Linda Rice

[Thoroughbred Fan]

Originally Posted by moses

I guess I don’t know enough about how the entries work but I sort of thought trainers had a general idea of what horses would be entering which races as it is. I know it’s the case for big races but assumed trainers sort of know for the smaller races as well. So it doesn’t seem like that big of a deal to me.

It's actually a huge deal. With cheaper horses, you are really trying to maximize each run because they run for less. You try to avoid certain horses, avoid the big owners dropping one in for the win toward the owners title at the end of meets, find races with small fields, etc. At many tracks, scratching will push you down the priority list for the next similar race, so knowing in advance is a huge advantage.

I've met her a couple of times and she has always been super nice, but very competitive. I knew people that had horses with her a long time ago.

In her defense, I would say her competitive nature coupled with a very tough industry to be a highly successful woman led to many of her decisions. I'm sure this will be appealed and I hope they treat her fairly. I'm no expert on what the punishment should be. Despite what may be dubious actions on her part, I think she is a very good trainer.