Certianly not the last action but it would appear the driver is taking the biggest hit here …
In light of Declan’s Moon dropping out I think the super filly will be even more seriously considered for the Triple Crown chase 
No. County Times (CA) 3/10/05: Wygod’s Filly Has Sweet Chance at Derby
By: JEFF NAHILL
Owner Marty Wygod of Rancho Santa Fe knows he’s bucking history — only three fillies (Regret, Genuine Risk and Winning Colors) have ever won the Kentucky Derby — but when it comes to his prized 3-year-old, Sweet Catomine, he just can’t help himself.
Sweet Catomine will continue on the road to the Kentucky Derby on Sunday when she races in the Santa Anita Oaks for fillies only. The event should be nothing short of a public workout for the daughter of Storm Cat.
After that it will be time to find out what last year’s champion 2-year-old filly has. If everything continues on the straight and narrow, Sweet Catomine will face the boys in the Grade I Santa Anita Derby on April 9. A win or runner-up finish will put her in Louisville, Ky., on May 7.
“I’m realistic enough to know after 40 years in the business that unless she shows up at her peak, she doesn’t have a chance,” said Wygod of running in the Kentucky Derby. “We have to go in at our peak, and it starts this week in the Oaks.”
Sweet Catomine has earned $864,800 while winning four of her five starts, and Wygod thinks she will only get better.
“We really like her going a mile-and-a-quarter (of the Derby) more than a mile-and-an-eighth (of the Kentucky Oaks),” said Wygod, who began thinking of the Run for the Roses shortly after Sweet Catomine won the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies on Oct. 30 at Lone Star Park. “She has been running faster than the colts and most times on the same day as they have run.”
Wygod insists his filly is more of a tomboy.
“She enjoys body contact,” he said. “In one race, she got belted at the start and she was not intimidated by the contact. I’ve never seen a filly like that. She’s just as large as the colts and she would also get a five-pound weight allowance in the Derby (for being a filly).”
When Sweet Catomine was awarded the Eclipse Award in January as champion filly of 2004, it was a first for Wygod.
“It was a great feeling,” said Wygod, "but not as great as winning the Breeders’ Cup. Winning the Eclipse was anticlimactic because everyone knew she was going to win, although there was one writer who didn’t vote for her or else she would have made history as a unanimous selection.
“When they came over on her (in the Breeders’ Cup) and then she got squeezed back, I couldn’t believe she came back on (to win). It was the highlight of my career.”
And now Wygod is hoping for a new highlight. Something only three other thoroughbreds have accomplished.
…
Go, Cat, Go!
<BLOCKQUOTE class=“ip-ubbcode-quote”><div class=“ip-ubbcode-quote-title”>quote:</div><div class=“ip-ubbcode-quote-content”>Originally posted by queasy:
I suppose like a lot of other “masters” he’s yet to learn he can’t behave like a CEO in racing although we’ve seen some who learn humility (even Steinbrenner perhaps?) others will never consider themselves amateurs at anything. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>
I fully agree.
What is more amazing is the fact that Wygod has been (per him) “in racing” for 40-years. Although racing at the G1 level with all the media exposure does tend to bring to light what may be “normal practices” with his racing all along. Keep in mind I really doubt the old school days of Man O’War would’ve thought twice about the antics carried out by Sweet Catomine’s connections. Even Seabiscuit’s connections enjoyed cloaking everything with some mystery.
The history of racing of course is littered with business titans who have been humbled in racing but not before making total asses of themselves with decisions and comments.
We don’t have to look to far back to see for example that with successful businessman Ken Ramsey and that cluster at the end of 2004 
And then there are - as you cited - other top businessmen who own ‘a piece of the action’ but don’t mess with the affairs of training, et al.
Case in point, does anyone really know that the owner of “Noble Causeway” (fittingly) is Barnes & Noble founder, CEO and Forbes 400 member, Leonard Riggio? He didn’t make an $800 million fortune by being a choir boy - yet he isn’t edging out Nick Zito either to get on TV or bribe people or cover up medical visits.
