Hollywood Park: California Horse Racing Board looking into possible odds manipulation

INGLEWOOD, Calif. – The California Horse Racing Board is looking into several large win bets made at Southern California Thoroughbred tracks that were withdrawn in the minutes before post time.

Racing board spokesman Mike Marten said officials had been in contact with Xpressbet about a win bet of approximately $30,000 made through the account-wagering service and removed from the pool in the minutes before Saturday’s seventh race at Betfair Hollywood Park.

“We’ve been in contact with Xpressbet and we don’t expect a recurrence,” Marten said.

An Xpressbet spokesperson said his organization was working with the racing board “to limit this type of behavior from occurring going forward.”

“We’re taking measures to prevent this,” said the spokesperson, who did not wish to be named.

Saturday, the $30,000 win bet was made on Ekahi in a $16,000 claimer over seven furlongs. The bet made Ekahi the 3-5 favorite with 13 minutes to post. With six minutes to post, Ekahi was the even-money favorite.

The bet was withdrawn from the pool with approximately three minutes to post, causing Ekahi to drift to 27-1 by post time. Ekahi, listed at 30-1 on the morning-line, was last of nine throughout the race. The race was won by Cast a Doubt, the 5-2 favorite.

A similar situation occurred twice in the same race at the Santa Anita autumn meeting on Oct. 20. The bets were withdrawn before the race was run.