Holy Crap

[TGJB]

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/04/30/us/casino-cash-fuels-use-of-injured-horses-at-racetracks.html?nl=todaysheadlines&emc=edit_th_20120430

This is not good. Some of the stuff in here-- like Pen not beginning pre race exams for soundness until last October-- is unbelievable. And will not help our industry.

[miff]

By JOE DRAPE, WALT BOGDANICH, REBECCA R. RUIZ and GRIFFIN PALMER
....says it all!

JB,


Yeah, yeah irrelevant attention whores stumping derby week,whats new.Most of it old horse-spit stuff at mainly mickey mouse venues.Injecting horses liberally at Aqueduct,racing semi-cripples,50 years old at least.Lax racing officials at racino venues,really?? wow, what a scoop!!

Of course, politicians and loons, looking for political capital, will be all over this without bothering to look at the whole game.Perception of this stuff bad especially to casual horse fan or John Q Public.

Again, racing has problems in this regard, but the sky is falling take on this is way out there for anyone with a clue.

Joe Dope may get an investigative journalism award for this, BRILLIANT!!


Mike

[TGJB]

Miff, look-- it may be an old story to you and me, but it is not to the public. And yes, a lot of it is a hit job-- but that doesn\'t make things like the Pen stuff okay.

[phil23]

Miff - I agree that the Times does go overboard.  But reading this made ME want to throw up, and I do get the game.  

Racing has some very large issues that need to be addressed right now.  No more commissions.  No more BS.  How in the world Vet info is not available is just one of the more obvious.  

We\'d all better pray that ever last one of those 20 horses comes home safe and sound on Saturday.

[miff]

JB,

Penn racing should probably be shut down anyway, no one at the track,racing on slot money life support,shutdown good for consolidation.Perfect time for State of Penn to redirect slot subsidy away from racetracks.With no slot subsidy would give Parx/Penn 6 months before folding, same with Charlestown, et al.

The management at every racino would prefer NOT to have anything to do with the racing game anyway.Ahem, that would include the Genting Group at Aqueduct.In NY, NYRA protects the racing side, at other smaller/racino venues there is really no one looking that hard at the racing side.Certain the article is accurate in that regard.

As part of their licensing,racino\'s are required to have a live race meet and subsidize racing.Should not surprise anyone that smaller/racino venues could care less what is happening to the horses.Why do think the main focus of Joe Dope and co was mickey mouse venues like New Mexico and Pennsylvania? Wheres the \'stuff\' about NY,Cali,Florida, Kentucky which is where racing really lives?? A quote from Juan Serey re NY Racing,wow, Pulitzer prize winning stuff.



Mike

[miff]

\"We\'d all better pray that ever last one of those 20 horses comes home safe and sound on Saturday\"


Phil,

Why, because the disingenuous politicians and the loons have the floor?

Horses have always gotten hurt and will continue to do so, it\'s the ugly part of the game.

Thinking the Times should investigate the NBA.Derrick Rose wearing 2 knee braces gone for the year with injury.He was unsound and should not have been allowed to play, probably injected before the game.

Hmmm now that I think of the NFL also has all kinds of issues with unsound players, concussions etc.In Hockey, their killing each other now, getting all kinds of hurt.

Athletes are subject to injury, horses fall into that category too.

Mike

[Edgorman]

Want to feel worse???  Read the comments made by the public following the on line article.

[sighthound]

The ignorance is astounding.

[phil23]

Miff - I\'m with you on grandstanding politicos and all the bs that they spew.  God knows they\'re only doing it because they see votes in it now that the Times has started shining lights on the issues.

But why did NYRA only just today institute the vets\' recommendation regarding claimers being at least 50% of purse value?  This clearly was a known concern.  Why did it take the threat (and that\'s what it is) of political action to make this change?  

I guess I just think we (racing industry as a whole) could do a far better job ensuring the health and well being (both during and especially after their careers) of these animals.  I\'m finding it harder and harder as an animal lover to be able to rationalize my love of the game with my concern for the athletes in it, who unlike human performers, don\'t exactly get a say as to when/where/how often they run.

I understand that many people\'s livliehodds depend on the sport but if far fewer races at far fewer tracks is what it takes to ensure that no more bottom level horses are abused, well, I could care less then about what it does to someone\'s job.

Of course that brings up the entire debate of what would happen to the present crop of lower level horses, how would they be retired or disposed of?

These are all tough tough questions.  But I don\'t think racing does itself any good by refusing to address them.  But I do recognize that there are a ton of people in the industry who love the animals too. Unfortunately it seems the only time change comes (think back to baseball and steroids) is when the feds get involved.  Sad but true.

In the end i\'d imagine economics will eventually create the changes needed.  States are running out of cash and will want to keep all the casino subsidies for themselves (ala Ontario).  Which will lead to smaller tracks closing.  Hopefully if there are fewer tracks, there will be fewer places that can get away with the stuff that we are hearing about in these articles.

[magicnight]

\"Hmmm now that I think of the NFL also has all kinds of issues with unsound players, concussions etc.In Hockey, their killing each other now, getting all kinds of hurt.\"

Mike, I know it raises your blood pressure somewhat, but if you want to write accurate posts on the TG board you should really look at the Times a bit more often. Alan Schwarz was the guy who basically blew the lid off of the NFL\'s concussion scandal, and their article on that hockey goon who died recently got just as much real estate as these horse racing stories.

[miff]

Magic,

Read the Times every day, but not the lightweight sportswriters. The article on racing is amateurish,heavily biased and clearly demonstrates the overall lack of racing knowledge of the writers as to what goes on day to day at the major venues.

Mike

[sighthound]

NYRA has just been exposed for purposely stealing from bettors.  They\'d better try to cover the, \"We sacrifice horses, too\" angle.

[devilinahorsesuit]

Umm... the NY Times has been covering dementia etc. among retired football players and hockey enforcers ad nauseum for at least the past year. The series on Derek Boogaard in December was like 15,000 words.

[Boscar Obarra]

dunno miff, if the best defense for some of this stuff is that it\'s old news, we may be in trouble.

 wall st robbed the public blind for 100 years, didn\'t stop the feds from changing many of the rules there in the 90\'s . of course, clever boys that they are, they found other ways.

[miff]

Ummm, the problems you allude to are 20 years old. Covering it for a year, wow right on top of it that NY times investigative group.

They nailed the racing thing too, New Mexico/Pennsylvania real microcosms of racing at the major venues.