NYRA’s summer and the future

Posted by noonante on July 6, 2014
Posted in: Horse Racing, Political/Social commentary, Politics. Tagged: , , , , , , . Leave a comment

The New York Racing Associations has announced scheduling changes for the Saratoga meeting beginning on July 18.  Among the differences from last year:

  • A small reduction in the number of races, with only nine flat races carded for Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays;
  • Steeplechases on both Wednesdays and Thursdays, with the post for those events being 12:25;
  • Loading up the card for Whitney Day, August 2, by moving two Grade I races, the Test and the Alfred G. Vanderbilt, to that Saturday.

I think the first two changes are positive, although there are some who prefer longer programs.  I realize you are not being handcuffed to a seat to prevent you from leaving before the nightcap, but my personal preference is for fewer races, hopefully producing better quality racing.  Increasing the days on which there are steeplechases will appeal to fans of the jumps, and by making the post time 35 minutes before the standard 1:00, those who do not care for the events won’t be bothered (and the earlier race will not factor into the pick 5).  NYRA is to be credited with coming up with these changes that I think should only be viewed positively.

Loading up the Whitney card by moving two grade I’s from other days is an effort to repeat the increased handle that NYRA believes resulted from a similar approach on Belmont Stakes Day, when they moved Grade I’s from Memorial Day to have a card with six Grade I’s as well as four other stakes.  Martin Panza, the senior vice president for racing, was quoted by Thoroughbred Daily News as saying, “Instead of handling $40 million, we hope to be handling $80 million.  We hope … 50,000 people show up….”

This notion of creating “big” days as a way of enhancing attendance and handle, as well as attracting new fans, is one of the innovations by NYRA this year.  My view is that 100,000 showed up on Belmont Stakes Day not because there were six Grade I’s, but because California Chrome was going for the Triple Crown.  NYRA’s stated purpose in moving three Grade I’s from Memorial Day was to give Belmont Stakes Day insurance against the Crown not being at issue.  I would hazard a guess that at least half the crowd that day had no idea what a Grade I is. The increased handle, on the other hand, very likely was the result of one of this year’s most enticing race cards.  It undoubtedly came at the expense, however, of what I surmise was a seriously lower handle on Memorial Day.

So NYRA’s theory as espoused by Panza will be put to the test on this year’s Whitney day.  My prediction is that the attendance will be about what it was last year, despite what I anticipate to be a heavy marketing campaign by NYRA.

Speaking of attendance, I was at Belmont on Saturday and Sunday two weekends ago.  Both days were absolutely perfect early summer days.  On Saturday, 6,060 other fans joined me; Sunday’s crowd was 5,414.  By contrast, Monmouth Park attracted 40 percent more people over the weekend.  Even Suffolk Downs, cozily nestled between huge oil storage tanks and train tracks in East Boston, attracted a Saturday crowd that was more than half of Belmont’s.  The Monmouth cards did not come even close to approaching the quality of NYRA’s offerings  –  and we need not go into the “quality” offered by Suffolk, a track that may well be on its last legs.

Even more significantly, this weekend’s heavily touted “Stars and Stripes Day” drew a mere 11,118 for a terrific card of racing featuring two Grade I turf races and the Dwyer and Suburban.  Now I realize that Andy Serling works for NYRA, but when he mentioned the “great crowd” as I was looking at tens of thousands of empty seats, I had to wonder if working for NYRA comes at the expense of any pretense of integrity.

The Belmont numbers are not atypical.  They do, however, point to a significant issue concerning the future direction of racing in New York state.  With the exception of Saratoga and Belmont Stakes Day, attendance at New York’s tracks rarely hits five figures.  New York’s handle, from all sources, nonetheless accounts for 20 per cent of all wagers on thoroughbreds in the country.  It may not matter, then, what on-track attendance is when that amount of handle is being generated.  At the very least, however, it is a conversation worth having, particularly since the closing of NYRA’s other down-state track, Aqueduct, is frequently raised.

It is not the only subject worth discussing about New York’s future.  The Governor’s top racing figures have openly mentioned removing revenues from Video Lottery Terminals that currently go to the thoroughbred purses.  The legislation creating the current state-controlled NYRA expires a little over a year from now, and a recommendation on the future structure of NYRA must be filed in less than 10 months.

