Yet more black eyes for racing

Posted by noonante on September 16, 2017
Posted in: Horse Racing, Political/Social commentary. Tagged: , , , , . Leave a comment

The Sport of Kings took a couple of more hits this summer in publicized incidents that involved  —  wait for it  — illegal drug use on horses.

The most recent resulted from a YouTube video of trainer Jorge Navarro and owner Randal Gindi celebrating a win in Florida by Navarro’s brother, also a trainer.  As the horse neared the finish line, the pair were yelling “the Juice Man” and “that’s how we do it, we fuck everyone” and claiming to have pocketed $20,000 from a wager with a bookie.  (For those not conversant with common track parlance, “juice” refers to illegal drugs.)

The incident took place at a Monmouth Park bar.  The track’s stewards fined Gindi and Navarro $5,000 each for conduct “extremely detrimental to racing,” and recommended that the New Jersy’s regulatory body increase the penalty, since the stewards levied the maximum they could.

Navarro was Monmouth’s leading trainer this year with a record-breaking 65 wins, shattering the record he set last year with 59.  This year’s winning percentage was a remarkable 41%.  According to Frank Angst of BloodHorse.com, he has a history of drug positives, serving a 60-day suspension in 2011-12 in Florida, and now faces a hearing in Florida after one of his horses tested positive for cocaine.

As disturbing as this is, it was easily matched earlier this summer by a federal criminal trial in which Murray Rojas, twice the leading trainer at Penn National, was convicted of 14 felony counts for drug violations.  In trial testimony, another trainer, Stephanie Beattie, stated that she and between “95 and 98%” of other horsemen treated horses with illegal race-day medications, according to reporting by T.D. Thornton in TDN.com.

If you need more disturbing info on this, the National Horsemen’s Benevolent and Protective Association, representing their opinion of the interests of trainers and owners, provided legal support for Rojas.  According to CEO Eric Hamelback, the NHBPA did so because of their view that the United States “Department of Justice overreached on what is clearly a state regulatory issue.”

While I suppose Hamelback can be praised for supporting the sovereignty clause of the Constitution’s 10th Amendment, it seems to be a strange case on which to plant the flag.  Although in his statement he said the “court correctly found Ms. Rojas not guilty of charges related to this attempt to set a new legal precedent” on some charges, the allegations in the case, as well as the number of other individuals pleading guilty to related charges, belie his efforts to make her a sympathetic defendant.

According to the Paulick Report, Rojas was convicted on 14 of 21 felony counts covering a 12-year period.  Four veterinarians pled guilty after being confronted with allegations of backdated records and falsified records.  To overstate the obvious, we are not talking about an arguably innocent drug overage for one horse in one race.  The testimony of trainer Beattie, who became an FBI informant, was a particularly damning indictment of the racing at Penn National.

Rojas was twice the leading trainer at Penn.  Monmouth Park’s Jorge Navarro won five Monmouth training titles and twice broke the record for most wins during a meet.  His astonishing win percentage of 41% this year is one that naturally raises quite a few eyebrows.  As fellow trainer Eddie Plesa Jr. said to T.D. Thornton of TDN.com, Navarro “has a tremendous win percentage … you would have to look far and deep for anyone to say he’s that much superior to the rest of the trainers….”

That someone who’s winning percentage automatically draws suspicion of illegal drugging, and then yells in a track’s bar about juicing and “that’s how we do it” says little about either his intelligence or his commitment to the sport.  Perhaps NHBPA CEO Hamelback will determine that Navarro’s First Amendment rights warrant the expenditures of his organization’s financial resources.

As disturbing as these two instances are, even more troubling is the protective attitude of some of the industry’s top figures in dismissing allegations that the sport has a serious problem, both in reality and in perception.  A common refrain from these “leaders” is that there is no problem other than people speaking out about their perspective that there is a problem.  If they would be silent, there would no longer be an issue.

Unfortunately, there are few in the sport who, if speaking honestly, would deny that illegal drugging is a major problem.  And now we have two leading trainers who have brought that problem to the forefront  —  once again  — through a federal prosecution and shooting off one’s mouth in a public setting.

 

DACA “solution” is perfect Trump

Posted by noonante on September 7, 2017
Posted in: Political/Social commentary, Politics. Tagged: , , . Leave a comment

The approach announced Tuesday by Attorney General Sessions today on the so-called “Dreamers” is archetypical behavior by Donald Trump.  It encapsulates so many of his characteristics:  lack of leadership, failure to have a clear policy, political ineptitude, failure to keep promises, complete disregard for the less-advantaged, failure to take responsibility, passing the buck, and, let’s not forget one of his favorites, trying to screw his ever-increasing list of perceived enemies.  All that is missing is a sense of the personal corruption that imbues so much of his behavior.

