“Crime” Committed to Running; Hong Kong Win Still Pending

The Hong Kong House of Racing, still yet to act on the matter of Lenny Forehead’s three-year-old Crime Beat, has not officially disqualified the winner of the January 26^th Group III Triangular Star Stakes, but jockey Timmy Brewer is still barred from Techmo-Facto Racecourse.

According to officials, the incident involving Brewer, the youngest son of Timmy Brewer Sr., and grandson of Timmy Brewer I, while aboard Crime Beat in the Triangular Star was not an isolated incident, but rather a requirement of trainer Forehead.

Twenty-eight year old Boris Renfroe, perennial top rider in New Hampshire, and forty-three year old Cody Culpepper, former mid-atlantic regular, now based in Maryland have both been implicated in the article that appeared in the Hong Kong Sun titled Assault and Batteries: “Crime” Wave of Theft, by Curt Shinkle Jr., son of jockey Curt Shinkle.

Shinkle reports that the discovery of a “battery“, or “machine“, outside of Brewer’s belongings beside his vehicle while conducting interviews at Techmo-Facto following the Triangular Star win was merely a case of spotting a diamond in a jewelry store. Prepared to testify before the House of Racing at its formal hearing, Shinkle has reportedly obtained evidence showing that Boris Renfroe was paid for the same service early in Crime Beat’s career. Also, suspicions aroused when Lenny Forehead imported “Cajun” Cody Culpepper from the county fair circuit in the Massachusetts Berkshire Mountains to ride his prized filly in the Grade I Dancing Blade.

Sent off at 9-1, a far cry from the 30-1 morning line, the Danehill Dancer filly ender her juvenile campaign with a resounding win, overcoming post fourteen in a two-turn mile on the grass course to win the Grade I event from well off the pace under what the official race charts term a “confident hand ride”.

It is Shinkle’s belief that while Culpepper seemed stunningly unsurprised and “confident”, the betting public in Maryland was not only “shocked“, but so was Crime Beat.

Though it remains unclear whether Hong Kong has the authority to depose the American based riders, it was announced by the House of Racing that one American rider, William Patin, would be arriving to provide the House with expert testimony.

Betoonein Wontoo, a trainer who recently made his first trip to Hong Kong for a stakes race and was met with local hostility had advice for Mr. Forehead.

“Dude, stop running her until they rule on you unless you are certain that she’ll win. Man, you go clear to Queensland to run against two horses just to show them that you can win without making the rider use gadgets. What if she gets beat? She’s been dusted twice since they busted the kid in Hong Kong; it doesn’t make it look real good for you as it is. At least you ran her in a sprint so if she gets beat here without a machine you can use the distance as an excuse.”

The controversy has cast a shadow of distrust and dismay over what had previously been a bright, sunny career for the talented filly.

Based in Ontario, Canada to begin her career, Crime Beat was the talk of the day before she ever ran. Sent off at just 9-5 in her debut against thirteen rivals, she rewarded her backers with a late surge courtesy of Renfroe. The heavy tote action late against her 12-1 morning line sparked some modest inquiries and when Crime Beat was slated to run on June 9^th of last year for the second time, Renfroe called in sick the day of the race and veteran Nick Linville guided the filly to an easy 3-5 win over three rivals.

When Linville found himself ensnared in the chatter, he declined to ride the filly again, despite another three horse opposition and support to the tune of 3-5 on the morning line and 1-9 at post time. Renfroe, defiant of the scrutiny, climbed back aboard to take home the money over a field that was so bad that Crime Beat was a handy three length victor at 1-9 in a race run in 1:41.3 for one mile. Six weeks later, it was Renfroe again that got his picture taken aboard the filly, her fourth win in as many starts.

Following the win, a reporter from the Ontario Pokecheck reported that Lenny Forehead’s undefeated local gossip magnet had been lame all week, unbeknownst to the trainer until Renfroe unsuccessfully attempted to work her three-eighths in preparation for her stakes debut in the Ontario Juvenile Ladies at the end of September.

