Asmussen Suspension

[SentToStud]

Originally Posted by oracle80

Tim if you knew Todd you would say the same thing. I can assure you that he isn't just "smart" in terms of the racing game, hes just plain real smart period. No way would he jeopardize his reputation and income so he could win that 75 claimer. The owner of the 75 claimer was Coolmore. You telling me that Coolmore was sweating winning that race? Give me a break. Dutrow is his own worst enemy because of his attitude and demeanor at times. He is often referred to as a punk at the racetrack because he is ****y and hes not real good with the media because he tells it like it is and doesnt posture his responses to win favor. But he is really a brilliant guy and actually sensitive about how other trainers he respects feel about him.
These suspensions are a glaring example of whats wrong with testing and penalties these days. Its kinda like when Zito and Mott got suspensions for lidocaine(note that it was yet another caine family drug). Both trainers had horses with cracked feet and at the time the salve that most vets were using contained Lidocaine. So basically they treated cracked feet and got ten days. Shoot, all they did was take the salve that the vet gave them(vets dont come by every day to administer something so easy as that, groom rubs it on) and cut it off when the vet said to cut it off, and it lingered. Meanwhile someplace in America today a horse will improve ten lengths after being claimed last week and win off the screen and not test positive for anything. Great huh?

Here's what I think. I think it's going to get worse, much worse.

There's a few dynamics that make me think so. First, drugs in any sport are a problem and with what's gone on in baseball; those running racing (and other sports) have a price to pay in terms of defending the PERCEPTION of their sports. Right or wrong, that's how it is and politicians and career bureaucrats who feast on this kind of "crisis" will do all they can to ensure their continued livelihood. Second, the stakes are higher and different with slot machines. These things generate so damn much revenue that there has to be comensurate "oversight." With the horseracing industry morphing into the slot machine/horse racing industry, there's more political capital at stake and with this comes, yes, more career bureaucrats making and applying uninformed policy that insults common sense and adversely affects racing's interests. I have so concrete numbers on this, but I'd bet my last dollar that slot machines at racetracks result in a direct and positive correlation of the percentage of state racing commission positions filled by "non-racing industry" people. Third, Spitzer. Other states will see more Spitzer-esque type of actions and decide to make "bold" statements with impunity. Too bad all of us are not able to do our own jobs so recklessly.

I think it's fair and reasonable to have and apply the "absolute guarantor" responsibility rule to trainers, notwithstanding the fact that they may have hundreds of horses under their supervision. After all, a trainer with that wide and deep an operation has obviously made the decision to work that way. But 45 days for Pletcher and 180 days for Assmussen? That's ridiculous. Whatever happened to 10 day or 14 day suspensions?

Think it's bad now? Just wait until they get close to putting slot machines in the NYRA tracks and the politicians see how much more revenue will flow through the tracks and the state. The pols and career bureaucrats will be coming out of the woodwork to "protect the public interest" like trained pigs.

Nothing worse for racing than slot machines. Instead of reducing the number of tracks and racing days, instead of spending money on improving track surfaces and jockey health care costs, instead of thinking mid and long-term, track owners are scrambling to run and build just for the sake of slot machine revenue. It's the wrong way to do business, but that's how the game is now played.