Slowly things are happening

[miff]

Bloodhorse:

\"The California Horse Racing Board advised owners and trainers on Thursday that Thoroughbreds in the state would be subject to random drug tests designed to detect the illegal blood-doping agents erythropoietin and darbepoietin, effective immediately.

The program, which is known as out-of-competition testing, will allow CHRB officials to take blood samples from Thoroughbred horses who are stabled at licensed racetracks and training facilities around the state, whether the horses are entered to race or not. Board officials, however, will not be able to collect samples from horses on private property.

Mike Marten, a spokesman for the board, said that the finding of a positive during out-of-competition testing would result in the board seeking penalties against the trainer.

Out-of-competition testing is favored by many drug-enforcement agencies in horse racing in order to detect blood-doping agents, which are typically used well in advance of a race in order to stimulate a horse\'s ability to produce oxygen-carrying red blood cells and build endurance. The use of erythropoietin, which is commonly known as EPO, and its synthetic cousin, darbepoietin, has been the subject of backstretch talk for several years, and prosecutors in New Jersey recently obtained guilty pleas from several leading harness trainers for possession of the drug.

Ed Halpern, the executive director of the California Thoroughbred Trainers, said Thursday that the advisory had \"caught him a bit off guard,\" but that the vast majority of trainers would not object to the program as long as the sampling was random.

\"Most trainers want a level playing field, so they don\'t have a problem with this,\" Halpern said. \"The only complaints I do receive are by guys who say they fear they are going to be targeted. As long as it\'s completely random, I don\'t think anyone will object.\"

Dr. Rick Arthur, the CHRB\'s equine medical director, said that a new technique developed last year by chemists at the University of Pennsylvania will be used to confirm positives. Before the new technique, regulators had been reluctant to seek penalties for blood-doping positive because the results were not considered strong enough to stand up in court\"


Now we will see how the usual So Cal suspects fare over the coming months.I\'ve sent this to NYRA(Bill Nader) for his comments.

Mike

[ditz]

I believe some trainers do want a level playing field,as do the loyal racing fans,and this would be a great start in accomplishing that,although NY has a long list  of areas that need change before we ever see a level playing field.Nader needs to go back to the old rule of maximum stall allotments.At one time there was a minimum,but now it seems that the Dutrows,Contessas,Paranecks are just monopolizing the racetrack.Taking over full barns at Aqueduct and Belmont.Lakow never would have allowed that,he was totally against that happening.Its because of this ,trainers are going out of business,and there will never be new blood in this industry.New owners,smaller trainers trying to make a living don\'t have a chance to compete right now at any level.And some do have talent that will never get to shine because of these dark clouds.

[TGJB]

Miff-- there is other stuff going on behind the scenes as well, and it will play out over the next several months.

[richiebee]

D:  

   I am on record on this board as saying that having a small number of high
volume (in terms of stall allocation) trainers is bad for the game. These
trainers begin to dictate what shape racing at a particular meet takes; the
stewards and racing associations are afraid to come down hard on them; the
racing office lets races with small fields be carded to accomodate them; the
stall man and the racing office look the other way as these trainers fill these
stalls with horses (be they maidens or rehabbing horses) who are not within 2
months of a race.

   I seem to recall that when I came around the game the top guys who trained
for the best outfits (MacK Miller, Laz Barrera, Woody Stephens, TL Rondinello,
TJ Kelly, Leroy Jolley, etc) had no more than 50 stalls. All of the above had a
working relationship with farm managers who could bring rehabbing horses or
maidens to a point where they were 30 days away from a race. (to be fair, stalls
were at more of a premium then with there really not being too much Saratoga
training during the Spring and Fall).

  Three messages for those who stand to inherit this NY racing mess (one of
whom apparently had a rough night in Tampa last night).

   1) You have no chance of rebuilding a viable fan base at either of the
two current downstate facilities.

   2) Enough already with too much cheap NYB racing. A few winters ago, a friend
asked me why I had no interest in Florida winter racing. My only half facetious
reply was that I had no interest because they didn\'t run NYB races. There are
too many NYB races run in NY at the present, especially at the spring Belmont
meet and at the Spa. The proliferation of low quality NYBs has driven away
serious racing fans and excluded non NYBs who might have raced in NY. The only
folks who seemed to have benefitted from the current level of NYB racing are
breeders and trainers, to the overall detriment of NY racing in general.

      Lets cut the number of NYB races to 10 a week; as a compromise, give NYBs
weight concessions and/or purse enhancements when racing vs open company.

   3) Most radically, take advantage of a potential strategic surface
advantage. Despite the \"Rush to Resurface\", the overall impact of synthetic
surfaces on racing and breeding will not be known for a couple of decades. If
New York can develop SAFE non synthetic surfaces, and corner the market on
quality racing held on traditional surfaces, they might once again rise to
their position as having the best racing in the country, at least for 8 or 9
months a year.

[ditz]

I elect you to run the franchise......

[miff]

Bee,

If they reduced the number of New York Dreg races they could not go 5 days a week in the winter.The proliferation of NY dregs is being heavily advertised by the breeders with an assist from NYRA and a few trainers who are cashing in.

The breed has improved somewhat but still way too many cheap garbage pails being produced.They want us bet on NY Dreg 15k claiming maiden filly snails all too often this winter. I saw such a race recently with the fastest TG fig of 21. It\'s time to close NY for at least 8 weeks from 12-20 to 2-20.

Mike

[richiebee]

Miff:

    I think that is too drastic. Shut down from from 12/15- 12/31.

    Race 4 days a week from 1/1- middle of March. As strange as it would
    seem, I would try to put on a strong card each Tuesday when there is no
    real winter competition for the simo action. Go to 8 races a day if need
    be.

    New York is a mirocosm of national racing-- the breeders, the pinhookers,
    the assembly line  trainers-- are the only ones doing any good.

[miff]

Re the random epo drug testing:


Hello Mike,
 
We are very interested in these developments and Charlie Hayward, our President and CEO, is attending a conference next week where issues like this are the primary focus. We may or may not need the State Racing and Wagering Board to join our efforts if we take the lead on this, but this is something that I believe would be money well spent and earmarked solely for the best interest of racing. Good conduct is good business.
 
Best regards,
 
Bill Nader
Senior VP, Chief Operating Officer
The New York Racing Association Inc.

[NoCarolinaTony]

Mike,

Excellent Post!!!

NC Tony