Forehead and Renfroe reportedly had a heated debate outside Forehead’s barn with Renfroe reported to have departed with the words, “…you ride her then. I don’t need no cripple you got to shock.”

However, the accuracy of the statement was later questioned, when several other witnesses recounted that Renfroe actually said “…no cripple you need to shock wave.” That account supports Forehead’s statement immediately after the incident in which he told Renfroe that he would use electric shock wave therapy on Crime Beat’s cannon bone in an effort to battle through the sore shins and make the Juvenile Ladies. Renfroe, according both to his own accounts and those of Forehead, disputed the idea of persevering and told Forehead “to just give her a break”

Undeterred and sick of the scrutiny, Forehead and Crime Beat voyaged to Minnesota, where she promptly added Lasix and Banamine, launching her stakes debut as a 15-1 morning line longshot in the Summer Mile Bonanza at a mile and a sixteenth against colts and geldings. Reaching to a leading rider, Forehead named Eve Reddy (E. R.) Cothill, a nineteen-year-old that wrapped up her apprenticeship with a riding title at Fargo’s North Dakota Horse Park. At only 9-2 when the mutuel windows closed, Crime Beat and Cothill took command from her six rivals and simply incremented her advantage with every step of the eight and a half furlongs to a peak three and a quarter lengths at the finish.

Again, the locals in Minnesota quietly speculated about the undefeated filly from Canada that shipped in, employed a bush track rider, added every raceday veterinary cocktail, and promptly won in hand against the boys as much the best and was bet relentlessly as though the outcome was a forgone conclusion.

When the speculation became less quiet and one guy knew another guy that knows a guy in Canada that knows this guy Boris Renfroe…

Forehead and his still undefeated two-year-old flew to the mecca of controversy and disarray, Techmo-Facto Racecourse in London, Hong Kong. Not aware that the media at Techmo-Facto is equivalent to the paparazzi at any parking lot or city street graced by a vehicle piloted by Britney Spears, Forehead was appalled by reporter’s persistent inquiries into whether or not his filly could ‘make the course’ without banamine, bute, lasix, and testosterone (all banned in Hong Kong, but not Minnesota).

Local media was contrarian to an extreme when Crime Beat was finally entered in the Group II Silver Spoon Juvenile. Theorizing that Lenny Forehead was justifying his exile from North America, Hong Kong Sun editorials speculated that he was ‘running this poor filly over her head’ merely to bolster a case that there weren’t any graded races for juvenile turf route horses closer to home. Letters to the Sun from local readers were relentlessly swift to point out the array of minor stakes in North America that she could win if she wasn’t a broke down equine power strip.

Vindicated when Crime Beat was a well-beaten fifth, racing press assaulted Forehead with such venom that he merely packed and left. He headed back to North America, quietly training at old Stuffot Downs in Massachusetts and establishing a good relationship with veteran jock “Cajun” Cody Culpepper.

After a very encouraging breeze, reportedly in more way than one under Culpepper, Forehead pleaded with Culpepper to ride Crime Beat in a minor stake race in New Jersey, where they could gamble on the books. Culpepper refused, citing past incidents and a current desire and need to avoid publicity. Forehead offered the struggling forty-three year old a reported $20,000 to ride in New Jersey. Culpepper, fluent in the language spoken by the trainer, could not turn the offer down. He could, however, accept it with a slight twist.

In documents obtained from the Hong Kong Sun in which Culpepper testified on behalf of the Hong Kong House of Racing in exchange for a trainer’s license, the former jock helped bring the deception to new levels.

Culpepper directed Lenny Forehead to enter in Maryland’s Grade I Dancing Blade. Taken aback, Forehead quizzically stared at the old crook. “She’ll win.” announced Culpepper. “Maryland’s anti-steroid legislation is still pending; we’re back in North America. You blast her, you take the twenty-thousand and bet her, I’ll win on her, you’ll get the purse and I’ll get the rest.”

