Ok, told you I’d be back for this one:) I think I’m going to reply to this just as if Mr Gill posted it on here, in the constant pursuit of self amusement. I hope a few of you might do the same
Might have been doable if you’d had interest in something better than bottom level claimers
I was in horse racing for 33 years and have been told that I have had more starts and won more races than any horse owner in history. Therefore, I think this qualifies me to speak about the business.
You’ve been told wrong. I believe Dale Baird of WV has you beat but who really cares anyway.
I went into racing knowing it was a business and I believed I could be a champion. I was able to accomplish my goals because I believed they were possible. I also quickly learned that it is possible for people to be totally corrupt.
In Business?! Especially a business involving gambling?! Oh no, say it ain’t so!
I am no longer in horse racing, but I spent $51 million dollars from 1999 to 2009 on horses. I had a passion and a love for this industry. I’m no longer in horse racing so I have no motive to share my story other than the truth.
Is Edward Longo a friend of yours? Just wondering:confused:
Penn National Race Track in Grantville, Pennsylvania is, like other race tracks, a closed community. When you look at it, you see nothing but locals.
Certainly we can agree that inbreeding is a problem in that town, but when I look around the backside I see plenty of out of state tags on the vehicles. Matter of fact is the out of state folks who recieve letters inviting them to apply for stalls while locals have a better shot at winning the lottery.
When the largest stable in the country moves in, it is cause for concern.
Gee, I don’t hear the likes of Jamie Ness or Layne Giliforte complaining. Matter of fact they keep coming back every year don’t they?
They do not like cutting up their share of the pie. I made $3.1 million dollars there in 2009. More money than any owner made at any one race track that year. This was more money than next the top 15 owners at Penn National combined.
So by your own admission certainly nobody stopped you from making money there did they?
So why would they want me out?
Maybe for the same reasons as the racing commissions of NH, MA, DE, NJ, FL. Did I leave anybody out?
I got into Penn National when John Krulock (agent for jockeys Thomas Clifton and Willie Otero) offered me 49 stalls if I rode his Jockeys first call. I said that I would, but that I would not use Clifton as I felt he was an inferior jockey. Krulock then gave me Willie Otero to ride all my horses and then hired Dana Whitney. It was not a coincidence that it is these three jockeys that led a boycott of riding my horses in 2009.
Jocks agents don’t hire jockeys. Jockeys hire them. Stalls are allotted to Trainers, not owners. Your trainers license was revoked by the State of NH. Was unfortunate that they let you continue to own. The corruption at PN with this particular agent did however seem to benefit you so not sure why you’re whining about it.
As far as the boycott, well who would know better the condition of your horses than the guys who rode them? Just the same I can remember the canceled races and as I recall your horses all had riders. It was all the others that refused to take their mounts. So much for your telling the truth.
In fact in a federal trial held last week, Michael Dillon, former Acting Executive Secretary of the Pennsylvania Horse Racing Commission said under oath that he spoke with three jockeys about their concerns, one was Clifton and he just could not remember the other two. Even when the subject was about life and limb, he forgot. Out of the 100 jockeys I am going make a guess at the other two: Dana Whitney and Willie Otero. I’m sure they were the jockeys, Krulock’s jockeys, which was the reason for Dillon’s sudden loss of memory.
By that statement it appears you can’t remember too well yourself
There came a time in late 2009 that I fired Willie Otero. He was pulling horses to prevent them from winning. I then asked to have Dana Whitney ride on all the horses. Krulock said that he could not do that because Dana was riding first call for my biggest competitor, Stephanie Beattie.
Is the trainer that chooses riders. Not the owner. Nice try. Couldn’t get Beattie’s rider from her? Wow it really sucks to be you.
So Krulock had the two top racing outfits in Penn National using his jockeys. When he could not give me Dana Whitney, I fired him as an agent and the jockeys he represents. Weeks later, Otero was suspended from racing for making no effort for a horse to win. This is the exact accusation I had made when I fired him. I knew at that moment that since Krulock got me the stalls at Penn National that he could take them away.
