In the racing universe, the New York Racing Association, as meticulously detailed on these pages, is about as slick as they come. You have to be, really, in order to effectively spin dead horses. Still, occasionally they let their (marketing) guard down and allow a little truth to creep in. In a NYRA press release Sunday about the horse Big Engine, trainer Rudy Rodriguez was permitted this quote:
“He’s a nice, solid horse – he’s been like a piggybank for everyone who has had him.”
The racehorse as piggybank – there it is, in a nutshell.
Former trainer Linda Rice. Let’s see how long the poor horse is a piggybank before he falls to the fate of most of the them.
“…for everyone who has had him.” That’s. Disgusting.
We’ll be watching,right Wanda?
This whole shit show is so vomit-worthy!!! Only morally depraved minds could defend this horse-abusing horse-killling, horror show.
That statement alone speaks volumes. How very shameful to actually say something so mindlessly insensitive to the fact that this is a flesh and blood animal–not a f’ng machine!
Right, ladypurr9, and as if that isn’t bad enough, he says it like he’s proud of it. This is the filthy, morally depraved mindset of these people; to use, to abuse, to exploit, to torment and torture, and suck every last ounce of life out of their equine victims. Some would say that this is what they are bred for, which is equally vomit-worthy.
I think our friend Mr. Rodriguez here is on to something! (Those still in this sick game take much better care of their piggybanks than they do their actual living, breathing horses.)
Plus, they understand the connection: Young thoroughbreds are like old piggybanks. You gotta break ’em apart if you want to get your money out of ’em.
Right, Rudy?
While this horse, BIG ENGINE, is considered a piggybank by a trainer with a reputation for being unscrupulous, the State of New York has been more than a piggybank for the racing industry in the State of New York.
There is a very informative article on “How New York bankrolls horse racing with billions” by Emilie Munson dated February 18, 2022 in the Times Union.
The same Rudy who once had a job, a real job, working in landscaping but said he decided he wanted in on all that money in the racing business.
The fact he sees horses as “piggy banks” is exactly true to his form and that of the industry.
He teamed up with the owner Michael Dubb in the claiming end of the business. We know both have made a lot of “progress” since those days ( squeaky clean, of course!!!)
Here is a statement by Michael Dubb:
“I look at each horse I own as an individual investment. But I look at all horses I own as a stock portfolio, under performers are moved along; there is a constant push to upgrade the portfolio”!!
He usually has around 80 horses in his “portfolio”. All are inanimate objects to him, nothing more.
And he (Dubb) is a member of the NYRA Board of Directors.
Rudy Rodriguez and Michael speak the truth!
Racing folks open mouth-insert foot often, I think – maybe they’re just too dense to notice what they’re admitting to once they start flapping their jaws?
In a recent BH piece, owner Robert Rosette said this regarding his gelding, Shinny; “‘Look, I want to do something really degenerate,’ Rosette recalled [saying to trainer Robertino Diodoro]. ‘He just laughed hard and said, ‘Well, what do you want to do?’ I told him how they have the $3,500 conditions race out here at Turf (Paradise) and I said, ‘There’s a horse that’s well-bred and if he’s no good we’ll put in him back in for the condition.’”
The horse is “no good”? – no problem, just unload him in his next race. Ah yes, they just love ‘em like their own kids.
(I noticed O’Neill tried that, too, when he was using Shinny. It worked. Not the first try – Shinny was a voided claim (vet) – but a couple months later Shinny had new “connections”.)