Mark Allen, Kentucky Derby Winner, Has Ties To Alaska Bribery Scandal

McClatchy:

If it weren't for the plea deal that his dad, former Veco chief executive Bill Allen, made with federal prosecutors, Mark Allen might not have been in the winner's circle Saturday at the Kentucky Derby, celebrating the victory of his thoroughbred Mine That Bird and a $2 million purse.

Read the whole story: McClatchy

Comments

[bibimimi]

02:43 AM on 05/04/2009

Between Mark Allen and that butthead trainer Bennie "Chip" Woolley Jr. , this has been a bust of a Derby. Mine that Bird had zilch for graded stakes winnings, got into the Derby by the skin of their teeth when 2 of the 3 favorites dropped out and the 3rd was injured at the gate. Woolley was SO ungracious in victory. I thot he was going to clock Kenny Rice with one of his crutches because Rice stooped to ask him about his long drive from New Mexico. Add to it Calvin Borel's hillbilly histrionics and I had a tough time believing these were grown men l was watching.

[MrsFonebone]

09:51 PM on 05/03/2009

I went to the link and this really IS a non-story. I wish the HuffPo would just forget about Palin instead of trying to get hits.
This has nothing to do with the Derby.
the only horse it has to do with is the Palin dead horse, that people can't seem to stop beating.

[davispty5]

10:03 PM on 05/03/2009

This story has NOTHING to do with Sarah Palin. Maybe you should try actually READING the article BEFORE making your silly comments.

[SharpDressedMan]

12:15 AM on 05/04/2009

You are the one beating the dead horse by posting your comment.

[Dooley50]

09:33 PM on 05/03/2009

I saw the derby for the first time with a friend from Kentucky. For an hour, I heard alot of nothing about the hats, the traditions and the names, then some stuff on the owners and the trainers, finally jockeys and some history (3rd or 4th time the tracks have been muddy!)
Then the race, 5 minutes later, it was over. All that bling for 5 minutes.
Though a very impressive race, I'd prefer 2 hours of college football. Heck, high school football was more exciting. That horse ran like every other horse was standing still. It wasn't even close.
The Derby seems to me to be about the elites, rich politicians and their expensive hobbies.

[Palemoon]

10:23 PM on 05/03/2009

That's sadly true, it's the sport of the elites, is why it's known as the "Sport of Kings" in some areas of the world. And that's why everyone was initially happy that the Bird horse won, because of the way they showcased it prior to the actual race.

They never mentioned the owner that I saw prior to the race. Obviously, this was known more than 2 months ago and questions were already being asked back then. And more obviously, the network either decided, or was told, to ignore everything and just focus on the trainer and the little things.

That's why pre-race, all you heard about was how the trainer spent $9500 for the horse, packed him up in his pickup truck and drove all the way from New Mexico to Kentucky.

The first clue I had that something wasn't right with that story, was the trainer saying the trip took him 17 hours. I drove a similar trip, but much shorter, from Oklahoma City to Atlanta, most of it on Interstates, and it took me some 14 hours to get to the I-20/I-285 junction roughly. And I was flying, never shut my car off even for gas. There's no way he drove from New Mexico to Kentucky in 17 unless he had police escort and never once stopped for gas.

[Aranxa]

12:57 AM on 05/04/2009

it's the sport of the elites, is why it's known as the "Sport of Kings"

It's now known as the "Sport of Sheiks".

[Palemoon]

08:27 PM on 05/03/2009

I wonder what the Kentucky Derby, one of America's pasttimes ranking right up there with baseballl, will do now that they have been embarassed on the national level by allowing themselves to be hijacked and Bush-whacked by the GOP in the biggest bunch of lies I've seen in sports since those baseball players testified before Congress??

People claim Cycling and the Tour de France are forever scandalized and tainted. No, after this brazen incident, Cycling is a very clean sport it turns out. Compared to the likes of the Derby, Baseball and Football. ;o)

[Ghostzapper]

09:10 PM on 05/03/2009

Non-story as it relates to the Kentucky Derby.

[Palemoon]

09:54 PM on 05/03/2009

I guess you missed the pre-race show where they asked the trainer about all of the talk about the horse not belonging there by all concerned.

The reason the horse was allowed to run? Because they had the money to pay the entry fee for one thing. I'm sure there was also some political clout being bandied about as well.

[plages]

07:59 PM on 05/03/2009

Keep on believing, "We're number one, we're number one!