If Krulock had this much muscle as you allege, why didn’t you be a good citizen and tell these things to the Grand Jury?
So how did I get kicked out of Penn National? I just had 2,247 horse races without a single bad test. Those that wanted me out would have given their eyeballs to have come up with a bad test to make it easy to get rid of me.
Take note of that very careful choice of words. Never did he say he never illegally drugged a horse-just never got caught with a bad test. Very slick wordmeister he is.
Since that wasn’t possible, Krulock turned to what he could control…the jockeys. So that is how they came at me.
Hot Damn I do love a conspiracy theory!
You may remember reading Otero saying my horses were dangerous. What if I told you he has just given a sworn deposition, under oath, that they were never were dangerous? What jockey would know better if my horses were sound than the jockey that was riding them all? How could any other jockeys say anything if they didn’t ride them? Also, what if Otero and Jockey Clinton Potts just said under oath that they did not give anyone express permission to use their names on the jockey petition?
Have no knowledge of this stuff but will certainly look into it. Want to talk about what your people did to Craig Gibbs?
Let’s move on to the National Horsemen’s Benevolence & Protective Association (HBPA).
Would love to talk about them. Glad you brought them up.
This is the same organization that I have paid more money into than any other person.
Considering they collect no dues from their membership that’s quite magnanimous of you
They have never come to my defense because they are made up of horse owners and trainers that do not want me in the industry because I am cutting up their pie.
Waaaaaaa! Again it really sucks to be you. For a guy who made 3.1 million in 2009 in spite of corrupt jockeys holding your horses that dog just wont hunt.
The president of HBPA at Penn National at the time was Stephanie Beattie, my biggest competitor.
Why didn’t you challenge her for her office? Or bankroll a competitor? Oh never mind we know how HBPA elections work right:lol:
She was accused of shock waving horses by her foreman/boyfriend and her grooms, but wrote a letter, representing horse ownership, to the Commissioner saying I was bad for racing.
Certainly a case of the pot calling the kettle black for sure. Can’t disagree with you on that one.
Christopher McErlean is the Vice President of Gaming at Penn National. He has commented publicly about my horses breaking down. He must have forgotten about an email he sent on January 24, 2010, just before my ejection, stating that my trainers, Adamo and Delahoussaye had 3 and 4 breakdowns respectively for the year. They raced a total of 820 times during the year. There was actually one trainer with more total breakdowns with only about 600 starts. This trainer was Stephanie Beattie. “The slippery slope is if the measurement or action taken is going to be on when this occurs, as it may also involve others who people feel are not an issue.” McErlean wrote this in his email, a copy of which I have in my possession.
Sounds cool, any chance you can be persuaded to make this public?
Penn National knew that I had complained multiple times about the racing surface. I had raced over 1,400 starts in 2009 outside of Penn National and only had one breakdown. This was a horse that raced on the grass for the first time, slipped and clipped heals. Again, that’s seven breakdowns at Penn National with 820 starts, and one out of 1,400 starts at other tracks.
Shows a callous disregard for your horses safety. If the track was that bad why didn’t you leave? Oh never mind, we know is cause nobody else wanted you and your gang of “associates” right?
Penn National continues to be scrutinized for their unsafe track conditions. In fact in 2008, just one year before, it had fourteen fatal breakdowns in two weeks. To put this in perspective, if you combined all of the race tracks across the country you might not have fourteen fatal breakdowns collectively during a two week period. Every year the track has had major issues with breakdowns. They still had major issues two months after I left. But they blamed me, not the track.
True enough, this is what happens when they refuse to hire a track superintendent as real racetracks have. Instead they let the guy who drives the tractor do that who’s main qualification is being the hayman’s brother. So why did you stay? Is certainly no environment for a big time outfit now is it?
