Santa Anita Shuts Down

[highnote]

Originally Posted by davew

I am not saying you are wrong with any of it, but they are not absolute certainties.

So no medication of any kind to a horse that has had major bleeding in the past? good feed and time, or just retire the horse from racing and convert to polo or jumping?

I'm not a vet, but the way it appears to be handled in HK is to administer medication AFTER the race, if needed. Then the horse must be cleared to race again.

HK is unique in that they only race two days per week and they only have two racetracks.

Could NYRA survive by racing only two days per week and alternating between AQU and BEL plus a summer meet at SAR?

Personally, if NYRA banned all drugs and only raced two days per week I would probably follow the racing there. The fields would be full and it would not be necessary to slave over trying to keep up with all the racing.

As it stands now, I have zero interest in U.S. racing.

[showonly]

I am not saying that all bets are off and whatever it takes to win should be the rule. I am saying that I agree that a resonable argument can be made for the abolishment of horse racing. However a reasonable argument can be made for it to continue. We can only hope to make ourselves feel comfortable with racing. The opponents of racing will not be served until it is abolished. Groups of people have elevated certain animals to near human status and have agendas with that in mind.

[Mulerider]

Originally Posted by thaskalos

I'll give you a good reason. Because the horses are just "inventory" meant to generate as big a profit as possible for the businessmen who control them...and the vast majority of these unfortunate animals are unceremoniously discarded when their money-making days are over...as if they were a worn-out deck of cards. This is a game where even Kentucky Derby winners have ended up in slaughterhouses, gentlemen...and we think that we'll ever see the day when the horse's well-being will be considered the game's #1 concern? Does it make us feel better if we keep lying to ourselves?

Well said. For every owner like Rick Porter in Kentucky I can name three like Charles Zenon and Dedrick Jones in Louisiana and elsewhere. For every Old Friends Thoroughbred Retirement Farm there are five Thompson Kill Pens and Dominiques's livestock auctions. It is a game that apparently sees no irony or self-awareness in electing a horse to the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame two years after that horse was sent to a slaughterhouse instead of being afforded a humane euthanization (Exceller).

Around 10,000 U.S. thoroughbreds are sent to their gruesome deaths in Mexican and Canadian slaughterhouses every year -- a number roughly equal to half the annual foal crop.

I would only change one word of your post, merely on a technicality, and that would be "inventory." From a business standpoint a more accurate term would be "equipment and fixtures." Generally speaking, inventory can't be depreciated for tax purposes. Equipment and fixtures and racehorses can.

[Dahossdaboss]

For Dilan

https://www.drf.com/news/hovdey-beyc...oactive-crisis

Very interesting article.

[the little guy]

Originally Posted by thaskalos

Why couldn't you read the rest? Should I simplify it for you?

You shoot from the hip with next to no ( and I'm being more than fair ) actual knowledge. How many "racing executives" are you close to? How many meetings of "racing executives" have you sat in on? How many major horse owners do you know personally? How many boards of legitimate horse rescue organizations are you involved with? What is your actual contextual knowledge of these groups? You have condemned a number of fairly large groups in totality here. Do you actually think this is fair? If so...how?

By pandering to the lowest common denominator, and this exactly what you are doing, you further people's misunderstandings of a situation that is complicated, at best. You likely don't know what these people/groups do or don't do, but you are tossing around a very serious accusation haphazardly because it suits your agenda and/or panders to certain posters here. That doesn't make it true and it certainly doesn't make it helpful.

The internet has become a cesspool of misinformation regurgitated, especially these days, at some of the highest levels. It makes it very hard for people to actually see the truth through the murk. Perhaps we can't do a lot to clear this up, but we definitely don't help when we muddy the waters even more.

[dilanesp]

Originally Posted by Dahossdaboss

For Dilan

https://www.drf.com/news/hovdey-beyc...oactive-crisis

Very interesting article.

Again, it doesn't explain WHAT proactive step would have kept us from where we are now.

There's only one that is within the control of Santa Anita, and that's a synthetic track. Everything else is the track caught between competing forces pulling both ways.

[Dahossdaboss]

Originally Posted by dilanesp

Again, it doesn't explain WHAT proactive step would have kept us from where we are now.

There's only one that is within the control of Santa Anita, and that's a synthetic track. Everything else is the track caught between competing forces pulling both ways.

Have you ever admitted on here that you are wrong? I’ve given you lots of examples of what could have been done.

