I am beginning to think that fines and suspensions are not the way to deal with medication positives, especially after seeing trainers handing their horses over to assistant trainers to run the stable. Ideally, when a trainer is suspended, they should be hurt more by their stable being split up and then have to rustle up new clients once their suspension has been served.
Some people will argue forcing some stables to be dissolved may be injuring innocent people (grooms, assistant trainers, and so) who had nothing to do with medication violations because there will be no job for them available during the suspension and when the trainer returns. Clearly giving trainers 30 to 45 day suspensions are not doing much either as after the horses are transferred, they spend most of their time often on vacation or working on the farm with some other horses.
What if we replaced 30 and 45 day suspensions with fines instead? I am not talking about $500 to,000 fines. What if the first fine was more like $5,000-$10,000? A second infraction was $20,000 and a third infraction was $50,000. Clearly we are not talking about accidental violations of a therapeutic medication approved for use being used by accident inside the withdrawal period; I am talking the use of medications not permitted.
Clearly enforced vacations are not doing the job. Maybe taking massive amounts of money out of trainers pockets will. What is the worst thing which can happen? It can't be worse than it is now.
3 comments:
I think the whole barn serves the suspension. Think of how much pressure that puts on the cheater. No income and better yet ,what owner would employee someone who would jeopardize his investment and earning potential.
I thought that the case and at one time it may have been when they published in the program who the trainer was and their assistant. In some racing states/provinces they may still enforce it but in New York, apparently there is a way to get around it.
Even if this was the case, massive fines would take care of the problem of using beards.
I meant the horses in the barn at the time of the infraction are suspended and can not race even with a trainer change.
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