In addition, there are industry-wide issues that need to be addressed.  Tom LaMarra recently wrote in BloodHorse.com about the significant drop in both recent foal crops and the number of owners. Yet there is not even a peep from NYRA’s so-called leaders talking about these issues.  Chairman of the Board David Skorton rarely says anything about the future of the racing and breeding industries in New York.  He came to the job almost two years ago with neither a background in racing nor any knowledge of it.  I am not sure he has ever been to a horse race.  His pick for NYRA’s CEO, Chris Kay, similarly has no racing background.  At least he had been to a race, albeit 40 years before his appointment.  While his pre-Saratoga press conference demonstrated his knowledge of the eligibility for a free scoop of ice cream at the Spa’s traditional open house on July 13, the next interesting thing he says about the direction of the racing and breeding industries will be his first.

New York should be a national leader in the racing, particularly given the dramatic decline of Churchill Downs as either a racing venue or voice for the industry.  Neither Skorton nor Kay has demonstrated any aptitude  –  or interest  –  in assuming that role.  The NYRA Board that has 11 government-appointed members out of 16, is as useless an entity as exists in racing.  Its last meeting  –  the only one it will have over a six-month period  –  lasted all of 56 minutes, except for an executive session, even though it is facing these significant issues.

According to The Saratogian, Board member Charles Wait said that the preliminary report on returning NYRA to a non-government controlled entity is expected in August.  It is a report that should be made public in order to encourage a much-needed discussion about the future of NYRA.

If past performances are any indication, however, NYRA will refuse to release it.  It’s not as though a Board consisting entirely of older white men could not use some input that the 30,000 people dependent on the racing and breeding industries might have.  Last time I looked, “older white men” is the only demographic amply represented by racing patrons, a concern that should be paramount to an organization that is purportedly interested in expanding its fan base.

Will NYRA address concerns about Belmont fan experience?

Posted by noonante on June 13, 2014
Posted in: Horse Racing, Political/Social commentary. Tagged: , , . 2 Comments

It’s now been a week since the running of the Belmont Stakes. The handle broke records, attendance was the third-highest in history, and the racing was superb.  But the experience of many fans attending the event appears to have been sub-par, if not dismal.  Yet the only response I have seen from the New York Racing Association is to blame the Long Island Rail Road for not scheduling enough trains to accommodate departing fans.

I did not attend the event, but based on accounts from reliable sources, NYRA’s preparation was woefully inadequate to handle the 100,000 who showed up, even though that same NYRA had been working all year on attracting such a crowd.  Among the reported complaints:

  • People paying in advance for parking showed up only to be told the lot was full and they were on their own;
  • Those paying for reserved seats found the seats occupied, with the ushers not removing the poachers;
  • Lines for food and beverages were quite long  –  before they ran out of food, water and beer;
  • Food quality was less than last year’s because some vendors did not appear this year because of their unwillingness to pay NYRA’s increased fees;
  • Long betting lines;
  • Long waiting lines for restrooms, particularly those for women, some of whom ended up in a men’s room;
  • Insufficient wi-fi and cell service;
  • Chaos in the parking lots as patrons sought to leave;
  • Unlit parking lots that had some fearing for their safety;
  • Ridiculously long waits for trains for those who did not drive;
  • Piles of rubbish and garbage for those who showed up for the Sunday card.

Now, no sensible person shows up at event of any kind where 100,000 are expected without anticipating some inconvenience, even in a facility as large as Belmont Park.  But,I’ve been to numerous such racing events, including the Kentucky Derby and the Breeders’ Cup, without experiencing or witnessing a comparable list of problems.

None of these problems, however, require a rocket science to both anticipate and address.  It would be one thing if the crowd was unexpected, but NYRA has worked all year at enticing a large crowd even if a Triple Crown was not on the line  –  the reason for carding ten stakes races.  NYRA’s CEO Chris Kay was hired despite a lack of any experience in racing, but supposedly brought management expertise.  Since he has started, his mantra has been enhancing the experience of NYRA’s “guests”  –  as he likes to call them.  None of the reported deficiencies require knowledge of racing, but rather some awareness of customer service and common sense.

But what is more troubling than negative experiences by fans who responded to NYRA’s invitation is that NYRA has yet to address them  –  other than blaming someone else.  I do not know if any of the complaints are true.  I fear that NYRA’s lack of a comprehensive response means that Chris Kay either does not know or does not care.

I arrived late for the March meeting of the Board of Directors to hear Chris Kay announce, “Birds have no place in our building.”  I thought it was quite amusing, not knowing that the context was an article in the Daily News reporting the presence of birds inside Aqueduct.  Kay apologized for any inconvenience experienced by “guests.”  NYRA also issued a statement  to the Daily News following the Belmont in which they promised to work “quickly with LIRR officials” to prevent future problems.  There was no mention, as reported by the Daily News, of any other issues.

