His battles with rival Affirmed as both a juvenile, and of course, through the 1978 Triple Crown are now the stuff of legend. However, what has clouded all those spectacular past performances came during his stallion career when he tragically died from an injury which was sustained while he was in his Calumet stall on a November night in 1990. Officially chalked up as an accident, his sudden and shocking death has remained shrouded in conjecture ever since.

What happened to Alydar? That is the central question that Fred M. Kray attempts to tackle in his ambitiously titled new book, Broken: The Suspicious Death of Alydar and the End of Horse Racing's Golden Age.

There is nothing quite like a tenacious true crime writer. Plucky isn't a descriptor that goes far enough. It's one's dogged determination, coupled with an ability to stare deep into the abyss that demands sterner stuff. Kray has all of that and more. His passion for this topic is evident, and he possesses the requisite skills to follow a labyrinth of clues and misstatements that go back forty-plus years.

A former animal-rights attorney who was on hand to witness the John M. Veitch trainee when he won the 1978 GI Flamingo S. at Hialeah Park and the GI Florida Derby at Gulfstream Park, Kray began to delve into the case in 2018. He tried to track down those involved, performed seemingly countless interviews and attempted to weave together a story chock full of contradiction.

But has Kray actually uncovered a smoking gun or is this just a series of red herrings? Where exactly is the conspiracy to commit murder?

Broken flows rather like a true crime memoir. It's Kray's defense laid bare on behalf of the Thoroughbred in question. Committing the cardinal sin if we skip to the end of this mystery, the author mythically knots his favorite Windsor tie and strides to the same courtroom in Houston, Texas where the security guard who was on duty that fateful night was tried and sentenced. There, he gives his own account of why he believes Alydar was murdered. It's heartfelt, but somehow it falls just short of compelling drama à la Raymond Burr.

Still, what makes this work a worthy read is the journey. Kray starts with the initial, all-too-brief insurance investigation. He then moves briskly through a composite of Alydar's racing and breeding shed exploits and delves into the questionable economic practices of Calumet's J.T. Lundy & Co. After painstakingly wading through the ensuing trials which fingered less than a handful of Calumet figures, Kray opens the curtain for the final act in which he becomes the lead. Perched on his shoulder like a GoPro Camera, we watch as he sits in front of many a horse farm gate, chides a reluctant private detective who didn't deliver and relates a number of emotional moments with key witnesses.

Alydar visiting Lucille Gene Markey on Blue Grass S. Day in 1978 | Keeneland

The relationship he forms with Tom Dixon, the equine insurance agent who was the first on the scene at Calumet, is particularly poignant. Dixon is a no-nonsense umpire that calls them like he sees them, and Kray has to steadily battle for the former agent's uneasy trust in order to access key photographs and notes. 'Deep Throat', Dixon is not, but the back-and-forth between the pair as they argue points of view on several occasions is quite a chess match.

Speaking of emotional moments, Kray's interview with Alydar's groom, Michael Coulter is both enlightening to his case, but we also find a man who hasn't returned to the scene mentally in quite some time. Though a witness in one of the trials, Coulter's perspective was underutilized and from Kray's questions, we get a window into the relationship the groom built with this superb equine athlete. Coulter explains how tired Alydar was from over-breeding and addresses the horse's psychological state. This is important because there were constant questions throughout the different trials about Alydar's penchant for kicking stall doors.

What Kray finds is a trail of dead ends and memories which are parsed with a few nuggets of remembrance. The author leads us to the assumption that key players that do not want to talk are clinging to something deeper. His mission to ask everyone connected why there were no marks on the paint in Alydar's stall, and why the latch was not disturbed becomes an indelible part of the script. A tense section relates an interview with the well-known Dr. Larry Bramlage. It is particularly excruciating to plow through, but it also shows how resolute Kray is when it comes to defending Alydar. You feel both men's frustration bearing out and it makes for good theater in the Rood & Riddle waiting room where the interview was conducted.

