Bill Crawford

Dislodged wiring within the United Tote Company circuitry at Thistledown resulted in betting pools remaining open for nearly a minute into a one-mile race on Tuesday. Wagering had to be manually stopped once the error was discovered mid-race, and the race was eventually declared a "no contest" for pari-mutuel purposes. Based on pool totals shown on the Thistledown post-race video feed, this meant refunds of $82,191 in wagers for the sixth race Aug. 17. It is unclear how much of that money was bet "after the bell." A lack of...

Hall of Fame trainer Shug McGaughey has begun serving a 15-day suspension handed down by the Ohio Racing Commission after a horse he trained tested positive for the prohibited medication hydrochlorothiazide. The suspension began Feb. 6 and runs through Feb. 20. McGaughey was also fined $500. The test came from a Sept. 9, 2019 race at Belterra Park and with the mare Tactical Affair (Tapit). Tactical Affair, who is owned by Phipps Stable, won the Sept. 9 allowance race, but has been disqualified and placed last. According to Bill Crawford,...