FBI Is Checking Race Fixes

The owner of Los Alamitos Race Course said Friday night that he has knowledge of one of the track’s horse owners being questioned by the FBI regarding race-fixing.

“This owner, who races Arabian horses here, told me that he was questioned four or five hours by the FBI,” Ed Allred of Los Alamitos said.

Allred declined to identify the owner, who told him that indictments are likely.

Allred said that he has no personal knowledge of the investigation, but he believes that it is wide-ranging and may include two thoroughbred races at Hollywood Park and one at Santa Anita.

R.D. Hubbard, chairman of Hollywood Park, said Friday night that he has heard rumors about an investigation but doesn’t know any details. Cliff Goodrich, president of Santa Anita, was out of town and couldn’t be reached.

At Los Alamitos, three leading jockeys, who ride Arabians, are believed to be under investigation. One of them, Allred said, reportedly ignored legal advice and refused to cooperate with federal investigators.

“They may have these guys dead to rights,” said Allred, who said that he has been told a federal agent infiltrated the ranks of the race-fixers.

Allred said that the investigation of Arabian races may center around betting on the trifecta, a bet that requires bettors to pick the first three horses across the finish line. If a jockey can keep a favored horse out of the first three spots, large payoffs are possible.

“I find it strange that anybody would fool around with Arabians,” Allred said. “The betting pools for those races aren’t that big. There’s not that much money to be made.”

One of the races believed to be suspicious was an Arabian race worth $30,000 in purse money.

Tom Ward, a state steward who worked at Los Alamitos late last season, said that he didn’t know anything about the investigation.

On Thursday, a federal spokesman declined to comment about the investigation.

“I know there’s an investigation,” said Ralph Scurfield, chairman of the California Horse Racing Board. “But I don’t know what area they’re looking at.”

A report out of Las Vegas indicated that part of the investigation relates to money-laundering.

“From what I understand, none of the races involved are quarter horses,” said Allred, who is a prominent quarter horse owner. “Racing doesn’t need this. It’s not any good for any of us.”

* THREE TIMES THE FUN

Mandella enters three horses in attempt to win his first Santa Anita Handicap. C11

* BIG ‘CAP DRAW: C10