General Question Regarding Indictments

[Socalman3]

I am not trying to be controversial or agitating in this comment.  Am just trying to think broadly.

It seems to me that there is another guilty party in all this that is getting off the hook.  

Shouldn\'t the racetracks or state racing commissions have caught this stuff before the feds needed to step in?  Don\'t these indictments mean that some \"official\" or \"office\" was not doing its job?  

I wouldn\'t want these indictments to make such officials or offices somehow be off the hook for anything they should have done.  The situation (which I do not know much about) with Justify\'s positive test comes to mind.

Basically, don\'t these indictments highlight something that is really broken that needs to be fixed?  Are we just supposed to delegate policing our sport to the Feds?  Doesn\'t make sense, does it? When the Astros or the Patriots cheat, the league steps in -- we don\'t need the Feds.

Am I off in right field here?

[TGJB]

Correct.

[Socalman3]

I am off in right field?

[TGJB]

No. This is absolutely at the feet of the people who run the game, and have never been willing to spend the money or take the steps necessary to stop cheating. Like freezing and retesting samples, to choose one example.

[hellersorr]

I\'m no apologist for the race tracks but two quick points:

1)  I doubt the race tracks have the power to wiretap and many other powers of the FBI.

2)  Businesses have to worry about the financial implications of lawsuits being filed against them by the accused; the government doesn\'t.

(Again, I am no apologist for the race tracks.)

[FrankD.]

SoCal,

That’s exactly what we are going to get.... A Federal agency to regulate the industry.

The political grandstanding will start soon, PETA has a platform and a voice for all their BS. Say goodbye to Lasix, no race day meds, longer withdrawal times, more vet scrutiny, excessive whipping penalties and cancellations every time it rains.

All this has been self inflicted over the past 50 years starting with Off Track Betting by an entire industry that has constantly made the wrong move at every turn. I would challenge anyone to come up with 6 good initiatives brought about from within since the 70’s.

Cutting back on the meds will cause a @$%& show, 90% of the trainers nationwide don’t have a clue anymore how to train horses without meds. Take out Lasix from a breed that has been drug dependent for 30 years and you will have handicapping chaos for sure. Many of the fears TGJB mentions in his Lasix article will come to fruition. Handle will plummet in the short term anyway.

The other wild card with getting the politicians involved will be the battle cry of why are we subsidizing a crooked industry? Slot welfare at many locations will be on the plate to be redirected to cover costs of bankrupt states.

How will Monmouth fill their entry box this summer without the dynamic pair of juicers? Most of the bottom level cripples here and at many other venues would never be allowed to step on a race track without pain blockers by any competent vet.....

While the Feds action is certainly to be applauded. I’m afraid it’s a bit too late to SAVE a DEAD industry that cannot sustain itself without casino revenue in 90% of its venues.

The game that we knew will never be the same and at best it will need to take 3-4 steps backwards to move forward again in any positive direction.

50 years of Nero fiddling away as Rome burnt to the ground has come back to bite the industry in the ASS......

[Longchamps1970]

Excellent point. Racetracks do have the power of exclusion as the owner of real estate, which has been used frequently by Jeff Gural at the Meadowlands. They can exercise this exclusive of the various racing commissions. It was done with  Hollendorfer. Horse owners could also be more demanding, but all they want is a high percentage trainer, regardless of how they get there.

[Boscar Obarra]

Track management has been in DAMAGE CONTROL mode for the last 50 years.

 Now that this has hit the fan, maybe they will have to actually do the job they are paid to do.

Which is not figure out what kind of umbrella to give out on a Sat, or what lousy singer to hire .

[Strike]

Why is there not a National Commissioner to run horse racing like in every other sport. I am an owner in a MLS soccer team. Don Garber is our Commissioner and he runs just about everything at a macro level. Of course, the virus is a big and important topic at the moment. He is guiding the league. The same with the Astros and Red Sox. The Commissioner took an action albeit weak in my opinion. Those involved are fortunate the FBI wasn\'t involved in that one... .

Local racing commissions and state-run political groups and race track owners are seldom aligned in what is best for the industry as a whole. It has always been \"the Wild Wild West.\" In this case it took the FBI and the FDA to step in and make them criminal charges instead of the historically weak bans and fines and appeals.

[TGJB]

Socal-- it started already, WHOA was out with a statement last night conflating banning Lasix with illegal PED\'s. I emailed back saying essentially, over my dead body.

We have the power to have some say in this, guys. I\'m getting my ducks in a row. Watch this space.

[JR]

Revoke their licenses. Kick them where it hurts. That’ll get their attention.

[JR]

I believe the tracks have at their disposal the right to bar anyone from their racetrack that, in their opinion, poses a threat to the integrity of the sport and their business.