DACA, of course, is the acronym for Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, a policy announced by Barack Obama to deal with a problem arising from the inability of Congress to enact legislation on immigration.  It provided an avenue for children who were brought to this country by illegal immigrant parents to remain in the here.  For many of these 800,000 “Dreamers,” America is the only country they have known.

The policy announced by the current Administration is that the program will end in six months, ostensibly to give Congress time to craft a law.  In the 24 hours following the Session announcement, our President tweeted that the Dreamers should be wrapping up their affairs so they can leave within six months.  Then he tweeted that he may revisit his policy if Congress doesn’t act within six months.  You figure out what his position is.

That our President announces inherent and conflicting policies on Twitter is not new.  He is someone for whom the 140-character limit is not a restraint on his deepest thoughts.  But this roll-out is so typical of his presidency and its many failings.

First, there is no leadership.  Not only do we not know what the actual policy is, but he abdicates responsibility for it by kicking it to Congress.  It is reminiscent of his being the last person in America to realize health care is “so complicated,” and then deferring to Congress.  Of course, someone born with the proverbial spoon may not ever had to confront an actual health care bill that someone else did not pay.

Second, and again as with Obamacare, there is no regard for the hundreds of thousands of people who will be affected by the chaos created through either callousness or ineptitude.  Neither the millions losing health care nor the hundreds of thousands losing their home particularly care whether the President’s views are caused by hostility to them or just blatant incompetence.

Then we have the betrayal of campaign promises  —  again a similarity with his actions on health care.  Trumpcare was never going to be better and less expensive than Obamacare, although there is no evidence he even knew what the components of the Congressional plans would be.  (In fairness, when you have to fixate on Arnold Schwarzenegger’s ratings, there is less time to stay informed on policy details.)  When he said the Dreamers “have nothing to worry about,” that apparently did not include his efforts to deport them.

Fourth, there is the dumping on Congress responsibility for solving a long-simmering problem in a short time-span.  I realize that for those Trump supporters not motivated by racist and bigoted policies, upending the established order in Washington was a major appeal.  It’s hard not to agree, and immigration policy is as good an example of congressional dysfunction as exists.  But the goal should be to reach solutions, not exacerbate the dysfunction.  Throwing this on Congress’ lap when they are dealing with funding relief for Harvey (and, presumably, Irma), when there are fights over the debt limit and the budget can hardly be described as a sage move.

One suspects, however, that Trump is less concerned with getting things accomplished than lining up who can be blamed when things do not work out.  We know he will not take responsibility for anything going wrong because he never has.

But now he can even the score with the Congressional leadership who he believes has not kowtowed to him, particularly on Russia.  And he made Jeff Sessions announce the unpopular policy, speaking of someone who did not kowtow on Russia.  Although, I suspect Sessions thrilled at announcing a policy that was in his wheelhouse, embracing the xenophobia and bigotry that are so close to his heart.

The bottom line is that we have a President who is afraid to announce a major policy that he supposedly embraces, and is leaving others to clean up the mess.  Hopefully, he will not act similarly on North Korea now that he must be aware that China is not willing to be his surrogate.

 

NY response to Spa deaths is PR nonsense

Posted by noonante on August 23, 2017
Posted in: Horse Racing, Political/Social commentary, Saratoga thoughts. Tagged: , , , . Leave a comment

Saratoga Race Course has witnessed a disturbing number of equine fatalities this meet.  Since racing began on July 21, eight horses have had catastrophic breakdowns while racing, and seven six more died while training in the morning.  It has been the cause of considerable consternation on the back stretches, and among fans and the media.

On Monday, the New York State Gaming Commission and the New York Racing Association issued a press release announcing they were “implementing additional actions immediately” at the track to address the health and safety concerns.  The release was five pages long (single-spaced), apparently in an attempt to convince the public that serious attempts were being made to address a crisis in public confidence.

It announced one new action being taken by the bodies responsible for the conduct of racing:  an additional veterinarian was going to be assigned to the track during training hours, “doubling” the number of vets who witness the morning training conducted on two tracks.

I must admit that I do not know if having a vet present during training is a good idea, but I assume it must be.  If that is the case, why has it taken the Gaming Commission and NYRA so long to take this step?  If you have been to the main track and the Oklahoma training track in the morning, you know that one person could not cover both facilities.

The only other new action being taken is the decision by the National Steeplechase Association —  not the Commission or NYRA  —  to ban apprentice riders from steeplechase events at both Saratoga and Belmont.  That decision was announced in a one-sentence policy announcement by that organization with no explanation or rationale.  That it applies only in New York indicates that this it is a panicked reaction to create the inaccurate impression that something is being done.