Penn National doesn’t want you to pay attention to the horses; they want you in the casino. Want proof? Simply walk inside of the casino and then walk out back to the stables where the horses live. The barns are a disaster and the track is dangerous, but the casino is just wonderful! You tell me where Penn National is spending their money.
Love to talk about that too, Peter M Carlino $9,469,277 in total compensation as compared to the average casino worker who made $34,053. 278 times the pay rate. Especially disgraceful when looking at the deplorable backside living conditions which you yourself have acknowledged.
At the time, horses stabled on the grounds did not get even a vet check before they raced. To my knowledge this was the only race track in the country where all horses didn’t get checked by a veterinarian before each race.
Certainly nothing you ever complained about at the time. Matter of fact was stuff like that that made a very comfortable working environment for people the likes of you.
Penn National can’t say they are concerned about horses and jockeys when they don’t even vet check horses on their own grounds. My understanding is that they do vet check now, why didn’t they then?
Good question. One can only guess that they had races to fill and real vet checks would have led to short fields and cancelled races.
I offered to have the state vet at Penn National check all my horses on the grounds and at my farm, Penn National declined.
They have no interest in your farm. Is out of their sphere of responsibility. On track I call BS on that.
Instead what I got was an anonymous phone call to the Large Animal Protection Society. They sent Gail Emerson to my farm. As reported in the Thoroughbred Times, “It was a surprise visit, and I found nothing wrong in the facility,” said Gail Emerson, a former trainer. “It was clean, and the horses were in good condition.”
I can assure you that call didn’t come from Penn National Race Track.
All my horses were sold. The vast majority went back to Penn National. Those same complaining owners bought them, the same complaining trainers trained them and the same complaining jockeys rode them. There must have been some magical wand that was waived to make them all instantly sound. I guess miracles can happen.
Yeah especially after they’ve had a chance to detox.
The Commission’s own investigators recognized the fact that the horses were back running at Penn National and what I was saying was actually true. They then said in last week’s trial that they never accused me of having sore horses. By now it was a moot point. In fact Delahoussaye still trained and he had his other owners buy my horses that wound up back in the same stalls that they were in when I owned them a day before. It is also ironic that I was still able to race at Philadelphia Park, but not at Penn National, even though both are governed by the same Pennsylvania commission. Sore at Penn, sound at Philly?
Was truly unfortunate. You rightfully should have been thrown out of the state.
Not convinced yet? If you think Penn National cares about jockeys and horses, why are they racing at 12:00 midnight in the middle of January instead of 12:00 noon? Do you think it is colder at midnight than at noon?
Do you think it is more likely to have a frozen track in the middle of January? Isn’t it possible it is about making money? Otherwise they would be racing during the day. They want you in the Casino at night.
Again all true. Never bothered you before though.
Now I am going to get really insidious. Penn National has me thrown out; they knew they did not have a reason so they gave it to the Commission. They believed that the Commission had immunities that they could hide behind. They had the State of Pennsylvania do their dirty work and we learned in last week’s trial that Commission’s lawyers warned them that I could sue the Commission. So the taxpayer would take the hit. That is not what I want.
If is not what you want then why do it? You’ve made a living suing people. Matter of fact isn’t it also a fact that your being so sue happy is what got you in there?
At the trial, I listened to three Commissioners (Hamm, Hannum, and Sweeney) and the Executive Secretary Dillon. I watched them go up on the witness stand, one after another saying that I had done nothing wrong. In fact they did not even investigate before or after ejecting me or Adamo, not one of them. Dillon also declared our innocence. On three occasions Dillon happily informed the court that Penn National gave him a letter telling him what a good job he was doing. He seemed to be very proud of that letter. Then it became very clear. Penn National operates under a license, as I do. They could possibly lose that license if they were operating a dangerous track. Only the Commission could take their license away. I noticed how one Commissioner after another on the stand appeared more hesitant, guarded and confused than the one before.
For all your experience in lawsuits one must question why you run your mouth on the internet about what goes on in a courtroom before a case is over???