Perhaps NYRA only addresses problems when they are raised by the mainstream media.  But there are responsible, fair-minded and respected journalists covering racing who reported many of the above issues.  Teresa Genaro wrote in Forbes.com, Alan Mann in Left at the Gate and Joe Clancy in This is Horse Racing.  (Clancy and his family missed their train at Penn Station that departed four hours after the Belmont, and had an unanticipated “guest experience” in a NYC hotel.)  While it may be easier for NYRA to respond to questions only raised by a too-often superficial news outlet, if “enhancing the guest experience” is truly important to them, they would address any credible critique.

But even if NYRA does not want to credit credible journalists, what is their analysis of this year’s Belmont experience?  Were they cloistered with the high rollers in the club house, or did they walk through the grandstand to determine for themselves what was going on?  If they could dispute any of the complaints, one would think they would have already done so.  If they were investigating the complaints, one would think they would say so.

The Daily News reported that neither Chris Kay nor the newly-hired “Chief Experience Officer” showed up in their offices at Belmont on Sunday.  They may have been resting on what they believe to be their laurels, but it sure sounds like a lot of people think their performance was abysmal.  Or maybe an enhanced guest experience means never saying you are sorry.

 

 

Triple Crown wrap-up

Posted by noonante on June 9, 2014
Posted in: Horse Racing. Tagged: , , , , , , . Leave a comment

Some random observations on this year’s run for the Triple Crown:

  • It takes a great horse to win the Triple Crown:  I picked California Chrome to win each of the three legs and said he is the best and most-accomplished three-year old, an opinion I still have.  But that does not mean he is a great horse.  There is a reason the TC is so difficult to win  –  you have to be great to do it.  I do not think anyone would dispute applying that label to the last three winners  –   Affirmed, Seattle Slew and Secretariat.
  • Let’s drop the foolishness about changing the scheduling of the races:  There has been some discussion about changing the spacing of the races so that there are not three tough events over a five-week period.  That’s actually why winning the Crown is the sport’s ultimate achievement.  So what if it hasn’t been won since 1978?  No one has hit .400 in baseball or hit in 56 straight games since 1941.  That’s why Ted Williams and Joe DiMaggio are rightly viewed as icons of the game  –  of course, they had a bunch of other accomplishments as well.  Making the Triple Crown easier to win is akin to allowing walks to count as hits so we can have another .400 season or hitting streak.  The sport is not diminished because signal accomplishments are difficult  –  that’s why they are signal accomplishments.  Is there anyone who really regrets that neither Funny Cide nor War Emblem failed in their bids to join the ranks of Citation and Secretariat?
  • It’s time for Steve Coburn to move on:  I was willing to give to give California Chrome’s part-owner Steve Coburn a pass for his remarks following the Belmont.  Fortunately for the rest of us, our intemperate and stupid comments are not broadcast live on national TV.  But then he came back a day later and made even more intemperate and stupid statements to back-up his initial ones.  As for the substance  –  only horses that compete in the Derby and Preakness could contest the Belmont  –  we would have had a three-horse field in which one of the three was eased because he bled.
  • That was a great card of racing:  The decision by the New York Racing Association to card ten stakes, including nine graded and six Grade I’s, produced some tremendous races and handicapping opportunities  –  not that I realized any personal benefit from the latter.  There was only one six-horse field, but the Ogden Phipps had one of the most exciting finishes, including a long shot running third.  Only one favorite won a stake  –  last year’s Belmont winner  –  and four of the stakes had winners paying at least $20.  The outstanding card came at the expense of stripping the traditional Memorial Day card of its three Grade I’s, and I do not think many people came to Belmont on Saturday for those six Grade I’s who would not have come if “just” a Triple Crown was on the line.  I guess we won’t know that answer until we see a Belmont without the Crown a factor.
  • It’s time for Chris Kay to move on:  NYRA’s CEO can’t stop promoting the “sparkling” musical entertainment during Saturday’s program, even after the day is over.  When he proclaimed the Belmont would be the “greatest ever” before the race was even run, I thought he was continuing the relentless self-promotion that has been evident ever since he took over as CEO.  No one came to Belmont on Saturday to hear Frank Sinatra, Jr. sing one of his father’s songs, although I admit he was better than I anticipated.  Instead of being preoccupied with the music program, Kay may want to pay more attention to the “guest experience.”  I have heard from one reader that it was pretty bad, although that is obviously not a scientific sample.  There was also a touch of Steve Coburn in Kay’s complaining that the all-time attendance record of 120,000 for the Smarty Jones bid was inflated (not the first time that thought has been uttered).  As much as Kay wanted a new record, even if the 2004 number was below 100,000, this year’s Belmont attendance of 102,199 is still only the second-highest  –  which is nothing to be ashamed of.
  • “Enhanced security protocols” were not exactly airtight:  NYRA and the Gaming Commission established enhanced security protocols covering all the horses entered in the four $1 million stakes to be run on Saturday.  The essence of the procedures is that all entrants were to be on the grounds by noon on the preceding Wednesday, and monitored from then until the race, including the administration of any veterinary treatments.  Two Belmont entrants, however, were exempted from the Wednesday deadline.  Apparently on their belated flight to New York, the connections of Medal Count and General a Rod developed some testiness.  When General a Rod failed to make it to the pre-race assembly barn on time, Medal Count’s trainer Dale Romans objected rather forcefully.  He then engaged in a heated discussion with Mike Maker, the trainer of the tardy colt, according to David Grening in drf.com.  DRF reported that Romans said General a Rod did not arrive at the assembly barn until 5 minutes before the field was to move to the paddock.

