Industry Voices - All Comments

re: Time to Rewrite the Rules

nu-fan — Sun, 26 Aug 2012 20:24:10 GMT

The horseracing industry has had enough time to get their act together. They've dragged their feet for how many years? When any industry does not regulate itself, the federal goverment will do so. And, time's up! There will always be a bit of "chaos" with a change. That is typical and to be expected. During this time, details will be altered but, at least, these changes will be made and the discussions will become serious. But, for those of us who believe that this change is important and urgent, we can't just keep writing comments on websites. We need to get this talk outside our small circle and to do our part to make certain that those who are able to make these changes are informed as well as to make the public aware of the "ugly" side of this sport. The changes that are being suggested save the lives of horses--as well as the lives of the jockeys riding them! Start by contacting your state senators and leading newspapers to endorse the Interstate Horse Racing Improvement Act of 2011 (S.886-- and do it today. I have and will continue to do so. And, time is critical: The bill is pending!

re: Time to Rewrite the Rules

nu-fan — Fri, 24 Aug 2012 00:51:52 GMT

Dooquila: You made excellent points. I, too, do not have confidence that the horseracing industry has the interest or ability to make substantial changes and ensure the safety of the horses and jockeys. (One should never forget that a horse that breaks down on the tracks also endangers the life of its jockey.) So, do we keep talking or do we act? While I may not support everything in the Interstate Horseracing Improvement Act of 2011 (S.886), it opens up necessary dialogue in the U.S. Senate. Some change is better than no change. If this bill gets sufficient support by prominent senators, this should get coverage in the mainstream media so that the U.S. public is more aware of what is happening on our tracks. I urge everyone who is interested, in seeing substantial changes, contact their U.S. Senator. I have and will continue to be vocal with those people who may get this atrocity resolved. If industries cannot establish responsibilities among their members, the federal government may(and should)step in and do so.

re: Channeling  Competitive Anger by Donna Barton Brothers

Kp123 — Tue, 21 Aug 2012 08:30:04 GMT

Chris McCarron is such a nice guy as well as a number of other Jockeys I had the pleasure of running into. Even Robby Albarado was nothing but kind to me and that's all I can go by, I can't read all this about them and judge I judge on personal exp. As for the DUI's betcha I know more non-athletes to get 1 and some 2 (yeah real bright). Anyway just because they're in a the spotlight sorta say in the industry because let's face it unless you know racing people don't know who Pat Day is or these other great athletes! Point is they're people too and make mistakes, they get angry, they get drunk, they make mistakes life goes on. Jockey Mike Smith is an absolute gym rat who does things the right way to keep weight and others can too of they choose. Again humans all make mistakes and all either do what's right or don't. It's not athletes it's called being a human being.

re: Time to Rewrite the Rules

Dooquila — Fri, 27 Jul 2012 15:41:07 GMT

At Old Old Cat and the rest of the dinosaurs on this matter.... try following the REST OF THE WORLD's legislations!!!! you are playing catch up, not pioneering anything, the USA ploughs a lone furrow and is getting ever more detached from other racing jurisdictions who are leap years ahead on drug intolerance. And as for the horseman regulating anything, forget it. Their refusal to accept what is staring them in the face has brought the racing to the edge of the abyss that it is standing on now. I love the continued comparison to footballers shoving supplements / stimulants down their neck as if this is the example to set racing against.

re: Time to Rewrite the Rules

Your Only Friend — Thu, 19 Jul 2012 23:17:34 GMT

One trainer got nailed big time 10 years ....maybe it will open some eyes, but will not help until all racing states adopt same racing medication rules. Ya all better get with the program or you will have Uncle Sam writing the rules.

re: Time to Rewrite the Rules

Old Old Cat — Wed, 18 Jul 2012 21:04:11 GMT

Before we go to the trouble to REWRITE the rules we had better do a damn good job of writing them. Before we WRITE the rules we had better do a damn good job of writing the definitions and the objectives.

First: What are the purposes of the rules???

I say the health of the horses should be first along with the health and well being of the jockeys who ride them.

Second should be the integrity of the game of racing to present an even playing field to the betting public and the owners and trainers who have so much invested: time, money, effort, etc.

Third should be what is not to be tollerated under any circumstances: cobra venom, narcotics, illegal steriods, etc.

Fourth should be a realistic measurement of what level of toxicity should be allowed and under what circumstances penalties should be imposed: warnings, minor fines, suspensions, disbarment from ever setting foot at a racetrack again.

Just because we can test for one part in 500 million billion does not mean that we should. Professional ballplayers have been found guilty of drug violations with minute amounts of a drug which could be more easily explained by the supplement company not washing out their tanks and lines with industrial solvent each and every time they switch production. Even our food processing companies are required to warn people with alergies (sometimes very severe) if their facilities also process peanuts, milk products, nuts, etc.

