Monday, the Coalition to End Horseracing Subsidies in New York (of which we are a part) held a virtual rally, with Edie Falco of Sopranos fame kicking it off: Representing HW, I gave the following statement: State Senator Robert Jackson,…
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)…
A couple days ago, Max Hartgraves of the Arizona Dept. of Gaming issued the following in regard to the heartrending end of Creative Plan: “The stewards interviewed multiple individuals regarding Creative Plan and determined no rule was broken surrounding this…
Clearly, I’m no Bob Baffert apologist. That said, he is, in my humble opinion, being scapegoated by the powers that be. In economic and popular decline, under unrelenting pressure from us activists, and receiving unprecedented scrutiny from the media, the…
A recent Horse Racing Nation article begins thus: “The California Horse Racing Board circled the wagons in defense of its embattled equine medical director, Dr. Jeff Blea, during its regularly scheduled monthly meeting on Thursday.” Blea, I’m sure you remember,…
In the 4th at Monmouth last August 6, Chispita finished 2nd for owner Bonnie Lucas (who also doubled as asst. trainer) and trainer Wayne Potts. Apparently, though, the 3-year-old filly suffered some sort of injury – an injury bad enough…
Jockey Mychel Sanchez was suspended by Pennsylvania officials Thursday for betting on horseracing. But here’s the kicker: He wasn’t just betting on any old race; he was betting on races he himself was in. And it’s even worse: Sanchez was…
The Racing press is celebrating – yes, that’s the right word – a decline in California fatalities last year. According to BloodHorse, the 71 deaths (it’s actually 72: see Bowies Hero) is the lowest total in California in 10 years.…
Back in November, I reported on the goings-on in Oregon, where Grants Pass owner and coffee mogul Travis Boersma is hoping to install slot machines (he calls them “Historical Racing Machines”) to prop up the state’s only remaining commercial racetrack.…
A recent column in Saratoga Today by attorney and owner William G. Gotimer Jr. shows that there are still plenty of clear-eyed folks within the racing ranks. The piece, a general assessment of the industry heading into the new year,…
A timely follow-up to yesterday’s post on the different types of racing people… At first blush, this seems a good story, and indeed the end – a horse being saved from slaughter – is. But then there’s the rest of…
I’ve come to believe that horse-racers fall into one of three categories. In the first, surely the majority, are the grinders – those who race as career, for paycheck. Whether they were raised in the industry or came to it…
