Sunday, July 20, 2008

The tragic, unfortunate and the clueless

After having taken of few days off before the annual pilgrimage to the Spa, returned to news of funeral plans for Luke Kruytbosch, who was not only an extreemely talented race caller but a genuinely nice man and disturbing reports of the dismissal of Larry Stewart and Bob Mieszerski by the Los Angeles Times, which leaves at most three full-time racing writers remaining in the employ of American general-circulation daily newspapers, to find this really bizarre juxtaposition: The newly-formed Horseplayer’s Association of North America, which follows on the heels of the Self-Appointed Horseplayer’s Committee in what shows signs of becoming a grass-roots movement with legs, issued a thoughtful and thorough statement on its website listing goals, concerns and priorities.

The New York Racing Association, on the other hand, has taken it upon itself to form its own horseplayers’ (they're called "fans" by NYRA) organization, which clearly illustrates contempt for the bettor with an overt insult to the collective intelligence of its customers.

Now, racing fan, you might consider membership in NYRA Nation, perhaps the most egregious insult ever of the North American horseplayer. Oh, sorry, they’re calling this a fan club.

Annotated news release:

NYRA Nation, a free club for fans of the New York Racing Association’s tracks, will hope to unite fans of Saratoga Race Course, Belmont Park and Aqueduct through their love of Thoroughbred racing’s greatest circuit. (Isn’t that special? Last time I checked, NYRA was widely despised and not unjustly. Aren’t these the same people who brought you raw sewage and mass public elimination of waste on Belmont Stakes day? And who in this organization is arrogant and self-important (delusional?) enough to come up with the term: NYRA Nation?)

Enrollment into NYRA Nation is free and easy, as members will be able sign up on-track at Saratoga or by simply going online to NYRA.com once the Saratoga meet has started. (Unlike the new glass VIP facility, where the poor people get to see the rich folk drink and eat, which is $15,000.)

Among the items NYRA Nation Members will receive are:

NYRA Nation membership card. (Will it have a blank that says, “First …Last … Middle?”).

NYRA Nation Lapel Pin for on-track sign-ups only. (NYRA’s version of the pocket protector and cheaper than the secret decoder ring.)

NYRA Nation welcome letter from NYRA President Charlie Hayward. (In the mail, or does Charlie deliver both letters personally?)

Discounts on items at the official NYRA store. (Nothing says 'I'm alive in the pick-six' like a NYRA umbrella)

Subscription to On The Lead, NYRA's monthly e-mail newsletter. (The Mensa journal of New York racing)

Automatic entry into random drawings to win a VIP Day at the Races, NYRA Gift Packages, and much more. (Hey, they’re gamblers.)

The Horseplayers Association of North America has other things in mind: No need for annotation to the statement of its site.

Goals

Our immediate goal is to recruit as many members as soon as possible. The first step was the construction of this website; initially funded by a group of concerned members of the Paceadvantage.com racing forum.

To continually encourage participation in HANA, our founding principles are:

1) Membership will always be free and never require more information than a valid e-mail address to participate.

2) Ideas and opinions will always be welcome, and we will attempt to respond to every productive e-mail we receive.

3) Operating funds required for advertising, off-line communication, etc., will be voluntary, and a full open accounting will be provided to members quarterly.

4) Anyone wishing to expand their support and/or involvement will be able to engage individual staff directly.

5) Keep membership advised of organizational developments as frequently as possible.

6) Survey membership regularly to keep our goals and priorities in alignment.

Upon achieving our immediate goals, we will pursue tasks including:

1) Maintain a ranking of horseplayer-friendly tracks for wagering consumers.

2) Continue to inform horseplayers of the problems that exist within the industry, and formulate strategies for addressing them.

3) Petition the various Other Industry StakeHolders (OISH)

4) Establish a dialogue with OISH

5) Report progress/problems in addressing HANA’s concerns with OISH

6) Exert collective influence as appropriate.

7) Encourage increased participation in the game as well as increased handle through horseplayer-friendly treatment

8) Support the establishment of a central governing authority over the racing industry that includes direct horseplayer representation.

The following sequence of issues reflects HANA's current priorities:

1) Effect a reduction in direct takeout to uniformly lower levels at all tracks or else allow ADWs and tracks to rebate competitively.

2) Make it possible for every in-home bettor to bet all tracks from a single account at his ADW vendor of choice.

3) Support the institution of uniform rules of racing including medication use policy.

4) Establish a central governing authority for the industry to effect uniformity of rules and their enforcement, to ensure cooperation among tracks, and to create and maintain a customer-friendly environment for both offtrack and ontrack bettors.

5) Institute IRS withholding reform

6) Maximize the number of races that can be viewed "live" without conflicts.

7) Incentivize breeders to emphasize soundness and stamina over speed and precocity.

8) Provide the public with greater transparency regarding the physical status of each entrant.

9) Eliminate the arcane practice of breakage.

10) Promote an overhaul of the parimutuel systems employed to ensure the integrity of the pools.

See what I mean?