Sad 
Oh boy, that story makes me warm and fuzzy all over. 
Thanks for explaining things, Glimmer! Definitely a “stay tuned” story…
What kind of winking are they talking about?
Just got a table at the Turf club (at Bay Meadows) for Saturday’s race. When she wins, I will place a bet in the future pool for the KD. I missed the second pool
oh well.
More…
BOARD FILES COMPLAINTS AGAINST WYGOD, VAN DRIVER
ARCADIA, CA ”" The California Horse Racing Board filed complaints Monday against Martin J. Wygod, the owner of Sweet Catomine, and Dean Kerkhoff, a racehorse transport driver, after determining the filly was falsely identified to the stable gate guard as a “pony” when she left Santa Anita at 3 a.m. on April 4 for special medical treatment and again when she returned to the stable area the following night.
Administrative hearings are scheduled April 23 with the Hollywood Park stewards for Wygod, who is licensed by the CHRB as a horse owner, and Kerkhoff, a licensed vendor employed by Racehorse Transport. The complaint filed Monday by CHRB Senior Special Investigator Christopher Loop alleges that both Wygod and Kerkhoff violated CHRB Rules 1489 (Grounds for Denial or Refusal of License) and 1597 (Association to Maintain Records of Horses on Its Grounds).
The complaint further alleges that Wygod violated CHRB Rule 1902 (Conduct Detrimental to Horse Racing) in connection with statements he made before and after Saturday’s Santa Anita Derby concerning the health of Sweet Catomine, who finished fifth in the race as the even-money favorite. The owner was widely quoted in newspapers, magazines, and on news Websites as saying after the race that the filly had physical problems, such as internal bleeding after she exercised on Sunday, April 3, and providing details that were not made public before the race.
Under directions from CHRB Executive Director Ingrid Fermin, and with assistance from Supervising Investigator Marla Lloyd and Senior Investigator Frank Fink, Loop interviewed stable area security personnel, veterinarians, barn personnel, and transport workers as part of his investigation. He also reviewed confidential veterinary records, transportation and security logs, and news reports relating to statements by Wygod about the condition of his filly.
Loop determined that Sweet Catomine left Santa Anita at 3:15 a.m. on Monday, April 4, and was identified to security as a “pony” going to the “farm”. She was transported to the Alamo Pintado Equine Medical Center in Los Olivos, about 45 miles north of Santa Barbara, where she underwent specialized treatment to help with internal bleeding without the use of medications. According to information on the Alamo Pintado Website, the filly would have been placed in a hyperbaric oxygen chamber at approximately two times normal atmospheric pressure and immersed in enriched oxygen to promote an increase in tissue oxygenation. She was returned to Santa Anita at 8:29 p.m. on Tuesday, April 5, and again identified as a “pony” returning from a “clinic.”
On Monday, Loop personally advised Kerkhoff and Wygod’s general attorney, Roger Licht, of the complaints. Licht, a former CHRB commissioner, will not be representing Wygod in this matter.
In his investigative report, Loop wrote that “records of departure and arrival were deliberately falsified to conceal the true identity and activities of the horse Sweet Catomine.” Loop went on to allege that Wygod made “material misrepresentation and false statements to the Board and its agents. The assertion was made in public forum that his horse was fit to run. However, Wygod deemed the horse would benefit from a significant therapeutic process, requiring the horse to be transferred from the grounds. This was not discussed in the same forum, and as such, was both false and deceptive.”
The report continued to allege that Wygod engaged in conduct “detrimental to the best interests of horse racing. The perception of the betting public was that they were wagering upon reliable information, which was widely broadcast. The information concerning the true condition of the horse was not complete, or factual, in its presentation.”
Since being appointed executive director of the CHRB in January, Fermin has been committed to operating a regulatory agency that is “open and fair.”
“Protecting the betting public and insuring the integrity of the industry are our highest priorities,” she said Monday. “I am pleased that the investigative staff responded so quickly, and we intend to continue our proactive approach to restoring the confidence of the fans. All licensees will be treated the same.”