There is something very Citizen Kane about Broken. Like the reporter who is sent to find out what Charles Foster Kane meant when he said 'Rosebud' on his deathbed, we may never know what happened to Alydar that night at Calumet in 1990. Was his leg hit with something? Was more than one person involved? Who knew about the coverup at Calumet? Who knows something right now? Questions will continue to float. While we are on a roll, did Kray prove that this was the end of horse racing's 'Golden Age' as the book's subtitle suggests? That answer seems even more amorphous.

Instead, maybe we can take a sliver of comfort in knowing that there are some things we just can't uncover about a tragedy. If you read Broken as an homage to this Thoroughbred, then we need to thank the author for his contribution and determination. What we can say is that if Fred Kray had defended Alydar, at the very least, he might have had his day in court.

Broken: The Suspicions Death of Alydar and the End of Horse Racing's Golden Age by Live Oak Press, 348 pages, photos, May 2023.

The post Book Review: Alydar’s Chief Counsel appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

Halstrom, who graduated from the University of Arizona's Race Track Industry Program, is a native of Bloomington, MN, and is a die-hard fan of the Minnesota Vikings, Notre Dame Football and all teams for the University of Minnesota. He and his new bride, Kristine, live in Greenwood, IN, and share five children among their blended families.

TDN: What is your racing or bloodstock highlight of the year?
Being at Keeneland for the Breeders' Cup and seeing Flightline in person. I can't believe what that horse was capable of doing.

TDN: Who is your value sire for the 2023 season?
Coming at this as a horseplayer – I like seeing young Jimmy Creed runners. Feels like they're all going to be fast.

TDN: Name one positive change you'd like to see in racing next year?
More focus on two things: What's best for the bettors and what's best for retired racehorses.

TDN: If you could go back in time and see one race in person, what would it be?Easy Goer's win in the Belmont. I was a huge fan and had too much riding on him, both emotionally and financially, to keep Sunday Silence from sweeping the Triple Crown. Watching him win at my young age helped form my passion for the sport.

TDN: If you could only go to one track the rest of your life, where would it be?
Since I can't answer Horseshoe Indianapolis – I'd say Keeneland. I love the area and the beauty of Lexington and the history at the track makes it my favorite place to watch racing.

TDN: Besides Rich Strike, what was the biggest surprise of 2022 in horse racing?
The biggest surprise in my world is that a little track, in the middle of cornfields, in Indiana did nearly a quarter-billion in handle in 2022. If you look back five years ago the thought of getting past $125 million was unrealistic. Lots to be proud of at Horseshoe Indianapolis.

TDN: What was your major takeaway from your successful meet at Horseshoe Indiana?
You can't beat the power of having a great team. We have one at Horseshoe Indianapolis. They're passionate about racing and enjoy working with each other. It's a wonderful place to be as we continue our progression in the industry.

TDN: You can bring back one racetrack from the past, which one would it be and why?
Hialeah. I never had the chance to visit but the stories I hear and pictures I see are incredible. Feels like we probably lost a bit of racing's character when it closed.

TDN: Who was your favorite TDN Rising Star in 2022
Arabian Knight. Saw him at Keeneland and he has a real presence.

TDN: In the next 10 years, what do you think will be the most significant change in racetrack operations and management?
I think we're sitting on technology improvements that will revolutionize racing. It's been gradual but we're now seeing things such as drones, GPS tracking and cameras to check the health of horses. The capital investments on these products and others that will help our sport is coming. It will have to in order to defend our current levels of business much less attract new customers.

TDN: Who is your favorite jockey of all-time?
I've met so many over the years that I now call friends that it's difficult. So I'll go with my dad's favorite… Sandy Hawley. In the early days of Canterbury Downs my dad would bet him blindly and it was easy money. I saw Sandy this summer and mentioned this and he was very gracious and appreciative. A really nice man.

