Just Say No - On the Derby Trail

[derby1592]

Kafwain DQ\'d from La Derby for drugs.

http://www.drf2000.com/news/article/45224.html

One can only imagine what they are not catching because they don\'t have the test or because the trainers do a better job of knowing when to \"discontinue use\" or because they do have a test but they are afraid to apply any penalties or name any names.

Keep in mind that this was a premier Derby prep and not some $4000 claimer at Beulah.

Chris

[tread]

Chris,
I\'ve always known you to be a pretty bright guy and very fair in your analysis, but the spin you have put on this situation is wrong.  If you read Baffert\'s statement, he says: \"The deal is, clenbuterol is legal in every state, but almost all of them have different levels on withdrawal times,\" Baffert said. \"In this case, we did everything we could to comply with the rules, cutting off a week in advance, as our records show.\"  It\'s quite obvious this horse has been legally using this drug his entire carrer and LA just happens to have differnt regs about it.  You make it sound as though he has used some sort of banned substance to enhance performance.

reprinted from the Blood Horse;
-----------------------------------

The Thoroughbred Corp.\'s Kafwain was disqualified from his second-place finish in the March 9 Louisiana Derby at Fair Grounds because he raced with an excessive amount of the bronchodilator clenbuterol. Trainer Bob Baffert said he did everything to comply with the rules but wouldn\'t appeal because Kafwain would miss at least his next race.
In addition, Baffert called for uniformity in medication rules, and went so far as to say he\'d contribute financially to the cause.

The Louisiana State Racing Commission took the action March 28. The purse money of $150,000 for second place will be redistributed.

Baffert, in a prepared statement, said the ruling was not appealed because under Louisiana rules, Kafwain would not have been ineligible to race pending the outcome. By waiving the right to appeal, Kafwain is eligible to race in the $750,000 Santa Anita Derby April 5.

Post-race urine tests determined Kafwain had 16 nanograms of clenbuterol in his system. The allowable limit in Louisiana is 10 nanograms of clenbuterol. Baffert was fined $1,000 for the violation.

\"Baffert declined his right to test the split portion of this (blood/urine) sample,\" the commission\'s ruling said. \"Following a hearing, the stewards concluded the drug contained in the sample could have produced analgesia in, stimulated, or depressed the horse or could have masked or screened a drug not permitted.\"

The second- through fifth-place purse money will be redistributed. Funny Cide was placed second, Lone Star Sky third, Defrere\'s Vixen fourth, and Badge of Silver fifth. Peace Rules won the Louisiana Derby.

\"The deal is, clenbuterol is legal in every state, but almost all of them have different levels on withdrawal times,\" Baffert said. \"In this case, we did everything we could to comply with the rules, cutting off a week in advance, as our records show.

\"I have no idea what tests Louisiana does or doesn\'t do, or how much money they spend on their testing compared with California, New York, or other states where I race. I do know if I contest this, under Louisiana rules, the horse can\'t run until the case is resolved.

\"We\'ll take our lumps on this, but we look forward to the day when the sport has uniform medication rules and uniform testing in every state. I, for one, would be happy to contribute a percentage of earnings to fund uniform testing. I challenge the rest of the industry to join me.\"

Kafwain has four wins, two seconds, and a third in 10 starts with earnings of $625,848.

[derby1592]

I\'ll concede it was an overreaction and misleading. Sorry about that. But you have to admit that it is yet another indication that a major part of training even big-time horses is how to use drugs most effectively without triggering any penalties. If trainers push the red-line on \"legal\" drugs it is hard to believe they are not doing the same with illegal ones. It is pretty easy for most to rationalize that \"if I don\'t get caught then it is OK and besides everyone else is doing it and they have an edge on me if I don\'t join in.\" I also agree that it helps illustrate the difficulty of being a rule-abiding druggie given the inconsistent rules from one racing jurisdiction to another.

I am even tempted to give Baffert and the connections Kudos for \"taking their lumps\" but I have a feeling if not for the fact that they would have to miss out on the SA Derby by appealing that they would have refused to take their lumps and eventually would have weasled out of any significant penalty.

The bottom line unfortunately is that in racing today \"it makes good business sense\" to maximize drug use because the rewards are high and the risks are low. Until that changes, it will only get worse.

