Seven jockeys are banned from Tampa Bay Downs
Three former riding champions are among those refused access to the track.
By DON JENSEN, Times Staff Writer
Published December 20, 2006
OLDSMAR - Three former Tampa Bay Downs riding champions were among seven jockeys banned immediately at the Downs on Tuesday afternoon in a move that caught many by surprise.
Those barred by Downs management are: Terry (T.D.) Houghton, Downs leading rider in 1998-99 and 1999-2000; ex-champions Joseph Judice (2002-03) and Derek Bell (2000-01); Jorge Bracho; Luis Castillo; Jose Delgado and Ricardo Valdes.
"Effective immediately, Tampa Bay Downs has refused (riders) access to the racetrack for an indefinite period of time based on its rights as a private property owner," Downs vice president and general manager Peter Berube said in a statement. "This action is being taken as a result of an ongoing investigation being conducted by the Thoroughbred Racing Protective Bureau. Tampa Bay Downs is fully cooperating with this investigation and has no further comment on the matter at this time."
According to its Web site, the TRPB is a wholly owned subsidiary of the Thoroughbred Racing Associations of North America, which operates as a national investigative agency in the horse-racing industry. Its mandate is to expose and investigate all activity prejudicial to horse racing and to maintain public confidence in the sport of both thoroughbred and standardbred racing.
Downs spokeswoman Margo Flynn said the seven jockeys could compete at other tracks "dependent on local jurisdiction."
Houghton's agent, Herson Sanchez, said he doesn't know what led to the ban.
"The first I heard about this was right before the races, when another agent told me his rider was told to leave the grounds," Sanchez said. "I talked to Terry briefly, and he told me he was told to get his tack out. He was obviously taken aback and didn't want to talk at the moment."
The action is similar to the one taken at Calder Race Course in Miami, where track management barred rider Rene Douglas on Friday. No reason was provided by Calder president Ken Dunn other than to say the track had employed its right as a private property owner to bar the jockey from the premises, according to Bloodhorse.com.
None of the banned riders could be reached by the Times. Delgado told the Daily Racing Form on Tuesday that TRPB agents had interviewed him recently at the track.
"They kept asking me if I knew this person or that person," Delgado said. "I didn't know what they were talking about. I didn't know anyone they asked me about."
Bob Jeffries, president of the Tampa Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association, said this is the first such investigation he has been involved with in 33 years in the business.
"The racetrack is making sure things are on the up and up and everything is level," Jeffries said. "If something is going on, which we don't know, we don't need those kinds of people in our business.
"But everyone is innocent until proven guilty, and I'm behind every rider 100 percent right now. I've used Houghton, Judice and Bell on my horses before, and I had no problems with them. They ran the horses as fast as they would go."
Sanchez said there's more at stake than the suspended riders missing a paycheck.
"Their livelihoods and reputations are at stake," he said.
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Three former riding champions are among those refused access to the track.
By DON JENSEN, Times Staff Writer
Published December 20, 2006
OLDSMAR - Three former Tampa Bay Downs riding champions were among seven jockeys banned immediately at the Downs on Tuesday afternoon in a move that caught many by surprise.
Those barred by Downs management are: Terry (T.D.) Houghton, Downs leading rider in 1998-99 and 1999-2000; ex-champions Joseph Judice (2002-03) and Derek Bell (2000-01); Jorge Bracho; Luis Castillo; Jose Delgado and Ricardo Valdes.
"Effective immediately, Tampa Bay Downs has refused (riders) access to the racetrack for an indefinite period of time based on its rights as a private property owner," Downs vice president and general manager Peter Berube said in a statement. "This action is being taken as a result of an ongoing investigation being conducted by the Thoroughbred Racing Protective Bureau. Tampa Bay Downs is fully cooperating with this investigation and has no further comment on the matter at this time."
According to its Web site, the TRPB is a wholly owned subsidiary of the Thoroughbred Racing Associations of North America, which operates as a national investigative agency in the horse-racing industry. Its mandate is to expose and investigate all activity prejudicial to horse racing and to maintain public confidence in the sport of both thoroughbred and standardbred racing.
Downs spokeswoman Margo Flynn said the seven jockeys could compete at other tracks "dependent on local jurisdiction."