TDN: If you weren't in track management, what would you be doing in horse racing
No question – I'd be betting on horses. I love it. Wish I were better at it so I didn't have to work so much! Going to the track, or just betting the races, with friends and family is may favorite thing in the world.

The post Twelve Questions: Eric Halstrom appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

The standout from that Red Oak foaling class of '16 ended up being GISW Mind Control (Stay Thirsty), who at age six edged up over the $1.5 million earnings mark Saturday.

Brunetti never got to see Mind Control's debut or his evolution into a no-quit, middle-distance grinder, most recently evidenced by his refuse-to-lose smackdown of 3-10 favorite Hot Rod Charlie in the GIII Salvator Mile S. at Monmouth Park.

But a third generation of Brunettis, led by sons Steven and John Jr., are charting a path with Mind Control that could carry the Red Oak silks (in partnership with Madaket Stables) to the winner's circle in the GI Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile.

Mind Control broke his maiden at Monmouth in his second try on Aug. 12, 2018, then wired the GI Hopeful S. at Saratoga at 10-1 odds in start number three.

A trip-troubled seventh in the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile going 1 1/16 miles seemed to stamp him as a one-turn type, and he picked off some lower-level stakes at a mile or under in New York before springing another 10-1 upset going seven furlongs at the Spa, this time in the 2019 edition of the GI H. Allen Jerkins S.

After starting 2020 with a pair of Grade III sprint victories, Mind Control went 0-for-8 over the next 12 months before Red Oak executed a trainer change, from Rick Sacco's brother, Greg Sacco, to Todd Pletcher. The move was not without some family friction for the Saccos, according to published reports at the time.

Reunited with John Velazquez, who had piloted Mind Control to his pair of Grade I wins, the 5-year-old scored at first placement for Pletcher in the GII John Nerud S. at Belmont Park July 4, 2021, then ran a credible fourth in the GI Forego S. at Saratoga.

By that point late last summer, there were enough known qualities about Mind Control to establish that he belonged in the upper tier of middle-distance horses in America. Adjectives like sound, smart, tenacious, determined, professional, hard-working, and unafraid to fight aptly described him.

But Mind Control was often perceived as if he still had something left to prove. Bettors rarely fancied him. Even now, with 26 starts under his belt, he's only gone off favored five times in his career, and not once has he been the chalk in his last 14 starts, extending back more than two years.

A sizable stumbling block last summer was that Mind Control was essentially caught between distances when it came to a Breeders' Cup try. Six furlongs in the GI Sprint seemed too short (despite a 2-for-4 career record), and stretching beyond his sweet spot of seven furlongs (5-for-15) in the Dirt Mile meant going around two turns for just the second time in his life.

Yet because Mind Control had won and finished second in his only two one-turn-mile attempts at Aqueduct back in 2019, the distance itself didn't seem to be out of his grasp.

To gauge his affinity for two turns, Red Oak and Pletcher tried Mind Control in the Sept. 25, 2021, Parx Dirt Mile. That experiment appeared over soon after the break. Mind Control had a stutter-step start, got caught wide around both bends, and shortly after he made a far-turn, last-gasp move that reeled in the two leaders, he was immediately pounced upon by 4-5 fave Silver State (Hard Spun).

Under a full head of steam, Silver State extended his lead to nearly a full length inside the sixteenth pole and appeared home free. But Mind Control, pinned down inside, re-rallied and clawed his way back to win by a furious head bob over the final 50 yards. The result was a 104 Beyer Speed Figure–his first foray into triple digits after thrice peaking at 99.

A fever knocked Mind Control out of last year's Dirt Mile at Del Mar, and he spent the winter recuperating at Red Oak's farm in Ocala, where he annually enjoys his own paddock.

Starting fresh in '22, Mind Control had the misfortune of hooking two razor-sharp winners in a pair of seven-furlong races, both of whom were building three-race winning streaks in stakes.

On Apr. 9, he was third behind the odds-on Speaker's Corner in the GI Carter H. at Aqueduct. Then on the GI Kentucky Derby undercard, Mind Control was a no-match fifth for the '21 sprint champ Jackie's Warrior (Maclean's Music) in the GI Churchill Downs S.