Chris

[LasVegasHorseplayer]

It seems to me that the only solution to this ongoing drug problem is to adopt a true zero-tolerance policy as is done in Europe - and most other racing jurisdictions, I believe -

Any and all medication positives should constitute a violation and be dealt with severely...

I know that all of the racing venues around the country would be yelling and screaming about creating horse shortages, etc...but hell, most of them are running cards filled with five and six horse races anyway. When it gets that bad what\'s the difference between five horses or four?

The way it is now ther really isn\'t much negative consequence to having a horse test positive...So you forfeit a little purse money and the trainer pays a $1000 fine? What does a $150k mean to the Thoroughbred Corp.? Or $1000 to Baffert for that matter.



Post Edited (03-29-03 17:16)

[tread]

Chris, I see where you are coming from also, but I think Baffert is right on the money where he asks for uniformity.  It\'s quite apparent that he was using the same meds he always has been for this horse and then suddenly hit a state where he had to change his methods and it didn\'t work out quite right because he wasn\'t used to working like that.

To respond to Vegas, I think the fine represents the actual effect that the test results and the medication invovled reflect.  If it were cocaine or something like that, it would be a much bigger deal.  It\'s kind of like getting a speeding ticket for going 65 in Pennsylvania where the speed limit is only 55.  I can go 65 in Ohio, so what makes Penn so special?  Same concept here.

I too wonder what trainers are getting away with that isn\'t tested yet, but Baffert\'s call for uniformity among tested drugs is right on.  Unlike that idiot Andrew Beyer\'s column a couple weeks ago about wanting uniformity in payoff prices at tracks, suggesting that everything be based on $2 bets (even exotics).  Hello!  Payoffs should be posted on the minimum allowable wager.  If you happened to wager a multiple of that minimum, do the math yourself.  Sorry, I am still amazed at the stupidity shown in that column and had to get it off my chest.

[Michael D.]

I think Beyer has a good point. If you are watching and betting on six different race tracks at once, you most likely have no idea what the payoffs are on anything but win bets. If you have a buck bet, why not just divide the price by two? Beyer\'s point is not that he doesn\'t want to do the math, it\'s that he wants to be able to watch a bunch of tracks at once, and know all the probables without having to consult a chart every thirty seconds. If the screens posted the amount the payoffs are based on, it would be a different story. Unfortunately, most of them do not. Uniformity in payoff prices is a reasonable request for a simulcast player.

[LasVegasHorseplayer]

I agree that the issue of fines is to some extent a reflection of the severity of the crime. However, what the industry is faced with is not only the matter of what effect these drugs really have on performance, but the public\'s perception of wrong-doing...Simply put, it\'s a credibilty issue.

I personally believe that either ALL drugs should be banned...or made legal. End of problem...

If they are banned, violaters are dealt with harshly, regardless of who they are. If they are made legal, then full disclosure is required before the horse can start so that the wagering public at least is aware of which trainers are using drugs and which aren\'t...Remember the days when blinkers on/off was a big deal? Guys like Beyer were ranting and raving public disclosure of that...

It\'s clear that many of these substances probably don\'t have any huge performance enhancing effect on a horse, but the fact is that the public perceives it as nefarious and deceptive and many players are fed up with it.

I have never met a player who doesn\'t think that there is cheating going on at some level of the game. I have myself witnessed conversation among trainers who were discussing which drugs they thought could not be detected under the current testing procedures, so I am convinced of it personally and whether it actually affects performance or not something needs to be done to address the issue aggressively.



Post Edited (03-30-03 15:18)

[tread]

I have no problem at all with the idea of uniformity between all tracks, that is a tremendous concept, (both in payoffs and meds).  But Beyer submits in his article that $2 payoffs for all exotics should be that uniformity and that simply does not make sense.  It should be based off the minimum wager.  Horseplayers are not so simple-minded that they have to have all payoffs shown on the same $$ amount, well most of them anyway.  California does it the right way and everyone should follow that model.

[Michael D.]

uniformity between tracks would work fine. it would take us all a day or two to learn the payoffs, and the complaints would end. something needs to be changed though. as of now it is difficult to bet exotics at four or five different tracks at once when there is no uniformity and the base amount is not listed on the screen with the probables.