Suspicious race at Mahoning Valley under investigation
There’s no question that the 4-year-old gelding Leathers Slappin isn’t much of a racehorse. He’s 2 for 26 lifetime and has lost 15 straight. But put him in against a bunch of maiden fillies and mares, and Leathers Slappin can look like a champion.
The Ohio State Racing Commission and Penn National Gaming Inc., the owner of Mahoning Valley Race Course near Youngstown, Ohio, are separately investigating Wednesday’s ninth race, in which Leathers Slappin was mistakenly allowed to run in place of stablemate Ruby Queen, a 3-year-old filly, in a $5,000 maiden-claiming sprint. Both horses are owned and trained by Shane Spiess. Leathers Slappin romped by 7 3/4 lengths at odds of 110-1, paying $222.40 for a $2 win ticket.
Routinely, a horse identifier checks the markings and tattoo of each horse in the paddock before a race. After the race, the winner is taken back to the state veterinarian for testing. The veterinarian at Mahoning Valley realized that the winning horse from the ninth race did not have the same markings or tattoo as Ruby Queen and was a different sex.
“We are trying to find out what happened,” Bill Crawford, director of the Ohio State Racing Commission, told the Youngstown Vindicator. “It’s obvious that the track identifier should have identified the horse. There could be people who will be penalized.”
After the racing commission completes its investigation, the track stewards will hold a hearing and decide what to do.
Ruby Queen went off at such high odds because she came into Wednesday’s race 0 for 13, with a top Beyer Speed Figure of 9 in five starts this year. In comparison, Leathers Slappin earned a 40 Beyer for his fifth-place finish last Monday in a $5,000 claiming race for non-winners of three lifetime.
Jane’s Storm, a 20-1 outsider in the field of 12, finished second to complete an exacta that paid $1,832.40 for $2. The 50-cent trifecta paid $581.65 with 6-1 Just Like Ashley finishing third. Whimsical Nature, another longshot at 38-1, was fourth to round out a 10-cent superfecta that paid $6,467.01.