A confidence-builder was in order, and the Salvator Mile at the Jersey shore figured to offer a touch of class relief.

But Mind Control's day at the beach got party-crashed at entry time by Hot Rod Charlie, whose connections had also sized up the Salvator Mile as a potentially cushy spot coming off his runner-up try in the G1 Dubai World Cup three months ago.

Third in last year's Derby and second in the GI Belmont S., Hot Rod Charlie would also be returning to the scene of his controversial GI Haskell S. disqualification from last summer, thickening the plot.

Mind Control broke sharply from the rail under Johnny V. and was immediately accosted by a keen Hot Rod Charlie. But after establishing early positioning near the head of affairs, Mike Smith opted to back off with his heavy favorite, sitting second while keeping Mind Control well within striking sight, maintaining a cushion of about 1 3/4 lengths down the back straight behind measured splits of :23.60 and :23.06 for the first two opening quarters.

At the midpoint of the race, Smith attempted to reengage with Hot Rod Charlie, but Mind Control didn't need much more that a subtle flick of the wrists from Velazquez to open back up, this time by three-quarters of a length.

But by the far turn Velazquez was hand-riding with a bit more urgency while Smith had yet to even think about unleashing Hot Rod Charlie, and the favorite clearly had better momentum as the dueling duo crested the quarter pole.

Moving on the outside, Hot Rod Charlie asserted himself at the eighth pole, finally wresting away the lead.

Then the scene shifted.

Reminiscent of his Lazarus-like clawback when in tight at the rail in deep stretch in the Parx Mile, Mind Control responded to Johnny V.'s unpanicked urging, incrementally edging back on even terms even while Hot Rod Charlie continued to roll homeward without any quit on his account.

They head-bobbed together while hurtling home in lockstep through the final sixteenth, with Mind Control prevailing in 1:35.79.

Just like in the Parx Mile, Mind Control's winning margin was a head. By the numbers, the result was the same too–another 104 Beyer.

Not a bad effort for a horse allegedly out of his element around two turns.

Maybe it was the public that was in need of the confidence booster, not Mind Control.

The post The Week in Review: Mind Control Learning Two-Turn Tricks at Age Six appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

He was down to $100 from his total of five entries in the second-ever National Horseplayers Championship qualifying tournament staged at this iconic South Florida landmark.

Fisher bet his last money all to win on 22-1 longshot Cryptic Creed in the 10th race at Gulfstream Park. Less than two minutes later, jockey Jesus Rios guided the two-year-old maiden to a facile victory over the all-weather surface, producing a $45.40 payout that vaulted Fisher to victory over runner-up Phil Matzat and third-place finisher Ray Arsenault.

“I had packed up and I was at the door,” Fisher recalled. “I heard a big commotion from the tournament room and '10, it's the 10!' from the other handicappers. That was Cryptic Creed!”

The big payoff gave Fisher a total of $2,400 in tournament earnings, some $900 better than Matzat's $1,500, and almost $1,500 more than Arsenault's $908.

The champion collected $4,000 in prize money, with Matzat garnering $2,600 for second and Arsenault claiming $1,600 for third.

The top two finishers both earned seats in the National Horseplayers Championship finals at Bally's Las Vegas on Jan. 28-30, 2022, including hotel and airfare.

“I'll be there,” added Fisher. “I've been to 10 finals and I'm just as excited to go back for the 11th time! Champions was a great spot for the event. The staff treated us in a friendly and professional manner, and they fed us well!”

Overall, 46 handicappers purchased a total of 64 entries in the tournament and the Hialeah Park mutuel office reported a 74% handle increase over the average Sunday.

Champions Simulcast Center & Sports Bar, opened as “the go-to location” in South Florida for full-card simulcast wagering on Thoroughbred races in early 2016, features 180 television screens, 78 betting carrels (each with a 19-inch video monitor), 42 wagering windows, and space for 200 horseplayers complemented by an aggressive menu of simulcast wagering options.

