This post makes is number 1,000 since I begun this blog. Some posts have been about racing ills, some have been feel good stories, some have been about the need of change in the sport to make it more customer friendly even if it came to the detriment of horsemen. Hopefully, even if you don't agree with all my posts, you have found my worth reading.
Today's post talks about an all too familiar subject, whipping. Regardless of how you feel about whipping rules, most people will agree there is a limit to the amount of whipping in a race. Yet, in this past week's fines and suspensions list you find Hoosier Park judges taking a timid stance against whipping with two drivers, Scott B. Christner and Peter Wrenn getting fined $500 and a five day suspension for excessive whipping; so excessive that welts were noticeable to state vets after the race. You would think with the debate on whipping and animal rights, such behavior would be responded with a more severe fine and/or suspension. For a sport seeking more public good will and in attracting new comers to the sport, you would think racing officials would be stricter in enforcing the wipping rules.
Oliver Cleo lives and is well. Rumor was going through cyber-space that Oliver Cleo had died as part of some bad care alleged wrong doing by his connectIion. Well, despite those rumors Oliver Cleo is alive and well on his way to his retirement home thanks to the efforts of members of Dignity After Racing. It appears after being turned out a long period of time, Oliver Cleo was scheduled to qualify but was scratched when it became apparent his knees would not hold out so he was permanently retired. While Oliver Cleo's racing career may be over due to his injuries, a lifetime of liesurely retirementt is awaiting him. He should be reaching his permanent home shortly.
5 comments:
I agree with you about the whipping - it doesn't look good for the whole horse racing industry if they don't take these things seriously.
PG,
Thanks for posting the fines and suspensions list. Having it posted on your blog makes it more accessible--I hope you continue to post this info.
It is an extraordinarily interesting read...
Question: I had heard that following the meet at Dover, there was something like 28 positives (and the prime culprit was Afrin)...is this true?
There have been positives in NY, PA, and DE for the drug Oxymetazoline which is Afrin. Whether it was specifically, Afrin or delivered a different way I can't say. A majority of the positives were in Delaware.
As a rule, I don't post the fines and suspensions list; I posted it because I had a specific point about it. You can access this yourself by going to the USTA website and look under Horsemen and Regulatory. It gets updated every Friday.
As to where I found the list of positives for Oxymetazoline, I went to the RMTC website's recent rulings which has all racing violations. Here is the web address. http://www.rmtcnet.com/content_recentrulings.asp
I do wish to point out there are a lot of trainers who never get a positive.
Thank you.
I guess I should have been a bit clearer...what I truly liked (along with the posting) was an interpretation of the fines/suspensions.
You provided meaning.
And I get that there are those who don't get a positive...but finding about the good guys that may slip up completely by accident can fall by the wayside.
Having the list highlighted as you did in your blog is truly valuable.
Congrats on the milestone Pacingguy, I've read them all. What took so long?
Next milestone, 100,000 page views. Knowing how you got started, that will be quite the achievement.
I hope you have many more milestones to come. Continued success!
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