Hey, you know what? Maybe I won\'t have to add 5 points to the data base after all.
I predict some interesting retirments. And some changes in the trainer standings.
lol..
Hey my brothers wife\'s cat is a diabetic. She sneaks up to him when hes eating and grabs the loose skin by his shoulders and jabs him quick. Has to do it every nite but she loves the cat and has kept him goin for some time.
Its apparently just begun, but one of those liable to be validated in this bruhaha is TGraph which has been stating for a number of years, despite tracks getting slower, that horses were suddenly faster. Only the closest observers of racing will see the change, assuming the indictments follow and certain individuals are removed or suspended from the game.
\"It\'s a sad day for racing,\" said trainer Mark Hennig, at Gulfstream Park on Friday. \"But for us, there\'s been enough talk about all this behind the scenes, and at some point, the field has got be leveled.\"
\"I just hope they get to the bottom of it,\" said trainer Shug McGaughey, also at Gulfstream Park. \"And the only way they are going to do that is to have this kind of adverse publicity.\"
The above are two guys that stand to move up big time in my estimation. They sound like they\'ve borne some of brunt of the abuse
When the industry folks are willing to talk about it and willing to print it. The winds of change are at least stirring. Lookout Bobby Rotten, they\'re coming to GETCHA and those cells are smaller than stalls:
http://www.drf.com/news/article/62048.html
Hey Silver, Lukas might not be DONE after all!!!
ctc
Post Edited (01-14-05 21:16)
Chuckles,
Lukas is the comeback Kid and he always will be. He will be around as long as he wants to be around.
>With scant evidence to back them up, bettors have been grumbling about form reversals, especially in cases of the so-called \"supertrainers.\" These trainers have emerged recently to post winning and in-the-money percentages that far exceed any historical precedents. Some of these trainers have been able to hit the high percentages with low-level claiming horses. Many of these horses, in their first or second starts off a claim, suddenly run faster and for longer than at any other time in their careers.
Where have we heard this before. SuperTrainers, ridiculous Speed Figures, Top after Top after Top. Actually Sheets have as usual been out in front of this. The numbers make things a little more visible than in most other cases. The Mineshaft year Beyer probably gave out more figures over 115 than ever. Even his system began to get a little whacky.
One Rocket has nothing on Terriyaki Stake on old Oscar Barrera claimer. She won SIX races in 30 days moving up in class everytime. Nothing was done to stop it so why would we expect anything now.
Here is a better idea, instead of spending the money attempting to stop the use of \"Milkshakes\" why not spend it for those who are not using them.
They may find this way is much cheaper, if you know what I mean.
Just got a chance to briefly read some of the stories on the DRF site. This is really a First Class Effort by a First Class Bunch.
Keep the heat on, start naming names, across the Board. If someone is a \'cheater\' the paying/betting public has a right to know.
The comments by Mullins are almost perjury. At Del Mar last summer the guy was delivering a $30 \"bomb\" almost everyday. Now he says he has \"inferior stock\" that\'s why he isn\'t winning. When you are the meets leading trainer your $30 winners don\'t exactly look good on paper now do they.
Silver Charm wrote:
> Just got a chance to briefly read some of the stories on the
> DRF site. This is really a First Class Effort by a First Class
> Bunch.
>
> Keep the heat on, start naming names, across the Board. If
> someone is a \'cheater\' the paying/betting public has a right to
> know.
>
> The comments by Mullins are almost perjury. At Del Mar last
> summer the guy was delivering a $30 \"bomb\" almost everyday. Now
> he says he has \"inferior stock\" that\'s why he isn\'t winning.
> When you are the meets leading trainer your $30 winners don\'t
> exactly look good on paper now do they.
>
lol SC,
Compare Mullins \"perjury\" statement to those of Hennig and Shug. Sometimes reading between the lines isn\'t even necessary. Its time. Lets bring it all on. I\'d like to hear TJGBs thoughts on precisely who to contact. I have my ideas but they may vary. Theres prolly 50 hard core horse fans that post here. Maybe a couple hundred more that tune in for ROTW and info. Its small number but theres no such thing as a small vocal uninfluential number. We should all work to do this right. Nows the time.
Post Edited (01-15-05 00:12)
How about \"socialized\" veterinary
medicine?
All backstretch vets to be employed
by (not only licensed by), and accountable to, the state in which they practice?
Before Allday, there was Harthill,
absolute proof that all vets are not
created equal.
As for NYRA, thats all folks. Let the
search for a replacement, private or
quasi public, begin.
That was one funny headline you posted.
I am interested to see if they catch any graded stakes caliber trainers. There\'s no doubt in my mind that a lot of claiming trainers have been cheating for as long as I\'ve been around the sport. Perhaps it\'s more widespread now, but it\'s been happening for a long time. Now we need to find out if the whole basis of the breeding industry is highly flawed and if the sporting aspect of the game is equally soiled.
