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Sure Thing: One of the biggest and most underreported stories in racing is the ongoing scandal that is the technologically-outdated tote system. While it seems to work most of the time, news of past-posting incidents of varying seriousness keeps breaking, creating a nagging sense of doubt among players. The latest occurred last month, Ray Paulick reports: The fourth race at Philadelphia Park June 28 was just a run-of-the-mill claiming contest until the Scientific Games totalizator system malfunctioned shortly after Magical American crossed the finish line as the winner. The top three finishers (4-2-3) were put on the board, but the problems with...; [Posted July 8, 2008 1:15 PM]; ---

Late Scratch: Settling in late to watch today's house hearing on horse racing and catch Randy Moss saying Thomas Jefferson used to keep a stable of racehorses on the White House grounds. Really? That's an interesting historical tidbit. [Actually, it was Andrew Jackson, who not only kept thoroughbreds on the grounds, but entered runners in the name of his nephew and private secretary Andrew J. Donelson.] The big news this morning is that Rick Dutrow is a late scratch from the witness list, a change Blinkers Off alerted us to last night. According to the Associated Press, the trainer has been feeling...; [Posted June 19, 2008 10:55 AM]; ---

Thursday Morning Links: - Racing journalism has its problems, but access to the sport's (human) stars isn't one. In this way, at least, being a niche sport benefits fans and writers, unlike baseball. - The Quick-Pick inquiry spreads, wild finger pointing begins, and a California state legislator notices that there's no independent wagering monitor. Uh oh. - Pittsburg Phil, Noted Plunger, Passes Away. Consumption, such a shame. He was just at Ascot last year. - Dutrow has yet to confirm post-Belmont plans for Big Brown with IEAH, but he's considering the Travers and the Breeders' Cup Classic. Curlin vs. Brown -- we can...; [Posted May 22, 2008 11:30 AM]; ---

I'll Wait to Join ...: So, I've been trying to muster interest in the NTRA Horseplayers' Coalition, which sounded exciting when its formation was announced earlier this year but is decidedly less so now that it has formally launched with the sexy topic of tax reform at the top of its agenda. Horseplayers can join for $25, for which they'll get legislative updates and discounts from such companies as John Deere and UPS. As Dana points out, the timing is good for what's essentially a horseplayers' political action committee, and to be fair, the coalition builds on two things the NTRA does well -- Capitol...; [Posted April 23, 2008 5:30 PM]; ---

A Theme Emerges: "With no real-time monitoring of wagering pools, extensive investigation would be required to determine how much money was bet and how many winning bets occurred off-track after the race's start." "When asked about past posting, we can still only say that it does happen from time to time, but we cannot tell you how often because we really don't know." "Infuriated by what he has seen, Maloney has taken his case to any racetrack official or mutuel manager that would listen to him. These were serious allegations he was bringing forth, yet no one would take him seriously." "I'm sorry...; [Posted January 15, 2008 8:30 PM]; ---

And Then There Were Five: Not a surprise, but still startling in its starkness: "Only five full-time positions remain in the United States for people writing exclusively on thoroughbred racing for general circulation newspapers" (Paul Moran at the Races)....; [Posted September 30, 2007 11:00 PM]; ---

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