HORSE RACING
Asmussen fined $10,000
New York regulators have fined one of horse racing’s winningest trainers and say they’re pursuing new equine drug regulations after a probe into abuse allegations by an animal-rights group. The New York State Gaming Commission said Monday its investigation sustained 14 allegations made by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals against trainer Steve Asmussen, his assistant Scott Blasi and others during the 2013 Saratoga Race Course meet. The commission issued a $10,000 fine to Asmussen for giving horses a thyroid hormone within 48 hours of racing. Thyroid hormone is used to boost metabolism in horses with thyroid deficiency, but trainers use it to enhance performance in horses that aren’t deficient. The proposed regulations are aimed at stopping trainers from giving horses drugs strictly to enhance performance. In January, the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission cleared Asmussen and Blasi of allegations made by PETA. Tulsa, Okla., attorney Clark Brewster, who represents Asmussen and Blasi, said he was pleased with the findings and that his clients feel completely vindicated. “None of the other PETA accusations had merit,” he said. Under the proposed rules, drugs would be prohibited from being given to a horse except as a medical therapy. Metabolism-modifying drugs would be tightly controlled. Trainers would be required to keep a log of all dispensed drugs administered by the stable, and any substance that abnormally affects a horse would be prohibited.
MOTOR SPORTS
Components to be tethered
Three months after Justin Wilson’s death at Pocono Raceway, IndyCar is taking steps to reduce crash debris and improve safety. The open-wheel series announced Tuesday that it will tether its aerodynamic components beginning next season. The high-tensile tethers are expected to minimize the possibility of debris flying around during accidents and hitting fans as well as drivers in their open cockpits. Last season opened with concern over debris from the new, more brittle chassis, so series officials instructed Honda and Chevrolet to makes structural upgrades to the cars. After three cars flipped over in practice before the Indianapolis 500, series officials took away extra horsepower, and an equipment change was made after James Hinchcliffe sustained life-threatening injuries after a broken suspension piece pierced his left leg at Indy. In August, Wilson was fatally injured at Pocono after being hit in the head by a piece of debris from another car. Under the changes announced Tuesday, the rear beam wing and rear wheel guards will be tethered for all Indy-Car events and the car’s nose will be tethered on superspeedways ovals. Chassis maker Dallara also has designed a tethering system for the front wing main plane for the three superspeedways on the 2016 schedule — Indianapolis, Texas and Pocono.
TENNIS
Ashe items at auction
Items reflecting the public and private life of Arthur Ashe are going on the auction block. They include speech notes on AIDS awareness and the jacket he wore at an anti-apartheid protest — among the causes the tennis great and humanitarian championed during his lifetime. The 16 manuscripts and personal objects are being offered as one lot on Dec. 8 at Christie’s books and manuscript sale in New York. It’s expected to sell for $80,000 to $120,000. Ashe was the first African-American to win Wimbledon and the U.S. and Australian Opens. The Richmond, Va., native died in 1993 from AIDS-related pneumonia attributed to a blood transfusion following a heart operation. Christie’s says the items are being sold by a private collector. They include Ashe’s notes for a Nov. 19, 1992, speech before the National Leadership Coalition on AIDS. His 1984 Davis Cup uniform also is included.
SOCCER
Security to increase
French and Russian authorities plan to increase security at fan zones at next year’s European Championship and the 2018 World Cup following the attacks in Paris. French Interior minister Bernard Cazeneuve said Tuesday security for Euro 2016, scheduled from June 10-July 10 in France, will be reinforced to ensure “the fan zones will be put in place.” Russian Sports Minister Vitaly Mutko, who chairs the organizing committee for the World Cup, said there was a particular focus on protecting crowds gathered in fan zones. “Today our colleagues from FIFA focused on us paying more attention to the fan zones,” Mutko said. “Of course that will be done.” Fan zones are typically set up in squares or parks near the center of the city, allowing supporters to watch a game on a big screen. Security can be lighter than at stadiums. The plan is part of a general tightening up of security for the World Cup, Mutko said following a meeting with FIFA representatives, including interim secretary general Markus Kattner. “We have encountered the problem of security, and examined it in detail,” Mutko said. “Now the security measures will naturally be strengthened in connection with the circumstances in the world.” About 7 million supporters visited the fan zones in the host cities during Euro 2012 in Ukraine and Poland. Following the attacks in Paris and at the Stade de France on Nov. 13, there are concerns the designated Euro 2016 areas for the public in each of the 10 host cities could be a target of choice for potential attackers. The fan zone in Paris is expected to be located on the Champs de Mars, below the Eiffel Tower, with a capacity of 120,000 supporters. Extra security measures, including a possible ban on backpacks or reinforced video surveillance, will be added to secure the fan zones, with the extra costs being shared between organizers, local authorities and the state.
MISCELLANEOUS
Loophole closes
One of the largest fantasy sports companies appears to have closed an easily accessible loophole that had been available for users to make bets from states in which daily fantasy sports is illegal. The technique, using a proxy server, is one of the simplest and most widely available services to let a computer appear to be somewhere other than its true location when logging on to a website. This month, The New York Times reported that users in all six of the states in which daily fantasy sports is considered to be illegal were able to make bets at DraftKings, one of the two largest sites. But over the past several days, The Times again tried to gain access within one of those states — Iowa — and the DraftKings site declined to allow a user to log on, suggesting that proxies are now being blocked. The Times was not able to use proxies to log on to the other leading fantasy site, FanDuel, from the illegal states either earlier this month or more recently. The change comes ahead of a court hearing today in New York in which the state’s attorney general is seeking a preliminary injunction barring residents from gaining access to the sites, arguing that daily fantasy sports is a form of illegal Internet gambling. Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman had ordered DraftKings and FanDuel to stop taking bets in New York state; both companies have filed formal complaints against the action.