Three Louisiana jockeys arrested for race-fixing

Three Louisiana jockeys were arrested on Thursday and charged with race-fixing following an investigation into a race run at Evangeline Downs in Opelousas in June, the state police announced.

Joseph Patin Jr., his brother Billy Patin, and LeSean Conyers were all charged with willful pulling of the reins and cheating and swindling, according to police. The charges were based on rides in a six-horse race June 19 at Evangeline in which Joseph Patin Jr. narrowly finished third on the second choice, 17 lengths behind the top pair. Billy Patin finished fifth on a longshot, and Conyers rode the last-place finisher, who trailed throughout.

“Through interviews and evidence obtained from track officials, [state police] determined the jockeys willfully schemed to hold back a horse picked as a favorite to win while utilizing an agent to place unusual bets in an attempt to maximize winnings,” the police said in a statement.

The Patins have been suspended since July 8, when stewards at Evangeline ordered them off their mounts. The brothers have checkered histories in racing, with each serving lengthy suspensions throughout their careers.

In addition, both Patins were charged with unusual stimulation of horses, or the possession of electronic shocking devices. On the night the Patins were ordered off their mounts, investigators conducted a search of the jocks’ room at the track, according to officials. According to the police, the Patins used the devices in separate races July 4 at Evangeline.

The parimutuel wagering pools in the June 19 race were not out of the ordinary, and the $1 exacta with the favorite and the longest shot on the board paid $28.70. The $1 trifecta, however, paid $92 after Joseph Patin’s mount, at odds of 7-5, got up in the last strides to take third by a nose. Typically in race-fixing schemes with six-horse fields, jockeys conspire to get three horses to finish out of the money.

A racing commission official said the investigation focused on bets made through the parimutuel pools. The exacta pool for the race was $20,802, and the trifecta pool was $16,943. Accounting for the takeout, and regardless of the outcome, the maximum amount that could be made from the trifecta pool would have been $12,700 if fixers cashed every single ticket in the pool, an extremely unlikely outcome.

Billy Patin was suspended for five years by the Louisiana Racing Commission in 1999 after he was found to have used an electrical device in that year’s Arkansas Derby at Oaklawn Park. Joe Patin has fought substance abuse for nearly his entire career and has served lengthy suspensions for his problems. He was also arrested in 2013 at Evangeline after fighting with another rider.

At the time of their suspensions, Joe Patin was ranked third in the Evangeline rider standings, and Billy Patin was ranked sixth.