Houghton's agent, Herson Sanchez, said he doesn't know what led to the ban.
"The first I heard about this was right before the races, when another agent told me his rider was told to leave the grounds," Sanchez said. "I talked to Terry briefly, and he told me he was told to get his tack out. He was obviously taken aback and didn't want to talk at the moment."
The action is similar to the one taken at Calder Race Course in Miami, where track management barred rider Rene Douglas on Friday. No reason was provided by Calder president Ken Dunn other than to say the track had employed its right as a private property owner to bar the jockey from the premises, according to Bloodhorse.com.
None of the banned riders could be reached by the Times. Delgado told the Daily Racing Form on Tuesday that TRPB agents had interviewed him recently at the track.
"They kept asking me if I knew this person or that person," Delgado said. "I didn't know what they were talking about. I didn't know anyone they asked me about."
Bob Jeffries, president of the Tampa Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association, said this is the first such investigation he has been involved with in 33 years in the business.
"The racetrack is making sure things are on the up and up and everything is level," Jeffries said. "If something is going on, which we don't know, we don't need those kinds of people in our business.
"But everyone is innocent until proven guilty, and I'm behind every rider 100 percent right now. I've used Houghton, Judice and Bell on my horses before, and I had no problems with them. They ran the horses as fast as they would go."
Sanchez said there's more at stake than the suspended riders missing a paycheck.
"Their livelihoods and reputations are at stake," he said.
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Courtesy of Daily Racing Form (www.drf.com)
Headlines | Posted 12/20/2006, 5:09 pm
Rider bans said to trace to Great Lakes race
By MATT HEGARTY
The racing-industry investigation that led to the Tuesday bans of seven jockeys at Tampa Bay Downs traces in part to at least one race run at Great Lakes Downs in Michigan late this past summer, according to several racing officials with knowledge of the investigation.
The race was targeted by investigators after bettors at Delaware Park cashed a large number of suspicious wagers on the race, according to the officials. One of the riders banned on Tuesday by Tampa Bay, Terry Houghton, rode in the race in question, the officials said.
Herberto Rivera, a former steward at Great Lakes Downs who is now a regional representative of the Jockeys' Guild, said that when Great Lakes ended its racing season on Nov. 7, the investigation into the race was still considered "open." Rivera also said that the jockeys who were banned were questioned by investigators from the Thoroughbred Racing Protective Bureau at Tampa Bay last week about the Great Lakes race.
"I'm assuming it's the same race they're looking into, because the TRPB took it over from us," said Rivera, who was a steward during the 2006 Great Lakes meet. Rivera said he could not comment on why the race was under investigation.
Two racing officials with knowledge of the investigation confirmed that the Tampa bans were related to the investigation at Great Lakes Downs and Delaware Park. The officials said they could not be identified because the investigation is still ongoing. One of the officials said that another race at Great Lakes involving Houghton was also being investigated.
None of the officials would disclose or could identify the race or races in question.
Rivera said that investigators did not uncover anything suspicious about Houghton's rides, but said that several aspects of the case had not been answered by the time the meet ended.
Three of the jockeys banned by Tampa - Houghton, Jose Delgado, and Joseph Judice - were among the top 20 leading riders at Great Lakes this year. Houghton led the standings by a wide margin, with 185 wins from 724 mounts.
Officials of Great Lakes did not return phone calls on Wednesday.
Houghton, through his agent, Herson Sanchez, declined to comment about any aspect of the ban or investigation.
"I don't know anything about it, and Terry doesn't know anything about it," said Sanchez. "No one is telling us anything."
Sanchez repeated that he had no comment and then hung up the phone after being asked specifically about the Great Lakes race.
John Wayne, the executive director of the Delaware Thoroughbred Racing Commission, when asked about an investigation of wagers at Delaware Park last summer, said: "I can't say anything about it. At this point, no comment is my comment."
Bill Fasy, the general manager of Delaware Park, did not return a phone call.
Separately, Ken Dunn, the president of Calder Race Course, confirmed on Wednesday that the track had banned Jose Bracho, a jockey with one mount at the track this meet, but he declined to comment about the reason for the ban. Last week, Calder Race Course also banned Rene Douglas, a leading rider, without issuing an explanation.