All the other “additional measures” are steps that have already been taken, which is not to diminish their significance.  The press release was reminiscent of one of my efforts in college to throw together a bunch of unrelated topics for a term paper under the sophomoric view that the professor would not recognize bullshit when he saw it.

The cause of fatalities is a complicated one, and there are many possible explanations ranging from track conditions to undetected physical issues to irresponsible use of drugs.  New York has implemented a number of steps in recent years to enhance the safety and welfare of horses.  Dr. Scott Palmer, New York’s Equine Medical Director, chaired a Task Force in 2012 that produced a landmark report identifying a number of steps that should be taken to improve the health and safety of both equine and human athletes.

Dr. Palmer also chaired a group that reported on 2014 Saratoga fatalities, recommending additional steps to enhance safety.  My memory is that the Gaming Commission reported that he was writing another report of 2016 fatalities, but the Gaming Commission has refused to answer my questions about whether there is such a report.  The Monday press release states that another investigation is being conducted on this year’s breakdowns, but the Commission refused to answer my questions about whether that would generate a report.

There is little secret in why the Gaming Commission and NYRA issued this press release now.  The Travers is the signature event of New York’s summer racing.  Media outlets that care little about digging into a complicated story will relish reporting on the number of fatalities, because that is simple.

But putting out a release trumpeting “immediate” and “additional” steps that are neither, undermines the credibility of New York racing, particularly when the claims can be so easily debunked.  As Rick Violette, Jr., President of the New York Thoroughbred Horsemen’s Association, said:  “The litany of programs and initiatives and safety measures are only impressive when they work.”

 

Time for NYRA to end “Fabulous Fillies” foolishness

Posted by noonante on August 9, 2017
Posted in: Horse Racing, Political/Social commentary, Politics. Tagged: , , , , . 1 Comment

The New York Racing Association is holding its annual exercise in lip-service to women with its “Fabulous Fillies Day” at Saratoga on Thursday.  You know the drill: pink is the couleur du jour, and attention is supposedly paid to heightening awareness of the dangers of breast cancer.

Increasing cancer awareness among the general populace is a worthy goal.  If New York’s agencies governing racing wished to make a real contribution, however, they might take a close look at how they value the contributions of women when it comes to positions of responsibility in horse racing.

The New York Racing Association that is holding the “Fabulous Fillies” event has a 17-member Board of Directors  —  one is a woman.  There has never been more than one woman on the Board since NYRA was taken over by Governor Andrew Cuomo in 2012.  While there was some publicity about NYRA being returned to private control this year, the reality is that the “private” board is the same as the prior Board controlled by the state government.  Not a single new person was named, and the appointment process was controlled by the Governor.

NYRA’s reliance on white men is not confined to the Board.  Of the 12 “Senior Executives” at NYRA, only two are women:  the “Chief Experience Officer” and the Controller.

The government agencies with oversight responsibility for NYRA continue the pattern.  The State Gaming Commission’s five members, as well as the Executive Director, are all men.  The five-member Franchise Oversight Board has one woman.  The members of both agencies consist solely of government appointments.

For those keeping score at home, that means of the 40 top-level positions controlling racing in New York, only four are occupied by women.

It’s not as if women are not prominent figures in thoroughbred racing.  They muck out stalls, ride horses during morning training hours, and are assistant trainers, trainers, jockeys, veterinarians, owners and breeders.  Women have prominent positions nationally in racing organizations.

In New York, the Thoroughbred Horsemen’s Association has a woman as Executive Director and three members of its 11-member Board are women.  The 11-member New York Thoroughbred Breeders Board includes five women.  Both groups elect their boards, so it is clear that their members recognize that women are more than “fillies” who can be ignored when it comes to decision-making.

Of course, even referring to women as “fillies” is dismissive and demeaning.  If NYRA were to promote prostate cancer screening, it is hard to believe they would come up with a “Stunning Stallions” promotion.

 

 

How you Make America Great Again

Posted by noonante on May 30, 2017
Posted in: Political/Social commentary, Politics. Tagged: , , . 3 Comments

How you Make America Great Again:

  1. Divulge classified information concerning ISIS to the Russian Foreign Minister;
  2.   While in Israel, disclose  –  without prompting  –  that Israel was the source of the info, presumably pissing off Israeli intelligence;
  3. Be upbraided publicly by the UK’s Prime Minister for US’ disclosing information about the Manchester terror attack;
  4. Be ridiculed by France’s President in which, among other things, he groups you with authoritarian dictators Vladimir Putin and Recep Tayyip Erdogan;
  5. Have Germany’s Chancellor publicly state that US cannot be counted on.

This is mostly from foreign trip that, needless to say, the Trump Administration characterized as a great success.