CHRB Commissioner Richard Shapiro said, “The California Horse Racing Board believes that everything concerning racing should be as transparent as possible to the public. The Board intends to look into security measures for horses entering and leaving the stable area, so that we are fully aware of who is coming and going. This will include the possibility of implanting microchips for the accurate and safe identification of horses racing in California.”
Two more “victims” step up to the plate today - ‘She Sings’ & ‘Charming Colleen’ join the fray to take on Sweet Catomine in the $300k Santa Anita Oaks (G1). The result will still be the same
The California Horse Racing Board (CHRB) yesterday formally withdrew complaints against trainer Julio Canani in the Sweet Catomine/Santa Anita Derby controversy.
… but the driver who used the term “pony” is still on the hook.
San Diego Union-Tribune 4/28 - “CHRB withdraws complaints against two trainers”
“In the cases involving Mr. Canani and Mr. Mullins, they have not violated any statute or regulation … Rule 1902 describes conduct detrimental to racing. The key word is conduct … The rule addresses things like associating with bookmakers and crimes involving moral turpitude. What these trainers said just doesn’t fit … The rule doesn’t say anything about misrepresentations and controversial statements to the press.”
The second charge against Canani was dismissed because Canani was not at the barn when the horse was picked up, and the van driver, Dean Kerkhoff, testified at the Wygod hearing that he received his instructions from Russell Drake, manager of Wygod’s River Edge Farm. Kerkhoff testified he was asked to keep the filly’s journey “low profile,” but it was his own decision to sign Sweet Catomine in and out as a “pony.”
“There is no evidence linking Mr. Canani to the actions of the driver,” Ahern said in the statement.
Kerkhoff is the only person remaining to face charges. His hearing before the Hollywood Park board of stewards is scheduled for Saturday.
From Sports Illustrated 4/14/05
[I]4.) What happened to Sweet Catomine out west? One day she’s the Miracle Filly, the next day she’s a beaten dog in a weak prep, has changed barns and her owner is hit with charges by the California Racing Board.
Not a pretty picture. I was dispatched by SI to go to California last week to write a feature story if Sweet Catomine won the Santa Anita Derby and appeared headed to Churchill Downs, with a chance to become the fourth filly in history to win the Kentucky Derby. It would have been a terrific storyline.
It fell apart. Here is it how it happened through my eyes:
On Friday morning I met Marty Wygod, Sweet Catomine’s owner, for a pre-arranged interview at Santa Anita. We talked about the horse, his life, his family… the sort of things that would eventually comprise an SI story on the great filly. At one point, Wygod asked me: "The things we talk about, you’re writing them after the race, correct?’’
“Correct,” I said. Naturally, SI doesn’t publish until after the race. Obviously, breaking news goes here on SI.com, but I was looking for the back story on a horse, not anticipating breaking news. It is common SI practice to spend the days before a major event getting information on potential winners, in order to be in position to write a fresh story after the event is finished. That’s part of working for a weekly magazine.
Wygod went on to tell me he didn’t think Sweet Catomine was coming to the race in top form, that she had lost weight and was fighting a minor problem that he would not disclose, but that he said had nothing to do with soundness. He also confirmed a rumor I had heard on the Santa Anita backstretch, that Sweet Catomine was in season (heat) for the first time. Oddly, Sweet Catomine’s trainer, Julio Canani, had raved about the filly the previous day. Something didn’t add up.
The big filly ran a desultory fifth in the race, beaten soundly by mediocre colts. Afterward Wygod told the media everything he told me and much more, such as the fact that Sweet Catomine bled in her lungs during a workout six days before the race. This ignited a debate over how much information a horse’s connections are required to make public before a race, especially when hundreds of thousands are bet on a horse.
This high-minded argument became moot 48 hours later when the California Horse Racing Board filed a complaint against Wygod, alleging he had taken Sweet Catomine off the Santa Anita grounds under a false name four days before the race. They charged him with “conduct detrimental to racing” for failing to disclose the horse’s problems before the race. He faces a hearing April 23.
