Delaware, the first state!

[njcurveball]

Well now we will see if Scott Lake comes to town?


Article below courtesy of the Blood Horse on-line.

Delaware Toughens Penalites for Blood Doping
Date Posted: March 29, 2007
Last Updated: March 29, 2007

Edited press release

Anyone caught using blood-doping agents such as erythropoietin will be fined $5,000 and suspended for 10 years under new regulations adopted March 27 by the Delaware Thoroughbred Racing Commission.

The rules will take effect April 10 in advance of the live racing season at Delaware Park, which opens April 28.

“For several years, Delaware has been successfully testing for the presence of antibodies to determine culpability in blood doping of horses,” racing commission executive director John Wayne said. “Legal challenges to results have not been uncommon. Now, however, the equine scientific community is able to detect the actual molecules of blood doping agents, not just the presence of antibodies. This new technology gives the commission the ability to withstand legal challenges to penalize offenders.”

The racing commission also reaffirmed its position to prohibit trainers under suspension from transferring horses to assistants or financially connected associates, Wayne said. The commission will require the owner and new trainer to file sworn affidavits ensuring a transfer is legitimate.

“The commission has concerns for the health of the sport which includes the horses, jockey safety, wagering, and the racing product,” racing commission chairman Bernard Daney said. “Our executive director meets with the Mid-Atlantic region of regulatory officials on a frequent basis working toward issue consistency among the jurisdictions, which can only improve the industry and service to the participants.”

Copyright © 2007 The Blood-Horse, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

[DanG]

Outstanding Jim!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Thanks for that story,

10 years making small rocks from large ones… (In a manner of speaking ;) )

There is a penalty with teeth.

[DanG]

Jim,

In a slightly related story…

In 1963 John Hay “Jock” Whitney addressed the Thoroughbred Club of America speaking on the future of racing. IMO: What a visionary he proved to be almost 50 years ago…

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The Decline of the Sport

[Link courtesy of Equidaily, Article property of Bloodhorse.com]

By Morton Cathro


The recent appearance in movie theaters of “Charlotte’s Web,” a charming film based on the children’s classic by E.B. White, prompted my visit to the bookshelf to dust off a lesser-known story by White, a small gem entitled “The Decline of Sport.”

White probably is best known today for The Elements of Style handbook for writers, and for crafting the fable about Charlotte, the benevolent spider who spins magical words to save the life of Wilbur, a runty pig.

A half-century ago, White, as its chief essayist, was largely responsible for putting The New Yorker on the literary map. His short pieces on a wide variety of topics consistently snared the reader with their provocative thought entwined with subtle wit.

Such an essay was “The Decline of Sport,” a satire in which America’s sports fans, overwhelmed by too many attractions and frustrated by trying to keep up with all the accompanying distractions, finally abandon sports altogether and turn to life’s less complicated pursuits.

White’s spoof included only brief references to horse racing. But were he alive today, the recent status of the Sport of Kings might prompt him to write a serious sequel to what he himself called his “preposterous parable.”

Too many days of racing. Too many short fields. A multitude of breakdowns. Too many drug issues, with prominent trainers under scrutiny. Too many top horses retired prematurely to the breeding shed. Squabbles, lawsuits, and the ethics of dual agency...Are these and other concerns threatening the viability of racing and the loyalty of its fans?

Back in White’s time, a prescient sportsman, John Hay “Jock” Whitney, sounded a warning that echoes still. In the autumn of 1963, as the first stirrings of off-track betting were heard in the land, Whitney addressed the Thoroughbred Club of America as Honor Guest at its annual gathering. Before racing’s most powerful movers and shakers, the owner of Greentree Stable and a member of America’s foremost racing family decried what he called the conflict of interest between commercialism and sport:

“We cannot,” he declared, “allow the spirit of racing to be bought.”

While acknowledging the need for commercial involvement, Whitney asked, “Where do we draw the line that keeps commercialism within safe bounds? We draw it, I submit, at the point at which the horse begins serving the ends of commercialism, rather than commercialism serving the needs of the horse.”

Off-track betting, he believed, would exploit racing. States would become increasingly greedy for revenue—“not to advance the interests of racing but to fatten state treasuries.” Moreover, he asserted, gimmicked-up wagering combinations “will increase the temptation to treat horse racing as a giant lottery rather than a sport.” (Listen up, Pick Six addicts.)

Whitney further worried about racetracks operated by businessmen with scant backgrounds in racing.

