Columnist Dean Juipe: No horsing around; racing’s OK

Dean Juipe

Friday, Nov. 15, 2002 | 9:54 a.m.

Dean Juipe's column appears Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday. His boxing notebook appears Thursday. Reach him at juipe@lasvegassun.com or (702) 259-4084.

For years, stories have been written about horse racing's supposed demise.

"It's dying," skeptics have claimed while enthusiasts sought cover.

"Just look in the sports books," was the common complaint in Las Vegas, the inference sorrowfully clear: Seemingly everyone in the horse parlor has an AARP card in his pocket and gray hair on his head.

The going, going, gone approach once appeared to have some legitimacy, and the sport has buckled a time or two. Locally, the closing of the old Leroy's parlor downtown was seen by some as a death knell indicative of racing's troubles, yet the sport has withstood that minor bump in the road as well as many significant others.

It will withstand its latest supposed calamity as well.

In fact, I'm seeing the glass as more than half full. I think the fact the three guys involved in the Breeders' Cup Pick Six fraud were caught so quickly is a plus, not a minus, for the industry.

Not that they couldn't have gotten away with it, and not that the Breeders' Cup was their first time picking the public's pocket. But their greed was their undoing, and now the sport has the opportunity to close a couple of loopholes and correct an area of concern -- and it will.

There is still a preponderance of old-timers that follow horse racing, as is evident at even a casual glance in the city's race and sports books. Horse racing appeals to many, but especially those in retirement with a few hours to invest in a pastime that requires tracking and study.

But as those who live for racing pass away, there seems to be an adequate number of replacements. By actual count, nationwide, betting on racing improved from a total of $12.5 billion in 1997 to $14.5 billion last year.

Seeing Derrick Davis, Chris Harn and Glen DaSilva in jail should only aid the sport's followers and attract additional wagers.

They're the men who were charged Tuesday in a New York federal court with conspiracy to commit wire fraud. Additional charges are pending and there's a good chance the three, if found guilty, will, rightfully, do significant prison time.

They thought they were slick and thought by having Harn employed by Autotote -- a firm that processes phoned-in wagers -- they were above reproach. But the "inside" assistance that Harn provided backfired for the trio when they manipulated three Pick Six tickets for the Oct. 26 Breeders' Cup in Arlington Heights, Ill., and Davis stepped forward to claim more than $3 million in winnings.

The initial shock and wonderment quickly wore off and was replaced by suspicion after it was learned a couple of real long shots were among Davis' choices. Rapidly, the track sought out the police, who sought out the FBI, who sought out warrants for Davis, Harn and DaSilva's arrests.

In response, tracks have changed locks and computer passwords where bets are processed; closed off betting earlier; and formed an industrywide task force to examine the incident and its repercussions closer.

As scandals go, the Pick Six was a big one. But it's hardly a "last straw."

There is no funeral pending.