I’m not sure what the lesson is here. Based on the information I was given by the owners on Friday – a filly in season who has lost a little weight and whose owner and trainer disagree about her fitness – I didn’t feel like the public was owed full disclosure. Horses run all the time at less than 100 percent. In fact, horses are seldom completely fit and ready (although I’m guessing Bellamy Road was on Saturday). When Wygod said Sweet Catomine had bled, in my opinion, he was straddling the line. If the filly was in bad enough shape that she had to be driven off the grounds for treatment, that seals it: He should have come clean. It’s a difficult issue with no clear boundaries.[/I]
…
Personally I think Tim Layden has a degree of culpability with the non-disclosure as well. The media has an obligation just as much as owners to share information - as clearly the media aides in revving up the fans and betters.
by the way - this is the Sports Illustrated story: SI 4-12-05 “Inside Horse Racing: In and Out”
snipet: The big filly named Sweet Catomine walked in circles outside her barn last Friday morning at Santa Anita Park. A TV camera tracked her every move because she seemed certain to beat a weak field of colts the following day in the Santa Anita Derby, the preeminent West Coast prep race for the Kentucky Derby. She would bring not just order but also a seductive story line to the Triple Crown chase.
(It’s a member only article and I don’t have a membership)
Some additional commentary:
Was Wygod wrong? You bet
excerpt:
[I]Instead, you had a thoroughly unprepared CHRB conducting a hearing that was a waste of time. The Daily Racing Form’s Jay Hovdey described the hearing as “nothing more than a hurriedly compiled wish list based on bad press and snippets of unprocessed information.”
Perhaps Wygod would have been found innocent no matter how well prepared the CHRB was, but the end result of the sham hearing was that the betting public didn’t get it’s day in court. Bernard hopes that it will, once, that is, his case against Wygod, Canani and Magna proceeds.[/I]
[snip]
Should a trainer have to report to the public every time a horse has a sniffle? No. But there has to be a better system in place than the one we have now, which is, basically, the public can be damned. At the very least, when a horse undergoes any kind of surgical procedure or is shipped to a veterinary clinic for treatment, which is where Sweet Catomine spent about 40 hours the week of the Santa Anita Derby, that information should be disclosed.
Linny pretty much gave the long and short of the recent happenings with her post. I think the LA Times said it best in the article linked below: The Sweet Catomine episode smacks of something out of a Dick Francis novel.
As for Wygod’s role I very much am of the view that he called the shots including the coverup.
Board Accuses Sweet Catomine Owner Wygod
By Bill Christine
Times Staff Writer
April 12, 2005
The fallout from favored Sweet Catomine’s fifth-place finish in Saturday’s Santa Anita Derby reached seismic proportions Monday when the filly’s trainer was fired and her owner, Marty Wygod, was accused by the California Horse Racing Board of secretly transporting the horse to a clinic five days before the race.
The Sweet Catomine episode smacks of something out of a Dick Francis novel. The filly, according to the racing board’s three-point complaint against Wygod, left Santa Anita for Los Olivos, about 140 miles north, in the dark of night. She was identified to track security as a stable pony, rather than the horse who won last year’s Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies and earned an Eclipse Award.
Sweet Catomine, according to state investigators, left Santa Anita at 3:15 a.m. on April 4 and returned about 40 hours later, last Tuesday night. She was also identified as a pony when she got back to Santa Anita.
Driver Dean Kerkhoff of Racehorse Transport was also named in the complaint. A hearing is scheduled before the stewards at Hollywood Park on April 23.
According to a report by Christopher Loop, senior special investigator for the racing board, “records of departure and arrival were deliberately falsified to conceal the true identity and activities of the horse.”
Racetracks are concerned about horses leaving the grounds, especially after they have been entered to run in races. Trainer Julio Canani was aware that Sweet Catomine had left his barn, but he was not named in the complaint. Wygod, who transferred five horses, including Sweet Catomine, from Canani to trainer John Shirreffs, said that the racing board’s investigation played no part in the switch. Canani, who couldn’t be reached for comment, had told friends after the Santa Anita Derby that he was quitting Wygod.