So, if you had a couple of Commissioners that you could manipulate, I would say it was a hell of an insurance policy and defense Attorney Augusto was the puppet master who protects the tracks and dials in the Commissioners. I noticed how they looked frequently at him for approval during trial.
He was there as their attorney. Inept as he may be clients tend to look to their attorneys in such situations. Does your vast experience differ?
You would be interested to know how little these Commissioners know about horse racing. It seems they rely heavily on reading The Blood-Horse magazine. I am not kidding, read the transcripts. No offense to The Blood-Horse magazine, but it is not ALL that these commissioners should know.
Yes, Racing Commissions everywhere are composed primarily of political hacks who are given their very high paying do nothing jobs by state governors in return for political favors. The State of Florida has no commission. That shows how necessary they are. Did it really take you 31 years in racing to come to this epiphany?
The Commission and Dillon listed three separate complaints: 1) Penn National, 2) Jockeys and 3) the HBPA. They had nothing else. I have now just introduced you to all the players.
I came into horse racing hiring the little guy and giving them an opportunity to prove themselves. Sometimes the thing that separates the haves and the have-nots is opportunity.
What a charitable fellow
Look back at all my years in racing and tell me this isn’t the truth. I bought horses from the big guys 90% of the time, not the little guys. I claimed horses from people that were cheating and winning races unfairly to defraud the betting public.
Did you bring this to anyone’s attention? Were any arrests ever made?
I claimed horses for $20,000 and won for $40,000.
Myectomies and shockwaves not to mention the chemical expertise of the corrupt vet was nothing special?
I wasn’t doing anything special. They were cheating. Do you think the trainers would tell the owners that they lost their $40,000 claiming horse for $20,000 because they were cashing a bet offshore or would they say that Gill made it a $40,000 horse because he was cheating? What do you think?
How exactly was everybody else cheating and why did you never come forward if you had knowledge of such wrongdoing?
I really tried to make a difference. I was trying to create a path to operating a successful business in the horse racing industry that I loved so that other owners could do the same. I made it possible for the trainer to make money and the owners to make money, rather than have the trainer survive by cheating the owner. Typically, trainers survive by finding a new owner before the old owner goes broke.
Nice slap in the face to all reputable trainers out there. Wonder if Mr Phipps has that problem with McGaughey?
Perhaps they should hire the likes of Dellahoussaye, Adamo, Norman et al. You set a fine example with the hiring of such stalwarts.
It was my intent to have stayed in Horse Racing the rest of my life, what better job to have than one that you love. It is journalism, like the recent New York Times article and a former ESPN interview, that have made it difficult to stay in business and impossible for me to come back by painting me as “The Most Hated Man in Racing” where I might have been the most honest.
You took your bat and ball and went home out of Boston a few years back too. After things settled down you re-emerged in Pennsylvania. You specifically chose the place knowing you could thrive in such a dirty corrupt environment right? Is no doubt in my mind you’ll be back after things settle down.
I will finish by telling you that in the purest sense I am a competitor, I find no victory in cheating. I have spent my career defending myself from the corrupt, with their fear of you hearing me.
ROTFLMFAO! With the likes of the people you had in your entourage?
I would not be bought and I would not be intimidated, that is a dangerous combination in horse racing.
Just a paragon of virtue you are. I’m impressed. Can I get your autograph maybe?
I spent $51 million dollars in horse racing, why would I need to cheat?
To make money. Cheaters always prosper. Folks like you and your crew can’t survive any other way. Wanna talk about the people you defrauded and stole from in your mortgage business too?
If someone had a better horse in the race, I would buy it.
Yeah your bottom feeding and aggressive claiming are well known. Can you account for any of those ones you sent to the so-called retirement farm out in Iowa or wherever that was?
For all those concerned, you have taken your best shot at me and I am still standing. Every time I see my name it is followed by the word, controversial. Tell me this, what is more controversial than telling the truth?
Would like nothing better than to continue this. Please consider coming on this forum and talking to us:D