The post Last Race Longshot Propels John Fisher To NHC Qualifier Win appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

It will be the second time an NHC qualifier has been held at Champions. In January of 2020, over 50 handicappers participated in the first such event ever staged at Hialeah Park, with Evan Freedman prevailing as the winner.

Handicappers can purchase their entries for the Dec. 12 NHC qualifier by visiting the Hialeah Park web site at www.hialeahpark.com. Walk-up entries will be accepted on the day of the tournament.

Scheduled as a points event on the 2021 NHC docket, the grand prizes will be seats for the top two finishers in the National Horseplayers Championship finals at Bally's Las Vegas on Jan. 28-30, 2022, including hotel and airfare.

Under rules established by the National Horseplayers Championship, participants in the Hialeah Park tournament must be 2021 tour members to earn a seat in the 2022 finals.

The $500 entry fee for current NHC tour members will cover a $300 live bankroll for wagering on designated races at Gulfstream Park and Aqueduct, and $125 for cash prizes.

The remainder of the entry fee will cover a buffet lunch, programs for designated races, and Hialeah Park swag.

The prize money pool, determined by the total number of entries, will be awarded on site at the conclusion of the tournament, with 50% going to the winner, 30% to the runner-up, and 20% to the third-place finisher.

Only current National Horseplayers Championship tour members will be eligible to win the grand prizes. The event will also be open to non-members and they will be eligible to win the cash prizes.

As an incentive, the NHC will offer first-time tour members $25 off the regular $50 membership fee if they register for the Hialeah Park qualifier and submit a $525 entry fee.

Champions features 180 television screens, 78 betting carrels (each with a 19-inch video monitor), 42 wagering windows, and space for 200 horseplayers complemented by an aggressive menu of simulcast wagering options.

The post Champions Simulcast Center At Hialeah Park Set To Host Second NHC Qualifier appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

The qualifier will be held in the Champions Simulcast Center & Sports Bar on the second floor of the Hialeah Park clubhouse, located at 2200 East 4^th Avenue, on Sunday, December 12, 2021.

Handicappers can purchase their entries for the qualifying tournament by visiting the Hialeah Park web site at www.hialeahpark.com.

Scheduled as a points event on the 2021 NHC docket, the grand prizes will be seats for the top two finishers in the National Horseplayers Championship finals at Bally's Las Vegas on January 28-30, 2022, including hotel and airfare.

Under rules established by the NHC, participants in the Hialeah Park tournament must be 2021 tour members to earn a seat in the 2022 finals.

The $500 entry fee for current NHC tour members will cover a $300 live bankroll for wagering on designated races at Gulfstream Park and Aqueduct, and $125 for cash prizes.

The remainder of the entry fee will cover a buffet lunch, programs for designated races, and Hialeah Park swag.

The prize money pool, determined by the total number of entries, will be awarded on site at the conclusion of the tournament, with 50% going to the winner, 30% to the runner-up, and 20% to the third-place finisher.

Only current National Horseplayers Championship tour members will be eligible to win the grand prizes. The event will also be open to non-members and they will be eligible to win the cash prizes.

As an incentive, the NHC will offer first-time tour members $25 off the regular $50 membership fee if they register for the Hialeah Park qualifier and submit a $525 entry fee.

The post Hialeah Park To Host Qualifying Tournament For National Horseplayers Championship appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

In this week's edition of the Friday Show, bloodstock editor Nevills and publisher Paulick discuss the new landscape for racing and gaming in Florida following the state legislature's approval of three bills that strengthen the Seminole tribe's grip over sports and casino gambling and allow non-Thoroughbred pari-mutuel businesses to keep their casinos or card rooms open while ending racing or jai alai operations. The net result puts Gulfstream Park and Florida horsemen in a more challenging position than ever before, especially if purse subsidies from the Calder Casino end in the coming months.

