Pat Cummings

While veterinary scrutiny has increased, communication has not, as U.S. racing has fallen short in the transparency space both this year and many years in the past, the Thoroughbred Idea Foundation (TIF) said on their website on Wednesday. According to the TIF report, there were more than 33,000 races for Thoroughbreds in the U.S. in 2022, but if you asked the public to name just three of them, chances are they would be the GI Kentucky Derby, the GI Preakness S. and the GI Belmont S. The report takes the...

With 20 questions and a tiebreaker facing contest participants, entries are now open for the 2023 Thoroughbred Idea Foundation Derby Prop Contest, the organization said in a release Wednesday. The entry portal closes at 11:00 a.m. E.T. this Saturday, May 6. Players should keep track of their answers as you will not be able to revisit the survey portal once you submit your entry. Should a horse named directly in a prop be scratched, all answers to that prop may be counted as correct. Winners will be notified by email...

Fixed-odds betting options on horse racing could come to New York residents if a new bill introduced by Senator Joseph Addabbo, Chairman of the state Senate's Racing, gaming and Wagering Committee, is passed, according to a story from the Thoroughbred Idea Foundation. Senate Bill 2343 is similar to a measure introduced a year ago, also by Sen. Addabbo, but which was never advanced for a vote, TIF reports. "There should be no doubt amongst racing stakeholders that our existing pari-mutuel offerings are not enough in today's competitive market," said Thoroughbred...

A month ago, the Thoroughbred Idea Foundation (TIF), a think tank that uses independent research to try and drive changes in the sport, brought to light an example of what it said was brazen quinella pari-mutuel pool manipulation at Gulfstream Park. The scheme was apparently designed to jack up the odds the manipulator would receive on winning bets placed with non-pari-mutuel offshore bookies that paid on-track prices. On Wednesday, Pat Cummings, the TIF's executive director, told an audience at the Global Symposium on Racing hosted by the University of Arizona...

After a months-long $400 million plus war of attrition between the two rival California sports wagering measures on this year's ballot, the endgame was a stalemate, both beat down into the muddy trenches--just as the polling had indicated. The Associated Press made the call that both measures are sunk, though the official tally is far from in. With less than 50% of the ballots counted as of writing, roughly 70% voted against Proposition 26, and some 83% voted against Proposition 27. "Ugly," said Pat Cummings, executive director of the Thoroughbred...

There has never before been an effective, institutional advocate for horseplayers in North American racing, but Pat Cummings and the Thoroughbred Idea Foundation have emphatically changed that in the past several years. As the TIF's executive director, Cummings has brought to light many of the myriad issues and injustices facing horse bettors like no one has before, and Tuesday, Cummings joined Bettor Things with Joe Bianca for an illuminating conversation about the progress made on behalf of players in recent years and how much work there still is left to...

There has never before been an effective, institutional advocate for horseplayers in North American racing, but Pat Cummings and the Thoroughbred Idea Foundation have emphatically changed that in the past several years. As the TIF's executive director, Cummings has brought to light many of the myriad issues and injustices facing horse bettors like no one has before, and Tuesday, Cummings joined Bettor Things with Joe Bianca for an illuminating conversation about the progress made on behalf of players in recent years and how much work there still is left to...

Edited Press Release The Oklahoma Horse Racing Commission (OHRC) became the first in North America to adopt a rule which emulates the globally-recognized Category 1 interference philosophy at a Feb. 17 meeting. The amended rule changes the consideration of stewards when determining interference. The exact wording of the amended rule is below: "If the Stewards determine a hHorse or its rider has caused an interference and finished in front of the Horse it interfered with, and if not for the interference the Horse would have finished behind the horse it...

The Week in Review, by Bill Finley The announcement from Equibase that handle on U.S. racing in 2021 set a nine-year high with over $12 billion bet was understandably well received. During a year where an awful lot went wrong for the sport, at least the wagering numbers were healthy. But, and sorry to rain on the parade, we need more information before we can celebrate. How much was bet is only part of the story. We need to know where the bets were made and by whom. If the...

Mistakes aside, the Modern Games "scratch" and subsequent fiasco tells us plenty about the state of rule-making and pari-mutuel wagering technology. It might even offer signs into the future of betting on the Breeders' Cup and other big American racing events too. Disregarding a horse for "pari-mutuel purposes" and then running the race with that horse in it, as was done in the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf, is equivalent to disregarding the interests of betting customers altogether. The rules need to change. While many questions remain unanswered, and the...

SARATOGA SPRINGS, NY-To hear some, the Horse Racing Integrity and Safety Act (HISA) is badly needed legislation that will right the ship for an industry that has gone badly off course when it comes to issues of horse safety, integrity and illegal drugs. To others, it is another example of big government wading into a sport where it doesn't belong, which will ultimately cause horse racing a lot more problems than it solves. There was little middle ground Monday as the HISA issue dominated day one of the Racing and...

After a two-year absence, the Racing and Gaming Conference is back. The two-day conference will kick off Aug. 16 and will be held in the 1863 Club on the grounds of Saratoga Race Course. With the goal of examining industry trends and challenges facing the sport, the conference was known for bringing together notable industry leaders from across a wide spectrum, including racing officials, regulators and politicians. This year, more than 40 gaming and racing industry professionals will participate in 14 sessions as speakers and panelists throughout the two days....