Thanks for posting that.
I am sorry that the writer, who does an overall terrific job, is blinded by an affection for Assmussen that causes him to write garbage like this....
" The suspension made headlines here and there but hardly made a splash beyond the horse racing world. Even among fairly knowledgeable race fans, Asmussen's rap as a cheater was mostly unknown. "
and also caused him to misinterpret Matt Hegarty's line about how much of a drug was given when he wrote....
" Anyone who knows him knows he would never give a horse 750 times the legal limit of a drug banned on race day, not with so much to lose and so little to gain "
as the the legal limit is a trace amount and 750 times is merely the theoretical necessary dosage. However, there is far more good than bad in the article.
I was also bothered by this ridiculous assertion regarding the mepivocaine positive....
" A groom testified that he had left the horse alone for eight to nine minutes, leaving the door open for sabotage. Considering that there is no security or video cameras at Evangeline Downs, and the total domination Asmussen has had there, sabotage is a possibility, says Steven Barker, the lab director on the case. "
Are we to actually believe that someone sabotaged this horse by properly injecting mepovocaine into his joint? Personally, I would hypothesize that Assmussen claimed he ordered the illegal drugs that he admitted because their penalties were far less severe than mepivocaine, but I'm just paranoid that way. Either way, he was clearly, and admittedly, guilty of a severe violation of the rules. To me, at least, that stands above everything else.
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