By contrast, the story that accompanies the Star of the Week is a welcome respite from the stormy waters the sport has navigated since revelations about the Kentucky Derby winner's failed drug test.

Watch this week's show, presented by Uptowncharlybrown Stud, below:

The post The Friday Show Presented By Uptowncharlybrown Stud: Florida’s Gambling Gold Rush appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

Those terms don't describe the current conditions in horse racing, but the overarching problems that dogged the sport nearly 90 years ago when racing had basically no reliable security system in place to protect the betting public. As is the case today, horse racing in the United States had no national governing body that set uniform standards and rules to police the sport. (Thankfully, this will finally change on July 1, 2022, with the federally mandated Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority.)

Until his death in 1924, August Belmont Jr. could unofficially govern the game by the sheer force of his name and prestige — he had created the concept of a racing commission in 1895 and then persuaded a New York legislature dominated by Republicans to enact it into law. (Belmont was a staunch Democrat.) But at his passing, there still was no effective means – no proven scientific process – to combat racing's biggest challenge: how to detect and thwart the cheaters, the unscrupulous horsemen who drugged horses to reap huge “scores” at the betting windows.

Joseph Widener, in an attempt to both reform a sport he loved and, less altruistically, protect the sizeable investment he was making in the total transformation of Hialeah Park in south Florida, dispatched Marshall Cassidy in 1934 to France to study the post-race drug-testing system of a horse's blood/saliva the French racing authorities had conceived to police their own game. Cassidy brought the system back to the United States and installed it for Widener at Hialeah (overcoming a brief but bitter strike of horsemen in the process).

That single act, with stout punishment for offenders, copied nationally by a burgeoning racing industry that couldn't build racetracks fast enough, may have single-handedly saved the sport of horse racing from itself. The fans that fueled this explosive growth could now push their money through the windows with some degree of confidence they were betting on an honestly-run sport.

The simple, uncomplicated standard that governed was called the “absolute insurer rule.” The person doing the “absolute” insuring was a horse's trainer of record. It didn't matter if that trainer was (theoretically) on a three-year shuttle to Mars, if he ran a horse during that time anywhere in America and was the listed trainer of record; he was totally and exclusively liable for the consequences of any failed post-race drug specimen ­­– not the groom, the hotwalker, a veterinarian, or even the familiar “disgruntled former employee.” Confirmed “positives” meant, automatically, the DQ of the winner, loss of purse by the owner, and a fine/suspension or both for the trainer. But how would the reviewing courts interpret such a unique guilty-until-proven-innocent standard? The answers were not long in coming.

In a landmark case with a number of similarities to the current Bob Baffert imbroglio, in late 1945, prominent trainer Tom Smith, the man who had trained the immortal Seabiscuit, was suspended for an entire year by New York's racing board after one of his grooms had been observed in the paddock at Jamaica spraying a “substance,” later confirmed as ephedrine, into the nostrils of Smith's horse. (Smith wasn't even at the racetrack that day.) In a battle of experts sure to be reprised when the Baffert hearing begins, Smith's expert testified the ephedrine's effect on the horse was “negligible” while New York's chemist believed the drug “might [key word] affect a horse … by increasing its respiratory capacity.” The racing board's harsh penalty was upheld by New York's appellate court. (Smith was even ordered to pay the board's court costs of $50.)

But, at least initially, no other state was inclined to follow New York's lead. Perhaps as a consequence of the strong (but widely unpopular) sanction meted out to Tom Smith, Maryland's highest court – barely two months after the Smith decision was handed down – affirmed a lower court's decision declaring Maryland's own absolute insurer rule unconstitutional. Trainer J. Dallett “Dolly” Byers had a winning steeplechase horse at Pimlico test positive for “benzedrine,” a stimulant. Echoing Mr. Baffert's initial defense after Medina Spirit's positive for betamethasone, Mr. Byers testified at his hearing that he was totally innocent and had no idea how the prohibited drug got into his horse's system. Byers' defense, complete with character witnesses, was found unavailing and he received the same one-year suspension that Tom Smith had gotten. A reviewing trial court threw out the suspension and the law/regulation on which it was based, calling the rule's “conclusive presumption of guilt” a “great vice.” A unanimous Maryland court of appeals affirmed and went even further: “This irrebuttable presumption [of guilt under an absolute rule] destroyed the right of [Byers] to offer evidence to establish his innocence. If this is 'just,' then the term 'unjust' has no meaning.”

