PETA undercover in Asmussen's barn - Whoa!

[Scav]

http://mobile.nytimes.com/2014/03/20..._r=0&referrer=

[NTamm1215]

This looks BAD for Asmussen.

[Kasept]

How did Drape miss all of these alleged horrors when Jess Jackson had him writing about Curlin and Rachel Alexandra?

[VOL JACK]

That was disturbing.

I did enjoy listening to the farrier talk to Scott Blasi like he was the scum of the earth.

[Scav]

This is even worse

http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=9TJVA2lwW4A

[dean smith]

Jesus Christ. If my non-horse racing friends ever see this video -- after all the time I've spent defending the sport in the wake of the "Luck" cancellation, the Barbaro, Eight Belles, etc. breakdowns, the game "being on the level"...

I'm going to look like an *******.

[VOL JACK]

[cmorioles]

Originally Posted by Kasept

How did Drape miss all of these alleged horrors when Jess Jackson had him writing about Curlin and Rachel Alexandra?

Does that change this story?

[Kasept]

Originally Posted by cmorioles

Does that change this story?

What is the story exactly? That horses get Lasix when they train? That horses can have bad feet that need constant attention? That horses colic and die? That undocumented workers are employed on the backstretch? Fold in the sensationalized video.. It's news that owners want to win at Saratoga? That barns are happy to lose underachievers to claims? That outfits utilize various supplements in feeding regimens? That treatment options include pin firing and shockwave therapy? What elements of the 'story' were revelations to you?

[GenuineRisk]

The problem is not that there's nothing in there that is a revelation; it's that there's plenty in there for people who already oppose racing to reaffirm their personal feelings, even though those feelings might not be based in fact. Nehro's got no pulse in one foot! Therefore horse racing is cruel! (Never mind pulse in a foot is actually a bad thing)

In the comment thread on Gawker on the article someone pointed out how vastly superior UK racing is because they don't start racing them until they're four and they race there until they're twelve. Oh, and drugs have ruined the breed. And a chorus of voices chimed in on how awful it is to race horses at age 2, when they're still babies (apparently 3-year-old girls learning to ice skate and do gymnastics is not an issue because shut up that's why).

The movement to ban NYC carriage horses has really brought to light, to me, how divorced people are from the reality of the lives of domesticated animals. They infantilize horses (and dogs and cats) into perpetual victims of evil man. And this dumb PETA thing plays into every one of these preconceived notions about horses and the people who make their livings off of them.

[freddymo]

Originally Posted by Kasept

What is the story exactly? That horses get Lasix when they train? That horses can have bad feet that need constant attention? That horses colic and die? That undocumented workers are employed on the backstretch? Fold in the sensationalized video.. It's news that owners want to win at Saratoga? That barns are happy to lose underachievers to claims? That outfits utilize various supplements in feeding regimens? That treatment options include pin firing and shockwave therapy? What elements of the 'story' were revelations to you?

The post is insensitive to the shock that many horse fans on this noard and all over are feeling today after watching 9 minutes of hell .Most arent as close to the game as you including many on this board. Teach without subjectivity. Expose to create knowledge. Simply PuPu'ing appears as a typical sweep it under the rug response.

You know what I am talking about

[10 pnt move up]

Originally Posted by Kasept

What is the story exactly? That horses get Lasix when they train? That horses can have bad feet that need constant attention? That horses colic and die? That undocumented workers are employed on the backstretch? Fold in the sensationalized video.. It's news that owners want to win at Saratoga? That barns are happy to lose underachievers to claims? That outfits utilize various supplements in feeding regimens? That treatment options include pin firing and shockwave therapy? What elements of the 'story' were revelations to you?

I think its going to be very hard for someone who may want to get into the sport watch that video and then if they were to read your statements and have to understand that this is just normal operating procedure.

[cmorioles]

Originally Posted by Kasept

What is the story exactly? That horses get Lasix when they train? That horses can have bad feet that need constant attention? That horses colic and die? That undocumented workers are employed on the backstretch? Fold in the sensationalized video.. It's news that owners want to win at Saratoga? That barns are happy to lose underachievers to claims? That outfits utilize various supplements in feeding regimens? That treatment options include pin firing and shockwave therapy? What elements of the 'story' were revelations to you?

There are bad apples in this game Steve. You know it, I know it, and most people on this board know it. A large percentage of the people in the game are good and care about the animals, but certainly not all of them.

The sport doesn't police itself very well. Since it isn't proactive, something like this was always going to happen. I'm no PETA fan, not by a longshot. But I also know there is some truth in that video. I didn't need to see the video to know it either.

