Daily Racing Form National Digital Edition
Coal Front returns in Bold Ruler
ELMONT, N.Y. – Coal Front, a multiple graded stakes-winning 3-year-old of 2017, will make his first start in 13 months in Saturday’s Grade 3, $200,000 Bold Ruler Handicap at Belmont Park.
Coal Front, a son of Stay Thirsty, is 4 for 5, with his lone loss being a fifth-place finish in the Grade 1 H. Allen Jerkens at Saratoga in August 2017. On Sept. 23, 2017, Coal Front won the Grade 3 Gallant Bob Stakes at Parx. He came out of that race with a condylar fracture to his right foreleg.
Todd Pletcher, who trains Coal Front for Robert LaPenta and Sol Kumin’s Head of Plains Partners, was planning to run Coal Front in an allowance race for his return. But such a race did not fill either at Belmont or Keeneland, so this was his best option.
“He’s given us every indication in his training that he’s maintained his form,” Pletcher said. “Still, off a 13-month layoff, graded stakes, carrying top weight is a lot to overcome. He’s trained well and looks great.”
Coal Front, the 122-pound highweight, drew post 4 and will be conceding three to 10 pounds to five rivals in the Bold Ruler.
Delta Prince, who has made his last eight starts on turf, will return to dirt for the first time since he finished third in his career debut at Belmont two years ago.
Petrov, who finished third behind Coal Front in the 2017 Gallant Bob, is trying to win his first stakes race in his 14th try and 20th race overall.
Completing the field are True Timber, a winner of two straight allowance races; Bon Raison, a winner of three straight in the claiming ranks; and No Dozing.
There are two other stakes Saturday, both in jeopardy of being moved from turf to the main track due to rain in the forecast.
The $100,000 English Channel, for 3-year-olds at a mile, drew a field of 10 led by Therapist, Rose’s Vision, and Golden Brown. The $100,000 Awad Stakes, for 2-year-olds at a mile, drew six runners for turf, including Empire of War, who was pre-entered for the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf but is unlikely to draw into that race, and A Threat of Blue, who was second to subsequent stakes winner Current in a maiden turf race and then won his next start on dirt.
N.Y. regulators fine AmTote
The New York State Gaming Commission fined AmTote International for two incidents that affected wagering at Belmont Park on Oct. 13.
The commission fined AmTote $7,500 for failure to properly close wagering before the first leg of a pick four wager combining two races from Yonkers and two from Belmont Park. The commission also fined AmTote $2,500 for failure to inform the stewards that it had closed and then reopened wagering on the sixth race at Belmont that same day.
According to a letter sent to AmTote by the commission, wagering on the pick four remained open for one minute and 41 seconds past the official closing of the first leg of the wager from Yonkers. When the tote operators were informed by the mutuel office that the race at Yonkers was not properly closed, they mistakenly closed wagering on Belmont’s sixth race for one minute and five seconds before reopening wagering on that race.
“New York State Gaming Commission staff were informed by Commission Steward Steven Lewandowski that none of the stewards were consulted before tote operators reopened betting on Belmont race 6,” the letter stated.
A total of $12,409 was wagered on the pick four and all wagers made in that pool were refunded. The five winning combinations at 50 cents and the one at $1 were paid out as winners. None of the winning wagers was placed during the time wagering was improperly opened.
The commission has fined AmTote three times before, all in 2016. One fine was for $7,500, and two were for $10,000.
Keith Johnson, president of AmTote, wrote in an email to Daily Racing Form that there were “some standard role responsibilities, with related processes and safeguards, that were compromised and will [be] applied moving forward for any future special events between AmTote operations and NYRA management.”
“Of course, we certainly regret that it occurred otherwise,” the email said. “AmTote operations, in coordination with NYRA management oversight, ensured that there were no late wagers that were winners, and all actual winning tickets were properly credited while refunds were issued on all other wagers.”