Some miscellaneous notes…
According to the stewards at Delaware, 3-year-old Ojitos Bellos was “lame in the post parade” Oct 5 and subsequently scratched by the regulatory vet. Meaning, Ojitos’ exploiter, Mario Serey, had every intention of running her out there – again, while lame.
As previously relayed, all relevant racing metrics – racedays, races, horses per race, the “foal crop,” attendance, and handle – are in steep decline, and have been for some time now (here, here). To further illustrate, consider the 7th at “Belmont at The Big A [Aqueduct]” Sunday. In this stakes race, the field was two. Yes, two horses.
In England, 6-year-old I Like To Move It was killed in a steeplechase Sunday. Said owner Jamie Shepperd, apparently oblivious to his own complicity: “He’ll be sadly missed. He really did take us on a journey and it’s just so strange to think we won’t see him again.”
And finally, this Daily Herald photo piece on the demolition of the once-renowned Arlington Park. Progress…
Any chance any of the news channels, Dateline, 20 20, 60 minutes, would cover some of your posts?
Can horseracing fans blame any of this decline on “Bidenomics”? No, not rightfully so, because this decline started in the 1980s before anyone had a clue that Joe Biden would ever become President of the United States, or that he would have a hand in the “mega-inflation” that we are experiencing during this period in time.
The end of the corporate welfare to horseracing cannot come soon enough.
Wanda,
While occasionally some posters on this site will bring up politics, I would like to remind everyone that regardless of one’s political leanings, conservative or liberal, Republican or Democrat, one should NOT immediately attribute anything good -or bad – to a politician’s party of choice. Instead, let them show you how they truly feel about horse racing before you judge.
Bidenomics, Trumpenomics, Obamanomics, Reaganomics – to coin a flurry of phrases- are all irrelevant.
Case in point: NY governor Kathy Hochul – a Democrat, is probably the worst enemy HW and, for that matter, anyone who cares about horses ever had.
Conversely, case in point: Mario Cuomo, ALSO a Democrat, who was governor of New York back when I was actively betting on the races, HATED horse racing and everyone involved in it, and did his level best to sabotage the ‘sport’ every chance he got. Naturally, as a bettor, we all despised him, but, in reality, he WAS a true friend to the horses!
Now, what do these two politicians -both Democrats, with 180o opposite points of view -and, I might add – almost ALL politicians, have in common?
Simple.
They’re driven by money. Plain and simple.
By and large, they do NOT give a rosy rat’s a** about anything other than: a) money; and b) getting re-elected. Anyone on this site, who truly cares about horses, should never, ever support Kathy Hochul ever again, or for that matter, ANY politician, Republican or Democrat, who shows that he/she is no friend to the horses.
-Joe
There were certain Assembly Members in New York State who were working to pass legislation to get the Video Lottery Terminal payments to horseracing stopped and redirected to other things such as education.
It was looking hopeful until Gov. Hochul threw a monkey wrench into that legislation. The $455 Million State-backed Bond Loan to the New York Racing Association makes it so that the legislators cannot terminate those Video Lottery Terminal payments to horseracing. I believe the amount is in the ballpark of $230 Million per year.
It sickens me to think about the rich people getting so much money from purse money and gambling bets at the risk of the racehorses’ lives due in part to the money that should be going to supporting the educating of young people.
If the original subsidies/VLT payments (and the other sources of NYS bankrolling to horseracing) were stopped to horseracing, the whining and complaining of rich people such as Mike Repole (and certain others that have a problem with Bob Baffert being banned from training at Churchill Downs for the Kentucky Derby) would become whining and complaining that the government terminated their corporate welfare.
My point about Mike Repole is that he complains about having to answer to a higher authority than himself. He wants to break all the rules that allegedly protect racehorses from even more breakdowns than already have occured.
He complains that he was not allowed to run a colt with a bruised foot/hoof (FORTE) in the 2023 Kentucky Derby or the Preakness Stakes. He doesn’t want to answer to the horseracing Commissioners; he wants the Commissioners to answer to him.
Can you imagine the rich owners of the horses making their own rules?
Can you imagine what a fiasco it would be with Mike Repole telling the other rich owners that “only he may break all the rules — what rules — and win”?
It sounds so ridiculous that it’s laughable in some ways.
Horseracing is already so corrupt. Could it possibly get worse?
Wanda. I am very concerned about Forte and White Abarrio. They are practicing for the next big race and both have feet issues. Like being fixed with super glue.
Nancy, I’d be very surprised if a regulatory Veterinarian refused to let these die-hard horse-abusing, horse-doping, horse-killing people run these horses to their catastrophic breakdown.
I would expect Pletcher to say that the horse in question is “happy” because that’s what he said about FORTE prior to the Preakness. I was glad when Repole and Pletcher were not allowed to run him in the Preakness.
I Like To Move It broke near foreleg after jump. He was running with the leader at that point. So did the owner witness the final breathe before they shot the horse he’ll miss OR was he on the stout bar lamenting?
I bet you dollars to dog dirt if you showed him a photo of his horse mixed in with a bunch of other photos of random horses he wouldn’t be able to pick his out.