LOS ALAMITOS : Dividends, Not Problems, Are Anticipated From Board’s Approval of Trifecta Betting

The California Horse Racing Board last week gave approval to state tracks to begin trifecta wagering--selecting the 1-2-3 finishers in order in one race--on an experimental basis. Two of the seven board members cast dissenting votes.

The trifecta, long a successful exotic betting gimmick elsewhere in the country, has had a checkered history linked with race-fixing. But harness officials think that problem was one of regulation, not the betting format, and predict widespread popularity.

“Any time you have a large payoff, there are people who are going to try to do things,” said Lloyd Arnold, president and general manager of Los Alamitos Race Course. “That’s why we have stewards. That’s why we have management. If we allow it to happen, shame on us.

“If you’re going to run a race course and can’t keep the game straight, you shouldn’t be in it. I have no problem telling people our game is honest and is going to stay honest.

“Our public has been crying for the trifecta. I think it will put our betting up 10% to 15%.”

Alan Horowitz, executive secretary of Western Standardbred, agreed. “If our patrons embrace it the way eastern fans have, you’re talking about pools in excess of $100,000,” he said. “Now that the board has approved it, it goes to the Office of Administrative Law. I hope we can do it in time for the first leg of the American Pacing Classic (on Sept. 8).”

The trifecta would be limited to one race a night. Los Alamitos plans a 10-horse field, including one trailer in the second tier, for the trifecta race. In a 10-horse field, there are 720 possible combinations.

Stan Bergstein, executive vice president of the Harness Tracks of America, said that California is the last of 13 states where the HTA has member tracks to implement the trifecta. “It’s an accepted pool in most places in racing,” Bergstein said. “The answer (to allegations of cheating) is more vigilant supervision. I don’t think the answer is to prevent bettors from betting pools they’re interested in.”

Los Alamitos has made Fairplex Park an offer it could not refuse to lease dates for a meet from Oct. 26 through January. The meet at the Pomona track could bridge a gap to complete a year-round harness circuit in California.

“Chris Bardis and I are leasing it,” Arnold said. “We’re going to apply to the (California Horse Racing Board) next month for racing dates. They’re giving us a three-year lease with the option of two more three-year leases.

“We’re giving them a guaranteed figure or 1% of the handle, whichever is higher, plus parking and concessions.”

Fairplex Park ran meets in 1986 and ’87 that were disastrous. The last session, a 47-night stand from April 24 through June 27, 1987, produced an average nightly attendance of 2,120 and a nightly average handle of $262,003.

Arnold is confident that times have changed. “At that time, the horsemen were fighting, management was fighting, there was a big row between Pomona and Sacramento,” he said. “As of now, harness people are in unison with us. I don’t see why Pomona won’t work. When we bought this place (Los Alamitos) last year, a lot of people thought we were dead, and I think we’re getting along pretty well.”

Ralph Hinds, president of Fairplex, said the proposal would go before his legal board this week. “We lost in excess of $3 million cash during the two years of harness racing,” Hinds said. “This is an opportunity to get some of those losses back.

“We’re also discussing a meet to start again in the late spring from May to August. We’re looking at a circuit between Los Alamitos and Fairplex to retain horses and horsemen in California.”

In previous summers, there has been a harness meeting at Sacramento. Its future status is uncertain.

“We had a bad taste left from harness racing the last time and didn’t seem to get a whole lot of support,” Fairplex communications manager Sid Robinson said. “Now the perception is that the industry has a lot of respect for Lloyd. He’ll put on the show.”

In addition to an extensive Inter Track Wagering network in California, Los Alamitos also will send its signal to Nevada next month. “We met with Vegas, and they’re waiting on an OK from the Gaming Commission,” Arnold said. “They’ve told us we’ll be on line by Sept. 15. It’s a consortium of 14 major Nevada racebooks. Whatever they bet will come through the tote board of the operating race track.”

Tim Maier was the driving star of the season opener Friday, winning the featured $10,000 Inaugural Pace with Cool Charm Girl and coming back with pacing mares Montini Lopez and Magna Carmen for a triple. Maier hopes for as much luck with the trio this weekend, to help him celebrate his 37th birthday Saturday.

All three winners are trained by Maier’s wife, Denise, and owned or co-owned by Mark Larwood of Los Altos, Calif. Cool Charm Girl, a 7-year-old New Zealand-bred mare, won impressively in 1:58 3/5.

“I bought her at Sacramento this summer for $60,000 from Brian Meale and Mark Harder, bloodstock agents who had brought her over from New Zealand,” said Maier, who owns Cool Charm Girl in partnership with Larwood and Southern Californians William Monroe and Wayne Kozacka.

“We bought her to be a top mare,” Maier said. “I raced her at Sacramento four times but pointed her for down here. We call this the short meet, the dash for cash at Los Alamitos. She handles a five-eighths-mile track well. It was a tiring track Friday, so I starched Time for Toni to the quarter before letting her go.”

Time For Toni, the favorite who came in from Yonkers Raceway during the week, faded out of the money.

Denise Maier is the daughter of veteran trainer Ray Richmond. “The last two meets I’ve been down as trainer, but we’re out there together every day,” Maier said. “I was born in Ohio, grew up in Detroit and came out in 1976 with Shelly Goudreau as sort of a glorified groom. I took out my license in ’77.”

Harness Racing Notes

Joe Anderson drove four winners on the Saturday card, including Rainy Night. The 5-year-old horse, a recent arrival from New Jersey, won a conditioned pace in 1:55 1/5. Rainy Night is owned by J. Paul Reddam of Sunset Beach and trained by Anderson. . . . Speedy Alba and Vance Lobell, 1-2 finishers in the $15,000 invitational pace, are expected to resume their rivalry Saturday. Speedy Alba, a 5-year-old gelding, won the Great Western Pace at Sacramento this summer and extended his winning streak to four. Driven by Bob Sleeth and trained by Bob Gordon, he is owned by Robert and Loretta Staats of Los Angeles. The highly regarded Vance Lobell was making his first start since May and should benefit from the outing.