Jim,

I stick to betting the larger circuits and larger tracks like, New York, Florida, KY and California. I think there is far less chance of races being fixed there due to all the money involved plus all the pre and post race testing that is done. Steward these days will look at races for what you described and the penalty is HARSH. Too many cameras all over the track to get birds eye views of the entire race so there is not much missed. With $5-$10MM dollars per given day bet at Sanata Anita or one of the New York tracks alone, race fixing is not as easy today as in the past. The influx of simulcasting has brought more dollars to the table even if it meant less to the actual track. The gambling dollar is what drives the horse racing industry. The takeout of each wager, between 15 and 20%, pays for everything at the track including the race purse plus overhead. When the industry jeopardizes this they jeopardize it all. A bettor that does not feel comfortable in that the race is on the up and up will not plunk down his money and therfore the industry will suffer. The only reason that all that Bluegrass Horse money exists is the average joe gambler like myself and others. When you throw in the floating casino's vieing for that gambling dollar, there is more reason to keep it straight. I don't go as much as I could but I know for a fact that I am approximately $25,000 to the good this year and would do it for a living if I did not have a wife and 3 kids. It is one thing taking money to the track from my cushy job to possible lose but another to have to make money at the track in order to eat and pay rent. See ya on the water.