The plan unfolded as the grizzled rider predicted, including the aftermath, particularly the media attention. The media attention led quickly to attention from other parties, including bookmakers and several racing commissions.

The trio fled together, heading overseas to Great Britain. Relaxing in the throws of money, booze, and good timothy, it was in a staggeringly drunken fit of stupidity that, according to Culpepper, Lenny Forehead decided to go back to Hong Kong. Culpepper states that Forehead ‘s New Year resolution for his now three-year-old filly was “to show King Kong what Jane thought of Mothra and little cars.” “Whatever that meant.”

Forehead entered Crime Beat in the Group III Triangular Star Stakes at Techmo-Facto, naming Culpepper as rider in the mile and a sixteenth three-year-old filly race.

The group headed back to the sight of Crime Beat’s only loss in a seven race career just three days before the race. Surprisingly, all three were welcomed gleefully by officials at Techmo-Facto and the House of Racing. Cajun Culpepper, not accustomed to gleeful welcomes was increasingly suspicious of the extent to which he, Forehead and Crime Beat were being accommodated. The day before the race, Culpepper’s suspicions were on high tilt after being offered ‘help’ from a young, eager beauty with his possible need to purge.

That evening, Culpepper was apprehended after leaving the jock’s room by track security and House of Racing Inspectors. Barred from riding for what was termed by officials as “a pattern of conduct consistent with fraud.”, Culpepper disappeared from Hong Kong, only to resurface in recent weeks in Prescott, Arizona, United Stated of America.

The same evening that Forehead learned of Culpepper’s expulsion, he returned home to the motel room to find an oat sack stuffed with money, over $85,000, with the words “FOR ME AND TIMMY” written in black marker on the outside.

In response to his mind’s recent question, the telephone rang, and the caller identified himself as “Timmy, Timmy Brewer.”

Timmy Brewer, now thirty-three years old, came to Hong Kong in a rather complicated twist of fate that has graced these pages in the past. Grandson to a storied bookmaker in the American state of Maine, Timmy Brewer I, the youngest Timmy inherited his flair for race riding from his father, Timmy Brewer Sr., multiple leading rider title winner at Maine Intercontinental Racecourse. Timmy Sr. was jailed for conspiracy in the plot that led to the murder of a man responsible for busting the Maine bookies, including his father.

Timmy Brewer also inherited his father’s respect for Timmy Brewer I’s profession.

Timmy Brewer was named on Crime Beat for the Triangular Star the morning of the race. The morning line on Crime Beat was just 5-1, but fully aware of the betting pools at Techmo-Facto, Timmy Brewer was confident that he and Cajun Culpepper could get all the money down and still get 5-2 at post time.

So it was when Crime Beat unsurprisingly defeated her nine rivals in easy fashion, overcoming the outside post, that Timmy Brewer caught a glance of the tote board on his way back to be photographed and smiled broadly for the cameraman. Amazed that she took all of that money and still paid $10.60, the bookie’s grandson calculated his take before the shutter had closed.

Timmy Brewer sat in his car in the parking lot after the race for a long time waiting for Lenny Forehead. He had called Forehead a half dozen times. Timmy Brewer was after his money before Culpepper got to talking to those investigators. As he stared at his phone, encouraging it to ring with Forehead’s number displayed on the Caller ID, Curt Shinkle Jr. from the Hong Kong Sun approached him.

As Shinkle Jr. explains, Timmy Brewer “greeted me, answered the phone, screamed at the phone, threw the phone, dropped his bag, a machine fell out. Very simple.”