I explained the O'Neil "milkshaking" episode to my friends who were not real horse people. I said the ingredients were all legal compounds that can be taken by people and horses, and that together they improve the horses digestion and allow the horse to rid itself of lactic acid more readily, and that the level of exposure in the horse in question, a low level claimer not expected to win the race anyway, which finished up where it was expected to be, was slightly over the maximum allowable (10%, probably one sigma), and that the investigators had determined that PAUL O'NEIL DID NOT MILKSHAKE THE HORSE, and that as reported in local Maryland publications that our group would have probably just dismissed the whole issue. Most of the responses I got were "Why is something good for the horse illegal???"

I think overreaching witchhunt mentality by those in power can be worse than doing nothing. It can cast a shadow on horseracing where there may be no existing "structure" to produce one.

re: Time to Rewrite the Rules

fb0252 — Wed, 18 Jul 2012 19:13:36 GMT

The OP notes that most violations are minor therapeutic violations and in the next sentence confuses therapeutics with illegal performance enhancers. That is so typical. Anybody out there that can keep it straight? And, is too much being made of this ridiculous issue. Most people on the back stretch are honest, really! And, as a corollary, how many of the true cheaters, of whom are so small in number--how many of these ever win a race? Is this worth all this rigor marow because a few paranoid horse players keep bellowing? Will somebody sane please put this issue in perspective.

re: Time to Rewrite the Rules

frankieconditions — Wed, 18 Jul 2012 14:26:40 GMT

Railbird, makes so me good points, however the author is right on. Given the 'slots" $ in play in N.Y., Pa., Md, La., etc certainly a small fraction could be applied to this MISSION CRITICAL initiative. There are many retired or almost retired (Jerkins, and others) that could get a stipend and 2nd career helping craft the rules. They know what's what and are fully qualifed do act in the horses and ultimately the industry's best interest. Owners will ultimately benefit too by having fewer breakdowns and more importantly from a $ situation a "level playing field". enough already with these state czar's. Trainers argue the current state systme is too complicated and the cause of many of the 'violations". Time to remove all the excuses , break down the barriers and allocate $ which will really be an investmetn in racing's future vs. a 'cost".

re: Time to Rewrite the Rules

an ole railbird — Tue, 17 Jul 2012 23:41:53 GMT

if it becomes nessasary for the horseman to bow to this new type of controls.

how do the horseman, insure that the rules will be written by qualified people. due to the fact that horseman are the only ones that are close enough to the industry to know the mechnics of it.

my question is, how much imput will the actual participants have in writing the new rules.?

and who will set the criteria, of how the authors will be selected?.

before signing on to any mass movement, to write new rules. these questions need to be adressed, & explored, in great detail.

thank you for letting me have an opinion.

nice day to all,

"an ole railbird".

re: Time to Rewrite the Rules

Nick Danger — Tue, 17 Jul 2012 22:18:35 GMT

Mr Bonnie,

It wasn't long ago a certain quasi native american wrote that "In Ky,a horse can come to the paddock with a Morphine drip and get by with it" Exaggerated ? Yes. Most liberal of all major racing jurisdictions ? It was at that time.

I have said previously that a federal law establishing uniform medication and penalty standards seem logical but the devil is in the deatils as with all well intended public policy initiatives. Licensees should receive all constitutional and civil rights enjoyed by all American citizens. Some state regulators believe they are given "broad powers" by their state legislatures to help them enforce their regulations. Regulators always want more money and more power. "Power tends to Corrupt and absolute power corrupts absolutely".

re: Time to Rewrite the Rules

Slew — Tue, 17 Jul 2012 21:06:42 GMT

Racing cannot seem to pull it together even over minor issues, let alone a plan of this scope. Rules differ from state to state, and even from track to track.

For a sport not known for its integrity, horse racing is unfortunately becoming a whipping boy for the media, and a relic of another golden age.

Everyone wants a national overseer, but no one ever starts anywhere. The matter is discussed ad infinitum, but there is never any action taken.

Perhaps it is time for more action and less "study" groups. Maybe it's time to start a pilot program in one state, rather than just talk about what should be done across all the states.

re: Call to Action by Daniel Fuchs

crazyhorseperson — Mon, 02 Jul 2012 00:09:37 GMT

Kentucky's coming in second place right now to Japan. Why do all the good horses (Azeri, I'll Have Another, etc) have to go to Japan. They are the ones that are going to win the Triple Crown with one of their horses.

re: Call to Action by Daniel Fuchs

realdeal — Wed, 27 Jun 2012 02:50:52 GMT

sounds like Mr. Fuchs was right and fb0252 thinks racetracks are the driver. you see fb0252 if you drive around the Bluegrass and you see the empty farms and you hear of those that have already left and you look at states like Montana where they lowered purses to the economics of the tracks... you will see there are NO MORE LIVE RACES. Believe it or not owners will always run for the biggest purses. Wherever they are.

re: Call to Action by Daniel Fuchs

judy burkhart — Fri, 25 May 2012 16:00:17 GMT

You are spot on. KY has already lost several mares and stallion to NY & other states because of this inaction.

re: Call to Action by Daniel Fuchs

fb0252 — Thu, 24 May 2012 17:32:52 GMT

this guy's attitude is precisely what is wrong with horse racing on the horse side.

instead of adjusting purses to the economics of the race track, he wants increases in purses for his own pocket, never mind the health of the race track.

my attitude is--let this guy run to another state. ignore him. his post has been one of the the exact problems that plagues this sport. Let him leave. 10 more sensible people will pop up to take his stalls.

re: Call to Action by Daniel Fuchs

king james — Thu, 24 May 2012 17:26:42 GMT

It appears that the legislature in Kentucky is the same as it is in Texas, backwards. No one to take the lead.

re: Protecting the Breed

fb0252 — Sun, 01 Apr 2012 16:45:09 GMT

Q. What does Fred Pope know about EIPH?

re: Protecting the Breed

Dawn in MN — Sat, 31 Mar 2012 21:44:15 GMT

All good points.