The reaction so far has been pretty predictable, with the powers-that-be doing a lot of hand wringing, and swearing to assist in rooting out all evil. The question is whether they can get past their real concern-- perception-- and to what should be their concern, which is to stop this crap. If they really were concerned about stopping this garbage, it could have been done long ago-- we are not talking about stuff that was flying under the radar here, since, for example, there was a \"Supertrainer\" panel at the DRF Expo almost a year ago, an Expo attended by Tim Smith and others in the \"Industry\".
The DRF response has been interesting. Jay Privman is both a friend and a horseplayer, and he has voiced his outrage to me privately about us all having to factor in \"move-ups\" when handicapping. His milkshake articles in the Sunday DRF are very good, and I expect that he will continue to be both on-point and all over the story as it unfolds. Matt Hegarty is a different story-- his lead paragraph, where he ties performance-enhancing drugs and rebate shops together as issues facing the industry, is classic Hegarty innuendo. He has an animus towards rebate shops (with the apparent exception of the one that was set up by a guy who I hear is a friend and source for him), which resulted in Matt and me butting heads last winter, the Form publishing my letter to the editor talking about it, and Hegarty sliming me by association in an article the following week. Among other things, he referred to our rebate venture as a \"syndicate\"-- I had to get into a shouting match with the DRF Editor, and made him pull out a dictionary to look it up, before they made him change it.
For the record-- the rebate outfit we are associated with is NOT one of the ones named in those indictments. Further, Hegarty and those he quotes in Sunday\'s DRF miss the points, which are
1-- people who are doing bad things can bet anywhere, and are MORE anonymous at the track than when they have to give info to open an account with an account wagering outfit. Account wagering sites also keep records, which is how they caught these guys.
2-- the major threat from these places concerns past posting, a problem that can be solved by shutting the pools before they load the horses, as I have said here before, and by transferring the wagering info to a seperate site that can\'t be gotten to. You don\'t need to do anything with rebate sites themselves to accomplish this.
3-- a huge amount of money is being bet by those who would not do so without rebates. So far the industry hasn\'t figured out that the answer is to cut out the middle man by giving rebates themselves, although there was a rumor going around a few months ago that Churchill made a very big offer for a half interest in RGS. And, of course, Magna made that ill-fated attempt to get into the rebare business in the same venture we are involved in, which is what got Hegarty throwing darts at me to begin with.
These are some excerpts taken from an article in todays Louisville Courier Journal. Strangely the column wasn\'t written by the Horse Racing Writer but someone from the Business Section where the column was printed. Generally these types have NO CLUE regarding the issues and consequently will write whatever the editor tells them to write. Some of the comments indicate the general bias from what was once a quality publication that now is a Third Rate Rag.
>\"That\'s going to have a deleterious effect on the public\'s perception of New York racing, and as strong as it is, it could have an effect on its future if it\'s not responded to and dealt with quickly,\" said drug council member and state Sen. Damon Thayer, R-Georgetown. \"I want to make sure that these kinds of headlines never appear in Kentucky papers about Kentucky racing.\"
With this newspaper covering the issue Sen Thayer, you can be assured this will never happen.
>The state Horsemen\'s Benevolent and Protective Association, which represents about 6,000 owners and trainers, does not support changing the policy.
Susan Bunning, president of the state horsemen\'s association, told the council that Kentucky has the highest number of starters per race of any racing state and a lower rate of breakdowns. She also said simulcast signals from state tracks are in demand across the country.
I have said many times on this Board that CONTENT rules over any real decision making debate. Another words MONEY TALKS. Can we see the list of these 6,000 Owners and Trainers. I would be surprised there are that many horses currently running in Kentucky. I would also be curious to see WHO doesn\'t support cleaning up the sport.
>\"Kentucky racing works and works very well,\" said Bunning, also a member of the drug council. \"Any proposed changes in the current therapeutic medication statutes and regulations for Kentucky ... should therefore be supported by a preponderance of peer-reviewed published scientific research demonstrating that the policy in place is not in the best interest of the health and well-being of the equine athlete.\"
>Bunning said trainers in her organization have said they prefer that the policy stay the same.
>Churchill-based trainer Dale Romans said he supports the existing rule, which he called \"a good, common-sense policy that takes care of the horse.\"
>Romans said he trains for owners from across the country who send their horses to Kentucky because of the state\'s rules. \"They see that our policies make a lot of sense.\"
Makes sense to WHO certainly not THE PLAYERS.
I gotta tell you Silver, I began reading your post and thought the gist of it was \"Kentucky will not allow what happened in New York to happen HERE\". Then somehow what was printed didn\'t support those glorious opening words. Of course Dale Romans doesn\'t want to change race day drugs. Theres a probability of some degree that they are a masking agent.