“The spirit of racing,” he said, “is in jeopardy whenever sportsmen lose control. Lose this spirit, and there will be no racing—only races.”

The emphasis on big purses to lure 2-year-olds was a direct result, Whitney said, of treating racing as a business and not enough as a sport, “a trend that needs watching lest racing devour its young.”

Those were strong words—and noble ideals—a half-century ago. They’re worth pondering today as we witness growing corporate sponsorship of prominent races, expansion of “racinos,” advertising on jockeys’ breeches, cheap promotion giveaways, and so on.

Will time and circumstances prove Jock Whitney (and E. B. White) prophetic? Or simply “preposterous” in their idealism? In a perfect world racing would need no commercial underpinning, no off-track betting, no slot machines threatening to eliminate the horse from horse racing. But fierce competition from today’s multitude of athletic attractions has forced racing into a compromise.

Recent developments offer hope that the decline of sport can be halted and the spirit of racing revived. Safer track surfaces, shorter seasons, tougher legislation, stricter enforcement, and improving care for horse and rider signal a genuine concern for the future of the sport we all love. But the issues are many.

To quote Sir Walter Scott, himself pretty handy at spinning words, O what a tangled web we weave!

Award-winning newsman Morton Cathro, now retired, has been a sports fan since the late 1930s.

Copyright © 2007 The Blood-Horse, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

[jhilden]

Dan –Nj, Great stories!

Dan, I like your new quote. It reminds me of another racetrack experience. While at PHA, I was standing by the paddock rail admiring the entries. Looking at my information, I really liked “Flaming Moe” (Never will forget a horses name that is linked to the Simpsons:) ), a horse that did not perform well in its last two races but looked to be placed in a favorable race today. As Flaming Moe made its way walking by me, I lady next to me cheered the horse. I told her, “He should have no problem winning today.” In which she responded “How do you figure?” I explained my reasons and she was very surprised by my response and then told me that she hoped I was right as she was the horse’s owner.

Flaming Moe easily won the race and after the winners circle celebration, she came over to thank me again, but sadly mentioned that the horse was claimed.

[DanG]

There you go Jhilden, neat story…

There really is a lot of truth to that. My experience on the backside was often the connections can’t see the forest for the trees. The way a trip handicapper falls in love with a bet back. Some trainers / owners know their horse is doing exceptionally well, but they fail to realistically evaluate the competition.

Here’s the other scenario… (As you will never forget “Flaming Moe”, this moment is engrained in my subconscious.)

My first racing experience was at Freehold raceway. My brothers / friends / father had a method he would use on the program looking at points of call and post position and he would come up with a projected 1st call.

(He was making a simplistic harness version of Quirin Points.)

When I started with thoroughbreds I carried over many “harness theories” and one of them was my own method of 1st call projections. At Monmouth I was on a roll with experienced horses. Speed was dominate and I was feeling pretty clever.

My brother worked for Bill Mott and once in a while I would get to watch a race with Bill and the owners usually. Before the race my brother tells Bill I’ve been killing the sprints projecting early leaders and I projected his entry to be about 5th early.

Bill looked over at me…”Try 1st in the first ten jumps”. (BTW: He drew the one post.)
I said in a typical ‘14 something Jersey way…”No way”. Bill just laughed then went on to tell me. “This horse has a ton of speed; we just haven’t let him use it in the afternoon. We are training him to come off it, but today we need to send from the one hole.”

Sure enough…He was sent hard early, made the front. Finished third, but I did learn a lesson with lightly raced horses not to pigeon hole them too early in life. Especially when they are trained by a patient trainer.

Didn’t mean that as a contradiction to the quote you referred to as I know for a fact many trainers / owners / riders would do well to employ Ken Massa for advice. If nothing else for race strategy. But old Mott really enjoyed it when his horse opened up on the backstretch and that Jersey kid became real silent. :eek: :D

[njcurveball]

It will be an initeresting meet for the "Super Trainers". Record at the track now becomes even more important.

Segway to:

Is this on the agenda for this year? "this" meaning adding the record at the meet to the trainer stats?

thanks,
Jim

[DanG]

Is this on the agenda for this year? "this" meaning adding the record at the meet to the trainer stats?
thanks,
Jim
You want this one bad don’t you Jim! :D

Nothing like a bar tab in Vegas to influence the powers at be. ;)

Start the countdown Jim…2 days till ‘play ball and 35 till the Derby!!! :) :)