Thoroughbred racing reminds me of competitive swimming and other speed sports. At the highest level of speed sports records are set in fractions of seconds. Improving the breed should be a no-brainer. May the soundest horse win and the bleeders be banned.

re: Protecting the Breed

dutchman — Sat, 31 Mar 2012 15:07:19 GMT

why not do it like this; every horse is allowed to run on lasix, but after he does he(or she) is not allowed to be used for breeding anymore? the horse can still compete, even as a "bleeder" but the breed will improve because no more bleeders will go to the breeding-shed .

a kind of like gelding a horse.

re: Protecting the Breed

Crickett Hoffman — Fri, 30 Mar 2012 20:04:57 GMT

After this article the industry had better do something: www.nytimes.com/.../death-and-disarray-at-americas-racetracks.html

More and more people are being turned off to racing. Younger people are starting to see it as a blood sport up there with dog fighting. Others hear of the drug cocktails give to horses and think the game is fixed. The recent cancellation of the HBO series "Luck" because of three horses dying and PETA doing their usual false fact hatchet job has cast another dark shadow on the industry.

The Thoroughbred breed and all the people connected to the industry, including the author of this piece, will not have jobs soon if they don't wake up and smell the sweet feed. Has the Jockey Club and TOBA thought of that?

re: Protecting the Breed

chucky — Fri, 30 Mar 2012 18:25:27 GMT

ALL I CAN SAY IS

NOTHING WILL HAPPEN!

Plenty of knowledgable people inside and outside knows what ails this industry but nothing will happen.

Reminds me of all the commotion after the sad 8Belles breakdown but nothing really happened after that and I don't think anything will happened with all these commotion.

Let me rephrase that. I don't think anything will happen. I KNOW NOTHING WILL HAPPEN.

re: Protecting the Breed

Pedigree Ann — Fri, 30 Mar 2012 15:51:47 GMT

I say, pull all grading for stakes in states that don't agree to allow the most important races to be run without race-day drugs. Time to play hardball. See how fast the big stables pull out to run in complying states. Get the owners of Derby candidates complaining. Rock the boat BIG TIME or nothing will happen.

re: Protecting the Breed

Barry Irwin — Fri, 30 Mar 2012 11:03:20 GMT

Fred Pope is a beacon of light in a sea of fog. We are lucky to have somebody like him in our industry.

re: Protecting the Breed

Needler in Virginia — Fri, 30 Mar 2012 03:58:46 GMT

Well said, and well proposed, Mr Pope. While "lighting up a horse" has been well known and far too often used over the years, it's now become obvious that race day meds (even legal ones) aren't doing anyone any good......especially the horses. If a horse requires Bute, that horse should NOT be racing; if a horse requires ANY analgesic, that horse should NOT be racing; if a horse requires Salix (or Lasix or whatever it's called this week) that horse should NOT be racing. And it's about time the "defenders of the breed" step up to the plate and put their money where their mouths are. If a steward of the Jockey CLub or a member of TOBA or any member of any racing commission in the States says there should be no race day meds, that person should make a thunderous noise and defend the horses with whatever rules, regulations, requirements or standards each individual board, committee, assembly or club hands down from on high. That's it. It has been coming for years and the gorilla in the room is getting stronger and more vocal every day; the gorilla will make these very rules you are proposing and racing might not like some of the OTHER rules the gorilla makes. Don't we all think racing should actually defend it's horses before someone comes along and shuts horsemen out of the equation?

I realize racing is not the fastest moving or most forward thinking of sports, but the time is now, the finish line is far too near, and the clock is running far too fast. The ship is going to founder on the iceberg of drugs and someone had better find a way to plug these leaks. I hate the thought that my grandchildren might never get to see a Derby winner or a BC winner or even the winner of a hard fought maiden special weight. I hate the thought that my grandchildren will only know racehorses and their magic by owning shares of the retirees at Old Friends........which they both do, by the way!

Talk about a ray of sunshine.......never let it be said I couldn't be a bummer on a cool Thursday night! So, 'nuf said. I hope someone is listening.

Cheers and safe trips.

re: Protecting the Breed

Karen in Indiana — Thu, 29 Mar 2012 22:28:51 GMT

Maybe I missed something, but I don't understand what you mean by saying 'require racehorse owners make their 2-year-olds eligible for graded status'. Do you mean require each 2 year old to be tested before they can run in a graded stakes? Or do you mean the 2 year olds could run, but if they're not tested, even if they win they don't get the grade on their records?

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