The reality is its happening there. With their substance rules it may have been born there. No, Kentucky doesn\'t get to slip out of the noose just because the arrests haven\'t occured there yet. Write one letter send it to the governor, the state pari mutual commission head and track management at your favorite establishments.
CtC
Post Edited (01-15-05 19:14)
You read stuff like this and it quickly convinces you that the only way the racing industry will ever get cleaned up is if someone from the outside forces them to do so.
Chris
He is hung up on the rebate shops and seems oblivious to the real problem which is drugs. Trying to link the two because of the coincidental connection in the current scandal seems strange and the follow-up story today is on rebate shops and not drugs.
Wake up Matt and get focused on the real problem. Instead of digging up the important dirt and helping to build momentum to tackle THE most important problem in the industry you are instead diverting attention toward a side issue that is completely unrelated.
Shame on the NTRA as well.
Bring on the Feds (as much as I hate to say that and as painful as it may be) along with the non-racing media. I guess that is the only way things will ever improve.
Chris
please explain how dutrow can claim a horse, run him 4 days later and have a 7 year old run 3 points better.? good trainer
Hegerty is having trouble concentrating. Rebate shop this, rebate shop that. I agree they need to be looked into but the shop legitimacy and fair operation practice are easy enough to straighten out. The primary issue Matt, is that the doping of the animals has to be curtailed by the industry because its much more clandestine and sinister. Focus on that baseball and prove you can hit.
I\'d recommend letters to the DRF asking Hegerty take some additional batting practice.
Regarding the San Rafael, there looked to be a fairly significant speed bias at Santa Anita Saturday and Iced out was the only horse of note to visually buck it. He\'s run a couple of nice races from off the pace now. The other race to question such a bias was the San Fernado, but I think the results there are easily explainable with a speed bias premise. I\'m factoring the deluges they had there as well. Iced Out doesnt have the strongest family (low dosage though...lol) but at least you got 10-1 on him stepping up out of maiden and 10-1 again going two turns and unlike some of the maidens the east coast crowd have pounded, this one left the impression that might not be all.
CtC
Post Edited (01-16-05 10:06)
Having a Ky politician publically say one thing and then go behind the scenes to do everything possible to work against the position he just spoke of is the standard. Also his message was directly to the Ky newspapers saying we don\'t ever want any of our dirty laundry print, you hear now.
The fact that a racehorse in Ky needs a half dozen performance enhancing medications in his system on race-day is considered as Ms. Bunning stated ok by: \"current therapeutic medication statutes and regulations for Kentucky\". If the medications are therapeutic then how about giving them to the horse AFTER THE RACE race not right before. If a horse is running sore he could actually be doing more damage to himself than his \"doped up\" body knows.
I can tell you I have heard numerous stories of horses becoming so \"sore\" as they leave the \"spit box\" they could hardly get back to their stalls. One just after he WON The Kentucky Derby.
The fact that field size and simulcast signals are part of the decision-making process corrupts everything. Demanding \"a preponderance of peer-reviewed published scientific research demonstrating that the policy in place is not in the best interest of the health and well-being of the equine athlete\" is clearly a stall tactic. This would take years and have a lot of gray areas. Again if the \"equine athlete\" needs race day drugs to race, why is he racing in the first place? Perhaps we can call the 6,000 Owners and Trainers in Ky they say they have on board to find out. Publish the list please.
In summation why a State-wide newspaper is part of the movement to not change the current policy is totally beyond me. Then again this is the same newspaper when Louisville basketball coach Rick Pitino complained of stomach gas last year, ran it as Front Page story, listed churches where the citizens could go light candles and pray and when he returned to work three days later called him courageous.
Big-Time.
bravisimo silver, you said it all
Damon Thayer is a 35 year old \"good old boy\" and a control freak from a racing family in Kentucky. I have had to deal with him personally in regard to my band performing at the Breeders Cup, an event we performed at (with high regard from horsemen and fans alike) from 1998-2001 until he took over the reigns. In his typically dictatorial style, he chose to hire a ( now retired )drunk because the drunk was \"a legend\" and to soothe his own ego with regard to controlling people. His efforts have gone to the extreme of sueing anyone who uses the term \"Breeders\' Cup\" on their websites. Imagine that - free publicity for racing and he wants to sue those who want to help the game!
The fact that the Derby was won by a New York bred and a PA bred the last 2 years was equivilant to the Tsunami disater in the egotistical minds of Thayer and his cronies. Look folks, if it were not for the Derby and its mass marketing of an overhyped 2 minute race, Louisville would be just another hic-town in the middle of nowhere and guys like Thayer would be lucky to be flipping burgers for a living, that is unless they could get into the slave trading business. O wait, they already are in that business. You know, some things about racing haven\'t changed since 1875 and as long as guys like him are running the show, they never will.
