This will effectively kill horse racing

[randallscott35]

Originally Posted by Cannon Shell

Never was, never will be.

No reason not to try!

[Cannon Shell]

Originally Posted by randallscott35

No reason not to try!

Yeah there is.

[Riot]

Originally Posted by randallscott35

No reason not to try!

If we take away the horses that can't run without a little bute or NSAID, we'll decimate the claiming ranks and have to euthanize thousands of older horses.

I am all for hay, oats, and water, but you need veterinary care and health maintenance of the race horse, too.

[Duvalier]

Originally Posted by Riot

If we take away the horses that can't run without a little bute or NSAID, we'll decimate the claiming ranks and have to euthanize thousands of older horses.

Just take away the meds that make some trainers win at high 30-40 some %.

[Riot]

Originally Posted by Duvalier

Just take away the meds that make some trainers win at high 30-40 some %.

I agree - an entire barn should not necessitate receiving a monthly steroid shot (although the comparison to human steroid use isn't very accurate)

But absolutely, when a skinny nervous claimer comes into a new barn, the horse should be dewormed, started on Gastroguard, and given a steroid shot or two a month apart to get him eating and on a weight-gaining slope.

Detecting the vast variety of internet-available illegal steroids and cocktails and neutriceuticals is an ongoing process, and we have the capability to do it, if we simply fund it well. These drugs are not really all that secret, as they tend to be broadly sold and cross both human and animal worlds.

[Cannon Shell]

Originally Posted by Riot

I agree - an entire barn should not necessitate receiving a monthly steroid shot (although the comparison to human steroid use isn't very accurate)

But absolutely, when a skinny nervous claimer comes into a new barn, the horse should be dewormed, started on Gastroguard, and given a steroid shot or two a month apart to get him eating and on a weight-gaining slope.

Detecting the vast variety of internet-available illegal steroids and cocktails and neutriceuticals is an ongoing process, and we have the capability to do it, if we simply fund it well. These drugs are not really all that secret, as they tend to be broadly sold and cross both human and animal worlds.

Giving every horse in the barn steroids monthly wasn't the big deal people made it out to be as evidenced by the same guys winning at the same % and some higher since the steroid ban was put into effect.

[Cannon Shell]

Originally Posted by Duvalier

Just take away the meds that make some trainers win at high 30-40 some %.

There are already rules that make these illegal and have fairly hash penalties.The problem is the clowns in charge of the sport cant fix that problem because they are in denial, clueless or just dont have the proper funding. So instead of tackling the real problem, they take the easy way out and blame some nebulous "drug problem" and act as though they're stopping the juice guys when they truly are giving them a bigger advantage.

[Duvalier]

Originally Posted by Cannon Shell

There are already rules that make these illegal and have fairly hash penalties.The problem is the clowns in charge of the sport cant fix that problem because they are in denial, clueless or just dont have the proper funding. So instead of tackling the real problem, they take the easy way out and blame some nebulous "drug problem" and act as though they're stopping the juice guys when they truly are giving them a bigger advantage.

Yeah it will definitely end up giving them an even bigger advantage if they go through with what is being proposed. Is there really a solution?

[Cannon Shell]

Originally Posted by Duvalier

Yeah it will definitely end up giving them an even bigger advantage if they go through with what is being proposed. Is there really a solution?

The most effective way to police the sport is to actually police the sport, not just rely on testing. The problem of course is money as training or retraining real law enforcement officers to monitor the backside is expensive as is having a real security force. The thing is tracks have hired former cops and put them in charge of the security and what we so far have wound up with is more $50 tickets for not having your license displayed or $100 fines for smoking or littering. The illegal drugs (aka the ones that 42% guys use) are getting in the backside and in the horses. Stop that, catch people red handed, give them the boot and your problem is much more manageable.

[Thoroughbred Fan]

First, horse racing is a brutal sport. They are a selected breed. They are inferior when it comes to health and soundness, but they are fast. In the US we have taken this selection way too far and patched the animals genetics with meds.

Animals get sick, injured and even die. It is a fact of life. I do think we should medicate where necessary (antibiotics, steroids, etc.) to help the animal. However, if these rules go in effect, then it may require the horse to be absent from the races for some time for the meds to leave his/her system.

In Europe, they race with less meds and it doesn't kill their racing. The bottom line is they breed a sounder animal, race primarily on turf, and at a longer average distance.

In the US, this will be painful for a few years, but eventually it will be fine, maybe even better than fine. I'd like for the US to breed heartier types and eliminate the bleeders and the glass horses from the stock. This may reduce the overall number of horses and bring the industry to the size it should be.

Most trainers probably do their best to play within the rules, but the policing will never be good enough without a black and white rule set. No is no.

I don't have all the answers, but as an owner and bettor, I sure wish the sport were holding itself to a higher standard than today.

[SCUDSBROTHER]

Originally Posted by Duvalier

Just take away the meds that make some trainers win at high 30-40 some %.

I could use some of that Miller time.

[phystech]

Look, I think it's time to make the bettors happy and completely sanitize the sport. Give them full fields every race, no cheating trainers, and no cheating jockeys. Give them full and complete access to the all handicapping information, full disclosure on all vet records for every horse, and only one racetrack to bet on with a simplified wagering menu.

We have just the thing in Maryland - it is called Racetrax. Racetrax is a computer generated game run by the MD Lottery. Clean as a whistle. No late changing odds - you know the payouts even before the race is run. There's little down time as a race is run every few minutes. And I've never even seen a horse DQ'd by a cheating steward.

That should make all the disgruntled bettors satisfied, right?? And with everyone getting the same info on the horses, everyone will be a winner, because we all know the reason we lose bets is because the jockey cheated, or the stewards cheated, or the trainer cheated, or I didn't get info on the meds that horse was given last week, or....... ??

In the end, I'm glad to see Congress is so concerned about the bettors.

[Cannon Shell]

Originally Posted by Riot

If we take away the horses that can't run without a little bute or NSAID, we'll decimate the claiming ranks and have to euthanize thousands of older horses.

I am all for hay, oats, and water, but you need veterinary care and health maintenance of the race horse, too.

Not just the claimers, pretty much all classes including stakes horses.