ARCI continues to beat anti-medication drum

[The Indomitable DrugS]

Originally Posted by Cannon Shell

I guess what people don't seem to understand is that "goodies" are not going to be effected especially since we will now be spending more time and funds chasing after medications that are now legal. Simply gives the cheaters a bigger advantage.

I think I get what you're saying ... basically - the stuff that makes a difference is the stuff that isn't legal right now anyway and can't be easily detected or detected at all.

When they say....

“we regulators are the only voice in racing for the animals and betting public. It’s time we raise the bar in service to both.”

They certainly aren't doing any favors to the betting public. If they want to do favors for both the betting public and the industry as a whole ... everything starts and ends with lowering takeout in a healthy fashion.

As for them being "the only voice of the animals" .... animals can't talk. The animals are in it to get the vets who medicate them rich - give a whole bunch of people jobs - and entertain fans, bettors, and owners.

[Kasept]

The Jockey Club Supports RCI Medication Plan
By Blood-Horse Staff

Ogden Mills Phipps, the chairman of The Jockey Club, said April 11 the organization supports the recent Association of Racing Commissioners International initiative to formulate a plan that would eliminate the use of medication in horses competing in races.

“We have often voiced concern and we sincerely believe that the overuse of medication endangers our human and equine athletes, threatens the integrity of our sport and erodes consumer confidence in our game,” Phipps said in a statement released by The Jockey Club. “There is a growing and correct perception that horses in this country are over-medicated.

[horseofcourse]

What does "drug-free" actually mean? I'm actually being serious.

[Cannon Shell]

Originally Posted by horseofcourse

What does "drug-free" actually mean? I'm actually being serious.

They have no idea. I have no idea. No one seems to have any idea. But they sure look like they are doing something.


I have asked some of the people who actually believe that if horse racing is "drug free" that handle will spike and more people will come to the races how to define "drug free". Mostly they have no real plan and have zero idea that the impact of what they are proposing will make it more expensive to own horses and make horses form more erratic. In a time when finding owners able/willing to lose money is growing increasingly more difficult, getting the answer "if horses need drugs to race they shouldn't be racing" is hard to digest when you ask exactly what we are supposed to do when horses have ailments. Generally the people who are pushing this agenda aren't horse owners and a lot of them dont bet either. The typical anti-medication person:
Doesn't own racehorses
Wants to eliminate 2 year old racing
Wants to eliminate whips
Wants polytracks/artificial surfaces
Hates "juice" trainers yet refuses to understand that this agenda actually helps them
Thinks that horses are running too much
Believes that breeders/owners are all rich
Think foreign racing is pristine simply looking past the fact the most blatantly illegal drugs are not created in America
Thinks Zenyatta was just the greatest horse ever

What most people don't understand because it is a little too complicated for them and people want to believe what they want to believe is that most of the drug positives that we hear about have no effect on the performance of the horse in question. And that the level of detection at which a positive is called at rarely is at a level where the horse would be of any benefit, it is usually just an arbitrary number tossed out by the chemists and adopted by the commissions. "Zero Tolerance" is simply a continuation of this piss poor system which routinely causes bad PR for nothing and allows the 42% trainers a complete free hand as the commissions and labs spend most of the time and effort (and money) looking under rocks for moss we already know is growing.

[PatCummings]

Originally Posted by Cannon Shell

The typical anti-medication person:
Doesn't own racehorses CORRECT
Wants to eliminate 2 year old racing Love 2yo racing
Wants to eliminate whips That would be foolish
Wants polytracks/artificial surfaces No preference
Hates "juice" trainers yet refuses to understand that this agenda actually helps them Hate seeing trainers who go from 5% to 40% and are about 65% off the claim and when claimed from, runners come back with 2% winners...
Thinks that horses are running too much Hell no, they aren't running enough
Believes that breeders/owners are all rich Only a minority
Think foreign racing is pristine simply looking past the fact the most blatantly illegal drugs are not created in America This is a disconnected statement, but I do find foreign racing generally cleaner than American racing, but am not benign to the fact that stuff is everywhere
Thinks Zenyatta was just the greatest horse ever Anyone who believes this is a fool

So - now that that is out of the way...

I'm anti-medication for one reason, and one reason alone...I believe (granted, it is an opinion and an opinion backed in NO DISCERNABLE FACT)...permissive medication policies such as those in the US weaken the breed, which in turn, weakens the sport. That's all.

[Cannon Shell]

Originally Posted by PatCummings

So - now that that is out of the way...

I'm anti-medication for one reason, and one reason alone...I believe (granted, it is an opinion and an opinion backed in NO DISCERNABLE FACT)...permissive medication policies such as those in the US weaken the breed, which in turn, weakens the sport. That's all.

So why not capitalize on this, import a bunch of foreign horses with no american breeding influences and dominate the weakened horses?