The jail rule is really not going to do very much in terms of stopping breakdowns and in some cases actually can be a contributing cause. Lets not forget that a guy dumping a horse off the claim is 1st trying to dump the horse and secondly trying to earn some purse money back. Just delaying that 25 or 30 days doesnt really help the horse unless there is a new 30 day cure that has been developed. What some trainers do when they claim a bad one with a jail rule in place is simply walk the horse for 3 weeks, maybe pony without a rider on it for a few days and then drop the horse in. Because they have been given a short break often the horses start to feel better, act a little less sore and are able to pass the vet exam. Then because they are feeling better, may warm up ok and the jock lets them run. However often the underlying issue wasnt actually healed and as the horse puts forth effort the leg comes apart.

This isnt to say that this wont happen if the rule isnt in place either but relying on rules with little regard to the individuals who are calling the shots is misguided.

I agree that purses for lower level races can be out of whack but lets not forget for those who dont pay the bills that you have to give owners a reasonable chance of getting some return.

Cannon, I don't disagree with any of that. However, the point would be to stop those with the specific intent of flipping a horse quickly for less money and trying to win a purse. It makes it a bigger gamble, less chance for success with more expenses.

No doubt it won't change anything for those that take a horse for more upstanding reasons that comes back bad.

it's an upsetting article, but I had to laugh at the angry commenter who said they were "finding out" who the main sponsor of the Kentucky Derby is so they could "boycott their product." Le sigh.

I've never done this before but went directly to the comments bypassing the article.

Don't forget that at the end of the day the majority of these horses are then sent to slaughter for human consumption

There are so many layers here but the one that makes me sick first off - not having read the piece - is the me-too-ism... the I-can't-think-for-myself-so-will-let-thee-media-do-that-for-me way of nonthinking.

Sometimes people can be so easily manipulated it's frightening.
I keep thinking of the end of this scene...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d8IBnfkcrsM

Not happening.

my first snort at the article was when they quoted maggi moss. hell, she acted as one of asmussens lawyers, and then wants to sound like it's all about the horses. anyone can talk the talk.

not sure what the answer is, except, once again, to beat the 'run the trainers at fault' out of town on a rail. tarred and feathered if need be. tracks like to offer higher purses to keep big fields. owners like them because maybe they won't lose as much money this year as last.

They'll find out that the race horses are treated a lot better than the chickens, I'd guess, and then give them another thing to protest.

I understand but we are only talking 25-30 days versus what? 15-20? Perhaps if there were more thorough investigations done when there is a breakdown trainers would be a bit more careful.

Some of the comments so far...

pete who?



'Remember Barbaro? The horse whose hind hoof/fetlock was shattered coming out of the gate? He was at top of the charts based on the stud book, but you could see just by looking at him that his delicate legs and tiny hoofs (almost "en point, like a ballerina)'



good lord. amazing. i can't believe that the people making such posts are smart enough to figure out how to get on the internet to begin with.

I never heard the story about Star Plus and the lenghts that Earle Mack went through to get him back. :tro:

Yes but I believe overboard is what is needed with bigger issues in this country that the "free" press is too chicken s.hit to tackle.

How many times does the Gill incident need to be mentioned? If I were to do a search of the NYT website would articles critical of Goldman Sachs far outnumber criticism of horse racing?

Somehow I doubt it.

They want us to be mad over things that don't really matter in the grand scheme of things. Then when bad things happen on the micro level they hyper focus on it to keep us distracted from the big picture.

what they need to do is fire Campo, Hayward, and the rest of those crooks. Establish some integrity in their product, then work their way down. lasix should be the last of their worries.

As I said in another thread...there is NOTHING in this latest story from the NYT that is new, none of it, and I also get the feeling that some of these quotes have been taken from other comments these people made in the past. The flowery prose is also particularly distasteful, aiming to sensationalize a story that is otherwise stale.

PatCummings hit the nail on the head. I know it was already brought up here, but when the best the NYT can do is bring up ancient Michael Gill stories, I'm not positive there's much of a "news" story there. Moreover, Gill had been causing trouble in the racing world long before PEN ever had a casino, so the tie between Gill's antics and slots, IMHO, is spurious at best.

HBO RealSports, E:60, different stories over YEARS led to this piece...it's just wildly unoriginal. The stories are important, sad, etc, etc...but none of it is new.

The really big, and important stuff, is completely censored.

It is stale for us that follow the game, but nothing has changed, so why not say it again? How many of those outlined in the article have been held accountable for abusing horses other than Gill?

Today's work from the NYT...I have no idea what the hell this writers point is.

http://therail.blogs.nytimes.com/201...to-be-learned/

I think it's supposed to be about how racings leadership can learn a lesson by the sustained populairty of the Derby.