Milkshake testing in Kentucky suspended due to lack of vets.
Can anyone imagine this kind of thing happening in a major league sport?
http://news.bloodhorse.com/viewstory.asp?id=32478
Why does this surprise anyone? They killed the drug bill in a slow legislative death; last year Churchill had no drug testing the first 6 weeks of the meet because all the vets were too busy with the bacteria outbreak...and they did not even announce this until 2 months after the spring meet opened and testing was supposedly resumed; and there was an \"entry\" strike at Turfway only averted when they watered down (no pun intended) the new testing procedures and more importantly the trainer consequences.
Being shocked at anything related to drug testing in Kentucky is equivalent to being SHOCKED (as MSN put it) that Barry Bonds might have used steroids...where did they think he got that neck???
And [in a very quiet voice]... to add insult to injury, White Mercedes won 5 races last Saturday in Gulfstream\'s juicy Fountain of Youth card. You can\'t beat the devil:
- EXCLUSIVE QUALITY, Pletcher... 6-1
- SUNRIVER, Pletcher... 2-1
- LUXENBOURG, Dutrow... 2-1
- SHARP HUMOR, Romans... 14-1
- HARLINGTON, Pletcher... 3-1
Sigh.
John Chance
Jeff Mullins was right.
They didn\'t get mad at him for saying it but because he exposed the attitude that most of them have towards the bettors because 99% of them agree with it.
how can we find out who he vets for do you have a list? thanks
And Frankel in California only won 1 race...even with 14 entries! You knew by the 4th race at Gulfstream where White Mercedes was on Saturday!
after reading what BALCO and the boys did with Bonds, it REALLY makes you wonder what these guys can do with a horse.
Blind Switch Wrote:
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> after reading what BALCO and the boys did with
> Bonds, it REALLY makes you wonder what these guys
> can do with a horse.
Appear concerned, propose some checks, let time go by, it will blow over and we can get back to the dope busniess as usual.
Hey it works in D.C. why not follow the same strategy in Kentucky?
Americans are not observant, believe that words speak as loud as deeds and have a very short memory.
OK Kentucky, here is my promise to you. Until you fix your shit, I will not wager upon any Kentucky racing with one exception. You will not deprive me of the Derby, but thats all you get.
CtC
Is anybody recomending that bettors pass on Kentucky tracks , it once was an A circut for sheet players .
The only way anyone ever listens is by voting with your wallets. As long as people keep betting on these races they will keep going on with business as usual.
Gambler,
I agree but I still think if some decent percentage of daily players got together(handle whales et al), we could make a huge difference.I would definitely join an organized boycott and believe that some tracks would listen and be forced to act.In New York, for example, there are many horsemen, track execs who would love to see\"super testing\"implemented.It\'s all about the cost though, it\'s big money compared to the testing cost today.With slots and managements will, it could be done I\'m told.
Re Kentucky,I would like to see \"shakes\"testing too but I believe the real problem goes way beyond shakes.I seriously doubt that the super trainers are just tubing horses and thats the magic bullet.
Mike
totally agree...I must tell you that since the testing got a little serious last fall, I haven\'t been worth a damn...just shows how much doping gets involved in your handicapping after all the years...anyone else been on a cold streak since October?
CtC -
Some questions:
I assume you\'re referring to the race formerly known as the \"Kentucky Derby\", but now known as the \"Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands\".
Does this mean you\'re passing on the Breeders Cup? Or do you think the situation will be dealt with by November?
What will you play instead? Do you think Gulfstream is better? Or Oaklawn?
Mike,
You\'re absolutely right. A bettor boycott is the only thing these guys would listen to. Chuckles was right on with his comparison to D.C. The \"powers that be\" never do the right thing for it\'s own sake. They need an economic or political motive. It\'s a shame that there is not an organization representing the interests of bettors. It\'s the only way such a boycott would be effective.
Maybe it\'s the competitive nature of horse playing that makes it hard to bring betters together. The power that bettors wield could be tremendous - the sport could not exist as it does without them. Imagine the effect that such an organization could have. Not just with boycotts but with publicity campaigns that could influence public opnion and have political influence.
Horse players are in the same situations as workers were during the industrial revolution before unions. Labor was able to get it together, why not us?
Bob
bobphilo Wrote:
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> You\'re absolutely right. A bettor boycott is the
> only thing these guys would listen to.....Labor was able to get it together,
> why not us?
because there is CASH involved. when many serious players boycotted HIA because of the 25% take, some bettors came in and picked up whatever value was left. for a while, anyway. it is the nature of the beast to gain every and any advantage possible.
i remember being at Sportsman\'s Park one day and a guy next to me spotted a trainer pounding somebody else\'s horse at the windows. the guy goes running up to a security guard to make a report. the security guard proceeded directly to the window and bets on the same horse.
so it goes.
abs. right. boycott them all, or suspend the cheaters for life.
That\'s why I said that it would be hard to organize a bunch of guys like horse players who are in competition with each other. Then again, so are the Kentucky horsemen and they were able to get together (unfortunately). We bettors just have realize who the real enemy is. I\'m not optimistic about it happening anytime soon, though. Enough of us would have to sacrifice short term advantage for long term interest.
Bob
BitPlayer Wrote:
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> CtC -
>
> Some questions:
>
> I assume you\'re referring to the race formerly
> known as the \"Kentucky Derby\", but now known as
> the \"Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands\".
Yum Brands?...lol Really? I didn\'t know.
>
> Does this mean you\'re passing on the Breeders Cup?
> Or do you think the situation will be dealt with
> by November?
The Breeders Cup will have to be a pass if they don\'t have serious illegal medicaton testing in place.
>
> What will you play instead? Do you think
> Gulfstream is better? Or Oaklawn?
I\'m pretty high on NYRA, though I know thats considered passe. Gulfstream is a tough road right now. I\'ve only had limited success with standout horses since the resurfacing. Oaklawn is a very fair surface and a track I have always loved.
>
>
>
>
I agree w/ your position on NYRA , they\'ve got their share of problems , but at least NYRA isn\'t handing out cock and bull stories about the drug testing issue .
You can count me in, at least it\'s a start. We\'ll never know unless we try. It\'s not a major sacrifice as long as there are still some decent races somewhere, considering I only do serious playing online these days anyway.
It would be a good first step to make a list and agree on what tracks we boycott. I imagine this could be difficult, but I sense that some of the posters here have the credibility to do it.