'Unscratched Horse' Runs Second At Mountaineer; Officials Working To Update Protocols

Holly Roller was scratched for the third race at Mountaineer Park on Tuesday, September 6th. The official data provider Equibase reported the scratched horse as #5 Holly Roller. It was actually #6 The Good Flower. Some customers were upset because they couldn't use Holly roller in their bets. The West Virginia Racing Commission is working to update the protocol to prevent such incidents. Modern Games won the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf in May. They were scratched as a purse money only runner. Their owner, Modern Game, won. Mountaneer was prepared to pay on all bets if Hollyroller won, because the scratching was incorrect.

Holly Roller was scratched 40 minutes before the betting and ran in the race anyway. The favorite won the bet. TIF's Executive Director Patrick Cummings wants to update the rules to protect customers. The rules of racing in West Virginia are generally adopted by the Association of Racing Commissioners International. It is recommended that rules need to be updated to better protect the customers' interests.