Comments on: GOOD NEWS FRIDAY sponsored by Liberation Farm - WAGERING INTEGRITY

By: Cale B

Cale B — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 14:33:55 +0000

AMS outsources it’s software development to overseas development houses including resources in third world countries. What brainiac decided that the answer to our wagering integrity and data security problem was allowing third world (read questionable controls) companies to have keys to the Industry car!?!?!

By: Joe B

Joe B — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 17:35:27 +0000

As to wagering integrity. Besides the obvious finger pointing, etc. there are both quik fixes to address the rpoblem short term until the correct long term fix can be put in place. Again it’s easy to blame the tote companies, but the problem runs much deeper into the core of the way business is now done. 1: Stop betting no later then 1st horse in the gate. Instant upgrade to the perception of late pool shipments. 2: When a past posting incident occurs, inform the public NOW!. If pools are suspect, kill the pool. Better then anyone benefitting from a non-stop betting. 3: There are many good people in the industry that if given the chance could do a better job af trying to fix the integrity problem. Instead we trot out the same old retreads. High placed track management or bean counters, many who don’t know the first thing about the technical side of the business (maybe the entire business for that matter) to whom only what they percieve the bottom line to be to the same old peopel who have always had their heads in the sand as to progress and change have made the march to integrity almost impossible. Tote people do their best (here comes the scandel BS yelling I’m sure). As in any other part of the undustry, there are some bad apples. Unfortuantely hardly anyone realizes that they are giving the product their customers are demanding. The trakc don’t want to pay for upgrades of any kind when it comes to this issue and the totes can’t afford to do it. That’s fact! The industry has got to reach out to the people who can fix the problem. instead we get the same old tired rhetoric. As Rome burned, Nero fiddled. Well, welcome to the wagering industry.

By: Alison Thompson M

Alison Thompson M — Sun, 05 Jul 2009 16:34:51 +0000

Garrett, you’re so clever and so arrogant! No one knows or cares what the hell you’re talking about except me as I once admired your integrity and honesty. That is until I found the $5,000 in my husband’s sock drawer, which you admitted to have given him to pay a trainer to buy your colt. On that day and in recent ones, I have come to know the true you - a man declining in years who has spent a lot of time being hyper- critical of others, including those closest to you, to the benefit of no one but you. If only you worked on keeping your own side of the street clean you may have realized that perhaps your colt was a $30k horse and not a $50k he would have been sold without incentive. If my facts are wrong, then please tell me the truth this time, as I’m only remembering what you told at the time. As far as airing laundry in public, you should have thought about that before your email attempting to disparge me ended up in court filings.

As far as my glasshouse, Garrett, yes, I have made mistakes - big ones. However, I’m not slamming anyone’s integrity online as if I knew the person intimately. I only speak about that which I have personal knowledge, which is usually limited to from my 4+ years working with Greg Avioli and Keith Chambiln, who I do know, and the others at NTRA & Breeders’ Cup. My opinions are my own, but are not out of line with those of my former co-workers. I have no ax to grind. I only believe that the tenured employees of the NTRA and Breeders Cup have a track record which shows a failure to build racing in the public’s eye, which has ultimately resulted in a steady decline in handle. And, for that, they should be replaced.

Finally, if you truly believe that a court of law is the only place to find truth, then I feel for you.

So, while I appreciate your attempt to minimize my opinion about you with rhetoric aimed to disparage me, the fact remains you are just as bad as the people you critcize because you are just as dishonest.

By: Garrett Redmond

Garrett Redmond — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 20:35:31 +0000

I’ve been told a wise man never tries to change a woman’s opinion because he can never be quite sure what it is. However, I am compelled to respond to Alison Murphy.

Where one grew up is not relevant to competence. Not everyone who grows up in Buckingham Palace is fit to be the monarch or even a princeling.

One must tolerate differences of opinion. One need not tolerate innuendo

There are many adages that fairly respond to the rest of # 4. Alison, you are old enough to know:

Only in law courts may we expect the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth and
courts exclude hearsay;
There are two sides to every story - yours and the facts;
He that is without sin ….. let him first cast a stone;
People in glasshouses ……………………………..;
Ladies should not do laundry in public because you never know what comes out
in the wash;

As to personal preferences, don’t forget : “Everyone to his own taste”, as the farmer said when he kissed a cow.

By: Bob Hope

Bob Hope — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 13:09:44 +0000

Wagering integrity, or lack of it was dramatically affected when the greed factor over in the early eighties. Racetrack managements decided to eliminate the red button in the steward stands that controlled wager cut off and placed the task in the hands of mutual managers who convincingly found a new tool of manipulating post times. Post times became irrelevant; sound policy was replaced with shortsighted gains; stewards were marginalized and the sliding into mediocrity began. Since the advent of full blown simulcasting the wagering responsibilities were elevated from the pari mutual cellars to the executive suites where picking winners as to what groups could bet when; how much and zero minutes to post was adopted for the so called bad guys.
Name calling, branding and selective wagering became the order of the day until massive erosion of the total pools went from
insidious to full bloom. The culprits for the most part is management policy, not the evil doers in the eyes of neophytes and alphabet groups with little comprehension of how the system and the rules of racing really work and why they were implemented. There are rules by Roberts; Hoyle and for every sport that’s played. Racing has forgotten theirs and scrambles to determine their plight. Arizona is not the “old school” nor does it pump out “old boys” but they could if they introduced a rule book into their curriculum !

By: Alison Thompson M

Alison Thompson M — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 01:04:38 +0000

Garrrett, while I usually agree with you, you’re way off track on this one. Lonny grew up on the track. (Besides, why do you keep on about people ruining the industry when you did what you did to get your colt sold?) I’d much prefer to have alumni than wandering-eyed pub mates with integrity issues any day.

By: Al

Al — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 21:39:25 +0000

Wrong guy. What a joke!

By: ITP

ITP — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 20:43:15 +0000

Hilarious stuff Garrett!

When I was reading this, I said “OMG…Lonny Powell”

The tote system ever getting fixed is in huge jeopardy if this guy has anything to do with it.

Great to know that something so important to the future of the industry could be put in the hands of another lifetime incompetent racetrack paycheck casher.

By: Garrett Redmond

Garrett Redmond — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 19:17:57 +0000

Good News Friday ? More likely Black Friday !

So, Lonny Powell has surfaced again? Powell must hold the record for jobs on the “Administrative” side. An orally flatulent type, he is the epitome of the parasites that, though not knowing which end eats hay, live off the Thoroughbred business.

Do note the “Old School Tie” network is working full blast. They will take care of each other. As for taking care of the public interest ? Hmmn… we shall wait and see.