Some recent rulings…
In New Jersey, driver/trainer Jacob Cutting was “sanctioned” for the presence of oxycodone and oxymorphone in his horse Paloma Ruiz at Freehold last February. The sanction: 7-day suspension. 7 days.
In Ohio, trainers Bill Rhoades and Herman Hagerman were busted for methamphetamine positives in their horses – Sheswildnfree and Dashintothebeach N, respectively – at Northfield in November. While each was suspended for a year, one must ask, where’s the death penalty (metaphorically speaking, of course)? It’s meth.
In West Virginia, a sample from 3-year-old Lucylou Who at Charles Town January 14 contained benzoylecgonine – the main metabolite of cocaine. Lucy’s trainer, Emanuel Geralis, declined split testing. In other words, guilty. The stewards, however, found “mitigating factors”: the small amount detected and Geralis’ relatively good record. So, they determined this was “inadvertent exposure,” with no penalties for the trainer. The horse, though, was disqualified – Lucy, shock, finished first by over six lengths – “to ensure the integrity of racing and to instill confidence in the betting public.” Unsaid (if truly inadvertent) was who exactly was doing coke around the horses.
And finally, in Louisiana, jockey Gerard Melancon was merely fined – no suspension – $500 for “striking his mount 11 times, 5 over the max” at Fair Grounds January 14. The “mount,” Easy Aces, came in 4th, “winning” 900 bucks in the process, so maybe it was all worth it (at least for the trainer and owner).
This is horseracing.
Oh dear, they seriously think they can instill confidence in the betting public…?
Well, I must say, they sure instilled confidence in me-
I’m now 100% confident that the game is forever fixed beyond repair due to the rampant cheating and drug use which, inevitably, leads to more horse breakdowns and fatalities, as well rendering the past performances almost totally useless when attempting to predict a race’s outcome.
Great job, guys.
Thanks so much, you trainers, state racing boards, and racing industry insiders – you’re doing a wonderful job of destroying your own trade. Keep up the good work.
As more and more bettors and handicappers like myself leave the racing world, and for good, [note: VERY FEW come back once they’re gone!] you’re gonna find it harder and harder to get ahold of those nice, big, fat, state subsidies you so desperately need to keep your crooked game going.
-Joe
Corruption and animal cruelty — this is so-called entertainment for some unscrupulous people and maybe some very uninformed person who is not old enough to know what goes on behind the scenes.
Inadvertently exposed to toxic chemicals causing a positive blood test for cocaine is not believable, but what does sound believable is that they are all in this corruption together and as long as there are no large numbers of people who are filing RICO Act charges against the racing Commissioners and the trainer, using the lame excuse of “inadvertently exposed” to cocaine is a way out of being accountable.
Meanwhile at the Asian Racing Conference presently being held in Melbourne, Australia they’re hoping to brand racing as a sport of the highest integrity…they sure do a fine job of having themselves on.
Gerard Melancon was also arrested last year for “unnatural stimulation of a horse”, otherwise known as shocking them. Of course – there’s been no follow up and that – and we hear crickets.
Utterly disgusting while politicians like NY Gov. Hutchul approves hundreds of millions of dollars to support this for generations to come.
It’s heartbreaking what racehorses are subjected to and it’s getting worse by the day especially now with the dwindling racehorse stock.
Worse is just a term because it’s been this way FOR YEARS.
A gambling business with so much autonomy involving animals is perfect for nefarious activity.
They make the rules, do their own investigations and act as judge and jury. It is an obvious conflict of interest. This is borne out by the arbitrary and inadequate consequences for violating these rules and laws of human decency. They need the participation of these people!
The situation is a recipe for disaster.
We see that disaster daily in the awful suffering of the unfortunate horses.
P.S. Politicians have to stop supporting racing. They are guilty of diverting tax money to perpetuate lawlessness and animal cruelty of incalculable proportions.
These poor horses. More and more and more egregious examples of how horses are sitting ducks to the miscreants who hold the horses’ lives in the palms of their hands, while holding also with the crops, the syringes, the pills, the reins. The greatest of shame to all who allow this to happen.
Given the absence of a moral compass in the archaic-minded betting public, I don’t think affirming the integrity of the racing industry is a particularly near-and-dear priority.
Well put Rebecca, you can’t “fix” ugly.
And the authorities are where??
Right, Nancy; did anybody get busted for possession of cocaine? Or, do the racing Commissioners and the local drug task force all get a piece of the “action” for trafficking in illegal drugs and/or looking the other way?