Martin Panza, NYRA’s senior vice president for racing, was quoted in bloodhorse.com:  “As far as I know, there is no rule that the horse must be at the barn at a certain time as long as they undergo all of the testing.”  That would be, of course, except for the rule published by NYRA and the Gaming Commission on May 21 stating that horses “will be required to be in the Assembly barn between 45 minutes to 1 hour before post time for TCO2 testing.”  TCO2 testing is for the purpose of identifying “milk shaking,” an illegal pre-race procedure on a horse.  Despite Panza’s uninformed clearing of Maker from any wrongdoing, the stewards are conducting an inquiry.

Now we can return to the obscure niche racing occupies on the American sporting calendar for 47 weeks of the year.

“The best Belmont Stakes ever”

Posted by noonante on June 4, 2014
Posted in: Horse Racing, Political/Social commentary, Politics. Tagged: , , , . Leave a comment

I guess all you need to know about the leadership of the New York Racing Association is that CEO Chris Kay has already declared this year’s event “the best Belmont Stakes ever”  –  three days before a contestant sets hoof on the track.  I foolishly thought that Secretariat had established a pretty high bar.

But to Kay, the race is apparently an afterthought.  He may think that the tens of thousands showing up at Belmont Park are for the NYRA “experience,” but most will be there for one reason only  –  to see if California Chrome can break the thirty-six year drought in accomplishing the Triple Crown.

In opening remarks before the post-position draw for Saturday’s race, Kay listed NYRA’s three goals for the event:  attracting athletes capable of delivering a superior performance;  great entertainment;  and, a “differentiated guest experience”  –  whatever that means.

NYRA has, indeed, created a tremendous card that includes six Grade I events.  As I have written previously, it comes at the expense of stripping its once-signature day of racing on Memorial Day which had three Grade I events.  Making your headliner a Grade III works at Saratoga on a Wednesday afternoon, but for the start of summer?

As for the entertainment, I have never thought people go to the track for musical acts.  That’s why the Times Union Center or Proctors exist.  Is there anyone who is actually going to go to a race track to hear Frank Sinatra, Jr. attempt his father’s version of the iconic “New York, New York?”  I did not even know there was a Frank Sinatra, Jr. until he appeared in an episode of  The Sopranos, playing himself in a poker game  –  and not singing.

And then there is the band that covers the music of the Eagles.  Now we all have our differing tastes in music, but I would not cross the street to see the original group if tickets and the beer were free.

As for the “differentiated guest experience,” I think most fans  –  excuse me, “guests,”  –  particularly women, would be happy to not wait in endless lines for the restroom.

While I think Kay is to be commended for coming up with different approaches to building the fan base  –  and I do not think any idea should be rejected out-of-hand  –  when he declares this the “best Belmont Stakes ever” on Wednesday, he is losing sight of what gets people into this sport  –  the horse.

NYRA Board – a scam or just plain incompetence?

