Quote:
Originally Posted by ateamstupid
It's a disgrace. And every owner who employed them is complicit. They can try to act shocked and appalled now, but they obviously knew exactly what was up. They hired these guys specifically because they were miracle workers. It's easy to throw sleazebags like Navarro and Servis under the bus after the **** hits the fan, but this is a systemic problem. If owners and racetracks didn't tolerate their cheating, these guys wouldn't exist. I'm glad the feds had the guts to do what everyone in racing has been too cowardly to for years on end.
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The list of enablers is very long and distinguished. It’s funny because I don’t recall anyone ever defending Navarro. But Servis is another story.
He had a lot of people fooled, right up until yesterday. When people questioned his move ups, they were told what a nice guy he was and that his methods were unorthodox. Horses thrived in his barn. When his winning percentage seemed too good to be true, they were told about how much he cared for the horses and how he just gave them more time than other trainers. When horses turned into pumpkins after leaving his barn and people pointed to that as potential proof, they were told horses just react differently to different methods.
He even played the choir boy role to perfection. Not an easy thing to do when you know you’re pumping horses full of PED’s and thats your edge.