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Originally Posted by Rupert Pupkin
It costs the trainer a ton of cash when they get a 6 month suspension. They don't get any of the purse money. I always figured that the assistat trainer would secretly give them the money, but they can't do that. If they got caught, they could lose their license. You don't want to mess with a racing board when it comes to these types of things because I have been told that they can check bank records and that type of thing. I don't think the trainer is supposed to have any contact with the barn. The racing board can check phone records and that type of thing.
With regard to your question about whether the suspension will effect the performance of a barn, it can have a big effect. I think it depends alot on how hands on the head trainer is in the first place. If he is very hands on, then it can have a big effect. Sometimes the assitant is as good as the head trainer, but often times he is not.
I think that Asmussen's absence has made a big difference in terms of the performmance of first-time starters. Blasi is only winning at a 9% clip with first-timers. I think Asmussen was at around 20%.
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Anyone that thinks that Assmussen's 6 month suspension has hurt him is dead wrong. He has actually picked up business, Steve is at all the sales, has more time to call clients and develop new ones like Beverly Lewis. If you believe that he has not been in contact with his assistants you are completely kidding yourself. And if you believe that any state racing commission is tracking financial records or phone calls then you are really kidding yourself. Assmussen's assistants train the divisions anyway, the guy can only be in one place at a time.