With the increase in purses at many tracks, horses have gotten the short end of the stick from some guys that are just taking advantage of the situation. Any idiot like myself that can read past performances can see what is happening. Every serious handicapper on this board could make a list of guys that we think cheat and / or don't treat horses well without blinking an eye. The system is a mess. It is inviting this kind of behavior.

There have always been some bad guys in racing. There will always be bad guys in racing. But racing can't keep letting them be bad guys and get away with it.

[Alydar]

Originally Posted by Kasept

What is the story exactly? That horses get Lasix when they train? That horses can have bad feet that need constant attention? That horses colic and die? That undocumented workers are employed on the backstretch? Fold in the sensationalized video.. It's news that owners want to win at Saratoga? That barns are happy to lose underachievers to claims? That outfits utilize various supplements in feeding regimens? That treatment options include pin firing and shockwave therapy? What elements of the 'story' were revelations to you?

I am surprised that you do not see this for what it is, terrible publicity for a sport that struggles to get any notice at all. How we as fans see this report is very different from how the public at large will. Just look at dog racing that could be our future if this industry does not get its act together.

It has been said over and over, but it seems that any coordination or cooperation in this industry an unattainable goal.

We will see what type of attention this gets. But it should be a wake up call.

[Calzone Lord]

There's a lot of trainers and assistants who are going to come off like Blasi did if they had a hidden camera following them around for several months, and had the final footage reduced to a less than 10 minute video.

Asmussen was obviously targeted because he's a big name without the nicest reputation. If they targeted someone small-fry or mid-level, it wouldn't get any attention. If they targeted someone with a relatively shiny reputation like Pletcher -- you'd get more of a "Hey, it's PETA, consider the source!" type of response. It's harder to rally to the defense of someone with black marks against him, like Asmussen.

One thing though, the PETA video isn't a good 'marketing' video for horse racing. It probably could turn off a few people who are looking to bet horses or own horses, for the first time...and don't really understand all the realities.

I have got myself in a lot of trouble by advocating for lower takeout rates. But, 15-to-20%+ takeout rates are too steep, in a sport where horses aren't machines who show up and deliver a similar type of performance everytime they race.

The undercover investigator working on the backside says that "bettors are being duped" because of the injections and the fact that bettors are largely unaware of the physical ailments a horse might be battling through. That's BS...but the industry can't cultivate bettors, because they set the bar for sustainable success too high.

One of the best 'Follows' on Twitter is Sports Injury Alert: https://twitter.com/SprtsInjryAlert -- everytime an athlete is injured in a sport, I hear about it. I think it's cool to know that Matt Joyce of the Tampa Bay Devil Rays has a stiff neck at the moment.

Of course, it's unrealistic to expect horse racing bettors to get any kind of reliable information regarding the minor physical ailments of race horses. However, what you can do, is simply lower the takeout.

[Danzig]

Originally Posted by Calzone Lord

There's a lot of trainers and assistants who are going to come off like Blasi did if they had a hidden camera following them around for several months, and had the final footage reduced to a less than 10 minute video.

Asmussen was obviously targeted because he's a big name without the nicest reputation. If they targeted someone small-fry or mid-level, it wouldn't get any attention. If they targeted someone with a relatively shiny reputation like Pletcher -- you'd get more of a "Hey, it's PETA, consider the source!" type of response. It's harder to rally to the defense of someone with black marks against him, like Asmussen.

One thing though, the PETA video isn't a good 'marketing' video for horse racing. It probably could turn off a few people who are looking to bet horses or own horses, for the first time...and don't really understand all the realities.

I have got myself in a lot of trouble by advocating for lower takeout rates. But, 15-to-20%+ takeout rates are too steep, in a sport where horses aren't machines who show up and deliver a similar type of performance everytime they race.

The undercover investigator working on the backside says that "bettors are being duped" because of the injections and the fact that bettors are largely unaware of the physical ailments a horse might be battling through. That's BS...but the industry can't cultivate bettors, because they set the bar for sustainable success too high.

One of the best 'Follows' on Twitter is Sports Injury Alert: https://twitter.com/SprtsInjryAlert -- everytime an athlete is injured in a sport, I hear about it. I think it's cool to know that Matt Joyce of the Tampa Bay Devil Rays has a stiff neck at the moment.

Of course, it's unrealistic to expect horse racing bettors to get any kind of reliable information regarding the minor physical ailments of race horses. However, what you can do, is simply lower the takeout.

[The Devil]

Originally Posted by cmorioles

Does that change this story?

Have you ever been around these amazing animals, give them a bath or pick there feet, and clean there sh*t out of there stalls, and been around a shedrow, if not you sure do know it all

[cmorioles]

Originally Posted by The Devil

Have you ever been around these amazing animals, give them a bath or pick there feet, and clean there sh*t out of there stalls, and been around a shedrow, if not you sure do know it all

Yes, I have. What's your point?