You ignored my post like you ignored my post explaining what TSG did before and during the meet that led to this.

[highnote]

And yet still no one has accepted my challenge to give one good reason why horses should be given drugs pre-race on a day they are expected to race.

Lots of sidestepping around the challenge, but not ONE single reason.

That speaks volume. Plain and simply, it is wrong. If it isn't then accept my challenge and tell me why you think it's ok to give horse drugs pre-race.

[dilanesp]

Originally Posted by Dahossdaboss

Have you ever admitted on here that you are wrong? I’ve given you lots of examples of what could have been done.

You ignored my post like you ignored my post explaining what TSG did before and during the meet that led to this.

I ignored it because I am on my cell phone, and because I felt it made no serious points.

[Dahossdaboss]

Originally Posted by dilanesp

I ignored it because I am on my cell phone, and because I felt it made no serious points.

That’s convenient.

You don’t think TSG maybe made a mistake forcing out the old track super and firing Hammerle?

[bob60566]

Originally Posted by Dahossdaboss

That’s convenient.

You don’t think TSG maybe made a mistake forcing out the old track super and firing Hammerle?

I thought he stood down to let his son take his place.??

[Dahossdaboss]

Originally Posted by bob60566

I thought he stood down to let his son take his place.??

He “retired” and then went and took another job. He was forced out.

[bob60566]

Originally Posted by Dahossdaboss

He “retired” and then went and took another job. He was forced out.

Ok Did his son take his place and he went to Del Mar and one other track. Maybe he got very nice pension and still working.?

[thaskalos]

Originally Posted by the little guy

You shoot from the hip with next to no ( and I'm being more than fair ) actual knowledge. How many "racing executives" are you close to? How many meetings of "racing executives" have you sat in on? How many major horse owners do you know personally? How many boards of legitimate horse rescue organizations are you involved with? What is your actual contextual knowledge of these groups? You have condemned a number of fairly large groups in totality here. Do you actually think this is fair? If so...how?

By pandering to the lowest common denominator, and this exactly what you are doing, you further people's misunderstandings of a situation that is complicated, at best. You likely don't know what these people/groups do or don't do, but you are tossing around a very serious accusation haphazardly because it suits your agenda and/or panders to certain posters here. That doesn't make it true and it certainly doesn't make it helpful.

The internet has become a cesspool of misinformation regurgitated, especially these days, at some of the highest levels. It makes it very hard for people to actually see the truth through the murk. Perhaps we can't do a lot to clear this up, but we definitely don't help when we muddy the waters even more.

The game is floundering, TLG...and it isn't because of the "unfair criticism" hurled by people like me. In fact...I would dare say that the game would THRIVE if every horseplayer were like me. No...I don't know any big-time owners, nor am I close to any racetrack executives. But I have been a regular fixture of the Illinois racetracks for a very long time...and have consequently made plenty of "small-time" acquaintances within the game. Alas...the view of the game that they have relayed to me has been less than favorable...and I have been around long enough to get that impression myself. Yes...I suppose there is a chance that you might be right. There might be groups of powerful owners, trainers and track executives working feverishly as we speak...to bring an end to the serious problems that our game has been facing for not a few years now. But I don't feel that I have to know these people personally; I am confident that I could judge their effect within the game by the results that I see. "By their fruits ye shall know them", a very wise man once said...and the "fruits" of the labor of these supposedly well-meaning organizations have been in short supply for far too long now. I suppose we can all wait a little longer, though...

Finally, I don't have an agenda here...nor am I pandering to anyone of ANY "denominator". As a serious player for 38 years, I feel that I have the right to hold an opinion on an anonymous horse racing chat room...and I try to voice that opinion with a civil tongue. And, whether my opinion is "BS" or not, only time will tell. Yes, I shoot from the hip...because I think it would be disingenuous if we all sat around and talked, while ignoring the problems of a ship that is in obvious sinking mode. You think that I am hurting this game through my rhetoric here, and that's fine. Just as I am entitled to my opinions...you are entitled to yours. But I feel that our game would be standing on much firmer ground if ALL the horseplayers "hurt" this game as much as I have over the last 38 years.

[Tom]

We are the customers - our perception is what matters.
We owe the tracks nothing.
We owe the game nothing.

If the people who run the game would present it in a more intelligent manner than they do, we might have a better opinion of it.

I don't care what is talked about in conference rooms, I care about the product we are served at the tracks or ADW's. Nothing else.