Posted by noonante on June 3, 2014
Posted in: Horse Racing, Political/Social commentary, Politics, Uncategorized. Tagged: , , , . 1 Comment

The Board of Directors of the New York Racing Association held the only meeting it is scheduled to have over a six-month period on Wednesday.  The public portion of the meeting lasted all of 56 minutes.  The meeting’s brevity and lack of any meaningful discussion indicates either that the real discussions are happening behind closed doors in violation of state law, or that there are no meaningful discussions.  I am not sure which is worse.

It is not as though NYRA does not have significant matters on its plate.  It is charged with recommending a reprivatization plan to the Legislature by April 18 next year.  In addition, NYRA continues to operate a deficit in its racing operations, and must decide what, if anything, to do about the VLT revenues that enable it to operate in the black.  Then there is declining attendance, even at its signature Saratoga meet, and the question of whether Aqueduct should remain open.

You would not know from attending the meeting, however, that anything is amiss.  CEO Chris Kay engaged in his typical happy talk.  You have to give him credit, however, for mustering enthusiasm for a Belmont Stakes music line-up that includes Frank Sinatra, Jr. and an Eagles cover band.  Board Chairman David Skorton proclaimed that it was a “very positive year,” that NYRA was “closing in on a balanced budget,” and added that Belmont Stakes Day is a “perfect example of the progress we have made.”

There is no question that June 7 has the potential to be a special day of racing and handicapping with six Grade I events.  But the hopefully outstanding card was achieved by eviscerating Belmont’s Memorial Day, an event that had featured the Met Mile and two other Grade I’s.  This year the feature was a Grade III that lured a less-than-robust 6,946 patrons through its turnstiles.

But in terms of the “progress” claimed by Skorton, it is not clear what he means.  NYRA ended the first quarter with a loss of $10.2 million from racing operations even though handle from all sources increased compared with the same three months last year.  Even after including the revenues from VLT”s, the deficit was, as Chris Kay reported, “only” $1.5 million.  Attendance at Aqueduct was down six per cent from last year despite three more racing days.  (Yes, I know it was an unpleasant winter, but I believe the facility has heat.)

I fear that Skorton’s notion of progress has nothing to do with improvements for fans or the horsemen, but rather just the fact that they are not the old and discredited NYRA.  (Many of the improvements at tracks were actually initiated by the former group.)  Neither NYRA’s leaders nor other high-level state officials miss an opportunity to boast about their running racing in an open and transparent manner.  The reality, however, is that NYRA does neither.

NYRA is required to follow New York laws governing access to public records and public meetings.  I have detailed previously NYRA’s blatant disregard for the public records law.  The NYRA Board misrepresented the financial terms of CEO Chris Kay’s contract and then attempted to cover up the distortion.  This latest meeting of the Reorganization Board indicates they may be taking a similarly cavalier approach to the open meeting law.

At his first meeting as Chairman, David Skorton stated that all meetings of both the full Board and its committees would be public.  The Executive Committee, chaired by Skorton, has never had an open meeting;  the Finance Committee has never held one;  the Long-Term Planning Committee has never held one.

The full Board does conduct a public meeting, but it is so devoid of content and serious discussion that it is legitimate to question whether it is just a sham to feign compliance with the law.  If it is indeed a sham, it raises the possibility that meaningful discussions on the future of New York racing are taking place in secret.

The other possibility, of course, is that no such discussions are taking place, even behind closed doors.  It was at last August’s Board meeting that Chairman Skorton stated that NYRA should start operating as if the VLT revenues are no longer there.  His proposal was greeted with significant dissent, an unusual occurrence for this Board.  Since then, there has been almost no mention of this crucial matter.  Nor has there been an actual discussion of what is being considered for the reprivatization report that is due in a little over ten months.

The bottom line is that it is now almost two years since the Governor rammed through a somnolent Legislature, with the approval of a flaccid NYRA Board, a takeover of the organization running Saratoga, Belmont and Aqueduct.  While they did a great deal of chest-thumping on how New York’s tracks would now witness substantial improvements with a competent and open leadership, I am hard-pressed to identify a single significant difference.

 

 

 

 

Racing hit with another body blow

Posted by noonante on May 22, 2014
Posted in: Horse Racing, Political/Social commentary. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , . 4 Comments

This time it wasn’t People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) or its undercover investigator.  It was Bryant Gumbel on HBO”s Real Sports.  And it’s NBC News with a report by Anna Schecter.  Both reports indict the racing industry for the widespread use of drugs that make horses run faster or mask pain so they can run.

