By PAUL ROLFES
The (Louisville, Ky.) Courier-Journal

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Racing fans fighting those long lines to place a bet at Churchill Downs on Oaks and Derby days, or any other busy day, will have one less thing to worry about this year.

Racetracks owned by Churchill Downs Inc. will abandon the early wagering cutoff implemented after last year's Pick Six betting scandal.

With the start of this year's meets, the company's tracks will stop taking bets when the gate opens, rather than about two minutes earlier at post time - reverting to the way things were before the racing industry was rocked by questions about tote systems.

Industry officials say improvements to the pari-mutuel systems used by the tracks have helped make the early wagering shutdown unnecessary. Keeneland in Lexington, Ky., for example, announced just before the marquee event of its spring meet - the Blue Grass Stakes for 3-year-olds - that it was discontinuing the early cutoff.

John Long, chief operating officer at Churchill Downs, said that the early cutoff "was the right thing to do" last fall, when track operators needed to reassure fans that their bets were safe.

He said the tote companies had improved security and have been able to transmit wagering data faster from simulcast sites to racetracks.

The National Thoroughbred Racing Association launched a task force following the Pick Six scandal, hiring former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani's security consulting firm to study the industry's wagering strengths and weaknesses. In a February interim report, Giuliani Partners and the NTRA outlined the steps taken to maintain public confidence in wagering security.

At that time, the report said the major tote companies had installed new software that, in part, was likely to deter fraud on exotic, multirace wagers such as the Ultra Pick Six. United Tote, Amtote and Autotote upgraded their systems to help keep another Pick Six incident from happening.

Churchill and other racetrack operators tightened security in November following the revelation of a scam to rig the Oct. 26 Breeders' Cup Ultra Pick Six at Churchill's Arlington Park in Chicago. A telephone wagering account was used by a tote company software engineer to take advantage of a delay in the transmission of data among tracks on multirace betting, such as the Pick Six.

Most of the Churchill-owned tracks are getting ready to kick off their spring racing seasons - with Hollywood Park reopening Wednesday, Calder on Friday and Churchill Downs Saturday. Arlington Park reopens May 9.

Fund of Funds reportedly to miss Kentucky Derby

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Fund of Funds, who finished second in the Illinois Derby, reportedly was scratched for the Kentucky Derby on Tuesday with a tendon tear in his left foreleg.

Trainer Rick Violette told The Daily Racing Form and The New York Daily News that ultrasound treatment revealed a small tear.

The runner-up to Ten Most Wanted in Illinois will have another ultrasound exam in a few weeks. Violette said the injury could be career threatening.

"Tendons, they can be the kiss of death," Violette told the Racing Form. "It's never good news. With bones, you can take a chip out or do surgery and they'll heal. With tendons they can be a nightmare. They can come back, be training great and then that last breeze it lets loose."

The newspaper also reported that New York Hero, winner of the Lane's End Stakes, developed a quarter crack in his left front foot and would not run in the Derby.