It is unclear if the Calder bans are related to the Tampa Bay bans. Also banned from Tampa were Jorge Bracho, Derek Bell, Luis Castillo, and Ricardo Valdes.
Frank Fabian, the president of the TRPB - which is a wholly owned subsidiary of the racetrack trade group Thoroughbred Racing Associations - said that the bureau would have no comment until its investigation is complete.
"Consistent with its longstanding policy, TRPB does not comment regarding ongoing investigations," Fabian said.
Headlines | Posted 12/20/2006, 5:09 pm
Rider bans said to trace to Great Lakes race
By MATT HEGARTY
The racing-industry investigation that led to the Tuesday bans of seven jockeys at Tampa Bay Downs traces in part to at least one race run at Great Lakes Downs in Michigan late this past summer, according to several racing officials with knowledge of the investigation.
The race was targeted by investigators after bettors at Delaware Park cashed a large number of suspicious wagers on the race, according to the officials. One of the riders banned on Tuesday by Tampa Bay, Terry Houghton, rode in the race in question, the officials said.
Herberto Rivera, a former steward at Great Lakes Downs who is now a regional representative of the Jockeys' Guild, said that when Great Lakes ended its racing season on Nov. 7, the investigation into the race was still considered "open." Rivera also said that the jockeys who were banned were questioned by investigators from the Thoroughbred Racing Protective Bureau at Tampa Bay last week about the Great Lakes race.
"I'm assuming it's the same race they're looking into, because the TRPB took it over from us," said Rivera, who was a steward during the 2006 Great Lakes meet. Rivera said he could not comment on why the race was under investigation.
Two racing officials with knowledge of the investigation confirmed that the Tampa bans were related to the investigation at Great Lakes Downs and Delaware Park. The officials said they could not be identified because the investigation is still ongoing. One of the officials said that another race at Great Lakes involving Houghton was also being investigated.
None of the officials would disclose or could identify the race or races in question.
Rivera said that investigators did not uncover anything suspicious about Houghton's rides, but said that several aspects of the case had not been answered by the time the meet ended.
Three of the jockeys banned by Tampa - Houghton, Jose Delgado, and Joseph Judice - were among the top 20 leading riders at Great Lakes this year. Houghton led the standings by a wide margin, with 185 wins from 724 mounts.
Officials of Great Lakes did not return phone calls on Wednesday.
Houghton, through his agent, Herson Sanchez, declined to comment about any aspect of the ban or investigation.
"I don't know anything about it, and Terry doesn't know anything about it," said Sanchez. "No one is telling us anything."
Sanchez repeated that he had no comment and then hung up the phone after being asked specifically about the Great Lakes race.
John Wayne, the executive director of the Delaware Thoroughbred Racing Commission, when asked about an investigation of wagers at Delaware Park last summer, said: "I can't say anything about it. At this point, no comment is my comment."
Bill Fasy, the general manager of Delaware Park, did not return a phone call.
Separately, Ken Dunn, the president of Calder Race Course, confirmed on Wednesday that the track had banned Jose Bracho, a jockey with one mount at the track this meet, but he declined to comment about the reason for the ban. Last week, Calder Race Course also banned Rene Douglas, a leading rider, without issuing an explanation.
It is unclear if the Calder bans are related to the Tampa Bay bans. Also banned from Tampa were Jorge Bracho, Derek Bell, Luis Castillo, and Ricardo Valdes.
Frank Fabian, the president of the TRPB - which is a wholly owned subsidiary of the racetrack trade group Thoroughbred Racing Associations - said that the bureau would have no comment until its investigation is complete.
"Consistent with its longstanding policy, TRPB does not comment regarding ongoing investigations," Fabian said.
Funny how they like to investigate races that took place a month ago when stuff like this happens nearly everyday. Horses loading in the gate at 3-1 and going wire to wire and paying $5.60 is all to common. Good to see a crumb like Renee Douglass get exposed this guy has been a scumbag for nearly 25 years
Actually T.D Houghton has won a ton of races lifetime hasn't he?
Actually T.D Houghton has won a ton of races lifetime hasn't he?
