and yet another
 

sabotage no doubt. aren't they all? it's the drug fairy, waving his wand from barn to barn while the lights are out.

what a shocker.

Does it really matter? Horse racing has become a complete joke. These guys get suspended and let someone else run their horse. In fact some trainers (one who has a brother, ahem) joke about how they are going to go off and vacation in the bahamas and let their brother saddle their horse. There is absolutely zero accountability in the sport. The sport is dying in part because it is fulled with cheaters and everyone knows it. People have no idea how important the vet has become to the success of a barn.

I don't like to say it because I am a regular listener, but even the veterinarians and the barns that are cheaters get regular spots on radio shows just like the one that is connected to this site. Sad but true.

Cheating is rampant in all professional sports. It is all about money and nobody cares about rules. Laws and rules mean nothing in america. Everything is about money.

He will be denied access to all New York tracks from June 25 to July 2, 2007.

( while his assistants talk to him on his cell phone, following all instructions he gives and his clients pay him his day rate, and he gets forwarded the purse monies )

you are right bene... its a joke

I second that. He turned freaking Papi Chullo into Spectacular Bid. I'm surprised this is his first positive.

explains the "vacation" voicemail i got yesterday when i tried to call him about log jam ....

It's not

Not to defend him, but because bute can be used pretty close to a race, it is not that hard to come up with an overage.

To Contessa's credit, and I'm certainly no fan of the enormous sudden improvements his horses show all too often, at least he said the right things when suspended and didn't mock the system the way Dutrow did earlier in the year.

That's why he got time off for good behavior.

I agree. Bute has it's place.
I don't think this makes a "cheater".
Next, maybe more careful.

Anyone ready to throw this guy over the falls by labeling him a "cheater" doesn't have the slightest clue what is involved in the day to day running of a racing stable. 80 horses, gone through mane to tail daily with a team of assistants, vets, etc. Human error is bound to rear it's head, that is a fact of life. He has over 620 starts this year and one lousy overage classifies him as a "cheater"??!! I can't recall the last time this happened, it certainly hasn't been within the last year - he started over 1500 last year and I'm sure when he won the trainer title last year more than quite a few (READ: ALL) were tested in the detention barn.
Bute overages are one of the most falacious, subjective measurements that these guys deal with, beacuse as Chuck said, it can be used so close to a race, and all horses react to and dissipate medication differently...Two horses treated on the same day within the time limits; one could still come up positive, and that;s on the trainer.

Was he negligent? He probably wasn't even there, but sure - it's his operation so by proxy he was negligent.

Responsible? Absolutely. He freely admited fault and assumed responsibility.

I guess being a man about it rather than crying about getting caught and appealing is now akin to "getting off early for good behavior"....sheesh

It's a real shame that folks feel the need to pile on one of the classier guys in the game, but hey, people need to do what they feel they need to do, even if that's libeling a man's character without any facts...I guess.

and that's one reason why this is allowed to continue. his numbers may not be as high as some, but there are always those who will excuse a positive, or two, or ten, or even 22 or so....
he's the trainer, so he's responsible. if his operation is so huge he can't be there to oversee it all, that's HIS problem and no excuse.

a line has to be drawn somewhere, and it should be drawn with a permanent marker! no grey areas, no sliding scale. no excuses!

Not libeling his character. It's what happened:

"Contessa’s suspension, originally issued for 15 days, was shortened to seven when the trainer waived his right of appeal."

And yes, it was only a Bute violation.

It's not like he kicked a horse.

Danz - As long as medication is part of the game, situations like this will occur. It's not a right/wrong debate - please reread the post- I make no excuses for him and clearly point out that it's 100% his responsibility to which he clearly concurs by evidence of his waving his right to appeal.

My contention is with the select few who have chosen this idiotic and illogical rush to judgement: 1 bute overage = OMG!! CHEATER!! It's assinine and baseless:

Andy, don't let the fact that he's recognized as one of the finest horsemen in the game dissuade you in anyway from this monumental epiffany. Clearly, it's been the bute talkin' for the past 30+ years.

So now Dr. Allday is implicated too....Without even being accused of anything!!Hey, might as well as long as no facts are required - Lets just run hard working men and womens' reputations through the mud, free speech!

Way to go, Columbo! You've unraveled the mystery! I'm sure Papi Chullo has never been tested under his care. :rolleyes:

That's quite a " fact " you are presenting.

What is a fact is that I'm not accusing him of anything other than the actual " fact " that over the past few years more than a few horses that have come under his care have improved dramatically in an extremely short period of time. What is also a " fact " is that many of these horses have dropped off just as quickly.

I don't know how he does it, and thus can't accuse him of anything, as perhaps it's these supposed superior training skills you allude to. On the other hand, why then do these horses quite often not hold this new form for an extended period of time?

Gary seems like a nice guy, and once again I respect the seriousness with which he accepted this suspension, but as an everyday horseplayer in NY I find guessing how his horses will perform on any given day to be problematic. The past performances often offer conflicting clues.

Understood, although I can't really argue a point from the general to the specific. He's got a sharp eye for talent, and stables that are with him and in the position to move when the situation arises (i.e. Winning Moves) have benefited greatly. As for their form falling off shortly thereafter, I can't attest to what percent of horses off the claim this happens to, and where that percentage may be relative to others in NY.

Form changes when switching barns both, for the good and bad, are as much apart of the game as any of the other myriad of neuances experienced on the backside Why, for instance, does it seem that Bruce Leavine's horses only seem to run for Bruce Leavine? I'm not accusing him of anything untoward, but that's as much of a "fact" as this conjecture about Contess's barn.

As for the "fact" that he was named trainer of the year last year, has over 1500 starts since the first of that year, certainly doesn't get the quality of stock enjoyed by his counterparts, and still manages to remain at the top of the list by working his tail off 7 days a week; qualifies him as one of the finest horsemen in the game, in my opinion.