Now that the heat has dissipated, Steve Asmussen has re-hired Scott Blasi. His first day back was yesterday at Saratoga. For those unfamiliar (or those with short memories), this is Scott Blasi (and Asmussen’s operation): Direct quotes from Blasi: “Fuck…
Yesterday at Del Mar, two more horses were killed, bringing the “Where the Turf Meets the Surf” track’s two-day death toll to four. 5-year-old Lil Swiss Echo (trainer Vladimir Cerin) broke down in the 5th. (DRF’s Jay Privman: “Lil Swiss…
All week, I’ve been attempting – with several (unanswered) calls and voice messages – to secure kill confirmations on horses at Charles Town, Mountaineer, and Parx. As we know, transparency isn’t a hallmark of the racing industry. When a star…
In Monday’s Paulick Report, apologist Ray Paulick relays Malcolm Gladwell’s contention that performance-enhancing drugs and reconstructive surgeries for athletes should be seen in the same light. Gladwell, according to Paulick, “thinks human athletes should be permitted to use any type…
3-year-old Graded Stakes winner and 2014 Kentucky Derby entrant Intense Holiday is dead (Thursday) from post-operative laminitis. Apparently, the colt fractured his right foreleg while training for the Belmont on May 25th and underwent surgery two days later. Although he…
In advance of last weekend’s Preakness, the HSUS’ Keith Dane penned an opinion piece for The Baltimore Sun. In it, he joins a choir of thousands in decrying racing’s drug culture, calling, yawn, for a national governing body akin to…
In his latest column on ESPN, Steve Davidowitz frets over the atypically (for racing as a whole) large field size (20) for Saturday’s Kentucky Derby. More specifically, with so many horses jostling for position, Davidowitz imagines a nightmarish pileup and…
From Wayne County, NY comes word of an animal cruelty seizure involving, among others, 16 horses in various debased conditions. Wayne County Investigator Tom Littlefield (WHAM): “Faced with that [bad hay and moldy corn] the horses have nothing left to…
In an article posted on ESPN (“Of Diamonds and Ovals,” 2/15/14), professional handicapper Steve Davidowitz attempts, odiously, to bond his two favorite pastimes – baseball and horseracing. He can do this, apparently, because one, these sports began around the same…
3-year-old Chriselliam, winner of the BC Juvenile Fillies Turf in November, was euthanized Friday in England, unable to overcome a foot infection. With wisdom, owner Chris Wright reminds us that “only the good die young.” Pathetic. The racing people are…