Check out Paul Moran on Blogspot At the Races

Sunday, July 13, 2008

Aquatoga—no, really

Curlin’s turf debut in Saturday’s Man o’ War at Belmont and a handful of races in Delaware, Florida and California the only thing diverting attention from the annual pilgrimage to Saratoga Springs, where adult summer camp opens in less than a fortnight.

In addition to a good deal of uncertainty surrounding the 36-day stand at the Spa, most of this having to do with the economy, which coupled with gasoline prices appears destined to result in fewer horseplaying vacationers in upstate New York, the summer meeting is a bit different this year, specifically the third week.

There appears to be a surplus of rental accommodations and unreserved hotel rooms, which suggests a widely spread downsizing of travel plans to what is a famously overpriced destination. For those still Spa-bound, the meeting’s third week is a good one to avoid if racing is the focal point of the trip.

This is most assuredly unSpa-like. During the entire week that begins on Aug. 6 and ends on the 11th there is not one graded stakes that will be run on the flat. Surrounding the A.P. Smithwick, a Grade 2 over hurdles, the entire week is given over to New York-breds and pair of ungraded open stakes – two days on which New York Stallion Stakes are billed as loosely termed “features,” the restricted Yaddo and West Point Handicaps, which anchor the Saturday and Sunday programs, and two $80,000 open races, the Waya and Troy on Friday and Monday respectively, inevitably stakes in name only.

This would be a pretty strong lineup of races in February, but this may be the competitive low point in quality of Saratoga racing history.

Until now, it was impossible to book a week’s stay at Saratoga and see not one race of consequence. But while the five other weekends of the meeting are typically well-larded with important races, the third week of Saratoga ’08 in no way merits the expenditure required of a week under the elms. The hotels are still $300-a-night and up, $50 in tips will still get a good – ok, not so good, but still in the building -- table for lunch at the track where the foot-long chili dog with cheese will set you back $15.95 on top of the seating charge, the cheapest glass of wine at Mrs. London’s is $15, a can of beer in the backyard at Siro’s is still $8 and the dinner tab comes with a defibrillator, the best race you might see is the Yaddo Handicap and then -- you get to go back to your job.

Thanks for coming.




Check out Paul Moran on Blogspot At the Races

Sunday, June 29, 2008

Tarnishing the image with both hands

Have we had enough yet?

A horse trained by Rick Dutrow, the Darth Vader of racing, tests positive for twice the prescribed limit of clenbuterol in Kentucky.

A Steve Asmussen-trained horse tests positive for lidocaine in Texas.

Jeremy Rose slashes a mare across the eye in a race at Delaware Park and is suspended for six months. Rose, known for his punishing whip, claims it was an accident. Yeah, right.

If Rose raised the ire of animal rights activists, and he most certainly got their attention in the current climate, Dutrow and Asmussen emerge as examples of exactly why the sport is in such dire straits. Is anyone playing by the rules? Apparently not the trainer of the Kentucky Derby and Preakness winner or the man with what is currently considered the best horse in the world in his care.

A trainer with Dutrow’s long history of transgression – 72 individual rulings and at least one medication violation in each of the last eight years -- in a more reasonable world, would no longer be licensed to train horses involved in races on which pari-mutuel wagering is conducted. He is, quite simply, an embarrassment, a man who would extol the beneficial properties of anabolic steroids in the weeks before his star example of the power of Winstrol became perhaps the greatest train wreck in the history of the Triple Crown and in one week failed to appear when summoned to testify before a Congressional committee and was suspended for a ridiculously lenient 15 days by the Kentucky Racing Authority. Asmussen only last year served a long suspension for a medication violation and Racing Commissioners International shows a total of 74 rulings against the trainer of Curlin, two more than Dutrow.


These are the most high-profile names in racing at the moment – a moment in which there is much breast-beating, reflection, accusation and examination in progress with the sport’s underside exposed and vulnerable.

While thousands of people make a living at this sport while working hard and playing by the rules, their stories and accomplishments go unnoticed while rogues are wildly enriched.

The stories that have drawn the widest attention in the span of a year were those of two dead horses – Barbaro and Eight Belles – injured on national television with a large part of the audience made up of casual observers, those who could be drawn to deeper interest but are instead left horrified. The horse at the center of the story that dominated the recent Triple Crown – the sport’s single most powerful marketing vehicle – was overshadowed by his trainer’s history of habitual transgression, outspoken support for a substance it is generally agreed will be illegal in every jurisdiction by year’s end and a group of owners with sketchy backgrounds. Throw Asmussen, Jeremy Rose and perhaps Patrick Biancone, who was evicted from Europe and Hong Kong before moving to the United States and is on long sabbatical after the discovery of cobra venom in his barn at Keeneland last year. Racing is having a hell of a year.

The current malaise will not lighten until there is an imposition of accountability, proper and reasonable punishment of offenses, a ban of all race-day medication and a zero tolerance policy enforced vigorously in ever jurisdiction by a central – or, if necessary, federal authority. You asked for it.




Check out Paul Moran on Blogspot At the Races