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Sunday, November 17, 2002

By Pohla Smith, Post-Gazette Sports Writer

Officials from Magna Entertainment Corp. and Penn National said they are considering the early betting lockout system Churchill Downs put into effect at its tracks Wednesday and Thursday but have no immediate plans.

Churchill Downs and the other tracks and simulcast sites it operates no longer accept wagers until the gate opens. Instead, mutual wagering stops at zero minutes to post, or approximately 1 to 1 1/2 minutes before horses are loaded into the gate. The New York Racing Association used that system during the first half of the '90s and announced Thursday it will resume using it at Aqueduct Dec. 4.

The action is in response, but not actually connected to, charges that three fraternity brothers broke into the Autotote betting system in New York and changed their wagers on races already run in order to win $3 million in the Breeders' Cup Pick Six at Arlington Park Oct. 26. One of the accused was a computer programmer for the tote company who allegedly hacked into the system.

The lockout changes by Churchill Downs and NYRA are designed to prevent past-posting, which means getting a bet down after a race has begun and the wagering windows have been closed. It is a near impossibility, but bettors sometimes believe it is the case because odds on the tote board often change during a race.

Track officials say that happens because the large total sum of the wagers means the final odds cannot be computed before the start of the race. Now, that shouldn't happen at the Churchill Downs and NYRA tracks.

Richard T. Schnaars, Penn National vice president, sees Churchill's and NYRA's measures as less important ways of protecting the computerized wagering companies that provide service for the nation's tracks, off-track betting parlors and simulcast sites.

"The first thing we have to do is to insure the integrity of the tote system," he said. "We have to make sure our tout company doesn't allow anyone to have access to it. ... these other issues aren't getting to what the problem was.

"We always wondered if hackers like those who get into things like the Pentagon computer could get into our system," Schnaars added. "Never once did we consider someone on the inside would get into our system."

Magna made no further comment other than it was considering the earlier bet cutoff, along with other measures. Northfield did not return a phone call.

Earlier, the National Thoroughbred Racing Association and member tracks took a number of other measures intended to tighten the security of tote systems. Those included hiring a computer systems security and testing team to assess and test tote security systems and telling each tote company involved with NTRA tracks to install the software necessary to scan all wagering pools in connection with multi-race wagering.

Krone, Sellers doing well

Julie Krone and Shane Sellers are doing well in their comeback attempts. Krone was retired for 3 1/2 years, and a knee injury kept Sellers out about two years.

Through Wednesday, Sellers had won 10 of 56 mounts with seven seconds and eight thirds since he returned to riding the last week of Keeneland's fall meet. He currently is among the riding leaders at Churchill Downs.

Krone has had fewer opportunities in Southern California, where fields are small and cards sometimes shorter. Since her return Nov. 1 at Santa Anita through Wednesday, she had two wins, a second and two thirds in 14 mounts. The average price of her starters has been 12-1.

"I feel great," said Krone, 38. "I wouldn't have attempted such a grandiose scheme if I wouldn't have been way over 110 percent [physically] especially considering what I've been through. I knew what it would take to be even minutely successful and competitive."

Wilson hits milestone

Maryland rider Rick Wilson tied Hall of Famer Eddie Arcaro for 20th on the all-time list when he won his 4,779th race on Nov. 6. The milestone, recorded at Laurel Park, came just 11 days into his comeback from a broken leg that kept him from riding for 54 weeks. Wilson now is chasing the win total of Rodolfo Baez, who ranks 19th on the all-time win list with 4,875 victories.

One for Parker too

Billy "Zeke" Parker scored the 8,000 win of his driving career Tuesday with Pass On The Right at Monticello Raceway in New York. He is the 10th North American driver in harness racing history to reach that milestone.

Bits

The Maryland Racing Commission unanimously approved Magna's purchase of controlling interest in Pimlico and Laurel on Wednesday. ... Michael McCarthy, a regular rider at Delaware Park, has announced he is retiring and will begin training.