“The change is better for him, and better for us,” Wygod said. “Sweet Catomine will probably wind up at Belmont Park, with a leading trainer back there.”
Wygod said it was not his idea to misidentify Sweet Catomine to security at Santa Anita.
“The mentality of the van guy might have something to do with this,” Wygod said. “I think he did what was done on his own. We had said that there would be a lot of curiosity seekers, and we wanted everything done low-profile, but never … did we want him to do what he did.”
Kerkhoff told investigators that he was asked to keep the horse low-profile and interpreted that to mean that he should be “low-key” about the horse’s identity.
The racing board’s complaint also cited Wygod with “conduct detrimental to horse racing.” This was in reference to statements Wygod allegedly made before and after the race, a Kentucky Derby prep that was won by Buzzards Bay, a 30-1 shot.
After the race, Wygod said that Sweet Catomine had bled during her final workout, had begun ovulating, for the first time, three days before the race and had a minor foot problem the week of the race.
“The perception of the betting public was that they were wagering upon reliable information, which was widely broadcast,” Loop’s report read. “The information concerning the true condition of the horse was not complete, or factual, in its presentation.”
Wygod said that he had mentioned Sweet Catomine’s problems in pre-race interviews with NBC, which televised the race, and a Sports Illustrated reporter, who wasn’t writing until after the race.
“What was I to do?” Wygod said. “My vets said the filly was all right, and my trainer said she was all right. I told the Santa Anita people on Wednesday that she had some problems, and there was always the chance that we could scratch. I was apprehensive, and said so the day before the race. But [the reporter] then didn’t ask me why I was apprehensive. Most of the questions were about how I was feeling, not how the filly was feeling.”
Wygod said that he sent Sweet Catomine to the Alamo Pintado Equine Medical Center in Los Olivos because he wanted to get another opinion about her condition.
At Alamo Pintado, Sweet Catomine underwent treatment for internal bleeding that did not involve medication. William Bell, state veterinarian at Santa Anita, told a racing board investigator that the treatment will not give a horse a racing advantage. Bell said that it is not required that he be notified of the treatment as long as it occurs before the day entries are taken. Entries for the Santa Anita Derby were taken on Wednesday, the morning after Sweet Catomine was returned to Canani’s barn.
Corey Nakatani, who rode Sweet Catomine, said that she was sluggish during the post parade. The filly, who went off at even money, won’t run in the Kentucky Derby on May 7, Wygod said after the race.
“For some reason, she was not the same horse,” Wygod said. “I’m only speculating, but I think she was sedated. Leading up to the race, she was given three legal medications, including Lasix [for bleeding]. I think those three medications put her to sleep.”
MDO I don’t think you’ll be disappointed if you do wait until then - I know she’ll put on a good show.
Point of correction: Santa Anita was cancelled - not just Sweet Catomine scratched. First time in 10 years the race course was forced to cancell all races after the 1st race. No word on when the G-3 Santa Ysabel will be rescheduled.
Very sad however was that “Unusual Sunrise” broke down [likely due to the conditions] in that first race that did get off 
<BLOCKQUOTE class=“ip-ubbcode-quote”><div class=“ip-ubbcode-quote-title”>quote:</div><div class=“ip-ubbcode-quote-content”>Originally posted by queasy:
heard through the trainer grapevine she won’t be running for a bit. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>
From what I read she will go to Belmont for a couple of graded races, then likely the Alabama Stakes up at Saratoga, and the Breeders’ Cup again which this year is at Belmont.
Wygod Denies CHRB Charges
by Lenny Shulman
The Blood-Horse
4/12/2005 4:56:25 PM
Embattled owner Marty Wygod fired back Tuesday at the complaints filed against him by the California Horse Racing Board concerning events around Sweet Catomine’s run in the Santa Anita Derby (gr. I) last Saturday.
“I have been in racing now for 40 years and I know the rules, and I’ve done nothing wrong whatsoever,” Wygod stated. “I hope the CHRB will review this in the immediate future and that they’ll correct the unfounded allegations that are currently be made against me.”