Florida's Supreme Court weighed in the following year (1947), striking down that state's own absolute standard in the Baldwin case, holding for the first time anywhere that a horseman's license was “a valuable property right” that could not be suspended without due process of law, i.e., without some finding of guilt based on evidence not a mere violation of an automatic rule.

But just when it looked like the absolute insurer rule was going to be ruled off, California's Supreme Court upheld the beleaguered standard in 1948. In a 5-2 decision that the two dissenting justices called “un-American,” the majority reinstated a six-month suspension of trainer W.L. Sandstrom's license after his winning horse at Del Mar, Cover Up, tested positive for a “caffeine-type alkaloid.” Sandstrom's sanction, said the high court, was not “unreasonable, arbitrary, or capricious” since the absolute rule upon which it was based “was designed to afford the wagering public a maximum of protection against race horses being stimulated or depressed” and was a “reasonable exercise of California's 'police powers.'”

Over time, the Sandstrom decision became the consensus view of nearly every court that considered constitutional challenges to racing's single most important rule. (Both the Byers and Baldwin cases were eventually overruled.)

With the hiring of Spencer J. Drayton in 1946, wooed away from the upper leadership of the FBI, and his national efforts to “clean up racing” with the Thoroughbred Racing Protective Bureau (TRPB) that included the agency's aggressive enforcement of absolute insurer rules, horse racing became a major recognized sport in the United States, as honestly-run and incorruptible as humanly possible. The game enjoyed its “golden age” thereafter up through the 1970s.

The question must be asked, in the crucible of the serial Bob Baffert “medication” controversies, which supplanted the serial Rick Dutrow “medication” controversies, can horse racing survive in this country without a drug-testing system that is NOT based on the strict enforcement of an absolute insurer rule that the betting public can rely upon with the utmost confidence?

While every horseman's constitutional right to due process of law must be protected, at the same time, does the sport's leadership seriously believe that the wagering public (or their elected representatives) will tolerate a drug-enforcement apparatus that, far from the zero tolerance standard it adopted barely a dozen years ago (and has obviously been discarded), permits a chaotic system that allows excuses, explanations, and prevarications for drug positives that are only limited by a licensee's imagination? Exactly how is the public interest served if horsemen can plead, not just in mitigation, but as an affirmative defense, “environmental contamination,” transferred lidocaine patches, innocent applications of ointment, and wide-open-to-varying-interpretations how many picograms of a “therapeutic” (but nevertheless prohibited during races) medication “affects” a horse's performance during a race that lasts perhaps a minute and a half?

Now that the abandonment of the former “absolute” standard is on full display in the aftermath of a positive drug screen of the winner of the world-renowned Kentucky Derby, with the attendant incalculable damage to horse racing's “brand,” is it time once again to resume the strict application of an absolute insurer rule to save an industry that employs tens of thousands and is enjoyed by millions?

Bob Heleringer is a Louisville, Ky., attorney, former racing official and author of the legal textbook Equine Regulatory Law, the second edition of which will be released later this year by the University Press of Kentucky.)

The post Heleringer: Will The Absolute Insurer Rule Save Racing … Again? appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

The well-bred Feature Mason B was bred by Bielau Oaks of Weimar, Texas, and is sired by Feature Mr Jess, the Grade 1-winning runner who has sired the earners of almost $30 million. Of course there's the racehorses he has gotten, like legendary runners Heartswideopen ($1,885,283) and Jess You And I ($1,851,691), but also performance stars like Jess Featureme Quick, an earner of $687,155 on the racetrack and more than 37 points in the show arena.

