Dutrow receives indefinite stay of suspension

[Boscar Obarra]

I\'m honored to be able to witness training greatness in action.

 All they did with the ban attempt was make him mad.

[Rick B.]

Boscar Obarra Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I\'m honored to be able to witness training
> greatness in action.
>
>  All they did with the ban attempt was make him
> mad.

He keeps winning, at 40%, and they aren\'t finding anything from his winners...

At some point, reasonable doubt has to kick in, and you say, \"Hey...maybe the syringe WAS planted in his barn.\"

Unless your hatred of the guy blinds you to the obvious...

[richiebee]

Rick:

Happy New Year, Rick.

Are you implying that NYSRWB or NYRA planted syringes? I would understand a
disgruntled employee or fellow trainer, but NYRA or NYSRWB could simply deny
him stall space. I do not think this decision could be challenged in court,
and he certainly could run out of a training center, but Tricky\'s presence on
the circuit would be lessened.

Whether it results in positive tests or not, Dutrow and his protege RRod seem
to be enjoying the same kind of edge as was enjoyed by Oscar, the Gas Man and
the recently departed Pistol, who once was suspended 90 days for lasix
positives (before Lasix was legal in NY) and then tried to turn his horses
over to his teenage daughter.

Could be a rough wagering winter in Ozone Park: a parade of short priced
favorites trained by Tricky and Rudy and one of the Engleharts, with some head
scratching bombs like yesterday\'s Alex Robb winner, Spa City Fever, mixed in.

Will follow with interest today\'s 1st race winner, Celebrity Sighting, now
10-6-4-0 lifetime and 3/3 over the inner, claimed today from Rudy by Asmussen
off 3 straight wins

[TGJB]

As I have pointed out before, it\'s a big mistake to assume that testing is being done properly, and in some cases being done at all.

[Boscar Obarra]

Rick B. Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------


> Unless your hatred of the guy blinds you to the
> obvious...

 No hatred here, as I said , I\'m an admirer, just like you.

 And really greatful I\'m not the one running against his stock.

[Rick B.]

richiebee Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Rick:
>
> Happy New Year, Rick.
>
> Are you implying that NYSRWB or NYRA planted
> syringes?

No, that\'s too far-fetched for even the X-Files faithful.

Wouldn\'t be terribly hard for someone else to do though. Hell, last summer at Saratoga I could have walked into Pletcher\'s barn office unchallenged and done God knows what if I wanted. (I thought about going in and looking for those \"undetectable drugs\", but of course, they are...undetectable.)

Plausible that something was \"planted\" in Dutrow\'s barn? Dunno. Possible? Seems like it, if the other tracks are as loose as Saratoga.

Not trying to start a fight...just want it over: if Dutrow is dirty, stop screwing around and shitcan him; if not, leave him alone.

Happy New Year, Richeebee.

[Rick B.]

TGJB Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> As I have pointed out before, it\'s a big mistake
> to assume that testing is being done properly, and
> in some cases being done at all.

I remember you saying that before, and I can certainly imagine a scenario where testing is stepped-up for a little while for P.R. purposes, followed by backing off a little, but...

Here\'s a guy, Rick Dutrow Jr., whose balls the higher-ups in NY racing *so badly* want to break...and we can\'t even have a little faith that they are watching this guy like a hawk, just waiting for him to screw up?

Does that make any sense at all?

Is NYRA really *that* screwed up, that they can\'t even properly conduct a witch hunt? (There, a 70 MPH fastball straight down the middle, a belated Christmas gift for Miff.)

[TGJB]

First of all, NYRA doesn\'t control testing, or even have access to the test results. But I can\'t even begin to tell you how wrong your assumptions are (whether tests exist for certain drugs, whether people want to spend the money to do things right, whether testers are competent, and on and on...).

[Rick B.]

TGJB Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> First of all, NYRA doesn\'t control testing, or
> even have access to the test results. But I can\'t
> even begin to tell you how wrong your assumptions
> are (whether tests exist for certain drugs,
> whether people want to spend the money to do
> things right, whether testers are competent, and
> on and on...).

I guess my first reaction to this is, if what you say is true, then no one should *ever* be suspended or fined for drug positives -- the testers might not be competent, the tests themselves may be suspect...and on and on.

The problem with that reaction is that is sounds like a smart-assed retort, and that is not my intention.

I\'ll go a different route: When?

When is this game going to get cleaned up, so that I don\'t have to walk around like an idiot with a ton of ill-informed assumptions about \"what is being done\" to make things right?

I\'ve heard for years (from you and other industry heavyweights) about the \"invisible hand\" that is supposedly improving things, even if behind the scenes and barely perceptable.

And what do we have to show for it? A much-despised trainer -- facing a long suspension -- doing the equivalent of dropping trou and sticking his ass right in our faces, winning at a ridiculous 40% clip.

When?

It\'s mostly a rhetorical question; I don\'t expect you to have an answer, Jerry. Like many horseplayers, I\'ll probably end up leaving the game in outright disgust before anything ever really gets cleaned up. The \"invisible hand\" just might benefit from a syringe full of whatever it is that Dutrow is allegedly giving his horses.

[Boscar Obarra]

DRFGrening David Grening

Apprentice Kevin Navarro rides 1st NY winner in Wildlee Special for R. Dutrow. Navarro is represented by Blake Dutrow, Rick\'s nephew.

[TGJB]

The invisble hand-- the traditional one, meaning supply and demand-- doesn\'t work here, because for the most part the powers that be are oblivious, and think the only problem is one of perception. Yes, there is some movement by some behind the scenes, but it\'s like trying to turn an aircraft carrier around. In molasses.