Kentucky is one of the most crooked in the country in most things, Horse racing included. You can't tell by "reports", because a truly corrupt system will not report abuses.
But we knew they would do it for the huge pick six carry over Thursday. And I watched, and found an obvious cheat.
Contrary to belief, it isn't the jockey who is to be watched. They try to stay aboard an animal and hold on for their health. It is the trainer who can "juice up" a horse. "Juicing up" may or may not involve illegal substances, but it involves having a horse ready or not. This is okay, as long as it is not blabbed to all the sports writers, trainers, and hoodlums who bet it down.
In the eighth race, which was the 4th leg of the pick six, CLASSIC EMILY was one that looked to route this group on paper. She figured to go off at 2-1. She already manhandled most of them, and the only real competition looked to be from PROUDLY IRISH, who should have been second choice around 4-1.
In fact, CLASSIC EMILY was probably a KEY horse to most pick six bettors who handicap without the inside dope.
THOMAS AMOSS trained SUN VALLEY STORM, who ran 9th to CLASSIC EMILY just two months ago. Did I say ninth out of nine? While CLASSIC EMILY won? Did I mention that it was the same distance of six furlongs? Did I mention that CLASSIC EMILY beat SUN VALLEY STORM by 19 1/4 lengths, which is roughly 4 seconds, in six furlongs the difference between Graded Stakes $200,000 competition and horses who run for $3500 claimers?
Now the fact that SUN VALLEY STORM won the race wasn't the crooked part. There are upsets. What is crooked is when SUN VALLEY STORM goes off at 3-1, and CLASSIC EMILY goes off at 4-1.
This made SUN VALLEY STORM a chalk when she should have been a long shot. It is when favorites win that we see crooked works, not when long shots win. There was no way she could have been bet by someone reading the form at less than 12-1 odds. It just wasn't possible. Much less to have the kind of money on her that was put on her.
Unless there is a "fix" in. A "fix" is not a jockey holding back a horse. A "fix" is a "juiced up" one running the race of his or her life.
Hints that a runner is fixed up are when races run true to form, as they have been at Churchill, but only for second and third place, or third and fourth, while the winner, and sometimes the second place runner, run a better race than ever, as is the case in nearly every race at Churchill aside from Derby Day. Derby Day the form held. There are reasons for that.
But the stewards at Churchill are every bit as crooked as trainers like Thomas Amoss. And to be fair, it only takes one or two thugs in a stable, maybe not even Amoss, to make sure a long shot is bet down by being too friendly with the other thugs. In such cases, the public has no chance.
Derby Day got the handicappers back, but these crooked deals will chase away the public again. This is just one example, but even alone it would be proof. As it happens that this is standard, the proof is undeniable. And there is not a credible watchdog in Kentucky to stop it.
Keywords: Crooks ruin racing again
