The co-owner of Kentucky Derby winner Mine That Bird has ties to the U.S. Sen. Ted Stevens corruption trial and, according to his father's testimony, paid off an Alaska state legislator, the Anchorage Daily News reported Sunday.

Mark Allen, who combined with Leonard Blach to purchase Mine That Bird last year, escaped prosecution when his father, Bill Allen, made a plea deal in 2007 with prosecutors in relation to the Alaska public corruption scandal, the newspaper reported.

Bill Allen, who owned the oil and gas company VECO, pleaded guilty to three counts related to the corruption scandal and was the prosecution's chief witness against Stevens, the newspaper reported. A number of state legislators have pleaded guilty to corruption charges as a result of the elder Allen’s testimony.

Stevens was convicted of accepting bribes, but his conviction was tossed over allegations of prosecutorial misconduct.

During Bill Allen's testimony, he said his son, Mark Allen, paid off a state legislator, the newspaper reported.

But Mark Allen didn't face prosecution — part of his father's plea deal said his son would not face any charges, the newspaper said. The younger Allen wouldn't be able to have a license as a racehorse owner in New Mexico if he had been convicted of a felony.

Still, the revelation casts a pall over the feel-good story of Mine That Bird's win.

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