The fact that Ky Politics is run by Daddys\' Boy, Boss Hogg politicians like Damon Thayer should be no surprise to anyone.
The fact that critical Racing Decisions that will impact the future of the industry not just in Ky but nationwide are controlled by the Boss Hogg\'s of the world and \"Who has bought off Who\" should be no surprise to anyone.
The fact that this years KY Derby winner, Oaks winner, Blue Grass Stakes winner and nearly all other Stakes races in Ky will be won by horses running with close to a half dozen performance enhancing substances in their systems that are banned in most major racing jurisdictions should be no surprise to anyone.
The fact that the biggest newspaper in the state of Ky creates a city-wide emergency when the Mens basketball coach has gas in his stomach but considers \"milkshakes\" in the stomach of race horses at the local race track a non-story should be a surprise to no one.
What is a surprise is how in the world the most recent incident where One Rocket was drugged, ran far superior to his previous form, has turned into a Rebate Shop Story. There are plenty of small-time inside jobs going on everyday where drugs are involved. Where have the Woodward and Bernstein types and fist pounding Editors in the Racing Media disappeared too?
Silver, if you\'re sensing them circling the wagons, so am I. But, I think the conspirators are going to be arraigned today. More news should break. They\'ve implied theres more arrests to come. We can\'t let the horseracing industry launch into the ___ propaganda/spin/distortion cycle. We know what this is about. Its about who attacked our game and harmed us. Let\'s not let them take our eye off the ball because they have a different agenda. Lets not let them deceive us because they have and want to keep cozy arrangements. We have to get involved this time.
CtC
Post Edited (01-18-05 00:41)
Ctc,
Enough already with your stupid political comments, huh. Noboby on a horse racing board needs to hear \"Bush propagand/spin/distortion\" crap. Why don\'t you see if you can get a job consulting on Michael Moorer\'s next movie?
Plenty of horse topics to talk about, especially now with this scandal.
It was called an analogy Jimbo. You dont like it, but its true. We cannot allow the powers that be to manipulate and use us. TGJB indicated to not get into non horseracing things and I won\'t, but as an illustration of how important the current issue is I used the mass manipulations of that political issue for the imagery of what we face. So I\'m declining your advice, whether politically motivated or not. I\'m gonna do the right thing here. Assume all my posts have illustrations and Socratic implications. If you don\'t like that then don\'t read any CtC posts. Anyway, I edited that post to make it less political.
CtC
Post Edited (01-18-05 00:42)
I hear there\'s an opening at CBS. Maybe CtC should apply. I hear it\'s ok to have a political agenda on their medium.
Post edited due to the fact it appears the aggregate post counter is not working. I know i\'ve made more than zero posts.
I am sorry to see any of the old men from CBS retire. My guess is like Reasoner, Rather knows a thing or two about the horses. Its a funny thing about intellect. It helps in figuring anything out. Its too bad all can\'t share in it.
Post Edited (01-17-05 16:46)
Isn\'t it interesting how appropriately named those two are:
REASONer
RATHER
Ok, back to horse related topics. I just couldn\'t resist. Please forgive me.
The issue is drugs first, rebates second. Thank you Ray Paulick. Your odds in the Eclipse Award Poll are surely improving.
http://opinions.bloodhorse.com/viewstory.asp?id=26281
Thanks Silver,
This guy is good.
Some Kudos should also go out to trainer John Ward who is apparently the lone voice of reason in the recent Kentucky drug debates.
I just don\'t understand why there are not more John Wards out there. They are the ones really getting killed by all this and stand to benefit the most from positive change.
Chris
Good luck to you and Mall in the contest.
Thanks.
Chris
Same goes from me too Derby and Mall.
And Jason I heard you made it also. When I first met you, you weren\'t even old enough to be legally betting. I wondered whether I was sending you down the wrong road at such a young age.
You could read Sheets and bet big money back then like a cold blooded killer.
Bring your A game young fella you\'re in the Big-Time now.
Maybe I\'ll be seeing you and some the other boys on that new ESPN mini-series.
Sheet.
Yes, best of luck to the Tgraph sheet and board posters. May all your selected horses be ready to fire and your winnings just below the IRS threshold. On the format that may not be much of a problem.
Thanks to all for the good wishes. Tried to catch Bill at the racebook about an hr ago, but just missed him. Interesting that the Last Chance contest here today had a mere 62 entries, which leads me to believe that OPM\'s & my suspicions were correct, namely that it was designed as an easy way in for the Bally regulars. Not that there\'s anything wrong with that, especially since their entry fees resulted in a $16k bump in the contest purses.
Yes boys, let\'s bring it home.