Camera crews with Shinkle videotaped footage of the ‘electric stimulation device’ laying motionless beside Brewer who scrambled to his knees in a feigned attempt at identifying the mystery object that someone had thrown from a nearby car. Footage shows Brewer attempt to grab the device and conceal it only to be restrained by a nearby Samaritan that had overheard that the device had been catapulted from a vehicle. With bomb squads dispatched and a gentleman attempting to disarm him of the potential ‘weapon of mass destruction’ in his palm, Brewer smacked the man in the mouth, announcing, “It’s a machine, you idiot. Move, before I plug you in.”

Curt Shinkle Jr. and his explosive video footage led to a scathing investigative report, the aforementioned Assault and Batteries: “Crime” Wave of Theft that was printed in the Hong Kong Sun. National press quickly picked up the story, prompting the comprehensive international investigation now being conducted. The inquiry led to the subpoenas of several instrumental conspirators, including Cody Culpepper, Bruce Renfroe, and Timmy Brewer. Timmy Brewer and Cody Culpepper willingly assisted the investigation despite the potential for imprisonment as their testimony, while self-incriminating, could set a criminal court precedent that would have a beneficial effect on their joint civil litigation filed in an effort to legally recoup the nearly $350,000 in illegally obtained proceeds never paid the litigants after the Triangular Star win.

Lenny Forehead tried to dodge the media, slipping off to New South Wales with his filly. Now broke, Forehead got the bad news that panel of celebrity jurors in a courtroom presided over by a panel of “All-Star” Judges had entered a judgment for plaintiffs Cody Culpepper and Timmy Brewer for $343,580 plus $156,420 in pain and suffering. The full judgment of a half-million was “just right”, according to Chief Justice of the All-Star Panel His Honor Greg Mathis. “I like even numbers. You know, like, them round numbers. I don’t want to have to figure out some crazy combination of threes and sixes and you know. Just make it a half million for me, alright? That’s what I’m talkin’ about.”

It was with great dismay that officials in New South Wales delivered news dissuading Lenny Forehead to run Crime Beat in the $20,000 claiming race that he had entered her for. Apparently, the All-Star Judges had attached all future income to their judgment, extending clear to the bookkeeper in New South Wales. The Court of Celebrity Jurors and All-Star Judges had decided that a horse was a liability, not an asset. Therefore, they didn’t want any part of the filly, but they’d take any money she makes or is traded for.

Without much motivation to help pay the All-Star Verdict, Forehead has twice run Crime Beat in stakes since arriving in New South Wales, including the Group I How Are You Gentlemen Cup. Following her last place finish at 7-5 in the Live River Special, jockey “Pops” Bangs said she “never had nothing.” Still, Forehead pushed to the How Are You Gentlemen, where she got beat more than ten lengths, defeated at a mile and a sixteenth for just the first time. Rodney Dowell had no excuse for his mount. “She ran like crap the whole way.”

Leading rider Chris “Cue You” Wyatt said that he was “underwhelmingly excited” to ride the controversial filly.

“I didn’t have to work her. My agent got me on; I really don’t care about the mare. I’ll walk out to the paddock and get on her and ride her and if she wins then I guess my agent deserves to be paid this week. It isn’t a quarter horse and it isn’t a two-year-old first time starter.”

Rival trainer Maya Entwinds, who will send Dana’s Magic to post, is completely sick of hearing about Crime Beat.

“There isn’t much racing coverage as it is. Here’s a little track with a little race with a little talent and ninety eight percent of the media coverage is about one damn horse and its crack addiction or something that has nothing to do with racing. The racing media claims to be racing media, but their racing’s failures, disasters, and scandals media. Hours could have been spent writing about the beautiful track here and the glorious horses, but instead I’m plagued with corruption, deception, and apparently very little contraception in the Brewer family.”

“My horse doesn’t need a machine or a crack pipe.” a scowling Entwinds declared. “She needs a real easy lead and a bunch of mediocre horses in the same race.”