[emerywood]

07:52 PM on 05/03/2009

Horse racing is a business that is slowly dying. Part of the reason is because the payoffs have been
so very low all the time while taxes on the operation have been too high and competition from poker and the lotteries everywhere. It isn't easy to attract fans
with either long shots coming in like in the Derby or favorites coming in every race. But, if something is not done to make it more attractive to average fans, there may not be a Kentucky Derby in the future.

[Ghostzapper]

09:08 PM on 05/03/2009

Ridiculous.

[rektruax]

07:49 PM on 05/03/2009

Bribery makes horses run faster?

[twisted-european]

08:16 PM on 05/03/2009

... if they are of Republican descent - yes! ;-)

[Ghostzapper]

07:21 PM on 05/03/2009

There was no sweetheart dealing. The horse was the champion two year old in Canada and was no slouch. He shipped to California to run in the Breeders Cup Juvenile for his last race at two and ran last by less than ten lengths. His two races this year were not that poor, second and fourth. His sire won both the Belmont and the Travers. The folks with the major horses, several were bought for more than a couple of million are only interested in winning as it would be worth tens of millions to them. This group paid 400K for Mine that Bird, a gelding, so it was not as much of a fluke as it appears, particularly with ride the jockey did. If he loses any momentum at all skimming along the rail, he would not have ht the Board..

I am waiting to see if somehow Palin is involved......

[Palemoon]

08:24 PM on 05/03/2009

Funny you mention the $400k+ actual price of the horse. Why has the media been blasting everyone about the $9500 horse?

[Vickster]

08:57 PM on 05/03/2009

That's how much he sold for as a yearling.

[Ghostzapper]

09:08 PM on 05/03/2009

Mine that Bird sold for 9500 as a yearling. He then raced at two. He lost his first race, then won four races in a row all in Canada. At that point, he was sold for $400,000 and shipped to CA for the Breeders Cup. He went to Richard Mandella. He lost that race and was given some time off. He came back at three and raced in a 100k stakes and got second. He then raced in the winstar Derby a 900K race and got fourth. Once Quality Road and Square Eddie defected from the KY Derby, they decided to take a shot. Any hint of a scandal here is a joke.

[Zengeist]

07:09 PM on 05/03/2009

Damn - who isn't involved? What did the horse know, and when did he know it?

[twisted-european]

06:21 PM on 05/03/2009

Alaska - home of the bribe? No remorse for the horse?

[paixa3]

06:17 PM on 05/03/2009

I read the headline and wondered if someone bribed the horse. .... LOL

[Prakosh]

05:26 PM on 05/03/2009

This story in the Anchorage Daily News leaves more questions than it answers. But there is certainly enough here to raise all kinds of eyebrows. Certainly there is some sandbagging here somewhere! And with all the nefarious activities that this bunch has been involved with, it would take a fool to believe that here wasn't something rigged here as well.

http://www.adn.com/news/politics/veco/story/781355.html?pageNum=6&&&&&mi_pluck_action=page_nav#Comments_Container

[sparkey]

05:00 PM on 05/03/2009

So, if this race was fixed, do the winners have to pay back the money? And, what about the ones who threw their tickets away? If the second place winner gets moved up to first, how do the ones who threw their tickets away get paid? And, how fast will the trash dumpsters be searched?

[doglove]

05:57 PM on 05/03/2009

Doesn't work that way. Once the race is declared "official", it doesn't matter if they find a jet motor in Mine That Bird, or any winner of any race anywhere. The payoffs remain as posted when the race was declared 'official" The "guilty" trainer is slapped on the hand, warned not to do it again ("or we'll, ...we'll....we'll warn you again") and given a behind the back high-five for being so clever. Why and how do you think horses that are 20/1 or better ever win a race? There is every incentive to cheat and no down side. If a trainer is stupid enough and corrupt enough to get caught over and over, he/she may be suspended in one jurisdiction but can go to another state and apply for a license. Or at worst, turn his/her horses over to another person in name only, and still be pulling all the strings (and injecting those knees) behind the scenes. There are many honest and hard working people in the sport, but not at that level for that kind of money and prestige.

[mitsie]

04:58 PM on 05/03/2009

I watched the race and thought that horse was spectacular when he came from in back of the pack to win by several lengths. I am wondering if that horse will be tested for drugs though? Hearing this guy is connected to a scandle makes me wonder if he had done anything illegal.

[twisted-european]

04:57 PM on 05/03/2009

Tim Allen: "More power!"

Woody Allen: "What would my Mama do ...?"

James van Allen: "Outta this world!"

Too many Allens, if you ask me ...