Feature Mason B is out JA Codas Pride, a daughter of all-time leading sire and American Quarter Horse Hall of Fame member Dash For Cash, and the dam of runners such as JA Fast Lady ($146,946) and Cascada B ($51,759).

Feature Mason B made seven career starts on the racetrack, including contesting the trials of the prestigious Rainbow and All American futurities and notching a win at the historic Hialeah Park in Florida. He retired in 2013 with earnings of $3,975, and was acquired by his current owner in 2017.

Montgomery is an experienced horsewoman who was getting back into horse ownership after a hiatus due to other life demands, and found him listed with the SPCA after his then-owners had fallen on hard times.

“I have been around horses my whole life, and I'm the right kind of person to take on a project,” she said. ”He was obviously de-conditioned, but I could tell there was really good conformation under there. Then I went and met him and that was pretty much it.”

The two were instant friends, and she got the horse she calls “Theo“ back to full health.

“He is possibly the most polite horse I've ever interacted with,” she said.

The highly willing horse always tries to please his handlers, and is very smart, she said.

She remembers a cold day last winter when she put his cooler on him to keep him warm as they walked out to the arena to work. When she prepared to mount, she removed the cooler and placed it on the arena fence. He grabbed the cooler with his teeth and swung his head around, indicating he wanted it back on.

“So I had to put it back on until he'd warmed up a little bit,” she said with a laugh. “That's a prime example of his communication skills.”

They board at a dressage barn in the Dallas, Texas, area, and Montgomery does most of the riding with the help of regular lessons with an instructor. They are currently competing at Training and First Level.

“I appreciate his Quarter Horse brain and his 150 percent work ethic,” Montgomery said. “We have a great time.”

In addition to their work in the dressage ring, Montgomery takes him trail riding, dabbles in jumping and just finds ways to enjoy him, and encourages others to not overlook a horse that might seem imperfect from the outside, but are perfect on the inside.

“I've never ridden another horse that has made me feel more safe,” Montgomery said. “We have a lot of fun. It's a great time and I have a wonderful friend.”

This story, which is part of the Second Career Stars series, originally appeared on the American Quarter Horse News website and is republished here with permission. Second Career Stars is an ongoing series on retired racing American Quarter Horses in new careers. If you know of a horse that should be featured, write to acaudill@aqha.org. AQHA News and information is a service of the American Quarter Horse Association. For more news and information, follow @AQHARacing on Twitter, “like” Q-Racing on Facebook, and visit www.aqha.com/racing.

The post Off-Track Quarter Horse Now Dancing In Dressage Ring appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

Mori was the son of Eugene V. Mori, Sr., owner of multiple racetracks including Garden State in Cherry Hill, N.J., Hialeah Park in Miami, Fla., and controlling interest in Tanforan out in California.

Mori was also instrumental in ending segregation at Hialeah Park in the 1960's, beginning with celebrated singer and dancer Cab Calloway in 1961.

The Sun Sentinel reports the day Calloway visited Hialeah Park:

“Mr. Calloway approached the doorman of the club house and attempted entry. The doorman would not allow him in as Hialeah was segregated. Mr. Calloway insisted that the doorman call the president of the track. Mr. Mori happened to be having lunch at the club that day. The doorman contacted Mr. Mori and said Mr. Cab Calloway was at the door and wants to come in. Mr. Mori asked, the doorman, 'Is Mr. Calloway wearing a jacket and tie?' As that was the dress code for all, 'If not give him one and let him in, and tell him he is my guest for lunch.' Eugene had been a great admirer of Cab Calloway and his music, and felt privileged to meet him that day. From that day on Eugene Mori, Jr. ended Segregation at Hialeah Racetrack.”

Read more at the Sun Sentinel.

The post Former Hialeah President Eugene Mori, Instrumental In Ending Segregation At Florida Track, Dies At 92 appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post