A daughter of Borrego, the gray three-year-old has no choice but to attempt to steal the race from the rail. A five time winner with wins in races as short as five furlongs and as long as seven and a half, on dirt as well as turf, one thing is unequivocally consistent about those seemingly dissimilar races: they were all obtained in gate to wire fashion. She has never won a race in which she did not lead at every call.

A debut winner, she does own a pair of wins in stakes company, but unfortunately, even in a four horse field with very little speed, an easy lead does not make Dana’s Magic any cinch. More than once at short odds, Dana’s Magic has arrived mid-stretch with a clear lead after smooth coasting from the start and managed to wilt in the final hundred yards.

This, however, is the spot for Dana’s Magic to get the job accomplished. The media darling, Crime Beat, while possessing good early speed herself and all of the class in the field, is in a state of disarray and uncertainty. Her only other serious rival likes to get seven, eight, nine, ten lengths off the lead at seven furlongs and a mile. Her other rival habitually gets seven, eight, nine, ten lengths off the lead at the finish against bottom plug claimers.

Waive the bug allowance as Eclipse Award finalist apprentice jock Miloslavakerk Cameron takes the stakes mount in his final weekend before becoming a journeyman rider.

Though wins over the last half year have been somewhat rare for medium distance specialist Lot At Steak, those moments of glory have been well-done. A fan favorite in Queensland, the oddly bred daughter of Snitzel began her career here in a five furlong restricted allowance for both fillies and colts. In a field of seventeen, Lot At Steak toiled far back in fifteenth entering the turn before rallying mid-track once back on the straight and finishing second within a length of the winner at odds of 27-1.

She paid $42.00 two months later when she broke her maiden in New South Wales, making her second start, facing just eight others, all fillies, all maidens. Since breaking her maiden, Lot At Steak has been ambitiously campaigned, beginning with a respectable sixth place finish in the Group I Fauster’s Juvenile Cup and continuing with a steady diet of stakes engagements.

While four of her ten starts were in restricted events, those four races produced just one victory, and in one of the four races she defeated thirteen rivals and in another she ran third, defeated less than a length in a race with twenty contestants. Lot At Steak has not been getting a free pass by skipping open races, in fact, it seems more likely that she passes up a chance at victory by running in restricted spots, as she is two four six against open company.

Perhaps her best distance is seven furlongs, as she remains a perfect two for two, capturing both the restricted Championship Series Allowance and the open Dirty River (FR) Challenge. Is a slow pace and six and a half just too much to overcome? Not according to rider Ponce De Kays, who piloted Lot At Steak in the Ruby Slipper here in September last year.

“When I rode this filly last year I told the guy (Bob “Hog” Zeethree) after the race that I probably should have been killed for the bad ride that I put on her. I’ve got one horse beat and eighteen in front of me, six rows of three and by golly I saved ground until I ate every one of those stopping pigs. Finally I get out and get beat maybe a length, maybe half a length.”

“If I get her in that much of a scramble with two in front of me, probably six in front of me, I should at least be severely maimed.”

To her credit, Lot At Steak was able to lay close, but comfortably targeting the leaders when victorious in a short field of just four in the seven furlong Dirty River. It is quite likely that this race will feature a similar tempo and as a consequence, a similar trip from close enough to overhaul either of the two in front of her. Look for Ponce De Kays and Lot At Steak to register career win number four on Saturday.

The sharp handicappers will focus exclusively on 35-1 Hunt The Warrior. Noting the trainers success with new acquisitions, runners going from dirt to turf, and most importantly, the ‘also-rans in $2,000 claimers to stakes company’ move, the serious players studying the stats in the Form will have a hard time getting past the A. P. Warrior filly. Despite the fact that she was purchased for just $338 at the livestock auction two weeks ago after a very disappointing career, superior handicappers have trainer statistics to guide them past the obvious fact that she can’t run.

Remember: Anyone with information relevant to the disappearance of Curt Shinkle Jr. are to notify the Hong Kong Ministry of Good Riddance.