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Originally Posted by pick4
You have cheats in all walks of life. Why would horse racing be any different?
You'll never see a horse testify in front of the US House of Representatives Committee on Oversight and Government Reform. The old days of the breeders who breed to race rather than race to breed are over. It's still a good game. If Dutrow Jr. is a cheater he'll get caught eventually once technology on drug detection improves. I know he has been caught for drug violations but I don't recall if they were improvement enhancing drugs or maintenance drugs.
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I am not going to open the Pandora's box of "cheaters" and "juice" trainers and that whole thing again -- and I am not making this statement about Dutrow. He's had positive tests, he served days, I think he still has more under appeal, and when the chips fall, they'll fall wherever they fall.
However, I think this is a different, but related, issue. The culprits are the culprits and it is what it is. The industry has always been a step, or many steps, behind the "cheaters" and perhaps it will always be that way. The industry will make progress in it's battle and so will the "cheaters" -- thus, the cat and mouse game will continue.
Be that as it may, what we have seen are the "targets" -- the Dutrow's and the Assmusen's of the industry -- and their stables upgrade and evolve. They are no longer just dealing with exclusively claimers and some allowance horses. They are regulars in the major stakes races around the world and they are showing up in all the big dances. They are starting to get support from major players in the game. That is the evolution of the business.
On the other hand, you have other trainers, who many do not label as "culprits" and "cheaters" -- they too are also evolving. Gary Contessa used to be a meat and potatoes trainer, a real blue collar kind of barn consisting of claimers. Now he's a player in stakes races and is competing on a much higher and broader level -- in stakes, graded stakes, etc. Bruce Levine is another, a top notch trainer who mostly raced NY Breds, claimers, and some stakes here and there. Now he's stepped it up to another level. Guys like this are also getting bigger owners, with more backing and firepower.
As Lee Strassberg (who plays Hyman Roth, the role based upon Meyer Lansky) says to Al Pacino -- "This is the business we chose, this is the business we are in". That's what it is. However, the industry is starting to change that. They are beginning to hold owners accountable, to the extent possible. Delaware went a step to far and had to dial it back a bit. Other states have followed suit or plan to. I believe we will see progress and the game will get better.
Eric