The HBO report by Bernard Goldberg is sickening.  It includes ample video of breakdowns during a race, dead horses on the track, and a particularly disturbing look at a horse being put down in a part of Penn National called “The Pit.”  While HBO used excerpts from the PETA video, Goldberg also interviewed Steve Asmussen and Scott Blasi, the targets of PETA, as well as veterinarians Dr. Mary Scollay and Dr. Kate Papp, the subject of the NBC report.

Although much of the HBO report has been reported previously, the adage of “a picture being worth a thousand words” is rarely this forceful.  And it comes at a time when racing is getting the most attention it ever does with a Triple Crown bid coming up.

The trainers featured in the piece just happen to be the top three by earnings this year, according to Equibase.  The Todd Pletcher trainee Coronado Heights, one of the 19 horses who suffered a fatal breakdown racing at Aqueduct in early 2012, is mentioned because he received 17 injections of drugs  –  each one legal  –  in the week before breaking down.  Bob Baffert’s indiscriminate use of Thyroxine, a medication used to treat a thyroid condition, was discussed in the context of seven sudden deaths of horses trained by him.  Again, the medication is legal, but there was no diagnosis by a vet that any of the horses needed it.

Then there is Steve Asmussen, second on the earnings list, the active leader in career wins  –  and 28 drug violations attributed, according to Asmussen, to differing state regulations.  It was Asmussen’s barns at Churchill Downs and Saratoga at which PETA’s undercover investigator worked, secretly recording the treatment of horses.

Goldberg questioned Scott Blasi and then Asmussen about a horse that suffered a fatal heart attack just after crossing the finish line.  Neither seemed to be aware the reporter had a copy of the horse’s vet records.  Blasi said she only received Lasix.  Asmusssen acknowledged Lasix and Clenbuterol.  It turns out that in addition to those two medications, she had also been given Thyroxine, a medication that has as a side effect increasing the heart rate.  Asmussen ended up admitting  –  as he phrased it  –  that he “feeds” Thyroxine.  It’s as though a drug with a significant side effect is a nutritional supplement.

In the NBC report  –  entitled “Every Day I Almost Quit”  –  veterinarian Kate Papp described once diagnosing a horse with a stress fracture in a hind leg, convincing the trainer to given the horse some time off.  The owner, however, switched trainers and got another vet to inject the horse.  The horse broke its leg during the race and was euthanized on the track.

It is not just the equine athletes that are in jeopardy, of course, because there is a human on its back when it trains or races.  HBO showed former exercise rider James Rivera, now a quadriplegic with permanent brain damage as the result of a training breakdown.  Dr. Papp examined the horse’s vet records and concluded that the administered drugs indicated “underlying painful or diseased conditions.”

Many in racing dismissed the PETA video because of the group’s explicit agenda and the fact that some seven hours of video were edited down to nine minutes.  I don’t know how much raw footage HBO took to come up with its narrative, but it doesn’t matter anymore than it does with PETA.  While there is a level of sensationalism with so many shots of breakdowns, those in the industry know it is a disturbing reality in the sport.

The more disturbing reality, however, is that horses are given too many drugs, even if they are “legal.”  They are often given, as HBO stated, to make a horse run faster or to mask a painful condition, and not because it is necessary to treat a diagnosed medical issue.  One segment of the PETA video that was replayed by HBO was of a vet describing Lasix as a performance-enhancing drug.  Almost every horse racing in this country is racing with Lasix.  Thyroxine is being “fed” to horses not because it is necessary, but because it is viewed as a performance-enhancer.

How does the racing fan respond when asked about the HBO report?  “Oh, all those drugs are legal.”  That isn’t the answer to the problem.  It is the problem.

When a respected journalist describes racing as having a “rampant drug culture  –  one governed by greed,” it is well past the time to take corrective steps.  Racing leaders will say the industry is taking steps to address abuse, and they are.  But as Dr. Mary Scollay, the Equine Medical Director for the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission and an author of the landmark report analyzing the 2012 Aqueduct fatalities said, “There is no excuse for us not doing better than we’re doing.”

Previous posts on drugs in racing are here, here and here.

