrack that was favourly speed all day. The VINDICATION filly remained undefeated (2 for 2) in her win yesterday over colts. She is a Josham Farms bred out of Embur Sunshine and she is owned by Woodford Racing, trained by Mark Casse.

Race 3- Only days after her sister LOULA upset a field for Ron Sadler and jockey Matt Moore, CHOIR PRACTICE romped under a good hold yesterday in a $20K claimer. The fillies were bred by Sadler. Choir Practice is by Crown Attorney out of Elusive Affair.

Race 4 – Favoured MOSSBANK was in the pace duel with TOBAR through 23 1/5 in the maiden 2yo race at 7 furlongs. On the turn, BEARELCO swept by 4 wide around the turn, looked like he was on his way to winning but the youngster had made his move too soon. MOSSBANK outdueled him through the stretch to win for Jim and Alice Sapara and partners. The Ontario-bred gelding is by Mutakkdim out of Wynyard by Mr.Greeley.

Race 5- The public didn’t catch on here – EMMA WILSON won on Lotaguska last time out against maidens but bailed on that one yesterday. Still, LOTAGUSKA was curiously overbet and backed away. Who won? Wilson, naturally.

The rider had WICKED DEVIL (Devil His Due, Kentucky bred) stalking the pace duel one length back in the 2 path, moved to the lead late on the turn and held ff a charging Manliest to win the $10,000 claiming event. Another winner for owner/trainer Mark Mesic.

Race 6- Stronach Stables’ NATIONAL HERO,lightly raced but very game when he’s on the pace, held off the ultra consistent RYE ON THE ROCKS to win the 7 furlong turf race for $50K claiming. Trainer SCOTT FAIRLIE continues his shopping speed (2 claims on the day) – he took ‘ROCKS’ for $50K.

Race 7 – Less than 24 hours after winning her 2^nd race of the season from her 4^th starter (Valentine Vixen), trainer LIZ CHARALAMBOUS orchestrated a stunner yesterday when Valentine Vixen’s half-brother…INSPIRATION LAD (Mutakkdim) won his season debut in 1:16 flat for 6 ½ furlongs, just missing the track record. Yes, the gelding led from start to finish but he beat some good ones in the highly regarded WOODBOURNE (by Danzig).He earned an 80 Beyer Figure.

The gelding is bred and owned by Margaret Cudney.

Race 8 – If you started to bet speed then SILVER FOXTRAIL was your gal in race 8 and she led all the way under learning apprentice Melanie Pinto. It was the rider’s first win at Woodbine. She was 13 to 1 and capped off a perplexing Pick 7.

PICK 7 AT $48,000

Dare to try again? While most folks will be readying for the LONGRUN GALA this evening, how about a few bucks on the Pick 7 today?

Some thoughts..

Race 2 – FIVE AND OFF exits a good try in a stakes race

Race 3 – UNTO THE HILL is dropping in class for WINDFIELDS FARM

Race 4 – Maidens, older, Casse firster DEWAMERE plus dropper ICY’S LEGACY

Race 5- 2yo’s on turf BLUENOSER, well bred for grass

Race 6- Casse trainee INTERTWINED can double up

Race 7 – MALIBI MONSTER could win his maiden

Race 8 – nice allowance with winning type KNOCKER meeting fleet3yo’s MY LIST and YOLIE

Good luck!

BETTOR BEATS THE RACES!

From the DESMOINESREGISTER.COM

A bettor seems to have devised a clever scheme to beat the races at Prairie Meadows.

And it appears to be legal, with the only victims being off-shore betting sites that act as bookmakers.

The first two days of the harness meet had three races in which someone bet $1,000 to place or show on horses that figured to lose.

The apparent goal was to inflate the payoffs of the top finishers so the bettor could clean up with off-shore bookmaking sites. Those sites pay track odds, but the wagering is not commingled with track betting.

"The only logical spin I can put on this is that whoever is doing this must have additional accounts with off-shore sites," said Mark Loewe, Prairie Meadows' director of mutuels. "So, they're laying $1,000 off here, and betting $2,000 or $3,000 somewhere else."

Why Prairie Meadows? Because the harness betting pools are so small that a $1,000 wager can dramatically shift the odds.

In Monday's third race, KB Amy went off at odds of 51-1. There was $8 bet to win on her, $2 to place, and $1,010 to show. The entire nine-horse field drew $1,210 in show wagering, in which bets are won on horses finishing third or better.

KB Amy finished a distant fourth while 2-5 favorite Aura Lee Triumph won. Aura Lee Triumph paid $2.80 for a $2 win wager, $2.20 to place and $12.60 to show.

Had the bettor also bet $2,000 to show on an Internet site on Aura Lee Triumph, he would have gotten back $25,200.

"From our standpoint, the ($1,000) bet is made legally," said Jack Ketterer, executive administrator for the Iowa racing and Gaming Commission. "It's up to the off-shore sites to decide whether they take bets on the races."

It's not costing Prairie Meadows bettors anything - in fact, they're getting back more money because of the $1,000 being lost on losing horses.

Who loses? The off-shore betting sites in Costa Rica and elsewhere that take betting on races without tracks' permission. Tracks have been fighting the sites, which offer rebates to lure heavy bettors away from tracks, but have been powerless to stop them.

Ketterer said the practice has happened before.

"When simulcasting started in the early '80s, they started doing it in Las Vegas with greyhound racing," he said. "At that time, they weren't commingling betting. They'd bet a couple hundred dollars to show at the track on the worst dog of the night. Then they'd bet all over Las Vegas at the 'books. But the racebooks caught on to it pretty quick."

Discussion about the betting situation began on KXNO's afternoon sports radio show earlier this week.

Even though the betting at Prairie Meadows is legal, Loewe said he is concerned the track will be tarnished.

"We do care, because there's the perception that something's not right," he said.

"The average person is not going to say, 'It's an off-shore rebate shop.' They're going to see Prairie Meadows and say something's fishy."

While the 2006 Internet gambling bill prohibited online casino gambling, it exempted interstate betting on horse racing, which was legalized under a previous law.

The Prairie Meadows $1,000 bets are coming in as two $500 wagers from legal account services, one through Youbet.com, the other through AmericaTab.

The other bets came Saturday. In the sixth race, Sierra No Angel had $17 bet to win, $14 to place and $1,040 to show. She was a distant fifth and Jazz Brand, the 7-10 favorite, paid $12.60 to show. Runner-up Coop's Class paid $21.60 to show and third-place finisher Pro paid $48.

There was no show betting on the fifth race, but Khanboy, who finished last, had $1,040 to place wagered on him. Panaramic Art, the 3-5 favorite, won and only paid $3 to place, but runner-up No Road Parking paid $15.20.

Ketterer and Loewe expect the off-shore sites to react soon.

"It won't take them long," Ketterer said.