Kentucky's ongoing attempt to end racing in state proceeds..

[parsixfarms]

Originally Posted by pointman

Maybe the supporters should lobby the NFL to ban all painkillers. After all, the sons of many NFL players become NFL players themselves, despite no medical evidence we don't want to create genetically inferior football players who are dependent on pain medication or create the appearance that the outcome of football games are altered by drugs.

The NFL is a perfect example belying the "perception" argument of the ban-Lasix crowd that people won't wager on an athletic contest if they suspect the participants are utilizing drugs to in order to be able to participate in the contest. There are many reasons why members of the general public won't wager or attend horse racing. That Lasix is given to the horses before they race (most people don't even know that occurs) is far down on that list of reasons.

Racing officials need to recognize that, like almost all sports today with the exception of football, baseball and basketball, it is a niche sport with a core group of passionate followers that is unlikely to be embraced widely by the general public. Industry leaders should address the concerns of the passionate followers the sport already has and stop worrying about broader public perception.

One other thing that really bothers me about the whole episode. To implement a rule that could so fundamentally alter the sport as we know it, they need to have broad industry consensus. To implement it on an 8-6 vote, or something like that, is a huge mistake.

[cloud_break]

Originally Posted by Cannon Shell

I know of no horses who are "med dependent". It is completely made up bs. There are no medications that alter the genetic makeup of a stallion or mare or thier progeny. Perhaps if these people weren't in such a big hurry to get the horses off the track to breed (and protect their investment) perhaps they could sort themselves out a little better on the racetrack.

Bad choice of words on my part. Perhaps "enhanced"?

[Cannon Shell]

Originally Posted by cloud_break

Bad choice of words on my part. Perhaps "enhanced"?

If you have a cold and take medicine do you feel that you are enhanced and are providing your employer with better than ordinary effort?

[cloud_break]

Originally Posted by Cannon Shell

If you have a cold and take medicine do you feel that you are enhanced and are providing your employer with better than ordinary effort?

Point taken. My attempt was to point out the only partially plausible argument for medication reform. A lasix ban misses the mark entirely. The fact is, we need more horses in more races generating more revenue for the whole industry. As you correctly point out, there are certain forces that don't see it that way and are willing to go to great lengths to impose their will.

[Cannon Shell]

Originally Posted by cloud_break

Point taken. My attempt was to point out the only partially plausible argument for medication reform. A lasix ban misses the mark entirely. The fact is, we need more horses in more races generating more revenue for the whole industry. As you correctly point out, there are certain forces that don't see it that way and are willing to go to great lengths to impose their will.

What is worse than a lasix ban is the negative manner in which those who wish to ban it operate. It is hard to change public perception and making things seem much worse than they really are is hardly a way to make things better. Dividing the sport rather than bringing it together won't bring about positive change and is going to leave long lasting damage that won't easily go away. It isn't like we have all this surplus revenue and goodwill to throw away chasing ghosts.