 

Nasal strips, Rosie, a Chrome Crown, NYRA’s losing bet

Posted by noonante on May 20, 2014
Posted in: Horse Racing. Tagged: , , , , . Leave a comment

Some random observations following the Preakness and preceding the Belmont Stakes:

  • New York gets it right on nasal strips:  A nascent Belmont Stakes controversy became not so controversial when New York’s racing stewards allowed California Chrome (and any other horse) to wear a nasal strip similar to those worn by some human athletes..  Chrome has been six-for-six since adding the adhesive strip  –  and jockey Victor Espinoza.  In 2012, the stewards did not permit I’ll Have Another to wear one in his bid for the Triple Crown.  What’s the difference between then and now?  One factor may have been Doug O’Neill, the trainer of the 2012 colt, who engendered his own controversy with his record of drug infractions.  This came only four years after persistent drug scofflaw Rick Dutrow was also going for the Crown with Big Brown.  (Interestingly, Big Brown did not finish and I’ll Have Another scratched before the race.)  I think the real difference, however, is Dr. Scott Palmer, who is the newly appointed Equine Medical Director for New York, the first such person to hold the position.  Palmer concluded there was no evidence that the nasal strip has an effect on performance, and may even reduce the chance of pulmonary bleeding.  His opinion convinced the three stewards, who are appointed by The Jockey Club, New York’s Gaming Commission and the New York Racing Association.  It’s nice to have a decision based on facts and not politics or emotion, and one that was made quickly.
  • Rosie is having a tough Triple Crown:  After winning her second Kentucky Oaks in three years, jockey Rosie Napravnik has yet to finish in front of a colt in either the Derby or the Preakness, despite having different mounts.  While she did finish in front of the filly Ria Antonia in the Preakness, the filly’s chances of winning that race were only marginally better than mine.  Napravnik is not only a top rider but a great ambassador for the sport, so we can hope she has a better Belmont should she pick up a mount.
  • Will a Chrome Crown save racing?  People in the industry hold out the hope that a Triple Crown after a drought going back to Affirmed in 1978 will restore the sport to the prominence it once had on the sporting scene.  I do not think we can discount the impact a Triple Crown will have on the general public.  I watched the Preakness at the bar of a wedding reception.  It was a mixed marriage  –  the bride’s side were Red Sox fans (excepting three aberrant Yankee supporters) and the groom’s side were Cardinal fans.  There were not many racing fans in the group, but the place erupted when California Chrome held on to win.  I was astonished at the reaction.  I suspect, however, that the interest in racing will dissipate after the Belmont, even if Chrome wins, and resurface only when he races again.
  • NYRA loses its Belmont Stakes bet:  When a Triple Crown is on the line, the New York Racing Association does not have to worry about attendance on Belmont Stakes day  –  it will be in six figures.  As a hedge against different horses winning the Derby and Preakness, NYRA decided to eviscerate one of the best racing days in America by moving three Grade I stakes from Memorial Day to the Belmont undercard.  So the Met Mile  –  one of the top races in the country  –  is now a warm-up act for the Belmont.  The Acorn, a Grade I for three-year old fillies that may well attract the exciting Untapable, is similarly playing second fiddle.  The premise of the “experiment,” according to NYRA’s CEO Chris Kay, is to attract casual fans to Belmont Park.  Well, they will be coming, with or without the added Grade I events.  I would hazard a guess that most of those in attendance will be there because of the possibility of a Triple Crown winner, and do not know the difference between a state-bred maiden claiming race and a Grade I.  Marketing the Met Mile and the Acorn on a Memorial Day card would present an additional opportunity to attract new fans, as well as to educate them, but that is now not going to happen.  It’s like spreading in a Pick 3 only to have the favorites win.  You cash, but end up losing money.

A New York without Allen Jerkens and Tom Durkin?

Posted by noonante on May 10, 2014
Posted in: Horse Racing. Tagged: , , , . Leave a comment

It was disturbing enough to learn that Allen Jerkens would be staying in Florida rather than coming back to New York.  Then, today, the New York Racing Association announced that Tom Durkin would call his last race on August 31.  There has been so much negative about racing recently, but we could always count on some of the fine people associated with the sport to bring us through.  Now, we’ll be down two of them, at least in New York.

Jerkens has been one of the true icons in the sport. It is a game where almost everyone has a negative comment about someone else, but I have never heard anyone express anything but admiration for Jerkens.  He is a horseman that we wish all trainers could emulate.  He also trained two different horses who beat Secretariat.  One of the true highlights of my racing experience was being introduced to Jerkens two years ago at Saratoga.  Even though he would always acknowledge me on the backstretch beforehand, it was an honor to meet one of the greats in the game.

I loved taking photographs of Jerkens.  I discovered that one particularly good spot to catch him was in Saratoga where he would meet up with the jockey outside the clubhouse when the losing rider was on the way back to the jocks room.  It was always a pleasure to watch Julie Krone waving her arms as she tried to explain why she did not win.

