Lasix articles

[colt]

The focus is on lasix when EPO is in full swing.

[hellersorr]

Speaking of which:  https://www.paulickreport.com/news/ray-s-paddock/epo-what-we-know-and-what-we-dont-about-the-blood-doping-threat/

And be sure to click \"One set of instructions\" in paragraph three.

[TGJB]

Yeah. Good thing the industry is cracking down on Lasix...

Tangentially, see if you can find how that rat poison that showed up kills rats. Interesting.

[rezlegal]

The past few weeks have been a depressing time to read the Board. Not because I disagree with much of what has been posted- to the contrary, it is because I do agree. Yet, with rare exception, nobody has come out and proclaimed they will cease betting, notwithstanding the overwhelming conclusion reached on this Board and elsewhere that the game is rigged and has been for some time. If we are being honest,the posters on this Board and handicappers generally are fools to keep pumping dollars into a rigged system. While human beings are guilty of rationalizing  their behavior, particularly when it comes to gambling i.e. it’s fun, I do ok, etc etc, the game is hard enough without taking on crooks and cheats. The only solutionâ€" the only solution-is a mass boycott of the betting windows-  over a long important racing weekend. (I would nominate Frank D to take the lead but choose to remain on his good side). This suggestion- which will likely fall on many deaf ears- gives me no pleasure since TGJB is a friend and a boycott just ain’t good for his business. As someone else posted, continuing to  bet in to the game as it is currently constituted is the definition of insanityâ€" doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result. Nothing will change until the folks who are the engine- the bettors- are heard loudly and clearly.

[TGJB]

If and when a boycott becomes the right play-- and it might-- it needs to be targeted (a specific track or track operator), coherent in identifying demands, and effective in reaching that goal. Anything other than that would be counter productive.

[Rich Curtis]

From 2011:

Posted by: Rich Curtis (IP Logged)
Date: April 18, 2011 12:17PM

The boycott was formal. It was real. I know a lot of people who participated in it--real people with real names who used to bet real money on SA. And Miff is exactly right about the Clueless Clown stuff.

By the way, if you want to hear an interesting interview, go to Steve Byk\'s radio show of 12-24-2010 (available in the At The Races archives, third hour) and listen to Byk interview Ric Hammerle just before the SA meet began. Quite an attitude on display in this interview. There\'s talk (from Byk) of the need to \"rally around this\" [return to real dirt, with takeout increase] and the need to \"encourage what has transpired.\" There\'s also some laughter about the boycott.

The entire interview is overflowing with optimism about the meet. Of course the interview took place before the meet began.

[johnnym]

Wasn’t there a boycott regarding takeout at Keeneland and it worked.

Was at the old Calder race course today and was wondering did the Stonach group have any play in that shut down?

[JimP]

I guess I’m the rare exception. I stopped. No one noticed.

[Socalman3]

TGJB Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Yeah. Good thing the industry is cracking down on
> Lasix...
>
> Tangentially, see if you can find how that rat
> poison that showed up kills rats. Interesting.


If it is the rat poison that is also used as human blood thinners -- it is stuff like coumadin or warfarin.  The way it kills rats (and people -- rumor is that Stalin was poisoned with this) is that it makes the blood so thin it seeps out of veins and arteries....literally causing a person (or rat) to bleed to death internally.  If you have ever taken these medicines (I have), you know that doctors are over the top sensitive to dosaging and patients need frequent checks to make sure dose is correct.  These things are lethal on humans and rats if the dose is not carefully administered.  Dont know how it would work on horses....one thing that is interesting is that Vitamin K (found in green leafy vegetables and grass) is a naturally blood thickener.  When doctors prescribe blood thinners, they also tell the patient that they need to maintain a consistent level of vitamin k consumption -- doesnt matter if high or low...just needs to be static...otherwise dosage of thinner can go out of whack.

[Rich Curtis]

Keeneland and Churchill.

[FrankD.]

Richard,

I appreciate the nomination but will respectfully decline.

My wagering and overall interest in the game are about 10% of what they were for over 30 years. The sad truth of the matter is I do not consider myself a “horse player” any longer. I’m a Saturday & big day tourist. My weekday activity is nominal and I truly no longer enjoy the challenge of solving the daily puzzle. I find it difficult to really do the necessary work due to being sick and tired of the first and foremost factor of which juice trainers are in the heat & is this their spot. Which of the 2 or 3 big outfits entries in the heat all with common ownership interests is well meant today? Will the Bots hammer my 10/1 shot down to 3/1 etc.... I could ramble on like a babbling idiot for several pages and it’s all been said 1,000 times before.......................

The old adage of reaping what we sow is spot on here applying to every bad business decision the entire industry has made for the past 40 years. Top to bottom breeders, owners, trainers, executives have unanimously chosen the path of greed, stupidity & short sightedness, a lethal combination. We the punters bitch about it but continue to fuel the engine even though you would be hard pressed to find anyone in the game who will admit to the whole enchilada being contingent on our dollars flowing through the windows.

The Stronach group had an epiphany about race day meds in Cali, Gulfstream is fine though with at least a half dozen trainers who should be banned for life on the grounds. One can site example after example of turning a blind eye to the blatant cheats that fill the entry box. They are about 3 things handle, handle & handle. Juice trainers with big stables make for big fields with 12 & 13 race cards that draw bots, they by-passed the rebate houses and gave direct high rebates to the computer teams and draw out post times by 5 minutes or more to suck in every dollar. Ritvo went out to Cali to shake things up, make bigger fields and increase handle. He twisted trainers arms and threatened to pull stalls for those who did not  enter, discouraged scratching, etc...

Lasix is a very small component to the overall equation. I see and respect Jerry Brown’s point, especially since we have bred bleeders for the past 30 plus years.
Whichever side of the long debate you choose, a masking agent, performance enhancer or necessity to equine athletes safety? We are stuck with it due to breeding infirm stock for far too long. Cold turkey would create chaos and take 3-5 years to sort out who needs it and who doesn’t.

Are the Stronach’s, NYRA, Churchill Downs, etc. willing to bite the bullet and live with less days, less races, shorter fields, a lot less handle for the necessary time frame to go drug free? My friend Rezlegal told me a good litigator never asks a question he doesn’t already know the answer to...... 😎

None of these issues landed on planet Hellmer’s Yesterday.... This perfect storm has been percolating for almost 40 years.  It’s boiling over and now the main stream media and politicians want to jump in and fix it.....

Good Luck,

Frank D.

[trackjohn]

Frank:

Exceedingly well put...you eloquently stated what we have discussed privately for the past 2-3 years (Frank D. and eloquently used in the same sentence... comments?)

The \'game\' has been in significant trouble for years...With the Santa Anita debacle it has now reached it\'s  \'tipping point\'. If the big 3 (Stronach/CD/NYRA) don\'t come to some consensus horseracing in this country WILL either A) come under some sort of Federal control or B) within 5-10 years will, as we know it, cease to exist.

John

[Boscar Obarra]

I must be me, but I still love the game and find value at the windows. Plenty of dumb money out there, still

 That said, it would be infinitely better if the game got its crap together.

 First I\'m hearing that they give direct rebates to the teams. (not really plugged in to that stuff)