Tote company, employee fined by Santa Anita stewards

Tote company Sportech Racing LLC and parimutuel employee Abel Leal were fined on Saturday in rulings by Santa Anita’s stewards for an incident last summer at Del Mar in which a horse who was not supposed to be scratched was erroneously removed from the wagering pools.

The incident happened in the fifth race last Sept. 6, the final Sunday of the meet, when Love on the Road was removed from the wagering pools, then re-inserted. As a result, Love on the Road ended up running for purse money only and was considered a scratch for wagering purposes.

A hearing into the matter was held on March 3, which is why the ruling was not announced until now, more than six months after the incident.

Sportech was fined $1,000, Leal $750.

Sportech was replaced last fall by Amtote as the tote provider for California. That decision was made months prior to the incident at Del Mar.