Durkin was another who gave so much to the game.  He was a fixture at Saratoga each summer.  In addition to the race calls, he would volunteer for activities after the races.  If my memory is correct, he would call the bingo games held at the rec center to benefit racing charities.

I had some personal contact with him when my wife won a charity auction where the prize was his voice on our voice mail.  After I drafted a script for him, he edited it to make it much better.  And he did this while in the midst of the Triple Crown when he was calling the races.

The departure of Durkin and “The Chief” will make New York a much less interesting place.

Post-Derby thoughts

Posted by noonante on May 8, 2014
Posted in: Horse Racing. Tagged: , , , . Leave a comment

Some random observations on this year’s Kentucky Derby:

  • This is one of the best “feel good” stories in a while.  We have the oldest winning trainer in Derby history, who was last at the Derby when he accompanied Swaps on the train from California in 1955.  Then there are the owners who turned down $6 million for a partial interest in California Chrome before the race.  If that is not enough, I learned in a Teresa Genaro article in Forbes.com that jockey Victor Espinoza donates ten per cent of all his earnings to fight cancer in children.  The reason?  He visited a pediatric cancer facility and could not go back because he would just cry.
  • Can Chrome capture the Crown?  That is always the single question of those who do not follow the sport closely.  I thought he was the best three-year old colt before the race, and he was clearly the best afterwards.  I thought the last four Derby winners could do it, and before Mine That Bird, I thought the preceding three could.  That makes me 1 for 8 on that prediction, so I am not going to jinx this one.
  • Will a Triple Crown winner save racing?  This is one of those saws that I think is totally devoid of merit.  A Triple Crown winner will undoubtedly result in an uptick in interest whenever he races, but that is about it.  But that general topic is for another day.
  • How has this guy never seen a horse race?  I saw a friend from Boston the other day who watched his first Derby ever.  He is a sports nut, 50 years old, and had never seen a Derby.  We have known each other for years, he knows of my interest, yet he had never seen a horse race.  (It’s not to my credit, by the way, that I never thought to encourage him.)
  • Dallas Stewart ties Todd Pletcher for second-place finishers in Derby.  I have lost track of how many horses Pletcher has started in the Derby  –  I think it is 41, but only two seconds to go with a single win.  Stewart has had bombers finish in the place spot the last two years.  Last year it was Golden Soul at 35-1, followed by Commanding Curves at 38-1.  How has Golden Soul fared since then?  His highest placing has been a fifth in a six-horse field, beaten by 24 1/4 lengths.  His closest finish was a 7-length loss in an allowance race.
  • The public was remarkably accurate in assessing the merits of Derby entrants.  Only five of the 19-horse field finished in a position significantly different from their betting odds:  Commanding Curve, second at 38-1; Intense Holiday, twelfth at 14-1;  Candy Boy, thirteenth at 9-1;  Wildcat Red, eighteenth at 19-1 and Vicar’s in Trouble, last at 20-1.
  • Why are only two Derby horses considering the Preakness?  California Chrome was impressive, but it wasn’t exactly Secretariat’s Belmont.  He got an absolutely perfect trip, running just where he wanted to be, and did not even sniff trouble.  I cannot recall a year, particularly in this day of 20-horse fields, when only two were willing to return at Pimlico.  It is, after all, a Classic.  It says a lot about the way horses are now trained  –  or, perhaps, it is a function of how they are bred.  One of the reasons I liked Chrome in the Derby is precisely because he was not lightly raced.  His ten starts were the highest of any entrant.
  • How does a cat handicap the Derby better than I do?  For those not familiar with my Blue Ribbon analysis of the Triple Crown races (on the Horse Racing page), I have been doing it for over 20 years now.  One of my cats is named Barton, after the first Triple Crown winner.  (The other is named Fager.)  One year, Barton grabbed a bunch of losing tickets from atop my dresser and scattered them across the bed, as though he were rebuking my handicapping prowess.  As I started working on the year’s Derby analysis, he began knocking a “New York-bred” refrigerator magnet down.  So I decided to add a segment on the cat’s selection.  That was the year Funny Cide won.  He continued knocking the magnet down before the Preakness.  He hasn’t done it since.  In subsequent years, I would note when he would display interest in a particular horse about whom I would be writing.  While he has had some success since Funny Cide, nothing came close to this year.  He climbed up on my lap and purring loudly as I wrote about California Chrome and Commanding Curve, an exacta that returned $340.  Of the thirty or so public handicappers I surveyed, not a single one had Commanding Curve among the top selections.