Michael Dubb has sat on the New York Racing Association board since 2008. Fabulously wealthy, he is also a top Thoroughbred owner. A quick read of his bio on the NYRA website reveals that Dubb is clearly proud of his philanthropic endeavors – children’s causes, primarily. But how about the horses on which he has “earned” almost $22M? Well, I found this quote from a NYRA 2018 profile:
“I look at each horse I own as an individual investment. But I look at all the horses I own as a stock portfolio. Underperformers are moved along; there is a constant push to upgrade the portfolio.”
“Investment”
“Stock Portfolio”
“Underperformers Moved Along”
Hmm. Doesn’t quite jibe with “love ’em like children” and “members of the family,” does it?
Moved along to slaughter houses. My TB was “moved along” from Utah, to Florida, to Ohio, to Pennsylvania all by the age of 2 1/2. Last stop would’ve been the slaughter house if it weren’t for a fairly ethical trainer by horseracing standards who gave the horse to me for the price of castration. I know others can but I can’t find words to express my anger and disgust for the racing industry.
Elizabeth, the words that I find to express my anger and disgust about the horse racing industry are mostly, if not all, expletives that some people would say, “my ears are not trash cans and I don’t want to hear that garbage” so I don’t express my anger all that much on this platform.
Dubb started out with Rudi Rodriguez and claimers. He has come a long way.
I wonder where his under-performers wind up ?
He focuses his philanthropy on children because that is good PR for him.
He is a shrewd NY developer with a profitable “portfolio” of horses. The fact that they are sentient beings that are abused and suffer does not concern him.
Rose, I agree. Indifference to suffering is a character flaw. I’ve never seen anyone who cares about children act callously and cruelly to animals. My guess is that you are right: all PR to make him look like a good guy.
Teresa, it’s not a guess — it’s a fact. It’s the most phoniest stunt to make it look like they are “good people” when they are doing this other filthy evil thing and trying to hide the fact that racing is evil. Oh, how can the “Sport of Kings” be evil…?! Tsk-tsk…
Five years have transpired since that posted quote and he’s as nasty an owner as ever. Only difference now is more casual observers are taking note and speaking out against him (not that it does any good). Unfortunately, egos that large can’t be contained and it’s his “move along” portfolio paying the price. One of the absolute creeps in the racing business.
Sadly – 99.9% are creeps in this business.
And I can honestly say, in all my years on the track, I NEVER heard anyone say they love them like family. In fact, I heard the opposite. They aren’t pets, they aren’t show ponies, then I heard, “rats”, “pigs”, “donkeys” with a whole lot of profane words added into that.
Doesn’t quite jibe? – it never does.
This guy should be the poster boy on why horseracing is evil.
There are so many poster boys for
“WHY HORSERACING IS EVIL” that it is appropriate to ask “where do you start?” seriously!!! This person’s DOCUMENTED PROFILE stands out, of course.
If there were going to be a literal poster posted on a billboard, for example, it would be TOUGH to cram ALL of the “poster boys” on just one poster.
#HorseracingIsAnimalCruelty
I totally agree!
In 2018, Dubb (and his trainer, convicted horse-drugger Jason Servis) “moved along” his “underperformer” Reed Kan. Dubb/Servis raced the bay ridgling with a 50K tag on his head on October 12 but no one claimed him. 16 days later, they dropped him into a 25K claimer and were successful in getting him off their books.
Reed Kan was killed racing at Belmont this past May.
https://horseracingwrongs.org/2023/05/13/reed-kan-killed-at-belmont-today/