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Indiana Downs cancels horse races after complaints

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Complaints from horsemen about track conditions at Indiana Downs prompted the pari-mutuel track to cancel harness races.

The Shelbyville track's final race on Monday was canceled after a horse pulled up lame and was later euthanized. The track canceled its full card of Tuesday races.

Indiana Standardbred Association president Jack Kieninger says horsemen blame the horse's injury on the track. He says the normal harness racing surface is about six inches deep but heavy rains this spring left it about two inches thick.

Indiana Downs general manager Jon Schuster says he had no evidence that the track was at fault. Schuster said he was trying to address safety concerns and anticipated resuming races Thursday.

The state's horse tracks have struggled financially even after adding electronic gambling at so-called racinos connected to their horse racing operations. Indianapolis-based Centaur Inc., the parent of Indiana Downs competitor Hoosier Park in Anderson, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy reorganization in March.

The following month, New York-based Moody’s Investors Service downgraded its credit rating for the Shelbyville horse track and casino,  warning that the facility could default on its loans.
 


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  1. Well, we could blame ABC because they haven't advertised the INDY 500....not during the HUGE TV rating shows like Dancing with the Stars (of which IICS driver Helio Castroneves is a former champion). He never won a CART championship, did he?

    We could blame the new car...because it's ugly and has a V6 that has less horsepower than the pace car. CART (to my knowledge) never had that problem with cars they presented at the speedway years 1979 through 1995.

    We could blame the fencepost, but that would be crass. Or maybe Danica? Or maybe Jean Alesi....or boost increases from constant rules tampering. Maybe we could blame Penske who still is winning everything as usual.

    Maybe we can blame the world for not understanding the the great Indy gods who regularly twist things in such ways that we mere mortals must only accept, but never question.

    So, it does beg the question....who is responsible if the series and Indy continues to flounder? Are the responsibilities so diffuse and complicated that no one really is to blame for it's fall from grace?

    I urge the speedway to sign on for 7 more years of ABC coverage and 7 more years of NBC Sports Network coverage. It been win-win so far....*cough* *cough*

  2. "They're problem was thinking they were bigger than the institution that made their existence possible. That turned out to be a mistake."

    The above quote made by Disciple shows his continued inability to grasp a simple concept: CART is dead. Twice. It provided a brilliant stage for some of the best open wheel racing in all the past century of racing. It's gone DOOD, get over it.

    PLEASE explain, Mr. Disciple of INDYCAR, why you continually hammer home, even on the eve of the 2012 Indy 500, this same point...over and over? Seriously, why does the legacy of CART haunt you so much?

    The same problems that affected the sport for over a century of AOW racing STILL affect it now. Your answers (or lack thereof) belittle the very sport you claim to love. Indy rots in your hands yet you request status quo. You negate salient points with drivel...always.

    Indy is not going to die. But, it is dying...are you willing to accept that? "Indy is a hot mess"....it's true. Yet you want it that way? What is wrong with you?

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  4. Triscuts...love um!

  5. Of course the fair will go on. Don't you big city reporters understand county fairs? Get outside the beltway and see what life is really like!

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