Horseplayer Sues for Fraud
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A lawsuit filed by a man who bet on Sweet Catomine in the Santa Anita Derby alleges that the track, the filly’s owner and trainer and others committed fraud by not disclosing the horse’s health problems.
Sweet Catomine started the race April 9 as an even-money favorite but finished fifth.
In the suit filed Monday in Los Angeles County Superior Court, Arthur Mota seeks unspecified damages. It follows several allegations brought by the California Horse Racing Board against Sweet Catomine’s handlers. The suit seeks to represent others who bet on the horse and could turn into a class action.
Sweet Catomine had a five-race winning streak before the Santa Anita Derby, but after her poor finish, owner Marty Wygod said he’d almost scratched Sweet Catomine but hadn’t because Santa Anita had focused the race’s publicity campaign around the filly.
Wygod said after the race that his filly had bled internally during a pre-race workout, was ovulating for the first time and had been treated at a clinic in Santa Barbara for a foot problem.
Julio Canani, fired as Sweet Catomine’s trainer, was accused by the CHRB of committing conduct detrimental to racing.
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