Industry News | Posted 12/4/2009, 5:20 pm
Grades rescinded for Pennsylvania stakes
By Matt Hegarty
The American Graded Stakes Committee has rescinded the grades for three stakes races held in Pennsylvania in 2009 - the Grade 2 Pennsylvania Derby, the Grade 2 Cotillion Stakes, and the Grade 3 Presque Isle Downs Masters - because horses that participated in the stakes were not tested for alkalizing agents, racing officials said late on Friday.
The three races are the only graded stakes races held in Pennsylvania. In making the decision to rescind the grades, the committee said in a memo sent out on Friday that \"the testing performed on samples taken from horses participating in these races did not meet the requirements of the committee\'s drug-testing protocol.\"
LOL. Redboard Thursday\'s Penn National card. Check out Steph Beattie\'s PP7 Druid\'s Mound in the 5th and handicap the 7th and see if you come up with her new claim #2 Principal Passage who struck at 26-1 despite having a top 6-9 points slower than 5 other horses in the field.
The Beatties have been cheating for years here and I see ol Tampa Bay \"super\" trainer Jamie Ness is here chasing the slot machine purses as well.
Jerry has always said that the racing in the Delaware Valley area is a joke. If you play Philly Park, Delaware, and or Laurel you might as well bet on wrestling.
Good Luck,
Joe B.
Sight,you want to tell me I shouldn\'t be talking about this now?
The good news is that the industry is finally moving on this crap. Sort of.
Related-- they announced the other day they now had a test for the latest generation of EPO. They ANNOUNCED IT. Now the guys using it have time to stop-- so they have guaranteed they won\'t catch anyone. Effectively, they are giving drug users a free shot-- we\'re never going to try to catch you, just stop you from using that thing, make you find something else.
The graded stake committee did all they could. But what they did won\'t catch the cheaters.
Joe B.
This is such a great line,
I don\'t know why but I find the wrestling bit absolutely hysterical, thanks for the laugh.
Good luck,
Jim
Clearly, the powers that be decided long ago that it\'s better for the game if most cheaters are not given the perp walk for all to see.
I\'m not sure they are wrong.