The CHRB claims Sweet Catomine was falsely identified at the stable gate when she left Santa Anita for medical treatment April 4, and again when she was returned to the stable area the following night. The board also alleges Wygod violated a CHRB rule dealing with statements he made prior to and after the race concerning the health of his filly, who finished fifth in the event as the even-money choice.
Wygod, however, strongly denies that charge. “I hid nothing,” he said. "Anybody that asked me questions, I responded. When they asked me how I felt, my worries were very clear. I said I was apprehensive and nervous. All they had to do was ask why I was apprehensive.
"This is a combination of too much hype and then people getting upset thinking they’ve been mislead. What do you do when your vet tells you she’s perfect, the vets who saw her upstate (at Alamo Pintado Equine Medical Center) tell you she’s perfect, and the trainer says she’s perfect?
"She bled at a level of less than one in her workout before the race. I was concerned because it’s the first time I was aware that she bled, and I took the appropriate and necessary steps. At least 80% of the horses racing here bleed worse than that. Then she came in season, and we treated her for that.
“With everything I know now, I still would have run her. Who knows what caused (her to run badly)? It could have been the medication. Hopefully the horse racing board will bring some sanity to the situation.”
Administrative hearings are scheduled April 23 with the Hollywood Park stewards.
The Blood-Horsearticle: 
Oaks Win Lands Sweet Catomine in Derby Mix
by Jack Shinar
3/13/2005 8:38:22 PM
Mr. and Mrs. Martin Wygod’s homebred Sweet Catomine had to survive an objection, but she got the job done in Sunday’s $300,000 Santa Anita Oaks (gr. I) with an impressive finish.
The favorite for the Kentucky Oaks (gr. I) May 6, Sweet Catomine may instead test males in the Santa Anita Derby (gr. I) in her next start April 9.
Trainer Julio Canani, who called Sweet Catomine “the best filly who ever lived” after the race, said a decision would be made soon.
Sent off at 1-5, Sweet Catomine, with Corey Nakatani aboard, swept four wide around the far turn of the 1 1/8-mile Oaks, grabbed the lead and held off a bid in mid-stretch from Memorette. She pulled away at the end to win by three lengths. The final time was a tepid 1:44 2/5. She Sings finished third with Charming Colleen fourth.
Sweet Catomine, a 3-year-old daughter of Storm Cat-Sweet Life (Kris S.) who was the 2004 juvenile filly champion, went over the $1 million mark in earnings.
Coming out of the turn, Cream Donut Keith, ridden by Tyler Baze, was drawn into tight quarters when Sweet Catomine made her move on the outside while passing Cream Donut Keith and Charming Colleen, who was leading while racing off the rail. Stewards reviewed the incident after Baze claimed foul, but did not take the victory away from Sweet Catomine.
Guaranteed Victory set the slow early pace, :23 2/5 and :48 2/5 with Charming Colleen and Memorette stalking. Charming Colleen edged to the front briefly coming on the turn after six furlongs in 1:14, but could not match strides with Sweet Catomine, who was keen to challenge from the time she left the starting gate.
Sweet Catomine, who broke from the rail, was taken off the pace and raced in sixth down the backstretch while angled to the outside. On the home turn, Nakatani could hold her back no longer and Sweet Catomine moved to the leaders without being asked.
Sweet Catomine won her fifth straight race and remains unbeaten in three starts at Santa Anita. The victory was her third in a grade I. Her only loss came in her maiden debut effort. She has now banked $1,044,600.
Glimmerglass, that’s what I meant. I don’t think she should run with five fewer pounds. I think they should all run with the same weight. It doesn’t prove that she’s great if she runs with less weight.
Sweet Catomine will be facing a very thin field for Sunday’s (3/13) Santa Anita Oaks (G1) at 1 1/16 mi. She looks to be simply a monster over the rest The Cat worked yesterday over four furlongs in 0:48
Likely field on Sunday:
- Sweet Catomine
- Feel The Heat
- Guaranteed Victory (maybe)
- Cream Donut
- Memorette
